As a result, Draco really didn't say anything more. There were no blush-inducing 'comments,' no deliberately close breathing, and none of the questions and teasing that had thrown her into a panic.
He leaned against her quietly, his chin resting on her shoulder, his arms loosely wrapped around her waist.
Only her even, shallow breaths, one after another, brushed against the sensitive skin on the side of her neck, bringing a subtle tingling sensation.
Hermione hesitated for a moment, then reached out and reopened the copy of " Dream of the Red Chamber." She pretended to be calm as she continued turning the pages, her gaze fixed on the words. At first, she couldn't help but glance to the side, wary that he might be plotting something.
But Draco just leaned back quietly, his gaze seemingly following her reading progress, moving slowly.
This gradually calmed Hermione down.
At this moment, the scenes depicted in the book gradually became clear in her mind: Lin Daiyu's cautiousness when entering the mansion, her subtle psychology when everyone was looking at her, and the presence of the person behind her was no longer a disturbance, but rather a silent companion.
She suddenly felt that being held so quietly like this...
It seems pretty good.
Time flowed by quietly, Hermione gradually became immersed in the story, while Draco, at first, seemed to be genuinely watching along.
But most of the time, he just leaned against it quietly.
A moment later, Hermione was still engrossed in the plot of the book, while he remained silent beside her for a long time.
She tilted her head slightly and secretly turned her face to look.
Draco was sleeping soundly, his head resting on her shoulder.
Seeing this, Hermione couldn't help but laugh, but looking at his unguarded sleeping face, she was afraid that her laughter would wake him, so she quickly covered her mouth, leaving only her slightly trembling shoulders exposed.
Maintaining a somewhat stiff posture, Hermione muttered to herself, "She was just making a fuss a moment ago, but she's only read two pages of ' Dream of the Red Chamber ' and she's already fallen asleep."
This made her secretly smile again.
What arrogant and domineering young master? He's clearly just a large feline that's prone to sleepiness and loves to cling.
However, Hermione dared not move too much, for fear that the slightest exertion would startle him, and could only maintain her original posture.
The book pages remained open before her, but she couldn't focus on any of the delicate words. Her gaze kept drifting uncontrollably to the sleeping face of the person beside her, and her cheeks unconsciously began to burn again.
A thought quietly crossed my mind:
I'm here seriously reading a classic novel, and you, on the other hand, just fall asleep and expect me to stay with you without moving.
Despite her complaints, her body language betrayed her. Instead of moving away, she snuggled closer to him, indulging him by letting her pillow his head on her so he could sleep peacefully a little longer.
Fine, I'll let it go since he's unusually quiet like this.
Hermione then turned her attention back to the book, trying to re-enter that world, but after reading only a few lines, she suddenly felt a warmth on her shoulder, and a slightly damp sensation.
What... thing? Before she could react, the wet sensation seemed to spread a little more.
No way... Hermione's heart skipped a beat.
An absurd idea popped into my head.
So she cautiously turned her head to look again...
Draco, however, remained soundly asleep.
But... his lips, which had been slightly pursed, relaxed at some point, opening a crack, and a thin drop of water dripped down, landing right on the fabric of his shoulder, spreading into a small dark stain.
In an instant, Hermione froze completely, staring in astonishment at the tiny mark, unable to recover for a long time.
It's one thing to be asleep, but... it was even drooling!
The contrast was so absurd that Hermione was stunned for several seconds before a strong laugh welled up in her throat.
"Pfft--" She almost burst out laughing, but she managed to hold it back. She quickly covered her mouth with her free hand, her shoulders trembling slightly as she suppressed her laughter, and Draco's head, which was resting on her shoulder, swayed slightly as well.
She froze in fright, too scared to even tremble, but the smile still lingered, and she could only bite her lower lip tightly.
Meanwhile, a torrent of complaints was already brewing in my mind:
This domineering, cunning, yet gentle young master has such terrible sleeping posture! He's even drooling!! If word got out, who would believe it!
Oh wait, nobody else here knows...
"I've never seen anything more outrageous," Hermione thought.
"Seriously... I've never seen anyone more outrageous than you."
Hermione felt both exasperated and somewhat amused.
After an unknown amount of time of silence, Draco's eyelashes trembled, and as soon as he opened his eyes, his gaze fell on the water stain.
"Awake? Young Master Malfoy, drooling over your book, that's a rare sight indeed!" Hermione teased.
Anyone else would have been so embarrassed they wanted to disappear into the ground, but Draco merely glanced at the mark, showing no embarrassment whatsoever, and even gave a mischievous smirk.
"It's your fault," Draco said matter-of-factly.
"My fault?" Hermione was taken aback, thinking she had misheard.
"Of course." Draco nodded matter-of-factly, tightening his arms around her and pulling her closer into his embrace.
"It was so comfortable to hold Miss Hermione, warm, soft, and so sweet... That's why I slept so soundly and without any guard. So, isn't this your fault?"
These profound remarks left Hermione speechless for a moment.
"You're just making excuses!" Hermione exclaimed, both annoyed and amused. "You were the one who fell asleep! And, and..." She gestured for Draco to look at her shoulder, saying:
"Look! The evidence is irrefutable!"
"Since I've soiled your clothes..." Draco touched the wet stain with his fingertip, "How about I give you a kiss as an apology?"
"You wish!" Hermione's face flushed red, and she shrank back sharply, pushing him away forcefully with both hands against his chest. "Get away from me!"
What kind of apology is this?!
This is clearly an even bigger act of thuggery!
"What else can we do?" Draco seized the opportunity to grab her hand as she tried to push him away, holding it in his palm, his smile widening with smugness.
"Young Master, I never owe anyone anything, especially not something so personal." He spoke with an air of "I'm very reasonable."
"Either let me kiss you to settle the debt," he suggested, "Or you just accept it, this is my personal stamp for you."
"You're such a scoundrel..." Hermione laughed and scolded, "It's clearly your own messy sleeping posture, oo... oo... you know, how can you say that so confidently!"
"I'm sticking with you anyway." Draco closed his eyes and clung to Hermione again. "Don't you have to take responsibility for putting me to sleep?"
Forget it, there's no point in reasoning with this guy. Hermione was completely at a loss. As for that "stamp"... her cheeks felt slightly hot.
He couldn't help but silently hum in his heart.
Dream on!