The door burst open, revealing Castro, a familiar middle-aged neighbor from Leoric and Leovena's street. They often exchanged nods and greetings, but today, he was out of breath and frantic.

"Leovena, Leoric," he panted, his voice trembling with urgency. "Something terrible has happened!"

And indeed, it had. What was meant to be a celebration—their parents' tenth wedding anniversary—had turned into a nightmare. Fate had dealt them a cruel hand, crossing their path with two wizards known for their fiery tempers.

These wizards, it seemed, harbored some unspoken grudge or simply loathed each other's existence. Regardless, their animosity simmered for years. On this fateful day, their paths converged in the marketplace, and a trivial encounter sparked a fierce argument.

Arguing might have been one thing, but their dispute escalated into a duel—a wizard's duel, far more spectacular and devastating than any sword fight. The collateral damage was catastrophic, claiming the lives of Leoric's parents among others.

Leoric knew little of the circumstances surrounding their deaths; the scene had been sealed off before he could investigate. Nearby witnesses had also perished, while those farther away were silenced under strict orders.

Spiritshade City, as mentioned before, was a place of rigid social hierarchy, ruled jointly by wizards and priests. Wizards wielded secular power, while priests controlled religious faith. Together, they stood at the apex of society, with merchants like Leoric's parents occupying a humble rung just above servants and slaves. The other victims were similarly low-ranking—merchants, craftsmen, and ordinary townsfolk, none belonging to the upper echelons.

When high-ranking individuals caused the death of many lower-ranked ones, the law turned a blind eye. This system mirrored the class-stratified society of ancient China's Yuan Dynasty, where privileges increased with rank.

Yet, something about this incident felt amiss. Spiritshade City, despite its strict hierarchy, was diligently policed, operating under a semi-military regime. Public brawls were forbidden, and wizards, despite their immense power, generally adhered to the rules. Priests, on the other hand, were more prone to misconduct.

In Spiritshade City, only one deity held sway—Shar, the goddess of night, and her clergy were the sole priests allowed. Shar was a cunning, somewhat mad deity, and her priests mirrored her traits. Backed by their goddess, they stood alongside wizards as the ruling class, often disregarding laws and causing chaos.

A duel between two priests might have been more understandable, but two wizards? It was almost unthinkable, unless both had lost their sanity simultaneously.

Speculation was futile now. The deed was done, and as children of commoners, Leoric and Leovena could only do what was within their power—arrange their parents' burial with the help of neighbors and await the official resolution.

The administrative machinery of Spiritshade City moved swiftly. By late afternoon, the verdict was announced, unsurprisingly lenient. Each family received eighty gold coins as compensation, and the offending wizards faced minimal internal punishment. After all, they were wizards, high-ranking individuals, while the deceased were mere commoners.

Thus, just three days shy of their seventh birthday, Leoric and Leovena lost their parents, receiving eighty gold coins in return.

Leovena took the bag of coins from the government official, her expression blank. She closed the door, locked the coins in a cabinet, and whispered, "Revenge." Then, she broke down in tears.

Shortly after, Leovena fell ill. Overwhelmed by grief and catching a chill, she developed a fever that evening. She tossed and turned, unable to find rest. Initially, Leoric wasn't overly concerned, but as time passed, his worry grew. He approached her bed and found her face flushed, her forehead burning hot.

"She's running a fever," he murmured, his first instinct to seek out a priest at the temple. But in this magical world, there were no doctors; only magic could cure ailments, and it wasn't expensive. Alternatively, he could buy potions from specialized shops, also reasonably priced.

Yet, he remembered the curfew in Spiritshade City. As a commoner, he wasn't allowed outside after dark. Even if he reached the temple, the priests of Shar conducted their rituals at night and wouldn't attend to patients.

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Damn it, what now?

Drawing on his past life's knowledge, he recalled that fevers required cooling measures. One method involved medication, which he didn't have. The other involved physical cooling—using wet towels soaked in cold water or alcohol to reduce body temperature.

His father had enjoyed drinking, so there was some alcohol at home. Leoric filled a basin with cold water, soaked a towel, folded it, and placed it on Leovena's forehead. He retrieved two bottles of alcohol from his father's room, opened them, and poured some onto another towel, preparing to wipe her body.

Neither in his past nor present life had Leoric cared for the sick, and the suddenness of the situation made him clumsy. After soaking the towel in alcohol, he realized he hadn't undressed Leovena yet.

He set the towel aside and began unbuttoning her clothes. Though inexperienced, he had seen girls undressed before. Leovena, delirious with fever, offered no resistance. Soon, she lay naked before him.

In Spiritshade City, without moonlight, the dim glow from the street lamps filtered through the window, casting a soft light over Leovena's body. Her skin appeared like flawless jade, glowing softly with an irresistible charm.

Due to the fever, Leovena shifted restlessly. Every movement subtly changed the play of shadows across her body, like ripples on a still lake.

As the shadows danced, Leoric's gaze drifted downward, noticing the smooth curve of her waist, the gentle rise and fall of her flat belly, and further down, between her legs, a hint of pink.

"Beautiful," he whispered, admiring her briefly. At seven years old, Leovena's body was still undeveloped, retaining a naive beauty rather than the allure of maturity. Leoric harbored no real desire for young girls; having seen adult women in his past life, he felt no attraction.

He began wiping her body with the towel, meticulously applying the cooling method he'd heard about but never tried. After carefully wiping her twice, Leovena seemed to feel the coolness, her body becoming less feverish and her breathing steadier.

Relieved, Leoric continued to apply the alcohol, covering every inch of her skin. He moved from her neck and shoulders to her still-flat chest, lingering there, imagining its future fullness, before moving down to her abdomen.

After wiping her abdomen, Leoric gently parted her legs, carefully applying alcohol to her sensitive inner thighs. Unlike adult women, Leovena's body remained hairless, pure and innocent.

"I wonder if you'll grow up to be a true snow bunny?" he chuckled softly.

After several rounds of wiping, Leovena's breathing became steady and deep. Her tossing and turning ceased. Exhausted, Leoric checked her forehead—it was no longer burning hot. The crisis seemed to have passed.

He wrung out the towel, hung it up, sealed the alcohol bottles, covered Leovena with a blanket, and emptied the water from the basin. Returning to the room, he found Leovena sound asleep.

Feeling tired himself, Leoric prepared to climb into his bunk when he heard Leovena murmur his name. Startled, he leaned closer. "Leovena?"

"Cold," she mumbled, her voice barely audible.

Concerned, Leoric reached under the covers and felt her body—it was indeed cold. They had shared a bed before turning five, and he knew Leovena tended to be cooler than him. According to his memories, normal body temperature was around 37 degrees Celsius, while Leovena's was usually around 36. Tonight, she was even colder, her fingers slightly icy.

Had he overdone the cooling? Uncertain, Leoric noticed Leovena shivering, curled up tightly.

"Alright, seems like I need to become the eco-friendly, silent, safe, and warm human heater," he thought wryly.

He quickly stripped off his clothes and slid into the bed, wrapping his arms around Leovena. His higher body temperature provided immediate warmth. Feeling the warmth, Leovena instinctively snuggled closer, clinging to him like a koala. Her body emitted a milky scent mixed with the alcohol from earlier, creating an intoxicating aroma.

It was indeed a very cold night. Leoric waited until his hands warmed up, then gently stroked Leovena's back, slowly moving down to massage her small buttocks. "Feels good," he whispered in her ear. "You're mine, sister."

Though it felt strange for a mentally twenty-something-year-old man to call a seven-year-old girl "sister," the word brought Leoric a sense of comfort.

He tenderly caressed her entire body, using his warm palms to chase away the cold. Gradually, Leovena stopped trembling, her teeth ceased chattering, and she clung toLeoric, burying her face in his neck, her breath fragrant against his ear.

His ears had always been sensitive, often targeted during playful moments with his girlfriend. Even after reincarnation, this sensitivity remained.

Unable to indulge in such sensations,Leoric gently adjusted Leovena’s position. The streetlights dimmed, plunging the room into darkness. In the faint light, Leovena’s face appeared serene, her long eyelashes casting shadows, her nose delicate, and her lips exquisite.

Unable to resist,Leoric bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips.

Her lips were dry and rough from dehydration, unlike their usual softness. Despite this, the sensation was unique and captivating.

Lost in the kiss,Leoric finally pulled away. “This is our first kiss,” he whispered to the sleeping girl. “I want you to be my sister and my lover.”

Leovena didn’t hear.

Getting up,Leoric fetched a glass of water, sipped some, and then returned to kiss her, transferring the water into her mouth. Leovena, thirsty, parted her lips, allowingLeoric to slip his tongue inside, exploring her mouth, tasting the sweetness within.

Eventually, they both drifted off to sleep.