Chapter 113
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Chapter 113
That day, Lichesia was playing in the Secluded Forest Flower Field.
Beneath the cascading sunlight, she rolled lazily across the flowers, letting time drift away.
That is, until an uninvited intruder suddenly appeared in the peaceful flower field.
Hailon's condition was ghastly, blood dripping steadily from his wounds.
The delicate wildflowers blooming in clusters were stained crimson by his blood.
At first, I thought it was someone else's blood.
He wasn't the type to come back defeated from anywhere.
But I was wrong.
It was all Hailon's blood.
"You... what, what happened? Why are you so badly hurt?"
I asked in shock, when something suddenly caught my eye.
A bracelet I'd never seen before was fastened around his wrist.
A pure white bracelet radiating an unmistakable holy aura.
I could tell immediately what it was.
A sacred relic of the Hilderd Holy Empire.
Sensing my gaze, Hailon held out his wrist so I could see it clearly.
Against his blood-soaked wrist, the bracelet gleamed with an eerie whiteness.
"...I want to die."
Hailon whispered faintly.
"But now I can't even die as I wish."
A body consecrated to God.
A contract of ownership sealed by a sacred relic.
Hailon's body no longer belonged to him.
Since it belonged to the Holy Empire, he was incapable of taking his own life.
That's why Hailon came to find me.
"You are the only one who can kill me..."
He staggered mid-sentence, his body swaying violently.
I caught him in alarm as he collapsed.
Hailon leaned his entire weight against me.
His breathing came in ragged gasps.
His blue eyes were unfocused and hazy.
He had lost too much blood—he was at his limit.
What on earth had happened?
Hailon was typically indifferent to everything.
He wouldn't desire death simply because his body belonged to the Holy Empire—not when he always acted as though he had no emotions.
For him to speak of wanting to die... something terrible must have occurred.
I couldn't even imagine what it could be.
As I tried to guess what had happened, anger suddenly surged through me.
I had thought only I was allowed to torment Hailon.
I had always assumed he would follow me forever.
Yet here he was, returning from some unspeakable ordeal, begging me to kill him—and that pathetic desperation ignited a fury within me.
I despised the sight of him abandoning even the pursuit of me, choosing death instead.
I couldn't quite articulate why, but...
The fact that something had become more important to Hailon than I was—that realization felt unbearable.
"...."
My grip on him tightened.
As I clenched his uniform until it crumpled, Hailon trembled faintly.
Then, with deliberate slowness, he reached out.
His hands, quivering delicately, hesitated before drawing me into an embrace.
The moment we held each other completely.
Hailon suddenly exerted all his strength.
His grip was so fierce I could scarcely breathe.
He pressed his face against my neck.
His clinging form was desperate, pitiful, and infinitely fragile.
He surrendered everything to me without resistance.
In this moment, I could have granted his wish and taken his life.
Cradled in the arms of a man who had placed his very existence in my hands, I reflected.
But I did not wish to kill him.
"No."
I cupped his face between my palms.
His darkened blue eyes trembled faintly.
I wanted to disturb that still surface.
I wanted to conjure violent waves and fierce tides.
Gazing into his eyes, I whispered.
"You saved me when I begged you to kill me."
Hailon had arbitrarily extended the life of a young Lichesia who no longer wished to live.
So I would act on my own whims as well.
I pushed him away.
Wounded as he was, Hailon could not resist the force and stumbled backward, collapsing onto the Flower Field.
Petals scattered in a flutter.
Through the gently spread wildflowers, thorny brambles crept forth with sinister purpose.
The thorns bound Hailon's body securely.
I gazed down at him, ensnared by thorns and flowers alike, and smiled with satisfaction.
Then I straddled him.
"...!"
Hailon's face contorted.
He thrashed belatedly, but subduing the weakened Hailon proved effortlessly simple.
I smiled broadly and tore away the Holy Knight's uniform.
That suffocating garment, always buttoned to the collar, always concealing every inch of his body—ripping it away felt utterly satisfying.
My clothes hung wide open, exposing the sharp lines of my collarbone and chest.
"Lichesia!"
Hailon cried out my name in a fractured voice.
The exclamation—a mixture of fury and bewilderment—was rather pleasant to hear.
Since he kept resisting, I tightened the thorny vines around him, and he fell silent with a pained whimper.
I laughed softly, trailing my fingers across his unblemished skin.
Where should I mark him?
Somewhere he would see every day, yet invisible enough that others wouldn't notice at a glance.
After a moment's consideration, I pressed firmly against his collarbone.
"I'll leave my mark here."
Hailon's eyes widened in shock.
Regardless of his reaction, I dragged my finger slowly across his skin.
A crimson line bloomed beneath my touch.
A flower pattern blossomed under my fingertip.
It was the mark a seductress leaves upon her prey.
His body, pinned beneath me, trembled violently.
"Ugh...!"
A suppressed moan escaped through his clenched teeth.
Normally, I leave marks with such a light touch that even my prey doesn't realize it.
But this time was different.
I poured my power into him deliberately, ensuring he felt sufficient pain.
Pain far greater than any wound or suffering another might have inflicted upon him—pain that would never be forgotten in his memory.
Hailon suffered so intensely that veins bulged from his neck.
Yet he did not stop me from carving the mark, and I ultimately left the seductress's flower pattern upon the Holy Knight's pure body.
I traced the crimson flower pattern that had bloomed so wickedly with the tip of my finger.
"You are my prey, Hailon."
The sight of him, his face flushed crimson and gasping for breath, delighted me.
His eyes held nothing but me.
Incapable of thoughts of death, he burned with nothing but emotions toward me—a blazing inferno of desire.
His fury directed solely at me was deeply satisfying.
I looked down at the Holy Knight and commanded arrogantly.
"So don't you dare die carelessly."
***
After marking Hailon with the sign of prey and commanding him not to die.
Our relationship changed subtly.
He had been relentless before, but after the mark was inscribed, he pursued me like a madman possessed.
When I heard he had ascended to the position of Heretic Inquisitor after receiving the holy relic, I thought he would finally erase my mark.
Yet Hailon never erased it, leaving it intact all this time.
He had preserved our connection in its entirety.
'Why does this feel so embarrassing?'
Perhaps it was because I had recalled such ancient memories.
I found myself unable to push away Hailon as he held me close.
My heart was strangely troubled.
But if this continued any longer, my heart would race so violently it might burst.
Hesitating, I placed my hand on his forearm and turned back slightly.
Only then did Hailon lift his face from where it had been buried in my neck.
"...."
His blue eyes met mine quietly, then slowly descended.
He gazed intently at my lips.
My cheeks flushed crimson.
The memory of our kiss in the Illusion Realm surfaced unbidden.
My mouth felt parched, so I unconsciously licked my upper lip with my tongue.
At that, Hailon's eyes narrowed slightly.
For some reason, he exhaled a small sigh.
His breath tickled against me.
It was the moment Hailon began to tilt his head slowly toward me.
"I shall begin searching the surroundings."
"Yes, we shall join in the search as well."
The sound of Holy Knights moving outside reached our ears.
The heavy thud of the closing door cleaved the charged air between us.
I immediately pushed Hailon away and summoned Axe to sever the shackles around my ankles.
The chains shattered with a metallic ring, though Hailon seemed hardly concerned.
I stepped back from him, catching my breath.
In truth, I was at a considerable disadvantage.
This was the heart of the Holy Empire.
Holy power permeated every corner, granting Hailon an overwhelming advantage.
Yet unlike me, who prepared for battle, Hailon simply remained still.
He observed me with an unfamiliar gaze before speaking suddenly.
"...A crown would suit you well."
The flowing dress certainly complemented the Fairy Queen's crown beautifully.
Embarrassed by the compliment, I smoothed my skirts and asked.
"Why did you hide me? I thought you would drag me straight to the Heretic Inquisition."
"Because I cannot trust the Holy Empire."
Hailon quietly studied Chesa before speaking in a cold tone.
"Don't tell me you were captured and brought here...."
"No."
A fairy had her pride, and I bristled at the suggestion that I looked like I'd been apprehended by a Holy Knight.
"The reason I came here is."
Chesa opened her mouth confidently, then hesitated.
"So, the reason I came is...."
I had nothing to say.
Whatever I said would sound strange.
But those blue eyes fixed upon me would never retreat until they heard an answer.
Trapped by his relentless gaze, I broke into a cold sweat.
Then, without thinking, I blurted out something absurd.
"I came to see you."
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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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