Chapter 19: Licking

Dusk arrived, and night fell.

Today, Lily Territory remained peaceful and calm as always.

The little maids, their work finished, yawned and gathered in small groups, chatting and laughing playfully.

But in places they couldn’t see, an invisible field had enveloped the entire estate.

No mental or spiritual perception could penetrate it, not even a sliver.

It was as if a veil had been cast over the Lily Estate, hiding all its mysteries within.

Inside Catherine’s room, the door and windows were tightly shut.

Elise lit the candle on the table, casting a warm glow to drive away the darkness.

Roman stood at Catherine’s side, waiting as she prepared the ritual’s array and medicines.

Luo Xiya, remembering what the ceremony would require, couldn’t help showing a troubled expression.

She opened her mouth, then closed it with a trace of resentment.

“This can’t be helped. The stakes are too high. My lady, try not to dwell on it,” Elise reminded her softly.

Catherine’s long, slightly wavy black hair floated soundlessly in the air.

Her sapphire eyes were fixed on the ritual circle she drew on the floor, utterly devoid of emotion.

A variety of materials, piled like a small mountain, had been prepared nearby.

She silently traced the complex formation on the ground with her finger.

Luo Xiya looked on, unable to make sense of the strange and ancient patterns.

One by one, Catherine opened the tiny bottles.

Once everything was ready, she turned to Roman with a gentle smile and said, “Little Roman, we can begin now.”

“What do I need to do?”

His heartbeat quickened. Facing something completely unknown, he couldn’t help but feel a bit excited.

“First, stand in the center of the array. Then…”

Catherine paused.

Both Luo Xiya and Elise turned to look at her.

Roman, the only one here who hadn’t experienced a Sacred Seal awakening, assumed they were worried about the safety of the ritual and was just about to offer some reassuring words when Luo Xiya suddenly said: “Take off your clothes.”

Five minutes later, Roman stood with his head lowered, hands instinctively placed in front of him, unsure where to look.

It wasn’t that he feared seeing something, it was that in his current state, meeting anyone’s eyes made him feel unbearably ashamed.

But he didn’t realize that with his appearance and figure, in this female-dominated world, stripping down was practically a lethal temptation.

The kind that could make people lose all rationality.

Catherine, closest to him, found her breathing involuntarily thickening.

She stepped forward carefully and said softly, “Child, now just lie down. Close your eyes, it’ll be over soon.”

Roman looked to the side.

Elise had already turned around of her own accord and was gazing out the window.

Luo Xiya, however, was staring directly at him.

But the moment their eyes met, all the scattered, chaotic thoughts in Roman’s mind vanished.

What am I doing?

Why am I even caring about something so trivial?

Besides, leaving Roman in Aunt Catherine’s hands was the safest choice, how could I be caught up in such shameful, selfish thoughts?

“Aunt Catherine, I’ll leave him to you,” Luo Xiya said solemnly, having composed herself.

“Little Luo Xiya, I’ve been married, you know. I won’t have any improper thoughts about little Roman, none at all,” Catherine replied seriously.

“If you’re really that worried, I can always try doing it blindfolded.”

“No! Please just do it!”

Luo Xiya turned her head away in embarrassment, her little worry completely exposed.

She went to stand beside Elise, shoulder to shoulder.

Roman lay quietly on the ground, eyes fixed on the ceiling.

Gradually, his consciousness began to drift into haze.

Catherine dipped her fingers into the prepared solution, her eyes wandering across Roman’s face… his body… and for a brief moment, she forgot what she was supposed to do next.

Swallowing hard, Lady Catherine first moved to Roman’s chest, her fingers sliding across his skin as she began tracing the design of the marking.

His fair skin gradually became tinted with the hue of the potion.

As she entered the proper state of mind, those fleeting, pink-tinted thoughts faded, and she focused fully on the Sacred Seal’s engraving.

Slowly, Roman’s chest and arms were covered with intricate markings.

Suddenly, her fingers trembled, she nearly made a mistake in the pattern.

She’d touched the same area on many girls before while performing the ritual for her family’s daughters and had felt nothing.

But this time, she almost ruined the entire process with a single slip.

A strange sense of guilt welled up inside her.

Her half-closed eyes opened slowly, and into her view came Roman’s pure, sleeping face.

This was little Luo Xiya’s future husband, not someone she should ever allow herself to lust after.

Opening her eyes again, she reactivated her Sacred Seal, forcing herself back into focus, free from all distraction.

From then on, the ritual markings progressed rapidly.

Her fingers passed over every inch of Roman’s body, leaving sacred marks behind, until she encountered her next challenge.

Her fingers reached the lower part of Roman’s abdomen.

Catherine was no innocent girl.

A married woman, she immediately recognized what she had touched.

This time, she wasn’t flustered out of embarrassment, but out of genuine uncertainty over what to do next.

Positioning her long fingers precisely, Catherine closed her eyes.

A few seconds later, her cheeks began to flush.

That youthful, clean scent, Catherine forced herself not to dwell on it.

Gritting her teeth, she completed the final marking.

As if she’d been burned by a venomous snake, she quickly pulled her hand back and silently wiped the sweat from her forehead.

She didn’t need a mirror to know how red her face had become from the Sacred Seal’s contact.

The strange sensations made her want to change her undergarments immediately.

Shaking her head, she reminded herself to finish Roman’s ritual before letting her thoughts wander.

This ceremony was no joke, it was truly fraught with danger.

Next… it was time to begin the awakening.

Catherine steeled herself at the thought.

It was common knowledge that if a teenage boy had never relieved himself before, even the slightest stimulation could overwhelm him.

And then the moment came, something that made Catherine’s eyes widen in shock.

She had never…

There was something she had never told Luo Xiya, her marriage had long since become hollow in name only.

Calling her a living widow wouldn’t be far off, as her husband was a completely useless man.

Almost as if possessed… (…………………………)

With a sweep of her palm across her face, her expression returned to its calm, pristine composure.