My wife is a witch princess.

The poster was unclear, but it depicted a woman wearing a cloak, surrounded by several silver blades that seemed to be dancing while also concealing a hint of murderous intent.

Xia Li gazed at it for a moment, a hint of approval flashing in her eyes—this blend of elegance and sharpness was something she admired.

She moved her legs along the edge of the bed, her silver hair swaying gently, until she finally came to the bedside table. The table was small, with a family photo and several thick books on it.

...It seems impolite to rummage through someone else's room without permission.

A clear principle resonated within me.

Her fingertips hovered beside the cabinet, her mind racing, deciding whether to open it. There might be nothing inside, maybe a few books, or maybe a small fire-breathing lizard.

Humans are strange like that. The more they feel they shouldn't open it, the more they want to open it. She always felt there were strange things inside, and maybe a noisy parchment would jump out.

Xia Li decisively looked away, deciding to avoid seeing it altogether. She was going to take a walk outside the bedroom; this was Song Che's base in this world, and it was necessary to understand the environment.

squeak-

She opened the door a crack, silently peeking out half her head, her silver hair falling over her shoulder. Listening intently, she heard Song Che's breathing coming from the living room. Once she was sure, she tiptoed and quietly slipped out from behind the door.

The living room was smaller than any hall in the castle, and the air was not filled with the lingering scent of magic potions or the chill of stone, but rather with a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

She glanced back at the bedroom door, the little claw in her heart still gently scratching at the thought of the bedside table.

What's inside?

"Waaah—"

After finishing his cat food, Bruce jumped into Song Che's arms and curled up into a ball of fur. In the darkness, his fluorescent green eyes spotted Xia Li 'sneaking' around. Having slept enough, he was now full of energy.

Bruce stretched lazily, and his paw landed right on Song Che's phone.

The screen lit up, and several unread messages were prominently displayed on the system's default wallpaper.

The light caught Xia Li's attention. She looked in the direction of the light, abandoning her thought of pulling out the bedside table.

She was also very interested in the little glowing cube, but Song Che strictly forbade her to use the small hammer, so she probably wouldn't be able to study its structure tonight.

She moved closer, tapped the screen with her fingertip, and the unread messages expanded. She read them slowly and deliberately:

"Mom... my darling: are you sick? I'm a little worried..."

"Dad: Son, lend me some money, I'm out of money for cigarettes."

The sending time was 23:24, and the first message was followed by a series of other messages.

"Phone bill overdue by 29 yuan... slash job fee of 300 yuan... undergraduate thesis writing fee of 760 yuan..."

Xia Li scrolled down the list, her fingers instinctively swiping across the screen.

A long string of information appeared at the bottom of the screen, making Xia Li dizzy; it felt like there were hundreds of messages.

This is probably the 'magical messenger' or 'communication scroll' of this world, but the information is incomplete, and the owner's permission is probably required to see the full picture.

Xia Li tapped her fingertip, and a notification popped up on the screen.

Fingerprint does not match, please try again.

Xia Li blinked and obediently poked it again.

"..."

Too many incorrect attempts. Please enter your password to unlock.

"...Song Che's password."

Xia Li looked at the neatly arranged array of numbers on the screen and realized she couldn't click on anything else randomly. Things locked with a password are usually secrets. She seemed to have... accidentally touched on Song Che's secret area.

Bruce stood up from Song Che's arms, nuzzled Xia Li's hand, and then lightly leaped into Xia Li's arms. It felt that the two-legged creature had a faint fragrance.

Xia Li caught the fluffy ball of fur somewhat helplessly. Not wanting to make a noise, she could only hold it and slowly sit on the armrest of the small sofa before carefully putting the cat down.

Bruce didn't pay much attention, shook his head and snuggled back into Song Che's arms, his cat paw casually touching the phone again.

The light shone directly on Song Che's face, and Xia Li could see him clearly.

His lips trembled, and his brows furrowed with anxiety. Song Che moved his arm, turned over, and the blanket in his arms slipped to the ground.

...Is the little rascal having a nightmare?

Xia Li bent down and picked up the blanket from the ground with some effort. It was chilly at night, so she had to cover him up. In the past, a simple levitation spell would have been enough.

Xia Li pulled up the blanket and covered Song Che's chest. When she got close, she heard him muttering in his sleep.

Unable to hear clearly, Xia Li leaned closer, her ears trembling from the warm breath she exhaled, but she still managed to hear what Song Che was saying.

"...Kiss me..."

Xia Li subconsciously reached for her waist, but the spot where her magic wand should have been was empty. But hearing Song Che still talking in his sleep, she decided to let him finish before tapping this rather unserious guy awake with her finger.

She remained listening, a faint blush creeping up the tips of her ears.

This guy... I don't know what strange things he's saying. He's been dead for a hundred years and hasn't changed at all.

"...You pressed your forehead against mine, it was cool, but when I opened my eyes, I found it was a cool potion bottle and parchment..."

"There's... a silly girl, she's so innocent, but also very mischievous... Mom and Dad... where are you...?"

Song Che's voice was intermittent and unclear.

He never imagined that the person who swore during the day, "Don't sleep too soundly at night, or I'll strangle you," would be the one who slept the most soundly at night.

As Xia Li listened, confusion spread across her usually cool and aloof face.

She didn't associate the description of "stupid girl" with herself at all; in her limited self-awareness, "witch princess" had nothing to do with "stupid".

This clearly refers to another existence.

Song Che's mutterings subsided, but his breathing became increasingly rapid. He reached out from under the covers with one hand, as if futilely trying to grasp something in the void.

Seeing his distressed expression, Xia Li leaned against the sofa and fell into deep thought.

Should we wake him up?

She tried to slip the 'magic messenger' into his loosely clenched hand, but it seemed to have no effect.

His fingers remained taut.

After hesitating for three or four seconds, she reached out and stiffly placed her hand over his.

Those hands gripped it tightly, as if it were a lifeline.

"...Mom."

Xia Li was stunned. This situation was beyond her common sense. She vaguely remembered reading in some anecdotal records that deep nightmares or somnambulism should not be abruptly disturbed, otherwise it might damage one's mind and make one stupid.

She tried to pull her hand away, but Song Che held it tightly. She hadn't expected Song Che to be so strong and her own strength to be so weak.

As if possessed, she leaned forward again and whispered in his ear in a flat, soft tone, "...Mom misses you too."

After saying that, she immediately straightened up and turned her face away.

...disturbing remarks.

A hundred years ago, she would never have said such a thing. When faced with harassment, the witch would simply knock the person unconscious with a magic wand and throw them into a sack to feed the fish.

Chapter 12 Xia Li Doesn't Want to Be Alone

Song Che stretched comfortably and found that half of the quilt had fallen to the ground. The fatigue from last night was swept away, but he felt a pain on his left cheek, as if he had been slapped.

I turned on my phone; it was 7:30 in the morning.

I got up a little late.

Song Che took off his school uniform and prepared to go to the restroom.

"Holy crap!"

He stumbled and almost fell face-first to the ground. Something tripped him; looking down, he saw half of a blanket lying on the floor.

The blanket rustled a few times, and then a sleepy head poked out from the edge of the bed. Xia Li, with her messy silver hair, had a blank and bewildered expression. She turned her graceful neck from side to side, seemingly still not understanding what was going on.

Song Che's heart skipped a beat, and he felt a wave of fear wash over him.

If I hadn't felt something was off under my feet, I would have definitely stepped on solid ground...

Good heavens, the Witch Princess wasn't killed by the blanket alone, but was almost finished off by one of her own.

"……Um?"

Xia Li rubbed her silver hair in a daze, completely unaware that she was almost about to be reincarnated and meet the King of Hell of this place.

"You...sleepwalked yesterday?" Song Che asked tentatively.

"...I have insomnia." Her voice was soft, slightly hoarse from just waking up.

“You’ll catch a cold sleeping on the floor. Remember to sleep on the bed next time.” Song Che finally understood the situation. It’s normal to have insomnia on the first day in an unfamiliar environment. “I’ll go find you a toothbrush. Wash up and have breakfast.”

"……Oh."

The confusion on Xia Li's face quickly faded, and she returned to her usual aloof demeanor, but there was a strange glint in her eyes as she looked at Song Che. "Last night, you talked a lot of inappropriate things in your sleep."

What did I say?

Song Che's heart tightened. Had he had some strange dream last night?

He doesn't remember.

"...A very troubling statement." Xia Li stated expressionlessly, then covered her mouth and sneezed. "Do you need me to repeat it from the beginning?"

"Speak," Song Che said, forcing himself to speak.

"...Kiss me."

Alright, case solved. The source of that faint pain on my face has been found.

Song Che raised his hand to stop him, "...Let's go brush our teeth. There's no magic tooth-cleansing wood here, you need a toothbrush. I'll teach you."

Song Che helped Xia Li up from the ground, then took out a cane from the bedroom and handed it to her, saying, "Remember, you must sleep in the bed next time. There's no magic to keep you warm here. If you get cold, you'll be the one who suffers."

As Xia Li listened to his rambling instructions, a fitting word unexpectedly appeared in her impoverished vocabulary.

Old mother.

Song Che... is a mother.

She nodded, indicating that she had heard: "Okay."