I don't want to be a dragon maid!

I still feel a sense of regret...

Shelley put down her book, walked gently to Noah, nudged him, and whispered.

"Noah, Noah, if you want to sleep, you should at least change out of your maid outfit, Noah..."

"..."

Noah didn't react at all; she was still hugging the blanket, looking like she was fast asleep.

"You're sleeping so soundly! What if the enemy attacks? You're such an idiot!"

Shelley looked at Noah's sleeping face, and couldn't help but reach out and pinch his soft cheeks, saying with a smile.

However, Shelley realized what she was doing after pinching him and immediately pulled her hand back, looking at Noah with some tension on her face, but seeing that he still didn't react.

Shelley was relieved. She gently lay down in front of Noah and carefully watched her sleeping.

"Noah, you really are beautiful, it's just a pity that you have a mouth..."

As Shelley spoke, she gently touched Noah's lips.

Noah's lips were very soft, even slightly cool, and felt a bit like a slightly frozen pudding.

However, this behavior seemed a bit bold, and Shelley quickly pulled her finger back when she saw Noah start to frown.

Noah frowned, scratched her cheek, smacked her lips twice, and then stopped moving.

"Honestly, you still scare me even when you're asleep."

Shelley puffed out her cheeks and said somewhat angrily.

However, her attention soon turned to her fingers.

Shelley gently placed her own finger on her lips, the one that had touched Noah's finger. She looked at Noah's lips, a hint of struggle on her face, but mostly confusion.

Even when Noah was asleep, Shelley still didn't dare to kiss him on the lips.

Because it wasn't the right time, as long as Shelley was an unknown apprentice named Shelley Brenda, she wouldn't have the confidence to actively pursue Noah.

Only in the darkness or when she was drunk, when Shelley felt she was no longer herself, could she perhaps be more proactive with Noah.

"So you're just an idiot. You were so close, why didn't you take the initiative?"

Shelley lay on the blanket, gently patting Noah's face as she murmured in a dreamlike voice.

"Maybe if you were a little more proactive, maybe...maybe I would accept it?"

Shelley's cheeks puffed out, and she looked at Noah, who remained calm, and said angrily.

"But to be honest, it's all your fault, you idiot. If you hadn't suddenly appeared, would I be so miserable living alone? Watching you, my silly maid, sleeping while I'm seriously troubled is infuriating! Noah, are you listening?"

Noah: "..."

"By the way, Noah, you're asleep now and can't hear anything... But so what if you're asleep! Even if you're asleep, you still have to take responsibility!"

Shelley was talking nonsense with a straight face as she slowly moved closer to Noah, and the distance between them gradually closed.

"So I'm going to show you what happens when you're a stupid maid. I'm going to punish you severely!!! Noah Loran, do you know what you did wrong?"

Noah: "..."

If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes.

Shelley took a deep breath, looked at Noah, and then slowly opened her arms, embracing him very gently, as if holding a rag doll.

Chapter Ninety-Eight: Shelley Brenda's Bedtime Musings

Shelley gently embraced Noah, and their bodies pressed together, their hearts beating in unison.

Shelley felt her face melting, and the shame that welled up inside her made her want to pull her hand back immediately, but another uncontrollable emotion overwhelmed the shame.

Shelley felt the soft, gentle body in her hands, and her breathing gradually quickened...

"Then the punishment begins..."

Shelley whispered something in a voice barely louder than a mosquito's buzz, then slowly buried her face in Noah's chest.

"Noah, I love you, Noah, I love you, I love you..."

Shelley's voice was soft but firm. She leaned against Noah's chest, repeating the same sentence over and over, as if with expectation and shyness.

After reciting more than a dozen sentences in one breath, Shelley closed her mouth this time, covered her rapidly beating heart, breathed slightly, and calmed herself down a little.

Noah, meanwhile, remained fast asleep, making no sound.

"How about that? This punishment is terrible, isn't it?"

Shelley slowly raised her head, looked at Noah, and a mischievous smile appeared on her face.

"But what's even more terrifying is that you don't even know about this. I confessed my feelings to you, but you know nothing about it. This is your punishment..."

"Serves you right for not taking the initiative! This is the punishment you're getting. Hehe, serves you right!"

Shelley stuck her tongue out at Noah, made a cute face, and then continued.

"If you're absolutely unfair, there's nothing I can do. I'm the master, and you're the maid. You're here to take care of me, so naturally you have to take the initiative in these matters."

"And if you want me to take the initiative, wait a few more years. Once I become a Grandmaster of Magic, you stupid maid won't be able to run away even if you want to, hahahaha..."

As Shelley spoke, the smile in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by sadness.

"Now, I only dare to confess my feelings when you're asleep. Even though I like you so much, I'm still afraid that you won't accept my feelings, or what will happen between us if you do accept them?"

“You are a dragon, and I am just an unknown magic apprentice. There are too many people who could take you away. I can only stay by your side if I become stronger. Before that, I…”

Shelley was speechless. Although it was getting hot, Shelley moved even closer to Noah, as if that would bridge the distance between them.

"What an idiot, you rarely sleep, but you're sleeping so soundly now."

Shelley smiled gently, reached out and lightly tapped Noah's forehead, and said softly.

"Now that I've completely taken off my mask, you won't be able to see me. After you wake up, I won't whisper secrets to you anymore, or act cute in your arms..."

"Ah, that's not quite right. If you turned into a catgirl again, I might let my emotions run wild one more time. Actually, I don't really like cats, it's just... hehe!"

Shelley gently lay down on Noah and continued speaking.

"By the way, before I put the mask back on, I still want to say this to you, Noah Loran: one day, you will become completely mine—my friend, my family, my lover... That day will come soon, so be prepared!"

After Shelley finished speaking, she breathed a sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her heart.

The words have been spoken, the emotions have been vented, and now it's time to leave Noah.

That being said, Noah's perfect body temperature, combined with the minty scent he exuded, gradually relaxed Shelley's body.

Like soaking in a hot spring, Shelley's eyelids began to droop.

At this moment, Noah's consciousness was in complete darkness; she didn't know why she had come here...

In short, I woke up and found myself right here.

Noah was completely bewildered and could only lie in the darkness, silently chanting magic spells to pass the time.

After waiting for an unknown amount of time, a person dressed in a red robe appeared in the darkness.

This person was radiating light, with his face shrouded in red light, and only his body from the neck down could be seen.

For some reason, even though it was their first meeting, Noah felt that this man in red robes looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before...

Just as Noah was pondering this, the man in the red robe walked up to him, raised his hands, and said loudly.

"Noah Loran, Noah Loran, open your eyes, I am..."

"Are you Shafulin?"

Noah opened her eyes and asked with a curious expression.

"That's right, I am that person...bullshit! I'm not!"

The man in the red robe spat on the ground and waved his arm at Noah to express his dissatisfaction.

"Don't mislead me, I'm here to talk business!"

"Oh, it's about business. Who are you?"

Noah scratched her head, looking at the other person with a curious expression.

"You actually know that person? Are you a time traveler too? Or Ultraman?"

"I...I guess I'm a time traveler?"

The man in the red robe scratched his head, hesitated for a moment, and then slowly spoke.

"As for my name, I don't want to tell you. You just need to know that I'm here to deliver something to you. If you don't know how to use this, you'll have a hard time dealing with the next boss."

"Things? Boss? What are you talking about?"

Noah stared at the man in red, completely bewildered.

The man in the red robe raised his hand high, and with a flash of red light, a key shaped like a dart appeared in Noah's palm.

"This is the super-powered key to the secret door on the eighth bookshelf in the third reading room of the North City Library. With this, you can open the secret room, and what's inside is enough for you to deal with those guys."

The man in the red robe spoke calmly.

Noah had a sudden thought, and the key in his hand transformed into a bracelet and was placed on her wrist.

"Thank you, Taro!"

Noah looked at the woman in the red robe and said in a serious tone.

"You're welcome, Belial... Pshaw, if you keep using that joke, I'll break your arm!"

The man in the red robe cursed and turned to leave.

"I've delivered the items, so I'll be leaving now. We'll meet again sometime in the future."

"and many more……"

Noah quickly called out to the man in the red robe.

"What? I'm just here to deliver something. I won't reveal any other information!"

The man in the red robe turned around and said with some dissatisfaction.

"If you won't tell me, at least tell me your name!"