Chapter 247: Date with Chloe V
"Do you want to taste my pastry?" Vlad asked, thinking that might be the reason she had changed seats.
Chloe gave a nod.
Vlad’s pastry was vanilla-flavored, while Chloe had ordered her favorite chocolate pastry.
Vlad smiled at her adorable nod. He took a spoonful of his pastry and moved the spoon toward her lips.
She leaned forward and sealed her soft lips around the spoon. Vlad gently pulled it out, the spoon completely clean.
He placed his elbow on the table and leaned forward, resting his face on his fist. His crimson eyes narrowed warmly, a smile tugging at his lips as he watched Chloe eat the pastry.
This! Exactly this gaze and this cursed, enchanting smile was what had completely bewitched Chloe years ago.
At first, when they were children, Chloe had felt warmth and protection in this gaze, as if she had become the safest person in the world. Whenever he looked at her like this, she would simply hug him in a tight embrace.
As they grew older and reached puberty, this very look began giving her another feeling that far overwhelmed her sense of protection. Her heart would beat annoyingly fast, and crimson would surge across her cheeks. It was this fear of an unknown feeling that had forced Chloe to create some distance from Vlad. She no longer bathed or slept with him.
But after entering the academy, where she couldn’t see Vlad every day, she missed this gaze. She wanted him to look at her like this again, as if she were the most precious person in his eyes.
She had been following Seraphina’s script since morning, doing things far outside her comfort zone, yet he hadn’t looked at her with this gaze until now.
A faint blush spread across her cheeks as she swallowed the cream in her mouth.
"My turn," she murmured, filling the spoon with some of her own pastry.
She moved it toward Vlad’s mouth. He parted his lips, his eyes never leaving Chloe’s face.
Once he wiped the spoon clean, she slowly withdrew it and lowered her eyes to the pastry.
She had only taken a few bites of her pastry with the same spoon when Vlad whispered, "I missed you, Chloe."
Her hand froze midway.
Vlad’s hand gently brushed against her cheek as he continued, "In this mission to the Forest of Death, I barely survived."
Chloe’s hand trembled, the spoon slipping from her fingers and hitting the plate on the table. Her worried gaze shifted to Vlad’s face, which was still wearing that warm expression.
"When I was at the verge of death, the thought of never seeing you again hurt more than the end itself."
His voice remained soft, but Chloe could clearly feel the immense grief he was hiding beneath his words as he continued, "I missed you so much that it was killing m—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Chloe immediately wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head against his chest.
"I missed you too," she murmured, tightening her grip around him as if she would never let him go. "I promise you will never face such circumstances alone again. I will always stay by your side."
She knew that the path they had chosen was never meant to be a smooth one. He would surely face such life-and-death situations again. Since it was unavoidable...
"We will face it... together," Chloe declared, her tone firm.
Vlad gently patted her head. "My Chloe baby has grown up."
His gentle words fell like music to her ears. Vlad had always been the one protecting and comforting her. Never once had he complained about getting hurt since childhood. He would simply shrug it off so that his Chloe baby wouldn’t worry about him. The rare moments when he ever cried were only when Chloe had gotten hurt.
But now, for the first time, he had revealed his vulnerable side to her. She couldn’t even imagine what he must have suffered in the Forest of Death to say such words. She needed to make sure that if such a situation arose again in the future, he wouldn’t be standing alone.
"Yes, I’m an adult now," Chloe answered, parting from him. She rose to her feet and patted his head with a faint smile on her face. "So don’t shoulder everything alone. Depend on your Chloe more."
Vlad’s eyes widened, a hint of surprise flickering across his face. Her words felt strangely soothing.
"I will," he nodded.
Now, this was the perfect moment to use the fourth and final attempt. The final teaching of Seraphina.
"Take one more bite of my pastry," Chloe said, filling the spoon with the cream on the surface and moving it toward his mouth.
Her hand moved so quickly that the cream accidentally landed on his face, just beside his lips. Or was it really an accident?
"Slow down," Vlad sighed, grabbing a napkin.
"Wait, let me clear it," Chloe said, stopping him midway.
She leaned closer, her face reaching parallel to his.
Vlad’s breath caught in his throat as her warm breath brushed against his skin.
Before he could ask what she intended to do, she stuck out her small tongue and licked the cream off his face.
Vlad’s grip tightened on his trousers as if he were holding on for dear life.
With a few slow licks, the cream was gone, his cheek glistening from the aftermath of her tongue.
At this point, Chloe had given it her all. This was the boldest move she had ever made. Her heart was already hammering in her chest as if it might burst out at any moment.
If even this wasn’t enough to make her feelings clear, then it just meant Vlad was deliberately ignoring her obvious hints.
She was about to move back, but Vlad stopped her, placing his hand firmly against her cheek.
Because she was too close to him, all she could see were his deep crimson eyes, only half-open. His warm breath against her skin sent shivers through her entire body.
Vlad leaned closer, his lips drawing dangerously near to hers.
Their lips were about to meet when a punch landed on Vlad’s face, throwing him off the chair.
His head hit the floor first. "A-an ambush?" he gasped. "Why didn’t I sense it—"
"Who is this bastard touching my daughter in broad daylight?" A sharp female voice echoed, drawing the attention of all the other customers in the restaurant.
"M-mama?" Chloe gasped, her lavender eyes widening.
Attempt Four — Inconclusive.