The World Is Mine For The Taking-Chapter 1143 - 174 - Back To Normalcy (2)

After wandering around the academy grounds for a while, letting time slip by without really thinking about where my feet were taking me, I suddenly felt it—that familiar prickling sensation on the back of my neck. The kind that told you someone had their eyes locked onto you for longer than what could be considered normal.

I slowed down and turned my head toward the source of that stare.

Charlotte.

She was standing there, not even bothering to hide the fact that she was watching me. Her eyes were fixed on me with an intensity that made it obvious she hadn’t just noticed me by accident. It had been a long time since I last saw her. Even longer since the last time we actually slept together. Because of that, my first thought was simple and honestly kind of crude.

She must’ve been pent up. Frustrated. Probably wanting sex just like the other girls had been lately.

The way she started walking toward me only reinforced that assumption. Her pace was fast, purposeful, almost desperate.

But the closer she got, the more I realized something was off.

Her expression wasn’t filled with desire. It wasn’t annoyance either. Her eyes were glossy, red around the edges, and her lips trembled slightly as if she was trying—and failing—to hold something back.

She looked like she was about to cry.

No... not about to.

She was crying.

"Uh... hi?" I said, instinctively scratching the back of my head. "Long time no see?"

The moment those words left my mouth, it was like a fuse burned down to nothing inside her.

She suddenly rushed forward and slammed her fist into my chest.

Thud.

There was real force behind it. Enough that, if I were just some normal guy, I would’ve staggered or at least felt the sting of it. But I wasn’t. The impact barely registered, more like someone bumping into me by accident.

"You..." she choked out, tears streaming freely now, no longer bothering to hide them. "You say that so casually? After not responding to any of my calls? Not even once? You didn’t call me back, you didn’t text me back, you didn’t reply to any of my messages for the entire winter break!"

Her voice cracked, each word hitting harder than her punch ever could.

"I thought..." she swallowed hard, pressing her lips together before continuing. "I thought you finally grew tired of me. That you were abandoning me."

As soon as she said that, she leaned forward and pressed her head against my chest. Her fists landed against me again and again, but this time there was no strength behind them. Just weak, shaking hits filled with frustration and fear rather than anger.

She really had been worried. Terrified, even.

To be fair, the reception back in the Great Forest was absolute trash. Bad enough that I couldn’t even receive messages properly, let alone send any. Even when something did come through, it was delayed or incomplete. Communication was basically impossible.

Still, that explanation only went so far.

I should have replied the moment I got reception back. But the instant I returned, Titania and the others swarmed me like I’d disappeared for years instead of weeks. That chaos spiraled into a fivesome last night, and before I knew it, time had slipped away again.

Excuses or not, I could tell she had suffered because of it.

"Have you grown tired of me?" she whispered, her voice small and fragile. "Please... don’t do that. I-I will... I’ll do anything you want. Just... please don’t abandon me."

There it was.

That fear.

She had abandonment issues—bad ones. And it wasn’t hard to guess why. Being sold off by her parents to another noble as a sex slave would do that to anyone. So would falling for someone, only to find out they never liked you to begin with. All those experiences probably carved that fear deep into her.

As she clung to me like this, crying into my chest, something inside me softened.

...And yet, my hands moved on their own.

I grabbed both of her buttcheeks.

"Ah...!"

Her breath hitched as I squeezed firmly, my fingers digging into the soft flesh. It was impossible not to notice—it felt fuller than before, rounder, more responsive under my grip. Whether that was my imagination or not didn’t really matter.

"L-Leon..." she protested weakly, lifting her head just enough to look at me. "That’s—can’t you see I’m having a moment here?" She sniffed. "You really have no tact at all, do you?"

I couldn’t help but grin.

"Well," I said lightly, "isn’t this proof enough that I’m not leaving you?"

She stared at me for a second, clearly torn between being annoyed and relieved.

"You really have no tact at all," she repeated, but this time there was no bite to it.

The tears in her eyes finally stopped falling. She exhaled slowly, then stepped closer, rising onto her tiptoes before pressing her lips against mine.

The kiss was sudden, but not unwelcome.

Her lips tasted salty, likely from the tears that hadn’t fully dried yet. I didn’t mind it in the slightest. If anything, I leaned into it, deepening the kiss, letting my lips and tongue move against hers without restraint.

"Mnnnghh... chuu, nnghhh, nnn...~"

The kiss quickly turned messy. Our tongues tangled together, wet and needy, breaths mixing as if neither of us wanted to pull away first. My hands stayed on her butt, kneading and massaging it slowly, feeling how easily it yielded under my touch.

She melted into me, her body relaxing, her earlier tension draining away with each passing second.

Eventually, my hands moved upward, sliding from her hips to her chest.

The moment I touched her breasts, her eyes flew open in surprise.

But she didn’t stop me.

She didn’t push me away.

Instead, she kept kissing me, as if none of it mattered, as if this closeness was exactly what she needed right now.

I shifted closer, letting my hardened, erect cock press against her.

"L-Leon..." she murmured, finally pulling back just enough to look at me. "H-Here?"

She clearly understood what that meant. And she clearly thought I was planning to fuck her right here in public.

Honestly, I wouldn’t have minded. We’d done it in public plenty of times before. Discreetly, sure—but still public. The only time we ever got caught was when Ella was stalking me, and aside from that, we’d always gotten away with it.

I didn’t answer her right away. I just looked at her.

That silence was enough.

She swallowed nervously, then turned and placed her hands against the wall beside us. Her hesitation faded, replaced by quiet acceptance. Maybe even anticipation.

She didn’t seem to mind anymore.

I reached for her again, grabbing her butt, taking my time feeling its elasticity beneath my fingers. The warmth of her body seeped into my hands as I slowly lifted her skirt, exposing what lay beneath.

She shivered at the touch, but didn’t resist.

Not even a little.