Yilu, standing before Lyr, was like a child who had a nightmare and, after crying and fussing, was afraid to sleep alone.
Aside from that, Lyr didn’t find it particularly strange.
He had a younger sister, and Tif had been like this before.
But seeing it in Yilu, Lyr only found it amusing.
Lyr let out a quiet, instinctive laugh.
“I’ll have Tif keep you company? You two should be pretty familiar.”
Lyr was just about to get up when Yilu remained in that awkward posture.
“Actually, we’re not that familiar.”
She had a clear self-awareness; from the beginning, she had barely exchanged words with anyone else, maybe only having a familiar face.
That was exactly what she sought—to go alone—so she never complained.
Lyr paused and couldn’t help worrying about Yilu’s interpersonal relationships.
“Then should I find a maid?”
That was the other idea Lyr could think of, but for some reason, when he said it, he noticed Yilu’s expression shift from awkwardness to contempt.
She narrowed her eyes and looked at Lyr as if he were trash.
“Do you mean to say you often have them sleep with you?”
“Hey, watch your mouth.”
The sudden accusation made Lyr blurt out.
‘What is going on in her head? How can she say something like that so naturally?’
‘I’ve been sleeping alone for a long time now.’
‘Back in the Frontier, it was all men; where would any maids come from?’
Yilu looked up, ignoring Lyr’s words. Finally, Lyr pressed his hand to his forehead and rubbed his fingers between his brows.
“Then what exactly do you want?”
He had already suspected that Yilu couldn’t sleep, so she wanted to keep him awake too.
Returning to the topic, Yilu reverted to her previous demeanor and paused for a long time before speaking.
“I’ll just stay here for a while. I should be fine.”
Lyr pointed downward, indicating his bed, to confirm he hadn’t misheard.
“Here?”
“Mm, just a while.” Yilu’s voice grew softer. “Just like that night, just a while.”
Lyr stared at Yilu for quite a while, truly unable to understand what she was thinking.
Yilu asked again to confirm her request.
“Not okay?”
“Alright, if you think it’s no problem, then I have no problem either.”
For just a while, Lyr thought there shouldn’t be any issue.
He had spent an entire night with Yilu before, let alone just a while.
“Good.”
Lyr thought Yilu wanted to sit and chat with him for a bit, but before he could prepare, to his surprise, Yilu directly climbed onto the bed.
As if she intended to sleep there, she lay down and even pulled over the blanket Lyr had just yanked off.
Lyr stood frozen for a moment, almost not reacting.
He even looked around to confirm that this was his room, not Yilu’s.
“You plan to sleep here?”
Lyr hadn’t expected things to turn out this way.
“I said just a while. What are you afraid of?”
“Then where do I sleep?”
“The bed is this big. You can just sleep over there.”
Yilu said it as if it were only natural.
As could be seen, this bed was huge—big enough for three people to sleep on.
Compared to the bed at the Academy, they were entirely different leagues.
Lyr’s mouth hung slightly open; he was stunned speechless.
‘What is this? She said she’d stay for a while, but she’s actually taking over the nest?’
After all, they were in House Geno; Lyr didn’t think Yilu’s room had a worse bed than his.
“You’re the one who gave it up. Don’t blame me tomorrow for disturbing your rest.”
Yilu said, completely absolving herself of any potential trouble she might cause.
Suddenly remembering something, she looked at Lyr with a playful expression.
“Or are you actually afraid I’ll eat you?”
Lyr let out a helpless sigh but still climbed back onto the bed, and as Yilu had said, obediently stayed on the other side.
“Say less of that kind of thing. It doesn’t suit you, as if you’re so experienced.”
Lyr also pulled a corner of the blanket.
“You know? The more someone lacks something, the more they show off. If you were really that terrifying, you wouldn’t just use words to say it.”
For example, those who often brag about having many friends might not have a single reliable person around them and only use words to bluff.
Lyr was referring to Yilu’s current behavior, but to Yilu, it had an implied meaning.
She had actually heard others describe her this way behind her back a long time ago—saying that she was always fierce, arrogant, and prideful, but that it was only to cover up her mediocre talent.
“You talk as if you know me so well.”
Yilu pouted, then lay down directly and tugged at the blanket, trying to pull it all over.
“Aren’t you only staying for a while? Don’t take my blanket. I’ve been through so much these past two days. If you won’t let me sleep, at least let me rest a bit.”
Lyr pulled back with equal force on the blanket.
“I’m cold, is that not allowed?”
Under the tug-of-war between the two, the blanket was stretched taut.
In the gap between them, where the blanket was propped up, an empty space formed like a clear boundary.
The room was dim, and the two of them lay back-to-back, as if sulking at each other.
Lying in Lyr’s original spot, Yilu could still smell his lingering scent.
Coming to his room wasn’t really to stay for a while; it was because she felt his scent could calm her down, just like last night.
Although tonight’s curse had been dispelled by the Thunder Fairy, her mind still hadn’t settled. She thought coming to Lyr’s room might help.
After a long silence, Yilu’s voice came.
“For some reason, I really like the smell of you. It makes me feel calm.”
Whether it was Lyr’s scent that was special, or he himself was special, Yilu couldn’t tell.
When she said this, she felt her cheeks grow warm.
She didn’t know if this was some kind of peculiar habit.
“Oh, I’ll take that as a compliment.” Lyr’s voice sounded drowsy, as if he could fall asleep any second.
“Besides that, I want to ask you a question.”
“Question? Same as before, as long as I can answer.”
Yilu calmed her mind and asked what had been bothering her.
“Back then, when I said I wanted power, you looked at me as if you had something to say.”
She had seen it clearly. When she had retorted to the Thunder Fairy, Lyr’s look at her contained something beyond surprise.