Chapter 302: Sleepy Chloe

“Chloe, wake up,” Vlad called, gently shaking her with his free hand. “It’s time to move out.”

No response came from the sleeping girl, who lay motionless in his lap.

“Chloe…” Vlad called again. “Get up, baby. You’ve slept plenty.”

Chloe released a low whimper, only tightening her grip around his arm. Vlad kept gently shaking her while trying to wake her with a soft voice. Not a flicker of annoyance ever appeared on his face.

Chloe always became very vulnerable when she was sleepy. It wasn’t that she was deliberately being stubborn; it was a trait she was born with. Naturally, Vlad had never raised his voice or done anything aggressive to wake her in the countless previous encounters.

After a couple of minutes of consistent strokes and calling, Chloe finally opened her heavy eyes. She slowly raised her head from his lap, taking a sitting position, her small fists rubbing her eyes.

“It’s been an hour and a half,” Vlad revealed, his eyes fixed on her back, which faced him. Of course, it was nowhere close to her usual three-hour afternoon nap, but it was the maximum time Vlad could afford to give her.

In four more hours, the practical would come to an end. Vlad still needed to find eleven more Identity tokens and twenty-three forest tokens. He had planned to defeat Gareth and take his hunter token, but since Chloe had already taken it, Vlad would just fill his last large pocket with ten identity tokens.

“You can sleep more after the practi..”

Vlad’s words died in his mouth as Chloe turned around, sat in his lap, and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Five minutes,” she whispered in a sleepy voice, her face resting on his shoulder.

“Fine,” Vlad sighed.

“Ann!” Chloe cried, hugging him even tighter as if demanding something.

“Here-here,” Vlad placed his arms around her upper and lower back, knowing what she wanted. How dare he not hug her back when she was sleepy?

Waking up to Vlad’s cocoa-like scent was like a morning refresher for Chloe. Her senses slowly returned, the sleepiness vanishing from her eyes.

Vlad felt equally, if not more, comfortable as she embraced him. Her sweet lavender fragrance and the warmth of her body had already caused his heart to beat at twice its normal rate.

Once the five-minute deadline Chloe had negotiated was over, he gently tapped her peach with one hand and said, “Get up, it’s time to wake up.”

Chloe lowered her hands from his neck, moving her face back until it was parallel to Vlad’s.

She didn’t even mind Vlad’s hand placement, as if it were completely natural for him to touch her rear. She leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek.

It was completely uncalled for, causing Vlad’s breath to catch in his throat.

“Mwah~” came a melodic sound as she parted her soft lips from his skin. Before Vlad could say anything, she kissed his cheek again and again.

“Mwah~”

“Mwah~”

“Mwah~”

“Mwah~”

.

.

.

She continued lavishing her affection all over his face, leaving the poor man completely undone. His mind had already stopped processing after the second kiss, and she kept overloading it with more and more.

After a few seconds, a gasp escaped Vlad’s lips as he finally returned to earth.

“Wh-what’s gotten into you?” he exclaimed with flushed cheeks.

“Wanted to sit in your lap longer,” Chloe answered in her usual stoic tone as she removed his hand from her rear and moved back onto the ground. Vlad could clearly tell that behind that expressionless face, she harbored a smugness for tricking him into two more minutes of cuddles.

“You’ll be responsible if I develop diabetes after this,” Vlad hissed, turning his face sideways shyly.

“Don’t worry,” Chloe tapped her chest proudly. “Chloe mama will take responsibility for her Vlad.”

Vlad just gave her a narrow-eyed glare, completely speechless. Just this once, he decided to let her have the upper hand and be as smug as she wanted. He could do at least this much in return for all the kisses she had showered him with.

“Here,” Chloe’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. Both her hands were extended towards him, holding Gareth’s hunter token.

“Why are you giving it to me?” Vlad asked, confusion laced in his voice.

“You need this hunter token to get a perfect score,” Chloe stated the obvious. She had already sensed the eight pulsating tokens placed in the large pockets of his trousers and T-shirt. The last empty large pocket hadn’t gone unnoticed by her either. Since the academy had issued these hunter uniforms, she had already predicted that the pockets were there for a reason.

“It’s for yo—Ack”

A flick landed on her forehead before she could finish her sentence.

“Keep it,” Vlad ordered in a firm tone, leaving no room for further discussion.

Chloe rubbed her stinging forehead, ready to retort, but no words left her mouth upon seeing the serious expression on his face.

She immediately understood the reason for his refusal. He would never take credit for her achievement. He had always been like this. He would spend all her money on himself without a second thought, or spend his own money on her in the same manner. After all, it was never yours or mine between them. It was always ours.

But there was one line Vlad never crossed: he never took credit for her work.

When Edren had ordered him to hunt, Vlad forgot, lost in his training. Chloe brought down the boar alone and told him to say it was his kill. He refused.

The same happened on Elaria’s birthday. His attempt at a surprise meal ended up inedible, and Chloe quietly cooked a proper one in its place. She offered to let him present it as his own, and again he refused.

Naturally, Chloe never took credit for Vlad’s achievements either.

But this time, she still wanted him to take the token. If she had known this would happen, she wouldn’t have taken the token in the first place.

Vlad read the worry, and the reason for it, clearly on her face even though it carried no expression.

“There is still another way to fill the last pocket,” Vlad said in a warm tone, patting her head. “Besides, I need your help with something else.”

Chloe’s eyes rose, fixing on his crimson ones as if demanding he tell the truth.

“I’m not lying,” Vlad chuckled, once again reading her thoughts.

It was only then that Vlad saw the relief return to her face.

A glimmer of happiness appeared in her eyes as she asked, “What do you need my help w—”

Her words stopped mid-sentence, both of their eyes narrowing simultaneously.

They immediately jumped to their feet and drew their swords, sensing something coming from the tall bushes in the distance.