If only you had come to me a little sooner, she regretted. Had she become entwined with him before the arrival of Genovia Irrien in Rotiara, before Genovia beguiled him with her cunning words and instilled in him a heavy sense of hope, many things might have unfolded differently. She wouldn’t have fallen so easily under Genovia’s manipulative sway in the first place.
However, time, once passed, cannot be rewound. Elise acknowledged that she shouldn’t harbor emotions beyond the confines of their contract, and that conviction remained steadfast even in the present moment.
It was a painful reality. Despite being closer to each other than anyone else in the world, an insurmountable distance still loomed, one they had to maintain. Emotions like love couldn’t be allowed to interfere.
It could perhaps be described as a fleeting attachment, a brief affection that sprouted as a shield for gratitude and a sense of security. Elise’s eyelashes quivered momentarily before settling.
But even if it’s just that… she thought, when I eventually leave, it might hurt a lot.
Yet, in that very moment, Rezette disrupted her contemplations, as if tossing a wrench into her conscience.
“Elise, it’s easy to tell when you’re thinking about something else.”
Rezette extinguished the medicinal smoke’s tip with his thumb, casually dropping it somewhere. The smile that had graced his lips vanished without a trace. Squinting his eyes, Rezette clenched his jaw and fixed a firm gaze on her.
“Every time I see that face…”
“Re-Rezette.”
“I keep realizing it’s not a pleasant feeling after all.”
Elise squealed as her body turned abruptly. The thin strands of silver hair cascaded gracefully into the air as she settled onto the sheets, feeling the weight of the man pressing down on her once again.
“You said it was the last time, just a moment ago…!”
Her plea, bordering on a scream, was abruptly cut off, left hanging in the air.
***
The bedroom door was securely locked, and it wasn’t until late afternoon that the duke’s summons finally arrived. While diligent servants filled the bathtub with warm water, the canopy over the bed remained firmly lowered, unable to completely conceal the thick atmosphere pervading the entire room.
Ivetsa cast anxious glances at the crack in the canopy. Only sporadic rustling sounds reached her ears, and silence dominated the space. However, once the bath and simple meal preparations concluded, an indifferent command to depart followed.
“Well, if you need anything, feel free to call…”
“Come out, Ivetsa.”
Lady Pettison signaled to Ivetsa, who quietly lowered her head—a gesture cautioning against hasty intervention, as they couldn’t predict the duke’s mood.
Before long, the bedroom door securely closed once again. Only after the sounds of the servants had completely dissipated downstairs did the canopy tremble.
Soon, the gentle sound of water began to resonate in the bedroom.
***
Droplets of warmth glided down Rezette’s fair skin as he reached beneath the water to inspect his body. Even in her slumber, Elise contorted, accompanied by sounds of discomfort.
“It seems a bit swollen,” Rezette noted, though he expected nothing less. In his eyes, it wasn’t a severe outcome, a minor sacrifice compared to the graver scenarios he had imagined.
Elise remained oblivious until Rezette thoroughly dried and adorned her in lightweight sleepwear.
“Elise,” he called, attempting to rouse her with a gentle shake, but her forehead merely wrinkled, showing no signs of waking. Abandoning the plan, Rezette carefully laid her back on the bed.
The scent of her body, once soaked by the water, dissipated, replaced by a fresh and fragrant floral aroma vibrating in the air. The semi-solid form that had stood upright solidified once again.
Rezette clicked his tongue in irritation. She’s quite stubborn. Unsure of how many more doses of medicinal smoke he’d need to burn to avoid contact until she woke, he sighed in frustration.
Despite removing sexual desire from his life, he couldn’t erase the inherent nature of his existence. The restraint was inevitably susceptible to desires. Even if it wasn’t a manifestation of madness, once the reins were loosened, putting them back on became nearly impossible.
Fortunately, Rezette considered it a stroke of luck that he could control it to some extent. Elise, on the other hand, wasn’t as fortunate as even Rezette’s own mother.
In reality, if Elise hadn’t occasionally lost herself in contemplation while in his presence, she might have broken free from him a bit earlier. If only she hadn’t directed her gaze towards the window, as though she were ready to abandon him and take flight at any moment. And then, if only she hadn’t looked at him with those unavoidably sorrowful eyes.
It felt as if a leaden weight had been placed at the pit of his stomach. Would this unexplained discomfort be alleviated if he continued to possess her?
Dangerous thoughts, cultivated in anxiety and nourished by the infertile soil of a mediocre imagination, delved into treacherous depths. The immediate imperative was to extract every ounce of magic from Elise’s body.
Subsequently, it crossed his mind that it might be advantageous to tame her until she transformed into a woman solely devoted to him, available at his whim for as long as necessary. If, in the process, she were to conceive, that would be even more advantageous.
As for what lay beyond, well, that was a matter for later consideration. After all, a dragon fetus thrived on magic, and Elise’s body harbored a mysterious font of magical energy. If the plan was to extract magic regardless, allowing the unborn child to absorb it could offer a potential solution.
So, all you need to do is give birth well, Rezette thought, endlessly caressing the small and slender woman.
