Chapter 137: Valentina, the Thief in Her Own Room

Valentina had spent an unexpectedly warm moment, bidding farewell to the equally content Veronica.

She turned to walk back to her room.

Yet, as she drew nearer to her sanctuary, a wave of tension began to coil within her.

What if that person wasn’t in her room? What if they had no intention of showing up tonight?

Such thoughts surged uncontrollably in her mind.

Though she would find a way to force their presence, the mere thought of opening the door and not seeing that figure would drive her to madness from the weight of her unfulfilled anticipation.

In that moment, she might act on impulses she was still hesitating over.

She could not bear the thought of someone else stealing that gaze from her; for that, she would do anything.

Unbeknownst to her, Valentina had already arrived at her door, poised to push it open and step inside.

Yet, even this simple act weighed heavily on her, her expression grave, breath quickening, terrified of what lay beyond the threshold.

“…”

After a full minute of hesitation at the door, Valentina clung to her old mantra of ‘no matter what, just charge in,’ and pushed the door open.

“!!!”

It turned out that sometimes, not overthinking and just plunging in could yield delightful surprises.

For when Valentina entered the room, she indeed found the figure she had only seen the previous morning.

The princess, whose expression had been cold and shadowed with darkness, suddenly lit up with a spark of joy.

All previous worries and jealousy vanished as if they had never existed; now, the princess was filled with a sense of peace and happiness.

What was different today was that Noah was not standing in the room with a wicked grin waiting for her.

Instead, they lay sprawled across her usual desk, a novel she often read covering their face.

Noah appeared to have intended to read before her return but had succumbed to boredom and drifted off to sleep.

Perhaps this was an opportunity after all!

A bold thought surged within the heart of the princess.

In truth, she had yet to see the upper half of Noah’s face. Each time she attempted to catch a glimpse of his full visage, that upper half remained in a state of ‘ungraspable’ strangeness.

It was the sensation of having captured something with her eyes, yet being unable to decipher it in her mind.

But perhaps, at this very moment, that bothersome ability would temporarily fade away. She could not only behold Noah’s entire countenance but might even have the chance to do something mischievous with that face.

The mere thought ignited a fierce thirst within her, prompting her to gently lick her lips with her tongue, her eyes transforming into slitted dragon orbs, akin to a hunting beast.

Cautiously, she lifted her leg, delicately removing her high-heeled ankle boot and holding it in her hand. Then, she rose onto her feet clad in black thigh-high stockings, stealthily approaching the figure sprawled unsuspectingly before her desk, much like a cat.

Though it was her own room, at that moment, the princess felt more like a thief intruding upon another’s domain, striving to make no sound, her expression taut and devoid of emotion, yet her gaze burned with unparalleled fervor.

In the stillness of the room, it seemed the only sound she could hear was the frantic beating of her own heart. She worried that the noise might alert Noah, causing him to suddenly rise from the desk.

But thankfully, as she crept up behind him, Noah remained utterly still.

Lost in a state of blissful oblivion, the princess had forgotten everything else, her sole focus on how to lift the book without waking Noah.

At that moment, she dared not even consider where to place the shoe she held in her left hand, fearing that the mere act of setting it down might rouse him.

Thus, she could only use her right hand to slowly and gently remove the adventure novel she had once cherished but now barely registered in her mind.

“!!!!!!”

And then, at last, she beheld Noah, the face of the ‘Dark God’ who had persistently aided her in the most irksome of ways.

It was an unexpectedly handsome face; while it could not be deemed striking or beautiful, the profile resting on the desk captivated Valentina, especially the unique charm that radiated from his brow—a wild, untamed quality that made her already restless heart race as if it might leap from her throat.

Yet, regardless of Noah’s appearance, whether it was an ordinary face or, surprisingly, a doll-like visage, Valentina would still feel her heart quicken.

For it was not merely his looks that stirred her; even if Noah’s face bore a striking resemblance to her detested sister, Delia, her heart would still race.

To know the visage of the Dark God should have been enough to satisfy her.

But it was not enough; she craved more.

The princess realized she was indeed not satisfied; she longed to know more about Noah.

The softness of his skin, the scent of his nose, and most crucially, the feel of his lips.

With both hands occupied, all she could do was slowly lean closer to that face that haunted her dreams.

—But she halted, stopping midway.

And with a voice as cold and disdainful as her inner fire was fervent, she spoke at this close distance:

“…Isn’t this enough? I’ve already played along with your little charade to this extent. If you don’t get up now, I might just throw my recently worn shoe at your face.”

The princess did not believe such a fortunate situation could last indefinitely. If, at the very moment she touched those lips, that handsome face suddenly opened its eyes and flashed her a wicked grin, wouldn’t her feelings be laid bare?

If it were merely her feelings exposed, that might be tolerable, but what if Noah ceased to appear before her because of it?

Thus, the princess ultimately decided to probe one last time.

“…Whose princess is so rude as to disturb another’s slumber? I’ve been waiting impatiently; what’s wrong with resting a bit? Ah~ah, I’m so tired; next time, I might as well just lie down in your bed, Princess.”

And of course, Noah was not asleep; he was merely enticing her to do something wicked.

Hearing the princess’s words laced with ‘disgust,’ Noah feigned impatience, stretching lazily, then cast a disgruntled glance at the princess, who was glaring at him with icy disdain.

“Really pretending to sleep… How pathetic! Utterly dreadful! I should just smash my shoe right into your face!”

Valentina, relieved by her own caution, mirrored his impatience, crossing her arms tightly over her chest, nonchalantly presenting her ample curves to the man before her.

Though she didn’t feel the touch of Noah’s lips this time, she considered it a significant step that she could at least see his true face.

After all, no other woman had likely experienced the sensation of those lips, right?

Her intuition told her it must be so!

……

……

PS. Today’s third update; more to come tomorrow.

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