Chapter 87
Nancy wrestled with her handkerchief, pulling it from her pocket. With great effort, she managed to wrap the handkerchief around herself like a makeshift dress and chased after Chuck.
What had seemed like a spacious balcony now felt enormous. Panting from the effort, Nancy ran around the edge of the balcony, trying to catch up to Chuck.
“It’s not permanent! You’ll return to normal once the effect wears off!”
“When? How long does it take?”
“That depends on the person. I have no idea!”
His blasé response only made Nancy angrier, her eyes blazing with fury.
Realizing he couldn’t keep up this chase much longer, Chuck leapt off the balcony. Nancy, ready to follow, skidded to a stop when she saw where he had jumped—right into the area where the hunting dogs were resting.
The dogs, catching Chuck’s scent, quickly surrounded him. Terrified, Chuck ran for his life as the dogs barked and chased him. The commotion drew the attention of the people nearby, who began to gather.
“What’s all that noise?”
“Are the dogs chasing something?”
“I don’t know. Someone grab a light!”
A servant, looking around to see what was causing the ruckus, suddenly glanced up. Nancy gasped and ducked out of sight.
Now was not the time to be worrying about Chuck. Aaron would return soon, and she had no idea how to explain her current situation if he found her like this. She needed to find somewhere to hide until her body returned to normal.
“Hiding under the bed? No, that would be the first place anyone would look. Let’s go up instead,” Nancy muttered to herself.
She started climbing up the balcony windows. There was a small ledge above the window, and she figured if she clung there like a decoration, no one would notice. After sweating and struggling, she finally made it up—just as the door opened.
It was Aaron. He walked in carrying a small dish with a fountain of chocolate, calling out, “Nancy?”
He set the dish on the table and put his hands on his hips, scanning the room. When she didn’t appear, he checked under the bed—exactly where she thought he’d look first.
Nancy sighed in relief, glad she hadn’t chosen that hiding spot. Just then, the handkerchief she had been using as a dress, loosened by her frantic climbing, fell to the floor.
Aaron’s eyes naturally followed the falling handkerchief upward. Desperate to avoid his gaze, Nancy tried to press herself flat against the wall but ended up losing her footing.
Plip—!
With a splash, she fell straight into the chocolate dish Aaron had brought.
Covered in warm, melted chocolate, Nancy’s head popped out as she coughed and sputtered. Chocolate was smeared all over her face, making it impossible to open her eyes. She wiped her face frantically, and when she could finally see, Aaron’s large hand was gently lifting her out of the dish.
“Nancy?”
Aaron looked at her, utterly confused.
“What happened to you?”
There was no way she could tell him the truth. Nancy hoped desperately that Aaron hadn’t noticed the awkward flinch when he picked her up, realizing how small her shoulder had become.
“Suddenly, a tiny imp showed up and cursed me! It must’ve been one of the Demon King’s leftover minions!”
Most of the demons had surrendered or fled after the Four Cardinal Guardians had been defeated, but there were still a few who refused to accept defeat and occasionally launched surprise attacks. It wasn’t a completely unbelievable story.
Please buy it. Please fall for it!
Nancy prayed.
“Where did the imp go?”
“He escaped,” Nancy quickly pointed toward the balcony.
At that moment, she felt her body stiffening more and more.
Aaron glanced outside, then nodded as if putting things together. The commotion outside must have been the dogs picking up on the imp’s scent.
“I guess I’d better go check,” he said, preparing to put her down next to the chocolate dish.
“No, don’t go!”
Nancy clung to his fingers, panicked. The sound of confused voices outside made it clear the servants didn’t know what the dogs were chasing. If Chuck got lucky, he might escape.
But if Aaron went outside and informed them about the intruder, there’d be no hope. They’d set traps for the imp, release all the dogs, and search until they caught him.
If Chuck got caught, Nancy would be in trouble too. Desperately, she stopped Aaron.
“How could you leave me here like this? What do you think the imp shrank me for? To make me easier to attack!”
“…Alright.”
Aaron straightened up and abandoned the idea of leaving. Relieved, Nancy released his fingers, but she was now certain that the chocolate on her body was starting to harden.
“Can you help wipe this off?” she asked.
Aaron immediately grabbed a cloth, dampened it with water, and began wiping her face. The first swipe made her cry out in pain, so Aaron lightened his touch, wiping her gently with barely any pressure.
She relaxed as he continued, until he suddenly stopped.
Why did he stop? She glanced up, confused, only to see Aaron staring at her. He gently picked her up again. It didn’t hurt, and she didn’t feel threatened—there was no reason to be on guard.
But then his warm hand began melting the chocolate again, and Aaron’s tongue flicked out to lick her clean.
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