Chapter 444: The Aggressive Reflection |
Loren and Laila were also sent to a hotel far away. The Church had already prepared accommodations for Loren.
"Woo-hoo! I'm suffocating!"
As soon as Loren released the Shielding Spell, Reflection Naclis emerged from Loren's shadow and immediately latched onto him.
"Didn't you used to hide in the shadows every day? It's only been this long—why do you feel stifled now?"
"It's different. Back then, I had nothing to look forward to. Now that you're right beside me, and there aren't many people around to disturb us, do you have any idea how much I crave you?"
"..."
Loren honestly didn't know how to respond to that, so he pretended not to hear and let Reflection Naclis hang onto him.
"It's like locking Anna in a room with a cake. I have to constantly suppress the urge to pin you to the ground..."
"Alright, stop talking..."
"I'm going to take a bath. Don't come in..."
After putting Reflection Naclis down, Loren had only taken a few steps when she followed him:
"Didn't I tell you not to come in?"
"You're playing favorites. When you and Naclis bathe together, you don't have all these hang-ups..."
"She doesn't constantly think about doing what you're thinking..."
Loren couldn't even finish the rest of the sentence, too embarrassed to say it. But the more flustered he got, the more amused Reflection Naclis's expression became:
"That's not necessarily true..."
"Laila, keep an eye on her. Don't let her in."
In the end, Loren had no other choice but to resort to this, asking Laila to watch her.
"Understood!"
Laila immediately blocked Reflection Naclis's path. Even if Loren hadn't asked, she would have done it anyway.
After all, no one could accept being cucked by their own daughter.
Having gone through so much just now, Loren was a bit dirty and had gotten a fair amount of seawater on him. He absolutely had to bathe.
If it weren't for Reflection Naclis clinging to him like this, Loren really wouldn't have wanted to bother showering at all.
---
"You'd better stay right here."
Laila tried to assert her parental authority, but Reflection Naclis stood directly in front of her. Now Laila had to look up just to see Naclis's face, and her momentum instantly deflated.
"Damn it..."
Laila had never really cared much about her height before, but at this moment, she realized just how short she was.
At the same time, another thought struck her. The first time she had done it, she had even been wearing Anna's clothes. The mere thought made Laila feel even more pathetic.
Just then, Reflection Naclis actually comforted Laila:
"Don't be discouraged. You may not be as tall as me, but I'm not as big as you..."
"Is that so..."
Hearing Reflection Naclis's words, Laila pressed a hand to her chest and actually started mulling it over.
Right then, the sound of running water suddenly echoed from the bathroom. Reflection Naclis's eyes lit up, and she darted past Laila, charging toward the bathroom:
"My chance!"
"Wait!"
After Reflection Naclis bolted, Laila instinctively tried to chase after her, but she was a moment too late. Reflection Naclis turned into a shadow and slipped through the crack in the door.
The next second, she saw Loren. He was fully dressed, staring at her as she burst in with a look like she was nothing but trash.
Reflection Naclis felt a brief thrill of excitement.
"I knew you'd barge in."
Reflection Naclis's mobility was too high; it was difficult to stop her.
Still, just driving her away wasn't impossible.
Loren's body began to glow, completely erasing his own shadow. This was light magic he had picked up while studying ways to deal with vampires.
Under the blinding light, Reflection Naclis covered her eyes, and then she felt Loren grab her by the scruff of her neck, tossing her out of the bathroom.
"I thought you were going to tie me up..."
As he flung her out, Reflection Naclis muttered.
"..."
Loren didn't respond. He silently closed the bathroom door.
"What a pity."
Reflection Naclis wore a face full of regret, which gave Laila a fleeting urge to teach her a lesson.
But in the end, Laila held herself back. She reasoned internally that she hadn't married Loren yet, had no official status, and wasn't really in a position to discipline children...
---
Just as Loren stepped out of the bathroom, Reflection Naclis lunged at him, reaching out to touch his abs and letting out a lecherous giggle.
This immediately made Loren miss the well-behaved Naclis. Her reflection was way too twisted...
"Your turn to bathe, Laila."
Loren struggled to pry Reflection Naclis off himself and said to Laila.
"Okay."
Laila responded, shooting Reflection Naclis a highly displeased look.
After Loren came out, Reflection Naclis behaved herself and didn't do anything else too outrageous.
"It's getting late. Go back to your room and rest. The Church didn't know how many people I'd bring, so they rented out the biggest inn here for us. There are plenty of rooms."
"Alright..."
Reflection Naclis put on her best obedient act and headed toward her room, though her pace was deliberately slow as she silently counted down the time in her head.
The moment she heard the water running in the bathroom again, Reflection Naclis spun around with lightning speed, pounced on Loren, and reached for his pants:
"Let's not do it the hard way, daddy!"
"What do you think you're doing!"
The roar didn't come from Loren but from Laila, who had burst out of the bathroom.
At that moment, Loren had already pinned Reflection Naclis across his lap. They both looked at the rushing Laila, who was now feeling rather awkward.
Seeing that nothing had actually happened, Laila closed the door again. From behind it, she heard the sound of Reflection Naclis screaming in pain, which filled her with immense satisfaction.
"Go back to bed."
Loren released Reflection Naclis. Her eyes were red-rimmed and she was sobbing. Despite her pitiful appearance, Loren felt little sympathy—she had brought it all on herself.
"Oh..."
Reflection Naclis muttered in response and obediently walked away, once again adopting her good-girl demeanor.
"Sigh..."
After she left, Loren let out a sigh. If it weren't necessary, he wouldn't have wanted to use force. But today, Naclis really had crossed the line.
What Loren failed to notice, however, was that before Reflection Naclis entered her room, a barely perceptible smirk curled at the corner of her lips.
Plan successful, hehe.
Once inside her room, Reflection Naclis even let out a lecherous laugh. Clutching her bruises, she savored the memory of the scene.
---
"How did water get on my pants?"
Outside, Loren looked down at his pants. He was certain he had just changed into a fresh pair. But he didn't think too much about it, simply assuming he had accidentally splashed some on himself.