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Chapter 85
I had kissed Hailon a handful of times before.
Each instance had been born from a mischievous impulse to torment him.
Most often, I would bind his resisting form and press my lips against his.
Every time I kissed him, his eyes would ignite like brilliant blue flames, and he would burn with fury.
I found it amusing to watch those glacial eyes transform into inferno as he glared at me, so I would kiss him occasionally.
Not ‌‌‌frequently—truly, only now and then.
But now, I could not fathom why I had kissed ‌him.
It had been an entirely unconscious act.
I had briefly entertained the thought that perhaps he was upset, and I wanted to soothe him.
And then I found myself rising onto my toes, my lips meeting his.
"...!" ‌‌‌‌
I felt the tender ‌‌‌‌‌‌sensation of soft skin meeting gently.
Hailon's eyes widened.
The black pupils dilating within his ‌‌‌‌blue irises became vividly apparent.
Those azure eyes, clouded by turbulent emotions, trembled in disarray.
With a soft, embarrassing sound, our lips parted.
Yet our faces did not separate.
Both Hailon ‌‌‌and I remained gazing at each other, close enough to feel each other's breath.
Our breathing was heated and quickened.
I felt belated embarrassment wash over me.
This was the first time I had kissed in such an atmosphere.
I hastily pulled my head back and spoke.
"Ah, I was just...."
The words never reached their conclusion.
He pulled at his chain-bound arm with force.
My body was drawn into his broad embrace.
His large hand gripped ‌‌‌my waist firmly.
With ‌‌a powerful grip, our lips met once more.
In that moment, I forgot everything.
With my free hand, I pulled the nape of his neck toward me.
The kiss continued for quite some time.
Or perhaps it was ‌‌‌‌terribly brief.
His firm teeth ‌‌‌‌gently grazed my lower lip.
As if he, too, meant ‌‌to leave his mark.
The sharp sensation reignited my dulled senses in a brilliant spark.
I pushed him away.
"...."
The flowers of the Illusion Realm released a fragrance so suffocating in its intensity.
The broken music box, which had only ever played discordant melodies, now performed ‌‌‌an oddly seamless ‌composition.
The toy soldiers that had marched so noisily and the ‌‌‌‌‌chess pieces that drifted about haphazardly were all now arranged quietly on the ground.
The doll with stuffing spilling out was now pristine, and the cake that had been smashed on the floor oozing an unpleasant ‌‌‌crimson liquid now gleamed as a beautiful three-tiered confection.
The Illusion Realm that had been in ‌‌‌complete disarray grew silent.
Only luminescent butterflies scattering light ‌‌‌‌moved gracefully through ‌‌‌the now-peaceful Illusion ‌‌Realm.
Chesa gazed at Hailon while her slightly swollen lips trembled.
His eyes, which had always been pale and pristine with an icy gleam, now held a reddish tint.
His cheeks flushed with color.
His lips swollen red, just like Chesa's.
Such ‌‌‌a sight was ‌‌‌utterly unbecoming of the Holy Knight's chaste uniform.
And his blue ‌eyes.... ‌‌
"Place me first, Lichesia."
They could no longer remain calm.
The lake that had always been serene transformed ‌‌‌into a tempestuous sea, churning with turbulence.
A colossal wave of emotion swept through him, threatening to consume everything in its path.
The chain of condemnation bound around his forearm trembled finely in response to its master's emotions.
Yet Chesa could not discern whether it was the chain trembling
or her own trembling.
"I must be first in every emotion you feel." ‌‌
His demand to be placed foremost was resolute.
As if asserting a right that was rightfully his.
"No matter how many others you have kissed, you must hold me as most special."
His hand tore roughly at the collar of his uniform.
Silver buttons scattered away with a soft pop.
The pale skin hidden beneath the white uniform was revealed.
Upon the body sworn to God's service, the enchantress's mark was visible.
The mark glowed a ‌‌‌vivid crimson.
As if recognizing its master, it blazed with a red and sinister light.
Displaying the mark left by the enchantress, Hailon whispered.
"No ‌‌matter whose mark you have inscribed upon you, regard me as most ‌‌important."
The ‌‌‌Illusion Realm, which had been filled with broken things, became whole.
Yet paradoxically, the Heresy Inquisitor who had been virtuous was ‌‌‌now broken.
Within the fairy's Illusion Realm beyond God's gaze, Hailon revealed his own unchaste darkness.
An emotion so viscous and dark that even Chesa, called an enchantress, was astonished.
"You must bear responsibility for corrupting me...."
In an instant, the chain binding his forearm tightened.
As it constricted firmly until a faint pain was felt, Hailon's eyes never left Chesa.
"I will not allow ‌‌you to end this relationship arbitrarily."
She had no intention of ending things anyway....
But it seemed misunderstandings were only accumulating.
Yet Chesa did not bother to tell him the truth.
That was something I should have revealed once I escaped from ‌the ‌baby's body.
Clumsily exposing the truth now would only complicate matters further.
Instead, I whispered softly.
"The mark of prey... No one has ever carved one into you the way I did."
That was the truth.
The pattern I had ‌‌etched so carefully over such a long ‌time, embedding each ‌‌‌agonizing sensation ‌into the nerves themselves...
For Chesa, Hailon was ‌both the first and the last.
Before Hailon could respond to my words, I summoned ‌the axe with my free hand.
And I swung the axe to sever the chains.
I cut through the chains of condemnation that had bound my arm, then stepped back with a flourish.
The flower that had been holding Itar in its grip suddenly retched ‌‌and spat him out.
The unconscious Itar fell with a dull thud onto the Chessboard.
Standing lightly atop the pile of flowers, Chesa spoke.
"Lock that bastard away as a heretic, and don't let him out of the Interrogation Chamber until his ideological reeducation is complete."
My work here was done.
Lingering any longer would only waste time, and ‌‌‌‌‌that would disadvantage me—Chesa, who had so much to hide.
I raised the axe high.
I intended to ‌‌‌‌shatter the ‌‌‌‌Illusion Realm.
"Lichesia!"
The chains of ‌‌‌condemnation rushed forward to seize Chesa.
Chesa flashed a smile at Hailon.
And immediately swung the axe.
The Illusion Realm crumbled.
The dream-like ‌‌‌‌fantasy had come to its end.

***
"Oof!"
Chesa landed hard on her backside with a dull thud.
"Ow..."
The impact sent a sharp sting through her rear end.
I gently rubbed the sore spot and pushed myself upright.
Then I made my way to the window.
I dragged a chair over and positioned it beneath the sill, then climbed up to peer outside.
An odd assembly of Holy Knights and mercenaries had gathered in front of the mansion.
Armed men suddenly flooding into the quiet, upscale neighborhood—it was impossible not to notice.
They stood out far ‌‌‌‌too conspicuously.
The Holy Knights and mercenaries were stirring nervously among themselves.
Not long after, petals and butterflies scattered through the air as Hailon and Itar materialized above ‌‌‌the street.
At the sight of Itar crashing ungracefully onto the pavement, I couldn't help but giggle.
The Holy Knights swarmed toward Hailon.
They must have been startled at being dragged into the ‌‌demon woman's Illusion ‌‌‌Realm so suddenly.
Hailon issued calm orders to them.
Itar and all the mercenaries he had hired were swiftly subdued by the Holy Knights.
Some attempted to resist, but it proved futile.
With Itar unconscious, the arrest proceeded without any real struggle.
I was watching with quiet amusement when Hailon turned his head.
"..."
Our eyes met precisely.
Though separated by distance, it was unmistakable that we were looking directly at each ‌‌other.
Just as I, burdened with countless sins, began to slip backward out of sight—
A pristine chain shot forth with a sharp metallic sound.
"Kyaaah!"
The chain coiled around me, and I was yanked through the air.
Then I landed safely in Hailon's arms.
'Oh no, that scared me!'
My heart pounded wildly against my ribs.
Hailon, holding me like a startled child on the verge of fainting, murmured softly. ‌‌‌
"You're easy to catch."
"..."
He hadn't been able ‌‌‌to capture Lichesia with the chain in the Illusion Realm, so it seemed he'd caught ‌me instead.
I was staring at him in ‌‌‌‌bewilderment when—
The mansion door opened.
"Hey there, sir. Stop bothering our little one."
Karha walked out as if the place ‌were his own home, ‌‌‌speaking with a crooked smile.
"Why don't you come inside for some tea?"

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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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