Chapter 322: Reward...
Brandon sat propped up against the headboard with Jiyeon straddling his lap naked, her purple hair falling over her shoulders as she looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and affection.
Her fingers pressed into his cheeks, pulling and stretching them playfully.
"You’ve really changed a lot, Kael,"
His lips curled faintly under the pull of her fingertips, and his gaze softened as he tilted his head slightly, letting her play with him. "Maybe... but for you, I’m still that Baek Taewon who was madly in love with Nari Jiyeon."
The words struck her, and her teasing fingers froze for a moment.
Slowly, her eyes glistened with warmth and her lips parted before curving into the faintest, tender smile.
"Taewon..." she whispered, the sound of his old name tasting almost foreign on her lips and yet so comforting.
Her chest swelled, a wave of nostalgia wrapping around her "I really like your Korean name."
Her arms slipped around his neck, pulling herself close, and she closed her eyes, breathing in his warmth.
For a moment, it wasn’t about Kael the Herald, the male awakener, or the man entangled with so many others.
It was about the boy she remembered... the one who had once looked at her with that same unshakable affection.
He lifted his hand and brushed it along her back slowly, savoring the feel of her smooth skin beneath his palm "Then... call me that sometimes. When it’s just the two of us."
She leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, lingering there for a moment before trailing lower, her lips grazing the strong line of his jaw.
"Taewon..." she whispered again against his skin.
Her lips moved up toward his ear, brushing him there gently before pulling back enough to meet his eyes.
He cupped her waist, stroking slow circles with his thumb as he gazed at her. "You don’t know how much I’ve missed hearing you say my name like that."
Jiyeon’s cheeks flushed softly, and she buried her face against his neck, nuzzling him as if to hide her growing smile. "You’re still the same... even if everything else changed."
He chuckled low in his chest, tilting his head so his lips brushed her hair "For you, I’ll always be the same."
At this time, the door opened and Yverine entered in, wearing a tank top and shorts.
Raising her hands, she tied her hair into a ponytail and saw Jiyeon sitting naked on Brandon’s lap.
Jiyeon was quite embarrassed and crossed her arm across her breasts.
Without a trace of awkwardness, she closed the door behind her with a soft click.
"Seems like you’re busy," Yverine said casually as she padded toward the bed.
Her bare legs brushed against the mattress as she climbed up, sitting close to him.
Brandon smiled wryly, "You could at least knock louder."
Yverine only tilted her head, her ponytail sliding over one shoulder as she leaned in, and closed the small distance, pressing her lips to his.
Brandon reciprocated the kiss gently, his hand tightening on Jiyeon’s hip without him even realizing.
Breaking the kiss with a faint hum, Yverine brushed her fingers along his jawline.
Jiyeon bit her lip, shifting slightly in his lap as she saw them kiss each other.
Brandon glanced at Jiyeon from the corner of his eye, seeing her conflicted expression.
He smiled faintly, reaching with his free hand to brush a stray lock of hair from Jiyeon’s face. "Don’t pout, you’re both important to me."
Yverine let out a low chuckle, lying down sideways on the bed so that she could stretch one arm across Brandon’s chest possessively. "He’s right. There’s no need to feel shy. You’re here with us now, Jiyeon. That makes you one of us."
Jiyeon’s cheeks burned even redder, but something in Yverine’s tone... her easy acceptance and confidence slowly chipped away at her embarrassment.
Leaning into Brandon’s chest, Jiyeon whispered "Dumbass..."
Brandon exhaled quietly, pressing a small kiss to the crown of her head before looking back at Yverine.
His eyes softened as he thought to himself ’This warmth... this closeness... I’ll protect it, no matter how complicated it gets.’
---
"Do you think they are having a threesome?"
Lying on her bed, Eira spoke aloud. She was sprawled across the bed, one arm hanging lazily off the side, staring up at the ceiling with a half-dazed, curious look.
Elize and Dhayun, who were lying beside, looked at Eira and couldn’t help but chuckle.
Elize shook her head helplessly and spoke "Who knows? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, it’s not for us to intrude. Let them have their time."
"Now come to momma and sleep."
Eira and Dhayun moved closer to Elize, hugging her "Yes, momma."
"Mm, momma."
Elize smiled softly, wrapping her arms around them both, one hand stroking Eira’s hair and the other rubbing soothing circles against Dhayun’s back. "That’s better. Don’t worry about what’s happening in the other room. Just rest."
---
*tak* *krack*
The crunch of glass and debris echoed through the desolate streets.
Broken buildings loomed under the gray, cloud-smeared sky.
Abandoned cars sat rusting along the road, their shattered windows reflecting faint glimmers of dying sunlight.
The air smelled faintly of dust and smoke, carried on a lazy wind through the ruins.
Amidst this scene of quiet devastation, Naevora walked steadily, her boots pressing down against the rubble-strewn path.
Brandon was clinging to her with his legs locked around her waist and his arms loosely draped over her shoulders.
His cheek brushed against the back of her neck as he leaned forward, resting his chin on her shoulder.
Naevora’s hands were steady as they clasped his thighs, giving him a piggyback.
"Hm... so we have no clue about these two groups who are trying to kill you."
Brandon sighed against her shoulder in a muffled voice "Yeah..."
For a while, they walked in silence.
Brandon tilted his head, his chin brushing her collarbone, and muttered half-jokingly, "You know, if anyone saw us like this, they’d think I’m a spoiled prince being carried around by his knight."
Naevora smiled faintly, "You are spoiled. I’ve indulged you far too much. A normal man would be walking on his own two feet in a dungeon, you brat."
"Mm," he hummed lazily, adjusting his grip on her shoulders. "Maybe. But you don’t mind carrying me, do you?"
She gave his thigh a small squeeze with her hand, "No. I don’t mind. Better to keep you close."
He lowered his gaze to the curve of her neck and saw the deep cleavage of her breasts exposing her curves "You have a nice pair of breasts."
Naevora, who was already familiar with his pervertedness, gave a nod "I know."
Brandon blinked at her flat response, then huffed a laugh "That’s it? No denial? No embarrassment?"
She shrugged casually "Why would I deny what’s true? I’ve caught you staring often enough. And I don’t embarrass easily."
"I can feel your gaze. Even now, you’re still staring down my cleavage, aren’t you?"
Caught red-handed, Brandon gave a sheepish grin, not even bothering to deny it. "Can you blame me? You’re giving me the best seat in the world right now."
She just smiled faintly and continued walking.
Keeping his smile, he asked, "You still remember the bet, right? If I manage to master the disc technique, you will wear that sexy dress."
She glanced at him over her shoulder and smiled dryly "You are hell-bent on seeing my breasts, you pervert."
Brandon let out a chuckle and replied "Is it bad that I want to admire my master?"
Naevora exhaled softly, "It’s bad when your admiration sounds like you’re about to drool," she murmured, rolling her eyes but not shaking him off her back.
He shifted a little on her back, "Naevora, if I kill an S-Rank today, will you let me cuddle in your thighs like last time?"
(A.n: That was chap 285)
At the mention of "last time," Naevora’s brows twitched and she shot him a sidelong look. "First focus on tempering your body, you idiot. You’re nowhere near done with the basic drills I’ve given you."
Brandon grinned against her neck, "So that’s a no?"
Naevora didn’t answer immediately and kept walking through the ruins, her boots crunching over broken concrete.
’Hmm... Letting him see me in that dress is embarrassing, but I still accepted because it would push him to master the technique faster, and it was worth it. I can see his growth and he is close to mastering it.’
’A carrot for the donkey. With a reward, he will work harder.’
Finally stopped and turned her head fully, her hair brushing across his cheek. "Sure,"
Brandon raised an eyebrow "Sure?"
Naevora gave a slow nod. "If you kill an S-Rank today, I’ll let you. Cuddle, thighs, whatever you want."