The Seed Thief

Vol. 1 Chapter 4.2

But that was it. Lulu, who had draped Ervandas’s arm over her shoulder like a blanket, soon let out a steady breath.

‘Are you sleeping?’

His body, which had been tense to the extreme, relaxed. He glanced at Lulu, wondering if she was pretending to sleep. But she was deeply asleep, even snoring softly.

He considered pushing her out of his arms but quickly dismissed the thought.

‘If she’s just sleeping without doing anything else, that’s better…….’

If he woke her up, she might do more than this. It was better to let her sleep peacefully and pass the time.

As Ervandas remained still, Lulu wriggled slightly, turned her body toward him, and hugged him, settling into a more comfortable sleeping position.

Ervandas gazed down at the red ball sleeping in his embrace with a complicated expression.

It seemed that the word ‘dirty’ had troubled her, as she diligently took a bath every day since. As a result, the small soap gradually diminished.

The soap was old, with little fragrance remaining. But when Lulu embraced him like this, a faint floral scent briefly lingered at the tip of his nose before fading.

Following the floral scent, there was a fragrance that dulled the senses a little more. At first, he thought it was the scent coming from the soap. Smelling it for the first time, he thought it was a pleasant smell, but soon realized the scent grew stronger whenever Lulu moved her body.

Initially, Ervandas casually sniffed the ends of Lulu’s hair, but the scent he sought wasn’t there. Then where was it coming from? Carefully moving his body to avoid waking Lulu, he realized the smell became even more pronounced around her neck and chest.

What he thought was the scent of soap turned out to be Lulu’s body odor. The moment Ervandas realized this fact, he felt disheartened. If he wanted to smell it more, he would have to bury his face in her chest. Just like he did that day.

As the thought crossed his mind, a weightiness settled below. Ervandas swallowed a groan and leaned his back against the wall. Perhaps feeling the chill as their bodies separated, Lulu once again pressed herself against him.

No matter how many times he moved his body, Lulu pursued him persistently. Ervandas eventually gave up and surrendered his body to Lulu. At that moment, the frown on Lulu’s face loosened, replaced by a faint smile.

Pfft.

At that smile, Ervandas unknowingly let out a laugh. But then realizing he had laughed while looking at Lulu, he hastily erased the smile that had formed on my lips.

‘But still…’

Though he knew it was a false image, her sleeping face was rather adorable. From her small, round, white forehead to her lashes that were fuller and longer than any doll’s, and even her plump red lips.

“…….”

He groaned as he realized what a stupid idea he’d been thinking. He had a suspicion that this witch’s curse was the kind of magic that grew stronger over time.

But even if that were true, there was nothing he could do. All he could do was bask in her sweet scent and warm body, hiding his beastly desires.

Lulu continued to seek for Ervandas’s arms the next day and the day after. Ervandas willingly extended his arms from the start, as if letting her do as she pleased.

After a week, falling asleep together became a natural occurrence for both of them. Lulu nestled into his arms as if it had always been her place, and Ervandas extended his arm as if it belonged to her.