Chapter 263: The Elf's Night Raid
Under the cover of night, the residence at the top of the Magic Association tower was silent.
Inside Rhodes's room, the only light source came from the moonlight filtering in, barely illuminating the interior. The room's owner was already asleep, his breathing steady and even.
Suddenly, the door on the other side was pushed open silently, creating a small gap.
Serie, barefoot, quietly slipped in.
She wore a soft white nightgown. Her long golden hair was loose, glimmering faintly in the moonlight.
Serie's movements were cautious, tinged with a bit of hesitation. In those usually indifferent golden eyes, there flickered a light of uncertainty mixed with determination.
She walked slowly to Rhodes's bedside, stopped, and looked down at the sleeping man.
She had lost the bet with him.
Serie had originally planned to just find a random time to kiss him and be done with it. But unexpectedly, Rhodes had added a new condition.
He wanted her to kiss him when he was unconscious.
Forced to agree, Serie had thought it over carefully and decided to get it over with while he was asleep.
Before, Serie might have treated this requirement as a new "romance sample" to study and execute mechanically.
But for some reason, she recalled the romance novel Rhodes had confiscated.
There... seemed to be a similar scene in the book.
The female lead had snuck into the male lead's room one night and kissed him while he slept.
The book described that after that kiss, their relationship had made a breakthrough.
Serie tilted her head slightly, trying hard to recall the details from the book.
Although she felt many plot points in that book were illogically exaggerated, the idea that kissing could advance a relationship seemed credible. Rhodes certainly seemed enthusiastic about it.
Even if Serie herself felt this contact between mucous membranes was meaningless—aside from making her heart race and her thoughts chaotic.
But since she was already here, she might as well follow the successful case study from the book.
It should be effective, right?
Moreover, it was her taking the initiative...
This thought gave Serie a strange thrill.
She was used to accepting Rhodes's closeness and responding to it, but initiating... this seemed like stepping into unexplored territory.
Standing by the bed, she took several deep breaths to suppress the inexplicable emotions rising within her.
Then, as if making up her mind, she carefully leaned down.
Inch by inch, she brought her face closer to his. She could clearly feel the breath from his nose brushing against her cheek. It tickled slightly.
Closer.
Closer.
Her heart began to speed up again, accompanied by an indescribable nervousness.
Finally, her lips, trembling slightly, touched Rhodes's.
A soft, warm sensation.
It wasn't quite what she had imagined, and completely different from how it felt when Rhodes kissed her.
It was like a tentative touch, fleeing upon contact like the first snow hitting the ground.
Serie hurriedly straightened up and took a small step back, subconsciously covering her lips, where the soft touch and warmth seemed to linger.
Success?
Just like in the book?
She stood there, watching Rhodes quietly for a long while, wanting to confirm he hadn't been woken.
A sense of secret delight, like having done something bad without getting caught, welled up inside her.
However, just as she was preparing to leave quietly, mission accomplished like the heroine in the book...
Rhodes, who should have been fast asleep, suddenly opened his eyes.
"Caught you," he said, trying to suppress the smile at the corner of his mouth. "Miss Night Raider."
Serie's body froze instantly!
Her golden pupils contracted slightly, and the secret delight on her face turned into astonishment and panic.
"You... you were not asleep?" she asked subconsciously, her tone carrying a rare stutter.
Rhodes sat up with a smile, reached out, and easily pulled the still-shocked elf into his arms.
Caught off guard, Serie fell onto the edge of the bed and was held firmly in his embrace.
"I was asleep," Rhodes rested his chin on the top of her head, which smelled faintly of fragrance. His voice was full of amusement. "But the noise of someone sneaking in woke me up. Then I thought I'd see what kind of mischief she was planning."
Serie's face turned bright red instantly. She tried to struggle, but Rhodes's arms were like iron bands.
"Who told you to make such a strange request!" she complained muffledly, feeling like a fool.
If not for that weird condition, she would have just kissed him randomly and been done with it. Why else would she sneak into a man's room in the middle of the night, carefully trying not to wake him?
"But it was very interesting, wasn't it?" Rhodes chuckled low. "Besides, from the moment you pushed the door open, I was already awake."
Rhodes had indeed been hoping the elf would think of raiding him at night, and Serie's choice perfectly matched his desires.
Serie stopped talking, burying her head deep, wishing she could find a crack in the floor to crawl into.
Rhodes patted her back gently and said softly, "However, I liked this surprise very much."
He lowered his head, found the tip of her ear which was flushed pink, and bit it lightly. He felt the body in his arms tremble violently.
The shame of having her ear bitten by this man made her raise her small fist and thump his chest in annoyance. Seeing he had no intention of letting go, she tried to hit him a second time, but he easily caught her hand.
"Didn't I tell you? I would use practical application to teach you more about human love."
Rhodes smiled and, without further explanation, lowered his head to kiss her lips, which were slightly parted in surprise.
This kiss instantly stole all of Serie's ability to think.
Her mind went blank, and she could only passively accept the sudden kiss.
I was supposed to be the one taking the initiative.
But wait, I already did my part...
After the blankness came chaotic thoughts.
After a long time, Rhodes finally let her go, still unsatisfied. Looking at the elf in his arms, her eyes misty and her breath short, he smiled with satisfaction.
"Now that is a complete night raid," he announced in a low voice, his tone full of triumph. "In the future, if you want to kiss me, you can do it anytime. You don't need to wait until I'm asleep. I look forward to the Great Mage taking the initiative."
Serie panted, glaring at him with watery golden eyes. But there was no intimidation in her glare; instead, it looked more like coquettishness.
"Alright, the bet is completed beautifully." Rhodes hugged her tighter, lay back down, and pulled the quilt over both of them. "Now, sleep obediently. Or... is there something else you want to do?"
Serie immediately buried her face in his chest and commanded in a muffled voice: "...Sleep!"
Rhodes let out a burst of joyous laughter. Contentedly holding the slightly overheating elf in his arms, he closed his eyes.
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