Looking blankly at Alicia’s bed, Eric shook his head.
No matter what, he couldn’t sleep here.
“Just being able to lie down anywhere is fine.”
“Okay. So, please feel free to lie down.”
‘Really, it’s fine? Is it okay to let a man sleep so freely in her bed? Or is it weird that I’m thinking this way?’
For a moment, confusion struck Eric.
“By the way, should I get you some pajamas?”
“Oh, well.”
“Would that be better? Please wait. I will also bring a new blanket.”
As Alicia left the room, Eric who was left alone, stood still, not knowing whether to sit or lie down.
[Star Icon][Star Icon][Star Icon]“Here, pajamas.”
“Thank you.”
“It might be a little small, but it would be more comfortable to sleep in this.”
After laying the pillow and blanket on the bed, Alicia handed the pajamas to Eric.
“Then, rest comfortably. If you’re not up by mealtime, I’ll come to wake you.”
“Uh, wait.”
“Yes. What is it?”
“Is it really okay? To sleep in the bed?”
“Then where should you sleep?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“It’s fine. I used to let my friends sleep in the bed too.”
“No, still.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just think of it as comfortable. Good night.”
Alicia said with a natural smile, then left the room. Eric, still holding the pajamas, stared blankly at the door she’d exited.
‘She doesn’t mind at all? It’s okay because she let her friends sleep there too?’
Of course, if they were friends, that could be okay, but Eric didn’t think he fit into that category.
To be honest, he didn’t think they were in a situation to become friends, and above all, he was a man.
‘Am I the only one who minds? Is it really okay?’
Still indecisive, he changed into the pajamas with a somewhat resigned feeling.
‘This isn’t right.’
After staring at the bed for a moment, he took the pillow and blanket to the sofa and lay down there.
Although the sofa wasn’t long, making it hard to stretch his legs, he thought it would be more comfortable this way.
[Star Icon][Star Icon][Star Icon]“Ah!”
Startled by a sudden shock to his body, Eric unwittingly bolted upright.
“???”
Blinking his eyes, Eric lifted his head to see Ryan on his body, and Laila underneath the sofa, both grinning broadly.
“Big brother!”
“Big brother!”
A moment ago, he was so surprised he almost threw the children off.
Grateful that his reflexes hadn’t worked properly, Eric calmed his startled heart.
“Ryan, Laila?”
“We’ll sleep with you.”
Nudging him, Ryan snuggled into Eric’s arms.
“Let’s go to bed. Bed.”
“Why aren’t you sleeping?”
As Laila tried to climb onto the sofa, she tilted her head and pointed to the bed, asking.
“Well, I felt a bit awkward sleeping there. Are you guys also going to sleep?”
“Yes!”
“With me?”
“Yes!”
“Here?”
“No! In bed!”
Laughing playfully, the twins proudly pointed at the bed. Seeing this, Eric felt at a loss.
‘Why sleep with me? Why aren’t they shy? And why especially there?’
Looking helplessly at the bed, Eric was met with a predicament.
In the meantime, Ryan climbed down from the sofa and ran to the bed with Laila.
“Quick, quick.”
“Sleepy, sleepy.”
In the end, Eric collected the pillow and blanket in a huff and reluctantly moved to the bed.
“Lift me~”
“Me too~!”
“Oh, okay. Just a moment.”
Sorting out the pillows and blankets, he lifted the twins onto the bed. Delighted, they settled in and waved at Eric.
“I don’t know, no one seems to care.”
In the end, Eric lay in bed with the children on either side of him, pulling the blanket over them.
The brief discomfort from the wriggling, burrowing twins was soon forgotten as Eric surprisingly fell asleep quickly.
[Star Icon][Star Icon][Star Icon]Knock, knock.
Alicia knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside.
“He must not have been able to get up.”
She muttered, picturing Eric’s extremely tired face.
If he was that exhausted, he didn’t need to come. He was indeed a diligent ‘fiancé’.
After waiting outside for a while, Alicia quietly opened the door, stepped in, and carefully approached the bed.
‘Why are they sleeping here together? Edward was supposed to play with them in his room, wasn’t he?’
Confused, she watched for a moment before gently shaking Eric awake.
“Eric? Eric.”
“Mmm.”
Tossing and turning, Eric rolled onto his side.
“Time to get up. It’s almost mealtime.”
“Just five more minutes.”
Halfasleep, Eric muttered before suddenly realizing where he was and promptly sitting up.
“What time is it? Have I slept long?”
Startled by Eric’s rising voice, Alicia quickly covered his mouth.
“?”
As he blinked in confusion, unable to grasp the situation, Ryan and Laila started crying at his side.
“Ahaaah!”
“Waaah!”
The crying was so loud, Eric felt half out of his mind and froze on the spot.
What a mess.
Barely awake and with the children crying and creating a ruckus, his ears felt like they were about to explode.
“Ryan, Laila. It’s okay. Be good, okay? Stop.”
“Give one to me.”
Stopping Alicia from trying to hold both at once, Eric picked up Laila.
“I’m sorry. They sleep well, but they do this when they wake up in between.”
“It’s alright. I don’t know how much I can help though.”
Following Alicia’s lead, Eric carefully rocked Laila to soothe her.
He tried to comfort her while sitting, then standing.
After a while, as the twins seemed to wake up a bit, their crying began to subside.
“Phew.”
“That was hard, wasn’t it?”
Meeting Alicia’s eyes, a relieved smile spread across Eric’s face.
“Are you fully awake?”
“Mm.”
“Alright. Shall we wash up and go downstairs then?”
“Mm.”
“Laila’s going too, right?”
“Mm.”
“Let’s go down then. Hold hands with your sister.”
“Yes.”
Laila turned her head and hugged Eric’s neck.
“Brother will change clothes and come down. Let’s go with your sister first.”
“Coming soon?”
“Coming soon. Right?”
“Yes. Yes. I’ll be there soon.”
“Mm. Got it.”
As Laila asked to be put down, she took Alicia’s hand.
“You can come down slowly. We still have some time.”
“Eh?”
Eric glanced at the clock.
Only about 10 minutes had passed since he had woken up.
“That’s impossible. I thought at least an hour had passed.”
“Right? It always feels like that.”
Seems like his thought slipped out.
Alicia smiled at the embarrassed Eric, then took the twins’ hands.
“See you later.”
“Okay. See you later.”
Eric awkwardly waved back at the twins, who were energetically waving their tiny hands, then casually ran a hand through his hair.
Looking at the little ones waddling away, half asleep, a smile crept onto his face.
‘Ah, I need to change and go downstairs.’
Picking up the clothes he had taken off, he froze in place as soon as he looked up.
“……?”
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
