Chapter 78: Making a Child (3)

In general, the time on the battlefield when ambushes occur most frequently is said to be the middle of the night when all soldiers are sound asleep.

The reason is simple.

When asleep, anyone’s alertness naturally decreases compared to usual.

The moment when consciousness sinks into the darkness and becomes defenseless is the easiest time to attack.

And now, here lies another prey, peacefully asleep in the presence of a predator.

Snore… snore…

“………..”

Gulp.

Watching the sleeping profile of Sion, Isabella swallowed nervously.

The final stage of her plan required an extremely cautious approach.

If her older sister woke up in the middle of it and realized what Isabella had done, a catastrophe would unfold.

Even though she’s in her male form, it’s not hard to imagine how she would react to the tarnishing of the purity she had maintained for fifteen years.

The heavens and earth would flip in an instant, and Sion’s iron grip would strike Isabella’s head.

By morning, students would find the body of a pink-haired girl abandoned by the roadside.

Thus, this mission must be carried out quickly and secretly.

She would wait until her sister was fully asleep, hold her hand as she fell asleep, and then wake up before her to act as if nothing had happened.

A simply executed, despicable act commonly known as “hand-holding.”

Isabella had resolved to commit this act tonight.

For about an hour, she lay quietly, watching for an opportunity.

‘She should be deeply asleep by now…?’

To confirm, Isabella gently placed her hand over Sion’s eyelid.

Human sleep is often divided into two phases: REM sleep, or light sleep, and non-REM sleep, or deep sleep.

The term REM (Rapid Eye Movement) comes from the rapid movement of the eyes under the closed eyelids that occurs more vigorously in REM sleep than when awake.

Thus, REM and non-REM sleep can be distinguished by the degree of trembling inside the eyelid when touched.

Currently, there was no movement inside Sion’s eyelid—a clear sign of inactivity.

No sign of even the slightest twitch.

Solid evidence that she was deeply dreaming.

The perfect opportunity had arrived.

“M-mmh… okay, calm down, calm down… don’t rush…”

Isabella murmured as she wiped the drool that had unconsciously slipped out with her hand.

The vivid descriptions from the “naughty books” she had read as a child resurfaced in her mind.

A pair of lovers intertwining their fingers as a token of their love, engaged in a tender and intimate connection.

The firm and rugged thing (referring to a finger) of the man pressing against the soft inside (the spaces between her fingers) of the woman.

Sometimes rough and wild, other times gentle and caring.

As she reminisced, Isabella couldn’t help but imagine being deeply engrossed in the sensations that flowed through their clasped hands, eventually sweating from the prolonged contact.

From that moment on, Isabella had been struck as if lightning had hit her mind.

It felt distant like something from another world, yet paradoxically close and familiar, an act exclusively for adults and unlike the innocent hand-holding of children or between parents and children.

Since reading that book, how many times had she imagined holding Sion’s hand and falling asleep together?

In her daydreams, she was already the mother of nine children, enough to make up a soccer team.

Now, only 10 centimeters separated her from turning that fantasy into reality.

With just 10 centimeters of courage, she could forcefully bond herself in matrimony with the one she loved most.

Feeling excitement was only natural.

‘I’ll grab it. Grab it. Grab it, grab it, grab it!’

Isabella repeated to herself like a mantra.

Once she had read a saying in a book—that no one in this world, including all our ancestors, had been born a virgin.

All our parents, and even their parents, had shared an intimate connection with someone at some point.

That’s how they bore children, and that’s why we exist.

Nothing special about it.

It’s a phase nearly everyone in humanity passes through, one possibly happening live right now.

Isabella, a prodigy of noble lineage, had no reason to hold back.

Therefore…

‘Okay, I’m going in…!’

Isabella, now in an extreme state of excitement, slowly extended her hand.

5 centimeters, 4 centimeters, 3 centimeters…

Just a few millimeters from touching her skin, where magic would connect them in mere moments—a small step for humanity, but a giant leap for one individual.

As her lingering hesitation subsided, finally, her hand was about to touch Sion’s—

“What are you doing, princess?”

“?!?!!?”

Just before she could make contact, a voice flowed from Sion’s lips.

Isabella jolted back in shock, almost like a cat jumping straight up in surprise.

As she rolled off the bed, she screamed.

“Wh-what, Sis?! Were you awake?! Since when?!”

“Oh, who knows… from the beginning?”

Sion answered with a slight tilt of her head and narrowed eyes.

The phrase “from the beginning” was no empty remark.

Sion naturally possessed a sharp sensitivity that made her a light sleeper.

It was even said she could detect the ticking of a clock beside her while asleep.

For her, “sleep” was akin to being on standby rather than fully shutting down, as though she were in screensaver mode.

Because of this, Sion had actually noticed Isabella’s unusual behavior from the moment she started fidgeting with her eyelids.

She simply left it alone because she was too lazy to point it out.

After all, Sion didn’t like to be disturbed while sleeping, just like anyone else.

However, that leniency only went so far.

If someone kept panting beside her and breathing heavily, even she couldn’t ignore it.

More than anything, she couldn’t sleep. That was the biggest problem.

“Are you still scared? Because of that horror comic you saw earlier?”

“Huh? Ah, yeah… of course! Absolutely! Even with you right here, I can’t seem to shake off this lingering fear. Haha…”

Isabella replied awkwardly with a forced laugh.

In truth, if it were the usual Sion, she would have picked up on the oddness by now.

As a natural-born liar, she had a knack for spotting other people’s lies, too.

But the Sion here now wasn’t her usual self.

She’d just woken up, still half-asleep, and her sharp intuition was dulled.

Plus, she didn’t care to pay attention to anything unless it was really important.

Her only concern at the moment was how to get Isabella to fall asleep.

That was all.

Half-closed, drowsy eyes still looking at Isabella, Sion absentmindedly spoke up.

“Would you like me to hold your hand while we sleep? To make you feel less anxious?”

“!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?”

At those words, Isabella felt her heart nearly stop.

Did she mishear?

What did she just say?

Sleep together holding hands in bed?

That Sion, her sister, with her?

“Did… did you really mean that??? For real???”

“………?”

Sion tilted her head, looking puzzled.

“Of course I mean it. But only if you promise to stop causing any more commotion. I’m a light sleeper, so I wake up easily… Haah…”

Sion trailed off with a small yawn.

She then reached out her hand to Isabella, who was still peeking up at her from below the bed.

“Come on, get up here. You’re not planning to sleep on the floor, are you?”

“…………”

In that instant, Isabella’s mind was in utter turmoil, with two opposing thoughts clashing.

One side, the wilder and more impulsive part, complete with horns and a tail like a demon, was urging her to jump in and embrace her sister.

After all, Sion had given her the okay sign.

There was nothing stopping her now.

She had to pounce, push her down, and initiate a kiss, making it clear even to a fool what her intentions were (hands included, of course).

Even if it turned out to be a misunderstanding later, it wouldn’t matter.

With looks like hers, this was practically a temptation bordering on violence, so her impulses could be considered justifiable self-defense.

On the other hand, the more rational, wise part of her was desperately holding back that wild, rampaging desire.

The logical side argued simply: There’s no way her sister would say something so suggestive.

Besides, it wasn’t like she had made the offer with any significant intent; she’d just tossed it out there indifferently.

That wasn’t a temptation; it was more like—

…What!?

At that moment, a spark went off in Isabella’s mind.

A sudden ‘realization’ hit her, a ‘possibility’ she hadn’t even considered until now.

Could it be… her sister Sion… doesn’t actually know…?

“…Is something wrong, Princess? Are you feeling unwell?”

“N-no… I’m fine… It’s just… well…”

Isabella lowered her head with a trembling voice.

There was one fundamental assumption.

Sion had pulled out the sacred sword in the temple when she was only eight and then moved to the royal castle.

Since then, she had lived almost exclusively within the castle for nearly seven years.

Before that, as she herself had said, she’d been too frail to go outside much, so she likely hadn’t had many opportunities to interact with others either.

In other words, it wasn’t far-fetched to think she was even less knowledgeable about the ways of the world than Isabella herself.

Most importantly, Sion and her brother’s education on certain matters had been completed before she entered the royal castle.

Since then, she’d never had to learn anything further about those things.

In other words…

‘W-wait… could it be that Sion doesn’t know that holding hands while sleeping won’t make a baby…?!’

At the unexpected turn of events, Isabella’s eyes widened in shocked realization.