NOVEL WEB Chapter 893
“The cozy feeling wraps around my whole body.”
It’s like drifting on water with a tube, that gentle bobbing sensation.
A feeling as if I’m floating in mid-air, slowly swaying like a mother cradling a baby back and forth.
Lost in that comforting buoyancy, I find myself thinking I never want to wake up.
The gentle touch caressing my body is warm and soft, almost like it’s instilling the joy of childhood compliments in my hair.
Amidst the haze, I catch a whiff of a fragrant, human scent.
Not the stinging scent of perfume or cosmetics, but the natural aroma of skin.
Being enveloped in that warmth and scent even makes the noises in the distance seem pleasant.
Fragrance.
Texture.
In that comfort, a presence gradually approaches.
Warm breaths that feel almost hot.
The moist sensation brushes against my nose, finally starting to awaken my slumbering mind.
“Ugh, ugh…?”
Trying to move my eyelids, as if they were locked shut, I manage to crack one open and see a dazzling white light.
It’s the kind of radiant glow a newborn might see upon entering the world, disorienting my vision and leaving it unable to focus, merely perceiving a distorted light.
Yet, my body feels so relaxed that I weigh like I’m sinking to the bottom of the sea, making my eyelids flutter while I unintentionally let out a groan.
But like flotsam, my mind starts to rise to the surface.
Finally emerging above the water, my consciousness begins to gather information through my senses.
I can feel breaths.
I can feel skin’s touch.
And, captured in my gaze, is a woman.
Green hair.
Green eyes.
Green glitter.
Green earrings.
Green gemstone necklace.
Green adorns her soft, reddish-white skin everywhere.
It’s the Great Witch, Joanna.
“Ugh…?”
Joanna was right in front of Odilia.
Not metaphorically, but literally nose-to-nose.
So close that I could feel the breath leaving Joanna’s lips and even catch a whiff of melon from her mouth.
“Ah, ah…?!”
Realizing this, Odilia turned her head in shock.
Of course, she would. Waking up from sleep to find a kidnapper’s face right in front of her!
Requiring a kiss at such a close distance, how could she not be startled?
Especially with a kidnapper of the same gender, and if her sexual preferences aren’t gay, wriggling to avoid a kiss would absolutely be the right move!
“Oh my.”
Joanna gasped, seeing Odilia’s startled reaction. Her eyes widened for a moment before she smiled, as if to say “how cute.”
“Your eyes seem prettier when they’re wide open.”
“Ugh, what?”
“I mean your pupils, not your face.”
Hehehe—
Joanna began chatting away with the groggy Odilia.
Of course, it was more Joanna teasing Odilia than anything.
“Looks like you were really surprised? Hehe. Don’t worry. I was just curious when you’d wake up.”
Joanna’s green eyes drew arcs of amusement.
Her unique eye-crinkling smile directed at the astonished Odilia made her pupils tremble with the surprise lingering within.
“It’s not that significant of a reason. When our Odilia is asleep, I can’t see those lovely eyes.”
Odilia was taken aback hearing Joanna’s words.
It wasn’t out of worry or related to why she was kidnapped.
She was saying she did all this just to see Odilia’s green eyes?
She had known Joanna was obsessed with green, but this was taking it to another level.
Odilia realized that the Great Witch before her wasn’t just a little crazy, but beyond that.
But then a sudden question crossed her mind.
Okay, fine, she got that Joanna wanted to see her green eyes and was patiently waiting for her to wake up.
But why, of all places, was she waiting right up close, practically touching noses?
What was the reason?
With a gaze full of questions, Odilia looked at Joanna.
“Why…?”
Why was your face so close?
Odilia tried to get the words out, with her tongue feeling heavy, and Joanna responded with a playful laugh.
“I was thinking, like the Sleeping Beauty, maybe a kiss would wake you up.”
What?
Shouting, **’Are you crazy?!’**
“Hehehe.”
Odilia didn’t even think before throwing a curse at that response, which transcended all reason.
She couldn’t hold back, it just slipped out.
“I was just joking; just a little prank. I’m not that interested in you, our Odilia. Well, I mean, I am a little interested, but not in that way. Probably?”
At Odilia’s intense reaction, Joanna chuckled as if it were amusing.
“But Odilia, in that skimpy outfit, sleeping with flowers as clothes, wouldn’t it be normal to wonder if you’re alive or dead? Maybe I simply leaned in to hear your breathing instead of going in for a kiss!”
She spoke in an exaggerated manner.
“Most people sleeping under a flower blanket end up being the star of a funeral. Curious if our Odilia is the protagonist from a fairytale or a funeral, I just had to check. Is that really a crime? I’d say you should thank me. You better be grateful!”
Then, she began poking Odilia in the side like a playful friend.
It was like a scene from a school trip where a friend bothers someone still half-asleep.
Joanna’s playful teasing came across like an affectionate prank from a lively friend.
It was peaceful, calm.
A totally ordinary scene by all means.
…Except this was a mysterious place.
And that Odilia had been kidnapped by Joanna, of course.
Odilia looked at Joanna, her smile radiating energy and liveliness, almost like a little witch.
Suddenly, the word popped into Odilia’s head.
‘Fairy.’
The Great Witch before her resembled a fairy.
In both good and bad ways.
Playful.
Mischievous.
Confusing.
And temperamental.
“Wait a second. I can guess the question you want to ask me. Why did I kidnap you, right?”
Slowly, Joanna raised her right hand.
She proudly displayed a ring embedded with a Peridot, moving it slowly to rest on Odilia’s belly.
“I just thought I’d invite you to something good. The events from the party could almost be considered a scouting mission. To put it simply, I like to call it a surprise scout!”
Then she began to gently rub Odilia’s belly, like a mother soothing a child complaining of a stomachache.
“Join me for a project full of benefits. An opportunity worth a fortune, one you definitely can’t get on your own. So I hoped our Odilia would join me in this… but, unfortunately, you’re quite likely to turn me down.”
“So, you kidnapped me?”
“Oh my. It’s a surprise scout. Now, say it with me: Surprise. Scout.”
**’Crazy girl.’**
Odilia thought to herself, cursing silently.
So you bring up a good opportunity but kidnap me because I might turn you down?
What else could you call that but crazy?
“You know my style, right? If cows and donkeys refuse to drink water, I’ll force them into it! I can’t let our Odilia just toss aside such a good chance and then regret it later when her eyes lose their sparkle!”
But despite Odilia quaking in fear and cursing silently, Joanna continued on unfazed, smiling like it was all in good fun.
“Well, you see, I do consider our Odilia’s mental health! That’s why I used the kidnapping method!”
Hehe, just friends, right?
Whispering that, Joanna paused her hand movements.
“But maybe that’s not enough, so I’ll throw this in too.”
She lit up with a bright smile, sharpening her nails, and…
Push.
She slipped one finger deep inside Odilia’s abdomen, like plunging a finger into pudding, breaking through the skin.
“Odilia, I just slipped a Peridot seed into your belly.”
The Peridot Seed.
A term for the “gem bomb” Joanna created through witchcraft.
Odilia was dumbfounded, shocked that this woman had just inserted a bomb into her body.
“Well, Odilia, that gives you more than enough reason to join me, right? And for the safety of the witches who were captured along with you, and to protect yourself! I expect you to show your seasoned skills without hesitation.”
Joanna now tossed the now worthless ring with the Peridot into the trash can, still smiling brightly.
“And welcome to the Arhangel Biotechnology Research Institute.”