Sylvia bit her lips and took the next step up the tree, having somewhat reached the low hanging branch that she was aiming for.

There were three ripe looking green berries on it. Sylvia had tasted this fruit before.

Especially considering the light yellow hue mixed with the green color, she knew that these would probably satisfy the devil’s tongue.

Huff. Huff. She panted and tried to calm herself down.

Prior to today, she had never ever thought that climbing a tree and pulling herself up required so much energy and effort.

She took another deep breath and tried to reach the branch when something small and sharp poked her leg.

Her dress was caught in one of the scabs covering the trunk, revealing her long and slender legs.

They had small red bruises on them which seemed fresh and were probably a result of the adventure she was currently on.

Sylvia winced in pain as blood dripped from the most recent scratch.

But she just wanted to get done with this whole ordeal as soon as possible and tried to reach the branch on the side ignoring the pain.

Unknowingly, she ended up putting a little too much pressure on the branch and CRACK, a loud noise sounded!

The next instant, Sylvia found herself losing her footing. 

She hurriedly fumbled around trying to support herself, when she managed to find another nook to put her hand in.

Huff. Sylvia sighed in relief, but unfortunately, it was too soon.

Just beside her, another loud crack sounded and the branch above broke, falling down, taking her as well along with it.

Arghh! Sylvia’s heart sank and she screamed in alarm, overwhelmed by gravity pulling her down.

Thud. The branch hit the ground, and Sylvia fully expected to be in a world of pain, falling down on top of it.

However, instead of that rough landing, she fell into something warm and firm and found herself once again assaulted by a familiar scent.

She opened her eyes to find her body snugly held by the devil, the man himself on the ground, only barely managing to break her fall.

“Are you alright?” Mikel asked, gazing at the woman who seemed to be sniffing him openly. Do I smell bad? Her obvious actions ended up making him self-conscious.

Sylvia gulped, staring back at his handsome features, and nodded quietly. 

Though it was him who made her do this in the place, she was still grateful for the help.

“Thank you.” She mumbled.

Mikel chuckled, his childlike smile appearing even more devastating at that close proximity, and then leaned forward to unexpectedly bump the girl’s forehead with his own.

“How long are you planning to lie in my lap?” He asked, his grin widening. 

“Don’t mistake me. I don’t mind you lying down like this, but my hands might not be idle while you do so.” He warned her, his breath brushing her cheeks and her lips.

Ah~ Sylvia snapped out of her trance and quickly scrambled to get up, only to fall back into his lap again.

Her eyes fell on the devil who looked like he was about to eat her up alive and she hurriedly mumbled, getting the hell out of there. “Sorry, your highness. Sorry.”

Mikel chuckled and ruffled his hair, then lazily standing up as well. He glanced at the girl nervously fidgeting with her fingers, before walking over to the brook nearby.

The man stood next to the flickering flames of the fire they had kindled earlier and undid his shirt buttons one by one.

Sylvia gulped as she watched his shirt come completely undone falling on the dry ground. 

Her eyes then shamelessly trailed on to look at his bare naked upper body, toned and chiseled to perfection.

As the man casually stretched out his limbs, his muscles pulsed with vigor making Sylvia’s eyes inadvertently wander around, observing his elegant movements.

She watched him as he moved his hands to his waist, starting to undo his pants, now that he had removed his shirt.

The man’s belt clicked and then his pants along with that belt dropped straight down to the ground, revealing his muscular thighs, his defined calves, and…

I… I should turn around? Sylvia gulped.

However, her brain was a bit slow in coming to that conclusion and so were her actions, resulting in an amused voice chiming in, startling her out of her wits.

“Like what you see?” Mikel grinned. 

Sylvia quickly closed her eyes with her hands and turned around, her face ripening like the fruits hanging on the tree.

The man was wearing a pair of short trunks underneath his pants but still, considering that she had never seen a man naked, without a shirt on, her entire body heated up in embarrassment.

The devil was the absolute worst but the man had a ridiculously hot body! Sylvia could only silently curse the heavens for this injustice!!!

While she awkwardly stood like a statue, splashing noises sounded behind her.

Her back was facing the man, but she could guess that he was probably waddling into the brook, taking a dip in the waters.

“Wouldn’t it be cold and chilly in the evening?” Sylvia wondered, muttering under her breath, but then she twisted her lips in indignation. He is the devil! He probably likes the cold freezing waters!!!

She stood still for a few minutes unsure of what to do now, and then slowly turned around, just a bit, enough to make small peaks.

Mikel seemed to have forgotten all about her and was leisurely resting in the shallow waters of the brook.

His back was facing her and he was clearly engrossed in his thoughts, looking into the distance silently.

Sylvia also couldn’t help but notice that only his pants and his shirt were on the ground and not his short trunks.

She patted her chest at that realization. 

It looked like her eyes were not going to lose their chastity tonight after all! Phew!

As Sylvia sighed in relief, she remembered another important detail. She was still hungry, damn it!