Chapter 286

Chapter 72 Do You Like Me?

My heart suddenly felt heavy.

The forced smile that had just curved my lips quickly faded after a brief pause. The nervous tension that had been gripping me was somewhat alleviated by the overwhelming sadness that welled up in my throat.

I suddenly wanted to touch those wounds and say something comforting to make her feel better.

They’re quite beautiful…

Or perhaps, they’re not ugly at all.

Words of comfort crowded my mind, but I ultimately couldn’t bring myself to say any of them… because standing before me wasn’t just anyone; it was Victoria.

Victoria wouldn’t need words that sounded comforting but actually served no purpose, only to let someone indulge in false and fleeting lies that would soon be shattered. Such words might work for ordinary women. But Victoria isn’t an ordinary woman; she wouldn’t find joy in hearing such weak and meaningless sympathy, nor would she find solace in it.

In her world, there are mainly problems and solutions.

So, I suppressed the urge to touch her scars and tried to respond in a way that matched her thinking: “Is there a way to remove them?”

“There’s no way for now.”

Victoria pushed the water aside with both hands, slowly moving closer to me.

“This is already the result of a top-tier healing miracle at work. Otherwise, they’d be much more noticeable.”

She approached me, stopping right in front of me. Her wet golden hair spread out over her back, her smooth, fragrant shoulders emerged from the water, and her eyes stared directly into mine.

“Are… they from assassins?”

I asked, trying to remain calm, holding tightly onto the Acri fruit in my hand. I wanted to eat it but didn’t dare, instinctively blocking it in front of me as if it provided a little bit of security.

“Mostly. Some aren’t, like this one here.”

With a splash, Victoria raised her left arm out of the water, pointing to the scar on her arm and saying to me, “This one was left by a recent battle with monsters. The ones on my leg and waist are also from that fight. Because it was performed by the Holy Maiden herself, it looks less severe.”

Even if Margaret did it personally, the scars wouldn’t go away…

“Herbs, or something. Is there no way?”

I remembered Daisy took a course in herbology, which seemed to involve memorizing countless names and effects. I wasn’t cut out for that, but sometimes I heard girls in the dorm reciting from their books, mentioning things about healing and removing scars… what were they called again?

Victoria gently shook her head, “I’ve consulted famous doctors, but there’s no special method. This is how it is, and I’m actually not too bothered…”

Splash, splash.

The water rippled.

Victoria moved even closer to me, almost within half a step, her exquisite face drawing near, her fine eyebrows raised, her golden eyes filled with aggression.

“Do you mind?”

The strong scent of alcohol filled my nose, causing my breath to catch and my heart to skip a beat.

Then, it seemed to contract violently, almost jumping out of my chest.

Thump, thump! Thump, thump!

“I don’t mind,”—this simple word, I couldn’t bring myself to say it. My feet kicked against the smooth bottom of the bath pool, trying to retreat further, but I was already backed against the edge of the pool, making me even more tense. The grip on the Acri fruit tightened unconsciously—plop!

The fruit burst open, startling both Victoria and me.

Juice and pulp splattered everywhere, a piece sticking to Victoria’s cheek. She paused for only a short moment, then removed the pulp from her face and put it in her mouth to chew and swallow.

“Haha.”

Victoria laughed, her red lips curling into a charming arc.

“Are you nervous?”

“I… I’m not!”

“Then why are you hunching?”

“I, I like it this way…” I said, stiffening my neck at her.

My face feels so hot…

My heart really feels like it’s going to jump out.

“Victoria…”

“Mm.”

Victoria moved her face even closer, her straight nose almost touching mine. I desperately leaned my head back, using my left arm to protect my chest, while my right hand, which had crushed the fruit, remained frozen in place in front of me. My arm brushed against the softness half-submerged in the water, wanting to push it away but fearing I might touch more, my body rigid and motionless, eyes closed in fear.

“You, I… I’m done washing, I want to go out…”

“What’s the rush,” she said.

It seemed she was deliberately teasing me, maintaining a distance where we could feel each other’s breath, keeping our bodies in slight contact, neither advancing nor retreating, just staring at me… Even though my eyes were closed, I could sense her playful gaze.

After a brief silence.

“Victoria…” I couldn’t help but call her name again.

“Mm.”

“You, you’re not… washing, go wash…”

“I am washing.”

“But you… you’re so close to me, what are you doing…”

“Watching you.”

“…Watching me, what for…”

“It’s very interesting.”

“You, don’t look…”

“Just a little longer.”

“…”

I didn’t know what to say, nor did I understand what to do.

Whether in my past life or this one, in my not-so-long life, I haven’t had experience dealing with such situations.

I tried hard to think of some way or excuse, wanting Victoria to stop, wanting to escape this space quickly, but I couldn’t come up with anything. My mind was in a jumble, like paste.

I wanted to push her away forcefully, but I feared that doing so might hurt her.

Even Victoria, even now,

Also, it was only because of the alcohol that I could muster up the courage…

Such a relationship, even in my previous life where public opinion was already quite liberal, there were still people who viewed it differently. Let alone here, in a world where many people would consider it abnormal… If I were to push her away or say something harsh, Victoria might not show it, but she might secretly feel sad, perhaps thinking that I have a bad opinion of her… I don’t want her to think that way, not at all.

But if I don’t push her away, what should I do? How should I properly face this—

Accept? Politely decline?

I don’t know.

I don’t even understand my true feelings.

It’s just like when I first arrived at Sintelt堡, that intense feeling of ‘personality conflict’ caused a sense of dissonance, the contradictions and discomforts that had gradually subsided now resurfaced in my heart.

There seemed to be two emotions. One was as a man, Chen Yuxuan, admiring the beauty before him, feeling a heart-fluttering attraction, and the irresistible excitement when facing an excellent opposite sex. The other was as a girl, Peylo, facing this situation, she felt completely at a loss and anxious.

The former was light, the latter was heavy.

It seemed that these two emotions existed. Only they were intertwined and became more complex, making me feel extremely conflicted.

My heart was in turmoil.

Suddenly, the soft flesh on my right forearm began to increase, a slight pressure came, and my chin was held and slowly lifted.

Ah…

I hurriedly opened my eyes, seeing Victoria’s body leaning forward and pressing down, and her lips, as beautiful as rosy clouds, slowly approaching.

She’s going to kiss me!

At this moment, I felt as if I had been electrocuted, my body instantly tensed and then softened, feeling almost unable to stand. My heart raced like a frightened deer, blood surged upward, my cheeks, neck, and chest limbs started to heat up, even my breathing became difficult.

I was stunned.

I couldn’t make any response.

I didn’t know what would happen next, whether I would lose something important tonight, here. I couldn’t even think about it. In the end, I only followed my instincts, followed the deepest subconscious of this body, following the most genuine reaction a girl, whose emotions were still blank, could make in such a heart-stopping and helpless moment.

Closing my eyes tightly again, I muttered almost pleadingly.

“Victoria, don’t…”

“Don’t do this…”

“I’m scared…”

Victoria paused for a moment.

The next moment, a warm and soft touch landed on my forehead.

Pop.

A light, blushing kiss, touching and leaving immediately.

The attack receded.

“Hu—, hu—”

Like a child who has finally been rescued after drowning for a long time, I opened my mouth and breathed heavily, slowly opening my slightly hazy eyes, meeting those golden pupils.

After a moment, the woman with cheeks flushed and a breathtaking beauty avoided my gaze.

“Turn around, let me wash your hair,” Victoria said to me.

“…Okay.”

I responded hesitantly.

…So hateful.

Why do I feel like crying…

To hide my weak emotions, I obediently turned around, facing away from Victoria, wiping away the tears that had welled up in my eyes. I placed my hands on the edge of the bath, resting my head on them, and sniffled.

My chest still pounded, but the tension eased a bit as Victoria stopped pressing.

Splash…

The sound of water behind me slowly faded away, Victoria seemed to have swum to the side. What does she want to do now…

Unable to hold back, I glanced back, seeing Victoria take a box from the rack beside the bath. Oh, she went to get the ointment box and olive soap.

She shouldn’t do anything else now…

Unconsciously, I recalled Victoria’s appearance just now… She looked a bit shy and guilty, anyway, she didn’t dare look me in the eye… Never did I imagine that the proud woman would show such an expression.

What?

Seemingly confident, as if she was sure of me, yet she herself was doing this for the first time, right?

Hmph.

Victoria returned quickly, silently holding my hair and gently massaging it.

Neither of us spoke again, the bathroom became unusually quiet, so quiet that only the faint sound of flowing water and my occasional sniffling could be heard.

I no longer wanted to cry, I just felt a bit hot, constantly feeling like my nose was running.

This silence didn’t last long, Victoria spoke again.

“Sorry.”

Still in a cold, indifferent tone, but it sounded a bit airy.

I didn’t know how to respond, so I just shook my head slightly.

Then there was another moment of silence.

After a while, Victoria leaned in again, her warm chest pressed against my back, which made me shudder and tense up, only to find out she was just scratching my head.

“…Ah, it hurts…”

Her technique was terrible, her nails were too long… worse than those in the old alleys. She definitely hadn’t done this before, scratching one spot vigorously until she heard me yell in pain, then she lightened her grip.

“Victoria…”

I squinted my eyes, took a deep breath.

“Do you like me?”