novelraw Chapter 70: Miss Veya, Wait—Something’s Off About You Today!
Chapter 70: Miss Veya, Wait—Something’s Off About You Today!
Chapter 70: Miss Veya, Wait—Something’s Off About You Today!
Lin Wei had never seen Veya like this before. In truth, there had only been two such moments—and the last was the night they first met.
That evening had been utterly unremarkable: a simple night spent camping in the wild, when he’d unexpectedly come across Veya—a self-proclaimed fool—who, pushed to the brink by work stress, had chosen to end her life.
Even though she later insisted she’d only wanted to “cool off for a bit,” no matter how she tried to explain it, jumping alone into a river was hardly anyone’s idea of relaxation. However you painted it, it was a lie.
And now… that same look had returned to her face.
Miss Veya, clinging tightly to him, offered no reply. The cold, aloof image she usually carried had vanished without a trace.
All that remained was the trembling of her shoulders and the sound of muffled sobs—a woman utterly overwhelmed by a grievance too heavy to bear.
“Why don’t you come inside with me, alright?”
He felt her grip on his hand tighten just a little. Swallowing his own anger, Lin Wei slipped his arm beneath her, lifting her gently and carrying her into the room.
“Now, about—”He didn’t even finish his question.
In the next instant—
The woman who had been quietly weeping on his shoulder suddenly reached up, cradled his face in her hands, and pressed her lips to his.
Her lips were warm and soft, unexpectedly damp—a sudden rush of sweetness, like flowers and fruit bursting in his mouth, gentle and ephemeral as clouds.
And at the corner of their lips, he tasted the faint, salty trace of tears.
Lin Wei opened his eyes and looked at his wife. Her eyes, usually a brilliant gold, were now rimmed with red, so pitiful in that moment that he couldn’t possibly turn her away.
Most striking of all were her eyes: where there had once been dazzling gold, now only the purest, most primal blue remained, as if all her faith in the goddess Alicia had drained away.
“Lin Wei… Lin Wei, hold me tighter.”
“It’s so hard… I don’t think I can hold on anymore.”
What on earth had happened to her? Was the pressure at the Holy Church really so unbearable—even Veya couldn’t handle it?
Faced with her silent plea for comfort, all shame abandoned, she clung to him as if she wished to melt into his very being, seeking help in the most vulnerable way possible.
Her warm breath grazed his neck, her alluring scent enveloping him—every last bit of her a temptation turned up to the highest degree.
“Aren’t I already holding you?” Lin Wei teased gently. “Or… do you want me to take you to the bedroom and really help you relax?”
He paused, then realized what she truly meant.
“Mhm!” Veya nodded, her gaze dazed, all traces of embarrassment gone.
It was rare to see her so forward. But if that’s what she needed, then as her husband, wasn’t it his duty to care for her? He had no ulterior motives—he was simply answering her call for comfort, nothing more.
“I really can’t say no to you,” Lin Wei sighed, a helpless smile on his lips. “Alright then, let’s get you settled—by force, if I must.”
With that, he scooped her up and carried her straight to the bedroom, determined to use his most reliable method to thoroughly comfort her.
An hour later…
“Veya, you’re in surprisingly good shape today. Can you call me ‘Master’ just once?—Wait, you’re actually going to do it?”
Two hours…
“Oh wow, you’ve got nothing left and you’re still not giving up? I wonder how much longer you can last?”
Three hours…
“You’re begging me to stop while also asking for more—what exactly do you want, huh? Honestly, you’re something else tonight. Is this your true strength?”
Four hours…
“Seriously, what’s gotten into you today? Wait, hold on—stop for a second! Miss Veya, something’s not right with you!”
Six hours later.
Lin Wei massaged his aching waist, numb from head to toe, as he stared at Veya sprawled across the bed, her hair a wild, tangled mess, looking as if she’d completely passed out.
Had Veya lost her mind tonight?
In all the time he’d known her, he’d never seen her like this—never seen her push herself to such terrifying extremes.
Her limbs were flung carelessly across the bed, lips parted as she breathed in her sleep, her fair skin flushed with a faint red glow.
But what surprised him most were her eyes: where they’d faded to pure blue before, they’d now returned to their usual, sacred gold—radiant and boundless.
Did this mean… she’d regained her faith in the goddess Alicia? Still, wasn’t this process just a bit too strange?
“Lin Wei~”
A soft, languid voice called out, sweet and gentle.
Startled, Lin Wei nearly jumped. For the first time in his life, he actually felt a flicker of fear, instinctively taking half a step back.
“Wait, you still want to keep going?”
It had been six hours with barely a break—if they didn’t rest soon, he honestly wasn’t sure he could take it anymore!
“No… I don’t have any strength left,” Veya murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
Thankfully, she didn’t seem to have any more wild ideas. Instead, she shifted weakly, putting a little distance between them.
Then she patted the bed beside her, her tone so soft and drowsy it was almost a sigh.
“Come here and hold me.”
“That’s no problem at all.”
Relieved, Lin Wei let out a long breath, rubbed his lower back, and immediately climbed onto the bed, wrapping Veya naturally in his arms.
“So… can you finally tell me what’s really going on? What made you feel so miserable today?”
He knew Veya’s work was stressful—of that, there was no doubt—but she always managed to maintain her calm, unflappable façade.
It was only in the privacy of their bedroom, when their “husband and wife mode” switched on, that he could sense a hint of the madness simmering beneath the surface.
But today, there hadn’t even been the pretense. It was as if she’d already reached her breaking point before she walked through the door, barely holding herself together until she saw him—and then everything spilled out.
“Work stress,” Veya muttered.
That answer was about what he’d expected. Lin Wei gently stroked her shoulder, nodding thoughtfully.
“Is that useless Pope giving you trouble again? We’re still moving forward with the plan to put Yalis on the throne, right? If you want, I’ll wring his mangy neck and serve it to you as a soccer ball!”
“No, it’s not the Pope this time,” Veya protested, giving Lin Wei a playful bite. “It’s… the imperial nobles. They’ve been making things difficult for me.”
She leaned into his embrace, her whole body relaxing against him.
His familiar scent and the overwhelming sense of safety that came with it slowly calmed the storm inside her.
It felt like, as long as she was lying beside him, nothing else in the world could possibly matter.
“The imperial nobles, huh?”
That was something he genuinely hadn’t expected. A flash of murderous intent flickered in Lin Wei’s eyes, impossible to hide.
He forced himself to look at his wife as if nothing were wrong, but in his heart, he’d already sentenced whichever noble was responsible to death.
“What exactly did they do to you? Tell me… what happened?”
“Have you heard about the Demons raiding the supply lines at the front?”
Although that information was officially under wraps, Lin Wei was now working at the Imperial Capital’s Magic Academy in the alchemy department.
Even if his position wasn’t particularly high-ranking, he was at least privy to news like this.
“I’ve heard a bit… So your trouble’s related to that?”
Veya nodded. “Yeah. The supply convoys at the front were raided by demons, so now there’s a huge shortage of resources. Her Holiness the Pope put me in charge of part of the alchemy procurement.”
“And today, right on cue, a bunch of imperial nobles showed up to blame me for the shortage. I couldn’t out-argue them… and that’s why I ended up like this.”