The World Is Mine For The Taking-Chapter 649 - 100 - Connection (5)

Instead of answering me directly, she simply offered a soft smile and said, "Why don't you head out for now and return to the dining room? Your girlfriends might start getting worried if you stay gone too long, you know? I'm going to remain here for a little while."

"Alright," I responded quietly, giving a small nod.

With slow, measured steps, I turned away from her and walked out of the room, the door clicking softly behind me as I pulled it shut.

***

Later that night, I found myself lying in bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling. The dim light of the room cast long shadows across the walls, creating a quiet, almost nostalgic atmosphere. Due to the growing number of children in the orphanage, there hadn't been enough rooms to house everyone comfortably anymore. Because of that, we had decided to rent a small house just nearby to ease the burden.

It was a place typically used by adventurers who sought a few days of respite. And for good reason. After all, the house wasn't just spacious, but also luxurious compared to the orphanage or even any inns, complete with private rooms and even an outdoor bath that looked inviting under the starlit sky.

At the moment, I was in the room with Yr, who was already deep in slumber beside me. Meanwhile, the other three girls were still enjoying the outdoor bath, the faint sound of their laughter occasionally reaching my ears. The house itself, while modest in size, had an undeniable charm to it — something that was reflected in the high rental price. Still, it felt worth it. The owner had been a kind, accommodating person, which made it all the better.

I shifted slightly on the bed, my thoughts wandering back to the conversation I'd had earlier with Alice. A soft rustling sound snapped me out of my daze, and when I turned my head, Yr had somehow snuggled up closer to me.

"Leon..." she mumbled sleepily, her voice barely more than a whisper. Her eyelids drooped heavily as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her small hands, looking so utterly innocent that it tugged at something deep inside my chest.

"Come here," I said gently, patting the space beside me.

Without hesitation, she crawled into my arms, hugging me tightly before drifting off again almost instantly. Just that simple gesture, her warm body pressing against mine, filled my chest with an overwhelming warmth — a feeling so tender and deep it almost made my heart ache.

As I lay there, silently savoring the moment, the door creaked open. I turned my head and saw Titania stepping inside. Draped in a fluffy towel that clung loosely to her wet body, she was using another towel to dry her hair. Her presence immediately filled the room, almost like an electric charge, as the soft scent of soap and something distinctly her wafted through the air.

She was breathtaking. Her long, damp hair cascaded over her shoulders in messy waves, droplets of water tracing slow, sensuous lines down her bare skin. There was a raw beauty about her at that moment. This was her in her natural, unguarded, and irresistibly sexy state.

"Oh, you're going to sleep already, Leon?" she asked, flashing a teasing smile, her voice light and almost melodic.

"Well, it has been quite an exhausting trip. I figured I deserved a little rest," I replied, chuckling under my breath.

"I see..." she mused, her lips curling into a thoughtful smile. After finishing drying her hair, she casually let the towel slip from her body without a shred of hesitation and moved toward her suitcase to grab some clothes.

She wasn't shy in the slightest. Why would she be? After everything we had done together, the need for modesty between us had long since disappeared.

She picked up a pair of panties and, balancing gracefully on one leg, began slipping them on. Halfway through, she caught me staring.

"Why are you watching me while I dress?" she asked, an amused glint in her eye.

"Uh, no reason... Maybe because it's been a while since I last took the time to truly appreciate your whole body like this?" I admitted with a sheepish smile.

She let out a soft, teasing laugh. "What's that supposed to mean? Hehehe. You sound like an old perverted man," she said, her voice dripping with playful mockery. "Haven't you had enough last night?"

"I haven't," I said flatly, my voice low and honest.

"You're so hopeless..." she muttered with a cheeky grin, clearly enjoying my reaction. Yet, despite her teasing, she made no move to cover herself. Instead, she simply smiled and said, "Alright then. Look as much as you want while I get dressed."

And so I did. She moved with deliberate slowness, every motion of her body designed to tease and enthrall me. Each time she lifted an arm or shifted her hips, it felt like she was performing a silent dance just for me. Somehow, watching her dress turned out to be just as — if not more — arousing than seeing her undress. freeωebnovēl.c૦m

There was something oddly intoxicating about it. Maybe it was the subtlety, the way she concealed her beauty bit by bit, leaving me yearning for what was hidden.

"Alright. Show's over," she declared with a playful wink once she had fully clothed herself.

Then, she made her way over to the bed, carefully slipping in beside me on the side opposite of where Yr lay. As she settled in, a burst of citrus fragrance filled the air, her scent enveloping me and making it almost impossible not to be aware of her presence.

After a few moments of quiet, she turned her head slightly and asked, "That girl back there... Is she a childhood friend of yours, Leon?"

"Well, yes," I replied softly. "Ever since I was brought to the orphanage as a child... We are practically family, I suppose."

"Hmm..." Titania hummed thoughtfully, the sound low and lingering. "She doesn't look like she views you as just family, you know?"

"Why do you think that?" I asked gently, slipping one of my arms under her head, letting it serve as her pillow. Her hair brushed lightly against my skin, and the warmth of her body pressed close to mine in a way that felt oddly comforting.

"Well," she murmured, her voice soft and laced with a sleepy kind of honesty, "when she looked at you earlier... I thought she was about to cry."

"Is that so?" I said, my tone low, almost contemplative, as I gazed up at the dim ceiling.

"Be honest with me, Leon," she whispered, her fingers absentmindedly playing with the fabric of my shirt. "You actually like her, don't you? Miss Alice, I mean."

A small flicker of surprise passed through me. "When did you learn her name?" I asked, glancing down at her.

"I asked Sister Lily earlier," she answered with a faint smile, her cheeks slightly puffed as if proud of herself.

She must have asked her when I had stepped out of the dining room earlier. The thought made me let out a small, almost inaudible chuckle.

"Well? You like her too, right?" she pressed, her voice tinged with a teasing lilt, but her eyes held a certain seriousness beneath the playfulness.

"I do," I admitted, my voice steady but carrying a quiet weight.

When we were young, she had been the one who taught me so many things I hadn't understood. Even though I was mentally older than her—having died at eighteen and reincarnated here into a child's body—there were still a myriad of things I was woefully ignorant about. Things like magic, the laws of mana, how to harness and control it properly... She had patiently guided me through it all.

Back then, she had been astonishingly intelligent for her age. And now? She had grown even sharper—more refined, more graceful in both mind and spirit.

She had become something of a teacher to me in more ways than I could ever properly explain. And naturally, as time passed, as we matured under the same roof, surrounded by the same walls and dreams, it was only natural that emotions deeper than mere friendship began to bloom between us.

So when she asked me if I liked her, there was no hesitation. It was only right for me to answer truthfully.

"Why don't you tell her how you feel, then?" she asked, her voice lowering to an almost conspiratorial whisper as she nestled a little closer against my side.

"It's not that easy," I said, releasing a slow breath, my chest rising and falling in rhythm with hers. "If I were to make a comparison... she's similar to Irene. Irene doesn't like the idea of polygamy... she would rather be in a monogamous relationship. But in Alice's case, it's not just preference... it's because she doesn't want to give up on her path. She dreams of becoming a priestess."

"Woah... A priestess, huh?" she mused, her voice colored with genuine wonder. "That's a beautiful dream to have. But... well, I do understand why both of you are trying to sever that thread connecting your hearts."

"Yeah..." I said, my voice almost a whisper now, weighed down by the complexity of it all. "Since priesthood—and being a priestess—means you can't have any spouse."

It was a sacred vow, an oath of purity, demanded so that they could serve the goddess Jeanne with unwavering devotion, free of worldly attachments.