Eventually, Lee Seo-yul fell asleep.
I had anticipated it from the moment he started nodding his head up and down.
My body, slowly breaking down, was caught by the sky’s wing feather.
“Eeeing…”
Wrapping Lee Seo-yul like a blanket with the sky’s feather, I gently set him on my lap.
Even in his sleep, he fluttered his hands and hugged Lee Ha-yul tightly.
He even buried his face into my chest and nuzzled.
[Hehe]
Seeing the sight of him acting like a little kitten, my face involuntarily softened.
I placed my cheek against the crown of his head and nuzzled back.
The hair tickling my chin was unbelievably soft.
His colorful breaths and thumping heartbeat came from our closely adhered bodies.
[Hmm…]
[I’m sorry…]
Savoring that feeling, I unconsciously whined as I placed my apology on my necklace.
My body strangely warmed up, and my head felt all fuzzy.
I hadn’t even taken a sip of alcohol or noticed its smell, yet here I was.
The only scent I could sense was the body fragrance of the two of us in the room, so what was making my head spin so much…?
[I’m sorry…]
The forgotten effect of alcohol surfaced with Gop-hwa appearing sour.
An unnecessary guilt and remorse bubbled up.
I hadn’t done so much for such a pretty and lovely child.
More than the effort I put in, I was overwhelmed by the countless ways I felt inadequate and couldn’t help.
I had never referred to myself as a parent.
I had never called myself Daddy, nor had I called Lee Seo-yul my daughter.
Before I considered what Lee Seo-yul was,
I couldn’t regard myself as a proud guardian, whether consciously or unconsciously.
The material environment and the mindset of a protector.
It’s hard to raise a child in an environment that’s not adequately prepared.
Knowing that, I had never considered having a child…
Just as life doesn’t always go as planned, this situation was no different.
[I’m sorry…]
Even though I should have taken better care of him, I felt I had so many things I failed at…
“Uh, um…”
In the now-quiet room, a soggy apology echoed.
The earnestness was reflected in the voice that came out with a clack.
Looking at the sleeping Lee Seo-yul, even Hong Yeon-hwa, who had been smiling, suddenly turned serious and discreetly pulled her hand away.
“Oh dear, he’s asleep. Well, normally he should have been asleep long ago.”
In the meantime,
Eliana quietly smiled and lifted her butt.
She moved to the empty space beside Lee Ha-yul, where Lee Seo-yul had been sitting, and extended her hands.
“Now, hugging him like this would make Seo-yul happy, but to let him sleep more comfortably, he should be laid down in bed, right?”
One hand patted Lee Seo-yul’s back, while the other gently stroked Lee Ha-yul’s cheek.
Her gestures to soothe both the big and small child seemed rather familiar.
[Yeah…]
Now, as Lee Ha-yul had been nodding his head up and down, he fell into contemplation.
‘Should I leave…?’
Normally, I would lie down in bed with Lee Seo-yul and fall asleep.
Yet the situation hadn’t been too good.
Dinner was winding down, but many were still drinking.
By now, the food had long since turned into mere snacks.
Once dinner was nearly over, they started laying out foods suited for snacking.
So, the gathering wasn’t over yet, and as the host, it felt a bit wrong for me to leave first.
But I didn’t feel good about leaving Lee Seo-yul alone…
“Should I put him to sleep?”
Eliana kindly suggested that.
[Hmm…]
[No]
[It’s okay]
Lee Ha-yul, who was blinking for a moment, shook his head.
[Eliana, you should also enjoy yourself.]
“Then should Ha-yul put him to sleep and come back?”
[Hmm…]
[No…]
[Just keep attending to everyone…]
“Calling it attending feels a bit off, doesn’t it…”
Hong Yeon-hwa, who had been next to them, muttered, slightly hesitant.
It was true that a party was currently in full swing around us.
Everyone was leaning back in their sofas, with snacks and bottles sprawled on the table.
The ambiance dimly lit in orange from the light had been just sultry until a moment ago… But with such words popping out, a rather sinister thought crossed my mind…
[Yeah, yeah…]
Ignoring her, Lee Ha-yul absentmindedly shook his head and wiggled his fingers.
Suddenly, the air split apart.
Much like a previously demonstrated space, but different; it was a space familiar to Liana and Eliana, who had learned spirit magic.
– Pyo-pyo-pyo
From the ruptured space came a shower of multicolored light.
Like a waterfall bursting from a fallen dam, spirits suddenly attached themselves to Lee Seo-yul’s body.
The spirits that Lee Ha-yul had contracted dearly adored Lee Seo-yul.
Perhaps because they were fairies, they tended to follow Lee Seo-yul’s directions without even a contract.
“Wow! The spirits have grown immensely! They all seem ready to attain mid-level soon, right?”
As everyone blankly watched Lee Seo-yul engulfed in the spirit lights, Liana, who had been discreetly grasping a bottle, finally exclaimed, confirming the state of the spirits.
They began as lower spirits driven by instinct; now they seemed to have developed a sense of self.
A hint of becoming mid-level, where they could start developing genuine consciousness, was felt.
[Yes…]
[That too, yes.]
[I was planning to consult about the spirit matter…]
“Oh, right. Spirits and undead have poor compatibility.”
Spirits, part of natural cycles,
And undead, who are effectively opposing that cycle.
The compatibility of these two beings could hardly be considered good.
[I destroyed the carefully made undead body…]
“Haha, tends to happen a lot, doesn’t it?”
If you were to choose, spirits often had a distinct dislike for undead.
When Liana was in China, spirits she had released to guard had flipped out and rampaged on the undead sprawled around.
Even the body Lee Ha-yul had meticulously crafted for possessing the undead was secretly smashed.
“As far as I know, no one has mastered both spirit and undead magic.”
[That was why I wanted to get some advice…]
“Yeah, yeah, it’s certainly an unprecedented situation. I’ll have to think about it.”
[Okay…]
Shaking off the alcohol, Lee Ha-yul nodded as he waved his hands.
Lee Seo-yul’s body, encircled by spirits, began to float.
It seemed as if they were trying to restore the lost warmth, as they piled onto Lee Seo-yul’s fluttering hands.
And they let out a strange whimper, as if to express this wasn’t right.
However, the spirits didn’t seem to understand and exited the room with Lee Seo-yul in tow.
– Thud
The spirits opened the door to a nearby room using their power and laid Lee Seo-yul down on the bed.
‘Hmm…’
Nodding as I quietly observed this with my observation power, I didn’t worry about safety.
This was Shio-ram, and the mansion had extraordinary security measures in place.
Moreover, hundreds of spirits encircling Lee Seo-yul were all just shy of reaching mid-level.
Thanks to Lee Ha-yul’s pure energy, they were far stronger than ordinary spirits.
Even if they were to deal only with lower tier monsters, they’d handle the swarm with ease.
Additionally, Lee Seo-yul was protected by spells and magical tools meticulously set up by Lee Ha-yul himself.
The emergency detection observation also ranked higher than Lee Ha-yul’s.
If any signs of a crisis were to be detected, it would rain down magical bombardments from afar, leaving no traces behind.
“Ugh, hmm…?”
Just when I thought I should reassess the safety measures, a hand slipped under my armpit, lifting me up abruptly.
My light body was easily hoisted.
Swinging ungracefully, I found myself sitting on Hong Yeon-hwa’s thigh without even a chance to resist.
The soft flesh beneath me was way plusher than the premium sofa I’d been sitting on earlier.
Hong Yeon-hwa, gazing down at my eyes wide open for a moment, let out a deep sigh.
“Oh dear…”
Then she swept my bangs up and pecked my forehead lovingly.
The kiss was filled with sweet affection, not sticky feelings, leaving my eyes round with surprise.
“Why does the child keep looking so down? Even back in the kitchen just now.”
Peck, peck, peck—
She planted kisses on my forehead in succession, hugging me tightly and stroking my back.
Regardless of how inflamed she might be with desire, she had a shred of decency.
She was not the sort of scum of the earth to mock me for feeling glum about being a lousy parent and protector just because my child fell asleep…
So she temporarily put aside her lust and merely offered her affection to comfort me.
“Ha-yul, you’re doing your best from your side, right? No need to beat yourself up over it.”
“That’s right. Last time you even worked on making magical tools for Seo-yul for days… So, aren’t you kind? Should we stop it?”
“That child knows your effort and holds affection for you…”
It seemed like the others felt similarly, as they all took turns comforting me, putting down the sticky atmosphere for a moment.
.
.
.
Due to the tendencies of the dinner participants, I ended up being passed around for comfort.
Before I could voice my thoughts, my body was suddenly lifted up and placed on a fluffy thigh.
Gentle hands patted my back, smoothing down my spine.
Then they moved down, patting my backside as if putting a baby to sleep.
As I dumbly reveled in the gentle touches, a sizable chest seemed to extend towards me, inviting me to lean in.
Buried against that chest, feeling the warmth and heartbeat, another hand began to stroke my head…
‘Happiness…’
The nurturing care that swept away the sudden guilt made me droop.
Moreover, the pain that had been subtly nagging in my circuits seemed to gradually subside…
“What’s Ji-yeon sister doing all this time?”
“Huh? Oh, um… I don’t know; I just found myself doing it after seeing everyone else…”
While I was comfortably recovering my mind and spirit, some dissonance arose among the others.
As Ji-yeon, who had been subtly spreading her arms like everyone else, got called out by Hong Yeon-hwa, she buried her arms awkwardly.
Seeing that, Hong Yeon-hwa narrowed her eyes.
“What’s been going on? You seem suspicious. Last time, you made some excuse and suddenly hugged me. Wasn’t that an odd way to do it? Is that method actually valid?”
“Yeon-hwa, but don’t you have anything to say either? How’s it okay to rub Gop-hwa’s warmth into your belly…”
“Shut! Don’t let the kid hear those ridiculous words.”
“Indeed, that method was pretty stupid after all.”
Atrah, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, smirked.
She cracked open a new drink and took a big gulp.
“To transfer body heat, what, you’re saying you have to remove your clothes and touch bare skin? It was suspicious from the get-go.”
“Ha! What does an outsider know to blabber? Did you even read our family’s records? How dare an ignorant brat interrupt Gop-hwa’s heir’s words…”
Even supernatural beings can get drunk.
As they guzzle down expensive drinks meant for superhumans, tension arose as the alcohol made tempers flare.
“Yeon-hwa… Teacher… don’t fight…”
“Ah, okay… eh! Don’t cry! I’m sorry…”
“It’s not arguing. Just… a minor difference in opinions…”
But such friction was quickly resolved with a mere sniffle from me.
“Pfft…”
The hostile atmosphere between the two quickly softened in an instant.
Seeing such an embarrassing spectacle, Baek Ahrin chuckled at Hong Yeon-hwa, while Liana laughed at Atrah.
“……”
Afraid even the slightest sound would alert them, Atrah’s eyes quivered in irritation.
“Ugh…”
Just as it seemed she was pondering something for a moment, Atrah suddenly reached under the table, pulling out another bottle of drink.
“What’s this?”
She handed one to Hong Yeon-hwa, who was sitting opposite her.
The abruptly offered drink made Hong Yeon-hwa nod, while Atrah wore a provocative grin.
“Feeling insecure?”
“What?”
“Well, it’s true, a kid wouldn’t have much experience drinking.”
A truncated question that seemed to lose its cohesion.
But with that fateful smile and raised corner of her mouth,
The action of shaking the bottle made her intentions crystal clear.
“Are you feeling insecure? Ha!”
That blatant provocation.
Like saying she couldn’t hold her drink well since she’s just a kid… it was mockery.
Hong Yeon-hwa, inadvertently exclaiming her disbelief, snatched the offered drink.
“With nothing but age on your side, would the clumsy confidence be the only thing you have for showing off? Maybe it’s time to put the bottle down and grab a cane!”
“The one with the sharp tongue speaks without action; can’t you just show it occasionally?”
Sparks flew between the two.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a heated contest started, and everyone blinked in surprise.
.
.
.
“Ugh…”
Thud—Hong Yeon-hwa’s head thumped against the table with a groan.
Tables were littered with countless bottles of drinks, from the edges to underneath and rolling around near the sofa.
“Uck…”
And again a similar sound echoed when Atrah knocked her head onto the table. Her shoulders shivered, surrounded by the same scattered bottles.
The outcome of the chicken race between the prideful women was mutual destruction.
“Ah…”
Riana, who had been watching the whole mess, clicked her tongue and shook her head.
Both had blocked the remedy for intoxication and then drank themselves into a stupor.
“Hey, little one? Come here.”
Riana, having finished her own share, lifted Lee Ha-yul into her arms.
Hong Yeon-hwa and Atrah had just buried their heads on the table, while Ji-yeon, who inadvertently got caught up in their chicken race, fell asleep on the sofa, too.
Baek Ahrin and Eliana had also stepped away for a moment.
All that was left was Riana and a sleepy Lee Ha-yul.
“Looks like no one plans to clean up…”
Clicking her tongue, Riana pulled out a small remedy bottle.
It was a hangover remedy Riana always carried around.
Even though she was called a heavy drinker, Riana didn’t escape the effects of drinking too much.
For her clean and happy drinking, having a precious remedy was an absolute essential.
“Alright, little one? Ah~”
She gently lifted Lee Ha-yul’s chin and squeezed his cheeks to open his mouth.
Though Lee Ha-yul hadn’t drunk alcohol, it was clear he was intoxicated.
– Gulp, gulp…
She poured the expensive remedy slowly down his throat.
The hangover remedy first hit his pink tongue before trickling down his throat.
It was Riana’s warm consideration, worried that Lee Ha-yul might suffer a hangover the next day.
Such care lightly tapped into Lee Ha-yul’s ingrained habit.
Riana, holding him close and feeding him medicine…
With each moment, the sensation that gripped his palm…
As I quietly laid still, my hands twitched and instinctively surged upward.
Soon, I firmly grasped the voluptuous flesh, which was too much for my hands to frame.
– Cwaaa…
“Ukh…! Hmm…!?”
Suddenly overwhelmed with a thrilling sensation, Riana’s eyes widened in surprise.
Oh? This seemed oddly familiar…
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