Survival Guide After Accidentally Kissing a Demon - chapter 15

A soft, cool sensation touched her lips.

For an instant, all the blood in her body seemed to stop flowing, leaving only her heart pounding wildly.

The air around her grew thin, a suffocating feeling enveloped her.

Her consciousness sank into darkness, falling deeper and deeper.

When she awoke, sunlight like golden ribbons floated in from the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the entire room, with scattered spots of light falling beside her pillow.

Beili woke from her dream, startled, and looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. Instinctively, she grabbed the pillow beneath her and threw it forcefully toward the edge of the bed.

Seeing the pillow miss and tumble to the floor, she finally realized she was now living in Holy Island Academy.

From downstairs came the sounds of students chatting and laughing; in the distance, the waves and sea breeze intertwined, and seagulls occasionally soared and gently landed on the sea.

Under the sunlight, the seawater gradually shifted from deep blue to emerald green, and white foam appeared between the overlapping waves.

Beili brushed her messy silver-gray long curls behind her, looked down at herself, and saw she was still wearing the black nun’s dress she had changed into yesterday evening.

She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and slowly sat up, finally feeling as if she had awakened from a dream.

Could it be that the oppressive feeling and the strange kiss last night were just a dream?

Getting out of bed, Beili walked toward the washroom.

She washed her face, and the cold water made her feel a little more awake.

Looking at the face in the mirror-both unfamiliar and familiar-Beili suddenly felt a sense of unreality, as if all of this was nothing but an endlessly long dream.

Wait… the Magic Lock!

Beili remembered something and pushed open the door, heading toward the corridor.

The corridor was just as it had been when she arrived, but as she approached the stairs, a faint white barrier appeared.

Beili touched it with her finger, her fingertip pressing against a ‘wall’.

If this Magic Lock really could restrict people from coming and going, then that strange dream she had last night was probably… a spring… dream?

What a nightmare.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Beili raised her hand to her nose, her expression awkward as she lowered her eyes.

A faint sound of footsteps came from below.

Beili looked down the staircase and saw Nun Lisa, carrying a basket, as usual bringing her breakfast.

Seeing Beili standing unnaturally at the top of the stairs, Lisa was first surprised, then asked, “Miss Bartholomew, did you not sleep well last night?”

Recalling last night’s dream, Beili’s shoulders stiffened slightly, and she nodded.

“It’s normal not to sleep well the first night in a new environment.”

Lisa gave a reassuring smile and pointed to the basket in her hand. “Anyway, have something to eat first!”

The two returned to the attic room.

Lisa placed the food from the basket one by one on the table.

Today’s breakfast was steaming milk oatmeal, fresh peaches, and a plate of crispy fragrant biscuits.

Beili picked up a spoon, scooped up some oatmeal, and put it in her mouth. The rich milky aroma filled her nose.

“Oh, right!”

After Beili finished breakfast, Lisa remembered something, took out a letter from under the cotton-linen napkin in the basket, and placed it at the corner of the table. “You have a letter, Miss Bartholomew.”

Hearing this, Beili picked up the letter on the table.

The wax seal on the envelope bore the image of a butterfly perched on a circle of vines.

This was… the crest of the Constance Family.

While she opened the envelope and read the letter, Lisa had already deftly tidied up the dishes.

“If you wish to reply, you can give the letter to me at lunch or dinner.”

After saying this, Lisa left, and the attic room became quiet again.

Beili looked at the entire page of concerned questions and had an idea.

She took out a sheet of paper and, with a tone of complaint and playful affection, quickly wrote-a restless night filled with nightmares, and her current situation at Holy Island Academy, including the fact that her activity was limited to a small, oppressive attic room, which always reminded her of her days in Thorn Prison…
Finally, I wrote about my keen interest in the Holy Island Academy Library. If only I could go and see it for myself…

Looking at the page full of complaints she had written, Beili tugged at the corner of her mouth, put the letter back into the envelope, and handed it to Lisa at lunch.

In the undisturbed silence, time slipped away quietly.

Today, aside from Lisa who brought her meal, Beili did not see a second person.

In the blink of an eye, night fell.

Countless stars dotted the night sky, like bright diamonds scattered across a black curtain.

Although Beili did not intend to sleep so early, as the last ray of sunlight disappeared, even though she had done nothing all day, a wave of fatigue swept over her.

Feeling drowsy, she had no choice but to climb into bed early.

Unknowingly, she fell into a deep dream.

……

The nightmare returned.

She still could not wake from her sleep, as if bound by an invisible weight, able only to vaguely sense her own existence within the dream.

Beyond that, she was powerless to do anything.

This time, Beili clearly felt someone holding her tightly.

That person’s body was as cold as ice, and she couldn’t help but shiver.

Beili tried to calm herself, telling herself it was just a dream, focusing all her energy on waking up as soon as possible.

She could even feel the other’s breath pressing against her back, the icy chill emanating from their body as if it could freeze her into an ice sculpture.

Then, she felt her waist being encircled.

Her head buzzed, her breathing grew erratic, her heart raced as if it might leap out of her chest.

She could not open her eyes, only feel in the darkness as cold fingers traced along her waistline.

Like a pocket of chill from the depths of a glacier.

Something cold and damp touched her back, lightly and irregularly.

Beili kept reminding herself she was dreaming, yet panicked at how real it felt.

The more she tried to struggle and escape, the stiffer her body became.

It was as if someone was gripping her throat, making it hard to breathe.

After that, everything that happened in the dream made her hair stand on end.

The person wrapped an arm around her waist and flipped her over.

Cold fingertips brushed her cheek, bringing a faint chill.

Then, her lips were gently nibbled.

The other’s lips lingered on hers for a moment.

Like a crystal polished smooth, sliding bit by bit from the corner of her mouth to her chin, rolling down her neck.

Finally, it melted on the rose-red swell beneath her collarbone.

A jolt of electric numbness shot through her.

Her heart gave a violent shudder, instinctively wanting to push the other away, but she couldn’t do it at all. She could only feel herself held tightly, unable to move an inch.

Her heartbeat grew faster and faster, as if it might burst from her chest at any moment.

Then, she felt the glacial cold melt, gradually turning into heat.

It spread beneath the thin down quilt, like a dry tree set ablaze, burning every branch until it was scorching hot.

Suddenly, the other let go of her.

The next second, she felt herself pushed away, falling heavily to the floor.

There was a knock at the door outside.

The oppressive feeling of the nightmare vanished instantly, and the pain snapped her awake.

Beili opened her eyes and turned to look at the bedside, only to find no one there.

The attic room was quiet and empty, with only her inside.

Beili blinked in confusion, puffed up with anger as she propped herself up to sit.

“Miss Bartholomew, it’s time for your treatment.”