Sunlight spilled over what was once the Western Hills Ranch.
The simple training ground stood empty, save for the grandfather in the courtyard tidying up his old fishing gear.
It was nearly noon now. The winter sun had chased away a bit of the chill. The man in the leather jacket waited for his granddaughter to wake up.
To him, his granddaughter sleeping in until midday was perfectly normal.
Only today, he felt unusually irritable.
Because there was another person in his granddaughter's room—Barbatos, the one who had stolen her away!
He clenched his fists.
"Damn it!"
When Sei-chan was small, she always used to sleep with him.
But now, a new favorite had replaced the old.
That so-called Barbatos still hadn't gotten up. Probably a lazy good-for-nothing.
He silently made that judgment in his heart.
--+--
Inside the room, a glaring ray of sunlight fell on the sleeping face of Barbatos, causing her to frown slightly and squirm under the covers.
Then she brushed against something soft.
"Hmm?"
Barbatos groggily cracked open an eye.
Beside her, she could see a strand of teal hair, and below it, the profile of a face still deep in sleep.
"?!"
In that instant, she was fully, completely awake. She stared wide-eyed at the sleeping Seiun Sky beside her, astonished to find her there.
Her mind was still fuzzy from sleep.
But after gazing blankly at Seiun Sky for a long moment, her thoughts finally settled back into place.
Her surprised expression softened, as if she were looking at the most precious treasure in the world. Her lips parted soundlessly.
'Good morning, wife.'
Even if she said it out loud, the sleeping Seiun Sky probably wouldn't hear.
But saying it now felt so embarrassing. Besides, they had only just confirmed they were a couple; they weren't actually married.
Seiun Sky's teal hair was slightly mussed from sleep. Her slightly parted lips as she slept seemed to possess a magic that could soothe all unrest.
Sunlight fell on her face, adding to her beauty.
Sunlight?
Barbatos blinked, then turned to look at the sunlight streaming through the window. She gave a helpless little smile.
The sun really was high in the sky now, and she was just waking up. She'd completely missed the training schedule they'd set for yesterday.
But that was to be expected.
Yesterday, they'd worked on that training plan until past midnight, and then tackled the problem of how to handle Grandpa.
Although Seiun Sky had directly proposed a workable plan.
It still needed quite a bit of polishing. Otherwise, one little white lie would require a whole bunch more to cover it up.
To Seiun Sky's grandfather, deceiving an elder was very impolite, even if it was a lie meant to protect their own safety.
So a lie like this, once was enough.
It had to work perfectly the first time, leaving Grandpa with no doubts and no desire to talk to others about it.
By the time they finished discussing everything, it was very late. Waking up at this hour was perfectly normal, nothing to be surprised about.
Putting their training plan into action would have to wait until after Grandpa "knew the truth."
Taking a moment to compose herself...
She glanced at Seiun Sky beside her, then crawled out of bed, ready to prepare for this most important deception of all.
She didn't choose to wake Seiun Sky, thinking to let her sleep a little longer.
Just as she got up and was about to push open the bedroom door, she looked back at the sleeping Seiun Sky again. Hesitating for a few seconds, she tiptoed quietly back to the bedside.
She really couldn't help it.
Now that they were officially together, wasn't it okay to do some... couple things?
To be honest, as a self-proclaimed love expert, her theoretical knowledge was vast, but her practical experience was on par with Seiun Sky's—basically zero.
In this situation, giving Seiun Sky a good morning kiss shouldn't be too much, right?
Shouldn't...
Barbatos's heart began to pound furiously at the thought.
That flutter in her chest made her a little scared, a little uneasy. She wasn't sure if Seiun Sky would wake up if she kissed her.
She wasn't sure if Seiun Sky was ready for something like this yet.
But since they were a couple now, surely this kind of thing was unlocked, right?
The sound of her own frantic heartbeat seemed to echo in her ears, as if she were about to do something naughty for the very first time.
Moving with extreme care, she approached the bedside, afraid to make a sound, afraid to wake Seiun Sky.
She kept psyching herself up internally. Leaning down close to Seiun Sky's side, at this distance she could feel the even rhythm of her breathing, could feel those teal strands of hair brushing against her own cheek.
She could see the girl she liked, right there within reach.
Looking at Seiun Sky's lovely, sleeping face, seeing her completely unguarded like this...
Barbatos felt her own lips go a bit dry. The pounding of her heart in her ears grew even more intense.
Holding her breath...
She brushed her own hair behind her ear.
Closing the distance to Seiun Sky once more, she leaned in closer, gradually moving upward.
She felt a sensation of wetness on her lips. Her mind went blank for a second. She wanted more, but forcibly controlled herself, pulling back after just the briefest touch, like a dragonfly skimming the water's surface.
Barbatos quickly straightened up, taking a deep breath. She pressed her lips together. In hindsight, sneaking a kiss while her girlfriend was asleep felt a bit... odd.
But she also felt a deep, physical and emotional satisfaction.
If only she could really kiss Seiun Sky sometime.
At the moment of the kiss, she didn't know how to describe it. She'd never taken any stimulants.
But at that moment—or even now—it felt like she had. As if her body were filled with boundless energy.
It was hard to put into words.
She could only say her own condition had never been better. The kind of good where she could run tens of thousands of meters in one go without getting winded.
She stood dazed by the bedside for quite a while.
Only by sheer force of will did Barbatos restrain the urge to kiss her again. She turned and walked out of the room.
Just as Barbatos left the room, the moment the soft click of the closing door sounded...
Seiun Sky's eyes opened. Her gaze held a touch of confusion, and her face was already flushed a deep red.
She had actually woken up when Barbatos kissed her. But she hadn't dared to let Barbatos know she was awake. Her feelings about being secretly kissed by Barbatos were... complicated.
She liked the feeling of that instant when Barbatos's lips met hers, but she also felt a shyness like never before.
Reaching up, she gently touched her lips. The sensation of the kiss seemed to linger, as if her lips still carried Barbatos's "scent."
Is this what being a couple is like?
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.