Chapter 320: Teasing Sera

"I warned you about my weight, but you didn’t listen to me at all," Vlad sighed, shaking his head.

"Shut up," Seraphina retorted with a sulk. The duo sat at the edge of the bed, where Vlad’s fingers gently pressed against Seraphina’s numb arm in a massaging motion. "Why is your head so heavy? Look what it did to my arm."

She pointed at the creases on her reddened skin, left behind by the strands of Vlad’s hair.

"I’m sorry for being heavy," Vlad replied, barely holding back his laugh. He had never apologised for such a ridiculous reason before. Seeing Seraphina sulking like a child beside him brought a smile to his face.

The massage continued for a whole five minutes, until Seraphina could finally feel her fingers again. The soft morning light slipping through the curtains fell on her messy hair as she rose from the bed and moved towards the bathroom for a shower. Just then, Vlad offered from behind, "If you still can’t lift your arm, should I help you with the bath?"

She froze mid-step, crimson rising to her face. Flustered as she was by his shameless question, she knew how to get back at him.

She looked back over her shoulder and asked, wearing a smug expression on her red face, "Th-that’s something I should ask. S-since you can’t use your hands because of the bandages... I-I should be the one helping you with the bath."

Vlad blinked, obviously surprised. ’So she is doubling down on me.’

"Alright," he said, rising from the bed and reaching beside her. "Let’s shower together." His tone was strangely calm, as if it were completely natural.

Flustered, she didn’t even notice when he reached beside her and grabbed her hand. By the time she realised it, they had already reached the entrance of the bathroom.

"Wait-wait-wait!" Seraphina blurted, grabbing the door frame as if holding onto her dear life.

"Huh? Don’t tell me you are scared now," Vlad teased, already inside and lightly pulling her.

"I-I’m not scared!" Seraphina scoffed, but her expression said otherwise.

"Then come."

At that moment, Seraphina knew that she had been completely cornered. "You shameless Vlad, you are so mean!"

The voice echoed through the room, followed by the loud thud of the door. She had run inside the bathroom, pushing Vlad out and slamming the door shut.

"Hmph! Trying to be smug with me," Vlad scoffed, running a victorious hand through his hair.

While she was bathing, Vlad went downstairs to collect the food delivery.

He momentarily stopped at the common lounge, his eyes falling on the warden sitting in the corner. The middle-aged man, with messy auburn hair, weathered skin, and a beard threaded with grey, was chugging a bottle of wine that screamed expensive from sight alone.

"Is it something special today?" Vlad asked the warden in a friendly tone.

The warden lowered the bottle from his lips, his emerald eyes, which seemed to have lost their life long ago, falling on Vlad. "Nah, Lady Seraphina gave it to me."

His lips curled into a faint smile behind the thick facial hair as he continued, "Tell her to come more often."

Now Vlad realised how Seraphina had entered his room. She had bribed this drunkard warden. What surprised him even more was that Seraphina casually carried around such expensive wines, the kind that would cost an arm and a leg.

"I will convey your message," Vlad chuckled, not even bothering to hide his relationship with Seraphina.

The warden gave him one last gaze before turning his focus back to the wine. From the very first day Vlad had arrived at the academy, he had always found this warden drinking, no matter the time of day. He had never seen him leave that rocking chair or eat anything, either.

Vlad reached the main entrance of the dormitory and took the food packages from the delivery man. On his way back, he couldn’t help but turn his attention to the warden again.

He released a sigh and stopped in front of the warden.

"Let your veins carry something other than alcohol every oncein a while."

The voice entered the warden’s ears. When he lowered the bottle from his mouth, he found a box of sandwiches placed on the armrest of his chair, and Vlad was already gone from the lounge.

"Noisy brat," the warden muttered, his brows twitching slightly in annoyance.

---

When Vlad reached the room, Seraphina had already come out of the bathroom. She was sitting on his study chair, wearing the same brown sweater from the night before. She was leaning forward, applying moisturiser to her smooth legs, which carried a faint rosy hue. Her hair was tied in a heavy bun at the back of her head.

"So you came prepared to stay the night?" Vlad asked, raising an eyebrow as he closed the door behind him.

"Of course," Seraphina replied proudly. "I made the plan to stay at your place even before the practical yesterday. A lady always carries the necessities with her."

Vlad reached beside her and placed the bag carrying the food boxes on the table behind her. A teasing smile formed on his lips as he asked, lowering his face to her level, "A lady who remembered to pack the moisturiser but somehow forgot to carry an extra pair of clothes."

His voice dropped even lower, his lips tickling her ear as he asked, "Or was it deliberate?"

Thud...

The moisturiser fell from her hand to the floor. She had barely recovered from his earlier teasing, and here he was at it again. Why had this dense muscle head suddenly become so sharp? He was already slipping out of her hands.

"G-go and bathe!" Seraphina muttered, pushing him back. "The food will get cold otherwise."

Vlad released a satisfied chuckle, seeing her burning face. Teasing her was slowly becoming his favourite hobby.

As he turned and walked towards the bathroom, Seraphina’s brows twitched, and her jaw tightened. Her hand slowly moved to her lower abdomen as a dull ache spread through it.

"Why does it have to arrive today?" she muttered to herself, grabbing her stomach.