Han Soi had been sleeping soundly. For once, his body felt light. His spiritual sea was calm and peaceful, something he hadn't experienced for years. But suddenly, his body stiffened.
This time, he wasn't in a deep slumber like before.
His instincts were sharp even in sleep. That was why, the moment something moved beside him, he reacted instantly. He sent out his spiritual sense and jerked awake in the same second.
Something… was lying on top of him.
Not just beside him… directly sprawled over him, shamelessly and completely unguarded, as if his chest was its personal bed.
His anger shot up immediately.
He opened his eyes, ready to grab the intruder and throw it aside. But what he saw made him freeze instead of explode.
A… mess of hair.
Long, big, soft strands of pastel-violet-colored hair were scattered all over him, covering his chest, neck, and even part of his face. It was warm and silky, brushing lightly against his skin every time the body on top of him breathed.
He blinked.
He lifted a hand, carefully pushing the hair aside. And what he saw underneath stole the breath right out of him.
A female's face.
A small, delicate face with soft, pouty red lips. Her eyelashes were so long they brushed her own round cheeks. Her lips were slightly parted as she breathed lightly, her breath warm against his chest. Her brows were fine and beautiful, giving her an innocent, peaceful look.
Han Soi stared.
He had seen many females. As a high-ranked heir from one of the four noble clans, he had seen almost every type of beauty the empire offered.
But he had never seen a female like this. Not even close.
For a long moment, he could only stare at her, completely stunned. Then something else crashed into his mind all at once.
The spiritual comfort.
The calming, soothing warmth that washed through his spiritual sea… It was coming from her.
He felt the flow clearly now. It was the exact same sensation he felt whenever the tiny snake was near him. The same feeling that had calmed his cracked spiritual sea. The same warmth that let him sleep for days.
He looked again. The snake was gone. His heart clenched suddenly.
Was this… the snake?
Was the sleeping female on top of him the tiny snake he had found curled in his pocket just hours ago?
His mind buzzed. Shock, confusion, and disbelief chased each other in his head. He didn't push her away. He didn't even move. He just lay there, staring at her small sleeping face, trying to understand what he was seeing.
A female… here… in a polluted zone.
Who abandoned her? Who left her in such a dangerous place?
How did she survive?
And most importantly… how did she transform into a snake?
It was impossible.
Females were born in their beast bodies, yes. But after turning five, their beast form disappeared, and they lived forever in human form afterward. They could never go back to beast form again.
It was a natural law.
It was something every beastman knew since childhood.
Yet this female… had clearly been the tiny snake who slept in his pocket. Her scent, her energy, her spiritual comfort… it was exactly the same. There was no doubt. He knew it in his bones.
She had turned into her beast form. And then back into human form. Just like a male beastman.
Han Soi's thoughts spun rapidly.
Was she even normal?
Was she a polluted beast? No… her energy was pure, calming, soothing. Mutated beasts were chaotic, violent, and twisted. She was the opposite.
Then… was she a hybrid?
His breathing grew heavier without him noticing. His gaze stayed locked on her face, unable to move away.
Her entire existence was strange. Her comfort ability was strange. Her transformation was strange. It was like she didn't belong to their world at all.
Everything about her was precious and unbelievable.
He felt as if countless secrets were hidden in this one small body lying on top of him.
His hand hovered over her, hesitating slightly. He could have pushed her off, but the moment he realized she was the same little snake, the thought vanished completely.
She was the one who calmed him. She was the reason he was alive.
The female finally shifted in her sleep. Her long lashes trembled, her brow creasing. Even in deep slumber, she could feel it… the strong, intense gaze drilling into her skull. It was too intense.
No one could continue sleeping under that kind of stare. If she still slept after this, she would truly be insane.
So she woke up. Her eyes blinked open slowly.
And the first thing she saw… was a pair of eyes staring straight at her.
Dangerous eyes.
They weren't black eyes. They were deep, mysterious violet with tiny white lights swirling inside, like a starry vortex ready to suck her soul in.
She froze. Shock hit her all at once.
Then another realization slammed into her… she was lying on top of him. Her entire body was sprawled over this extremely dangerous man's chest.
Her instincts screamed.
Danger!! Extremely dangerous!! Run!!
She reacted immediately, scrambling off him so fast she almost tangled in the sheets. She pushed herself away, sliding across the bed until there was at least a meter of distance between them.
Han Soi didn't move. He simply watched her with that intense, soul-sucking gaze.
It made her entire body shudder with fright. But then she realized his eyes were slowly trailing down.
His gaze slid down slowly, almost like he was tracking something on her body. It paused. It lingered. It slid, as if analyzing her from head to toe.
She followed his line of sight.
Then she almost screamed.
"Y-You…!! Pervert!! Where are you looking?!"
Her entire body went stiff. Her face turned red immediately. She tried to cover herself, but she had nothing to cover with. Her hands flew to her chest, pressing her arms together, while she squeezed her legs tight to hide her lower half.
"D-Don't look!! You… you shameless beast!! What kind of male mate acts like this?! Why are you so rude?! How could you stare at a female like that?!"
She yelled, her voice trembling with anger and shame. Her crystalline blue eyes filled with tears from embarrassment. She tried desperately to cover her front with her long pastel hair, but it kept slipping through her fingers, refusing to cooperate.
She was a mess.