Chapter 707: Anna’s Photo |
Panike didn’t know how to bathe, and she wasn’t exactly very clean, either.
While Loren was washing her, she sat there obediently the whole time, just as well-behaved as Naclis had been when she was little. It even stirred up some memories for Loren.
But all that changed once Loren finished washing Panike and was about to wash himself.
The moment Panike saw little Loren, it was as if some hardcoded instinct had been triggered. She pounced on him at once.
Panike’s actions left Loren stunned. Only then did he remember what Mirrorheart had said earlier. So Mirrorheart hadn’t been joking.
It took Loren a while to react and pull Panike away.
“Mirrorheart! Get over here!”
Loren grabbed a bath towel and wrapped Panike up in it, just in case she tried anything else inappropriate.
“Can’t Panike manage on her own?”
At Loren’s call, Mirrorheart came to the bathroom door. She deftly picked the lock, then gave a gentle tug, undoing a certain knot on herself. Her maid outfit slid smoothly to the floor.
“You’re serious? You really trained Panike to be like this?”
“Of course. I would never lie to you.”
“I… sigh…”
Loren used magic to dry Panike’s hair, helped her get dressed, and sent her out of the bathroom. Now only Loren and Mirrorheart were inside. Mirrorheart was kneeling obediently on the floor, waiting for Loren to speak.
“Put your clothes back on first…”
“Do you think it has more charm that way? Or would doing it yourself be more satisfying?”
“Just shut up.”
Loren rubbed his temples, wondering how he could punish Mirrorheart.
After all, Mirrorheart was the lunatic who had kept him locked up for four years. Even if Loren left her alone, she would just count that as being neglected.
But soon, Loren’s train of thought shifted. If punishment wouldn’t work, he could try a reward instead.
“Mirrorheart, no matter what kind of trouble you cause, I won’t punish you in the way you want.
“But if you behave and stop causing trouble for a whole week, I’ll grant you one little wish.”
“What wish?”
At that, Mirrorheart immediately grew excited, while Loren was the one who became a little apprehensive.
“Something like a spanking…”
“How long would I have to save up for a slap in the face? And what about the corner of my eye?”
“…
“We’ll see how you behave…”
In the end, all Loren did was dangle a carrot in front of Mirrorheart. He had no intention of doing anything that extreme.
After saying all that, Loren fell silent.
“Forget it. Since we’re already here…”
Loren took a very long time to bathe. When he came out, he found Panike still kneeling by the bathroom door, waiting for him.
Anna was there too, eavesdropping.
Loren always cast a Shielding Spell, so there was no way Anna could hear anything. She was just getting a thrill out of it.
“Cough… It’s getting late. Let’s get dinner ready…”
Loren helped Panike up and changed the subject.
“Does Mirrorheart still have enough energy to cook?”
Anna tilted her head and asked with an innocent look.
“……”
Loren fell silent. He really might have overlooked something.
“It’s all right. You can kill me once. When I’m revived, my condition will be reset.”
Mirrorheart walked out of the bathroom, one hand against the wall. Her tone was as cool as ever.
“Forget it. Get some rest. I’ll cook today.”
Loren sounded a little awkward. He picked Mirrorheart up, carried her to the sofa, then went into the kitchen himself.
“I’ll help you.”
Seeing this, Naclis followed Loren into the kitchen. She had no idea what had just happened, but she knew this was a good chance to be alone with Loren.
But Naclis had clearly overestimated herself. She really couldn’t cook. The only time she had ever helped Loren make a meal was when she was very little, before Mirrorheart had arrived.
She had been so short back then that she needed to stand on a stool, and all she could do was handle a few simple tasks.
That had been a long time ago, before Mirrorheart came.
And now, Naclis’s skills had barely improved. All she could do was pass Loren things.
She didn’t even cut vegetables very well, since she never used a knife in battle.
“Original me, let me help.”
Just then, Reflection Naclis emerged from Loren’s shadow and slipped into Naclis’s shadow:
“Relax your body. I’ll take control.
“I’ve been watching Master Mentor for so long, I’ve picked up a little skill.”
As she spoke, Reflection Naclis began controlling Naclis’s body through the shadows. Sure enough, she hadn’t been exaggerating. From chopping vegetables to tossing the wok, Naclis did it all with practiced ease.
“Forget it.”
In the end, Naclis chose to break free of Reflection Naclis’s control. She was there to keep Loren company. How good she was at cooking didn’t matter at all. All that mattered was spending more time with him.
“All right.”
At Naclis’s words, Reflection Naclis retreated into Loren’s shadow. Even Naclis herself couldn’t help feeling a little envious.
She had already accepted that she had no shadow of her own. Reflection Naclis spent ninety-nine percent of her time with Loren, while Naclis herself was the one who didn’t matter.
Naclis still didn’t know about the photo. Her jealousy at this point was nothing compared to what was coming.
After the food was ready, Loren and Naclis came out of the kitchen together. Since Anna was eating less, cooking had become a lot easier.
“Dinner’s ready!”
Anna was the first to dash over to the Dining Table, but she didn’t sit down. She was trying to claim the seat closest to Loren.
When Loren put down the plates, Panike walked over to him and held out both arms, repeatedly rising onto her tiptoes to signal that she wanted him to pick her up.
Once they were seated, Loren put Panike on his lap again. He planned to teach her how to use chopsticks.
But now, whenever Loren looked at Panike, he was reminded of what had happened earlier, and couldn’t help feeling awkward.
Panike wasn’t young at all. She might even have been the oldest of the Witches after Starnight. But she was small, and her mind was immature, which was why Loren was so reluctant.
Come to think of it, although Veronica looked the most mature, her mental maturity might only have been a little better than Panike’s.
Everyone enjoyed dinner, just like before. Only, there were fewer of them now.
Even now, Loren still had no leads on Movila. So even though she was the hardest one to kill, he couldn’t help worrying about her safety.
……
After dinner, Mirrorheart still hadn’t regained her strength, so the chore of cleaning fell to the others.
But none of them complained. Anna even hummed as she cleaned.
Naclis was right beside her, so she clearly saw a photo fall from Anna.
“Anna, you dropped something…”
Naclis was just about to tell Anna when she saw what was in the photo, especially the picture of herself with her eyes rolled back.