Betrayed, I Knocked Demon Lord's Door - Chapter 71: Chapter 71

Leon stared blankly at the defeat notification on his phone. He'd lost almost one thousand dollars, but honestly, he didn't feel a thing.
It turned out, his earlier confidence was just wishful thinking. When it came to brains, he was no match for Caitlyn, the former Demon Lord. He was just a musclehead who only knew how to fight.
But whatever. He was flat broke anyway, with nothing to his name but himself.
Even though he technically had a job at the academy, he barely did any work, had no idea what his salary was, and all the money just went straight into Caitlyn's account.
Honestly, he kind of wished he owed Caitlyn a mountain of debt—so much that he could never pay it off.
That way, he'd have an excuse to stick around her for life.
After all, there was no way she'd kick out her number one freeloader, right?
There was a saying, "The one who owes money calls the shots!"
So technically, that made him Caitlyn's boss!
The shameless Leon was unbeatable.
Of course, he only dared to fantasize about this in his head.
If he said it out loud and made the blonde mad, he'd be out on the street in no time.
He definitely didn't want to end up kneeling in the cold hallway at midnight, begging Caitlyn to let him back in.
Caitlyn, riding high on her winning streak, looked just like a proud swan—her long, fair neck stretched tall as she stood up, absolutely brimming with confidence.
She declared, "I'm done playing. Any more, and you'll be broke for life."
She shot Leon a quick, pathetic glance, but inside she was over the moon.
She thought to herself, 'Now this is the kind of presence the real head of the house should have!
'Usually, it's this troublemaker leading me around—holding my hand, hugging me... Feels like he's about to eat me alive...
'It's like I'm some poor girl who can't pay her debts and has to sell herself to pay him back.'
Leon looked at her, set his phone down, and put on an innocent face. "I'm broke, too. Want me to pay you back with myself?"
"Ugh! I don't want that!" Caitlyn pouted, grabbed the kettle, filled it with water, and hit the switch.
The kettle started bubbling soon.
Leon didn't give up. "I'm a total catch, you know! Seriously, you sure? For just a little money, you get a strong, gentle, thoughtful guy like me. That's a steal!"
Caitlyn refused it. "No way! I wouldn't take you even if you came free!"
The freshly victorious, sassy blonde was absolutely full of herself.
Leon shook his head with a smile. "Alright, suit yourself. But if you ever change your mind, come talk to me. Just saying, the price might go up by then."
Caitlyn sneered inwardly, 'Huh. As if I'd ever...'
The kettle clicked as the water finished boiling.
Caitlyn froze for a second, then quietly poured herself a cup of water.
First off, there was no way she'd ever do that. And even if the price went up, so what? How much could Leon possibly be worth? A couple kisses and he'd totally cave.
But she'd ever actually do it! It was just a logical guess, knowing how much of a softie Leon was.
"Ouch, that's hot..." Caitlyn frowned and quickly pulled her cup away.
Without a word, Leon appeared behind her, snatched the cup from her hand, and set it on the table. He ruffled her hair, sounding a bit exasperated. "If you're lost in thought, maybe don't mess with stuff like this, okay?
"Drinking it right after it's boiled, you'll burn that pretty mouth of yours..."
Caitlyn pressed her tingling lips together, her eyes turning a little misty.
It stung and tingled.
She felt his big, gentle hand on her head. With her eyes downcast, she gave a little half-hearted shake, trying to break free.
Wasn't it always him asking her to pat his head before?
And the tables had turned! What a jerk!
Leon only let go when he was satisfied that her hair was thoroughly messy.
He poured a bit of water from Caitlyn's cup into his own, took a sip to check the temperature, then handed the cup back to her.
He said gently, "Here, drink this while it's warm. It'll help you sleep."
Caitlyn stared at him with a blank face. Leon blinked, tilting his head as if to ask what she was looking at.
Caitlyn quietly clenched her fists, pretending not to notice.
She thought, 'He totally did that on purpose!
'All these little gestures, all this subtle flirting...
'Does he really think I'm too dense to notice?'
'An indirect kiss, huh?' Caitlyn sneered inwardly, 'Huh. As if I'd ever...'
Caitlyn hugged her belly, warmed by the water, and drifted off to sleep, feeling safe and content.
Caitlyn, not wanting to lose face, of course pretended not to care.
Yeah, it was all about saving face.
The closer her birthday got, the faster time seemed to fly.
In the blink of an eye, it was already the day before Caitlyn's birthday.
November 18th arrived, and the weather was pretty nice.
But since Ekavine City was up north, the cold always came on fast.
The temperature had dropped like a rollercoaster. Today was already freezing.
It was that bone-chilling cold, like when you were a soldier up north in winter, dragged out of bed before sunrise, stumbling half-asleep onto the pitch-black playground, lining up for morning exercises as the icy wind stings your cheeks.
Thankfully, Caitlyn didn't have to do morning exercises. She had Leon to keep her warm and safe from the cold.
"You sure you want to drive yourself? It's freezing." Leon crossed his arms, watching as Caitlyn hopped onto the scooter and claimed the driver's seat before he could.
Caitlyn tossed her head, eyes fixed ahead. Her blonde hair scattered like sunlight in the wind. She looked effortlessly cool.
"I'm bundled up and wearing a helmet. No way I'm getting cold!" she shot back.
Leon shook his head, went back to grab the helmet he barely ever used, and gently put it on Caitlyn's head.
He then murmured, "At least let it block the wind. Don't let that cute face of yours freeze up. I'd feel bad, you know.
"Though honestly, that poker face of yours is pretty cute, too."
Caitlyn caught a faint whiff of his scent on the helmet and stayed quiet, but her cheeks still warmed up.
She sneered inwardly, 'This guy... He's always blurting out embarrassing stuff out of nowhere.
'Though, I guess I am kind of cute.
'No, wait. I'm beautiful and elegant, a real grown woman!'
She shouted, "Sit tight. I'm about to take off."
Leon let out a sigh and swung himself onto the scooter, pressing right up against Caitlyn's soft, petite frame. He wrapped his arms around her slender waist, hands resting on her stomach—too bad her clothes were so thick that he could barely feel a thing.
Caitlyn's whole body went stiff, tensing up in an instant.
A soft, embarrassed little murmur came from inside her helmet. "You're holding me way too tight..."
"If I don't, I'll fall off." Leon just used that as an excuse to hold her even tighter.
Seriously, who would believe an S-Rank Hunter could fall off a scooter?
Not that he cared—he just wanted an excuse to hold her close!
Caitlyn gripped the handlebars tightly and started up the scooter in silence.
'This jerk... One of these days, I'm going to get him back!'
One day, she'd pay Leon back tenfold for the humiliation she suffered in their last showdown!