The night was dark and windy, the perfect time for murder and arson. Even Gerard could hardly bear this kind of humiliation. She only endured for a short while, gritting her teeth as she spoke slowly and deliberately, finally beginning to cover herself with her hands to avoid arousing suspicion. At the very least, she wanted to preserve some dignity.
Dignity? Of course, it was a man’s dignity. What else could it be?
“All right, stop staring.”
“I know, we’re old married couple. What haven’t I seen on you already?”
Sig grinned cheekily, acting as if it were only natural. The more hesitant and reserved she was, the more unhappy she seemed as his lover. It was better to be open about it, after all, he himself enjoyed the view.
He raised his hand, using magic to dry her clothes, tidying her hair as well. Yet, the more he looked, the more uneasy he felt. His eyes saw nothing wrong, but something inside him was inexplicably bothered.
Before, he had always dismissed these thoughts as overthinking, hiding doubts and flaws with love. But now, he couldn’t do that anymore. He was certain that Amelia had problems—problems in every possible sense… Problems, but he just couldn’t pinpoint exactly what.
In the end, he bluntly voiced his suspicions. It was probably because he trusted Amelia too much that he acted so foolishly. If it were the old him, he would never have done such a thing—it was just too stupid to consider.
It seemed love truly made people foolish… No, it made demons foolish.
“Amelia, did something happen? I just feel… something’s not right. I can’t really say it, but you know what I mean, right?”
That sentence made Gerard shudder all over. For a moment, she didn’t know what to do, frozen in place, afraid to move or speak. Pretending to go along with it was suicidal, and resisting was no better. There was no way out—no survival. The only, and best, option was to remain silent.
She waited for the right moment to say something.
Seeing her continue to stay silent, obedient as ever, Sig gave a faint, awkward smile—an unsettling smile he didn’t quite know how to interpret. He felt she was hiding something from him, definitely hiding something. His intuition told him so.
Yet this only made him suspect a conspiracy. He slowly stepped closer to close the distance between them. Instinctively, she took a few steps back—that was the fear of Demon Lord Hakimi deep in her heart. It was uncontrollable.
Like a reflex, her body moved faster than her mind could process.
But that tiny movement was fatal; the atmosphere instantly thickened with tension.
It only deepened Sig’s suspicion. His face showed no extra expression, and the casual ease from before was gone. It seemed like he was about to realize something, his intellect sharpening. After all, Amelia would never treat him this way. Something was wrong—definitely wrong. He was ready to pull her into his arms to figure out what was going on.
He gently grabbed her fragrant shoulder, his touch still tender, but carrying an unmistakable strength that allowed no escape.
Her pupils constricted. Her silver hair was tangled, clinging to her suddenly pale cheek.
Her breathing was so rapid she almost choked.
Her fingers unconsciously clutched and twisted the hem of her skirt tightly.
She trembled in place, utterly frozen.
“Damn it… I’m finished…” The voice in her heart was as bleak as death itself. She didn’t know how long this miserable time would last—ten minutes, five minutes, or maybe just moments.
No matter how long, she just wanted to go back—back to the Imperial Palace—and bury herself under the covers. She had no other thoughts, no hope for salvation. This time, she would definitely be exposed… Sigh.
She wasn’t exposed yet… but it was only a matter of time.
Yet the gods refused to give up. Giving up was impossible. They would never let Hakimi obtain these two powers, merge them inside his body without notice. Moreover, they had personally witnessed Demon Lord Hakimi wield both powers effortlessly, even having enough energy left to toy around.
… What a terrifying fellow.
Seeing the situation worsen, the gods began soothing the hero’s emotions, preventing her from acting recklessly and making things worse.
[“Calm down, Gerard. Don’t overthink. We still have time, still have a chance. This is just a minor crisis. You have to understand what you need to do now. Aren’t you going to take Amelia back?”]
“Yeah, I can’t give up now. My Amelia.”
As expected, hearing Amelia’s name injected Gerard with energy, shaking off the near-death despair. Inside, she shouted and cheered herself on, refusing to sink any further. The reason she hadn’t spoken out before… was because she still wanted to live.
She raised her eyes and took a deep breath, meeting Sig’s gaze without flinching or turning away. Her expression was resolute, as if ready to swear an oath. She said some feigned calm words, trying to buy time.
“I’m fine. I was just a bit nervous earlier. Sig, don’t take it the wrong way, really. I was just nervous, that’s all. Don’t think too much about it.”
[“No, you need to step up your act. Sig’s getting suspicious. Guys like him, once suspicious, they never let go. Stop worrying about his pride. If you get exposed… we’re finished. You’ll be finished. Without the power, you’re nothing. You’ve felt it before. Do we need to say more?”]
“I understand…”
Though Gerard wasn’t sure what she understood exactly, she just knew she did. Or maybe it was personal interpretation—but sometimes personal interpretations went wildly off course.
Sig planned to probe further, to test if his doubts were correct.
But before he could, the familiar voice interrupted him. His eyes fixed on a vivid memory, drifting into beautiful reverie.
Before him played a scene: the silver-haired girl, hair in disarray, lying on her side on the ground. Her fingertips touched her chin, her skirt slightly lifted, her posture clearly strained.
“Sig… Actually, I came looking for you. I missed you a bit and got anxious, so I fell into the water. You know how it is when we’re with Gerard… I liked that feeling… like I wanted it.”
Gerard winced as she heard Amelia speak, teeth clenched in nausea. She was all in—these memories were far from pleasant, but they proved identity and how the power was obtained.
“Oh… Let’s just leave it at that. Sigh, you really are something. Go back now.”
It was clear Sig did not continue to doubt further. After all, besides Amelia and himself, only the heavens and earth knew of this. No, there was one more witness—Gerard, the sufferer who had seen everything from start to finish.
But that person was resting in heaven now. Hopefully, he’d be more careful in his next life.
As Sig led the way, lost in his daydreams, he had no idea the man he was thinking of was stealthily trailing right behind him, ready to seize the moment and secretly absorb power.
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