Chapter 77: Holy Water

Nightfall came once again, leaving only the sounds of struggling outside the tent, accompanied by the chirping of insects.

There was a peculiar feeling stirring in the heart—Lief’s feeble struggles, forcibly tied outside in the cold wind, her mouth covered so all she could utter were muffled whimpers.

Because of this, only two people remained inside the tent.

The interior was brightly lit. At this moment, the gentle and tender Emilia sat elegantly before the dressing table. Moonlight slanted through, casting a silver glow on the vanity. The girl picked up a comb, her silver hair cascading like flowing water. Her fingertips suddenly paused, as if recalling something…………………

She opened the makeup box, dipped into the red lipstick but did not apply it, letting her fingers linger around her lips. The reflection in the mirror silently met her gaze—so beautiful it stirred the heart like a painting come to life.

Her pale lips opened and closed soundlessly, humming a soft tune.

Delicate hands lifted, swayed, and twisted her waist-length silver hair into twin ponytails. Though the style didn’t quite suit her temperament, it was fine as long as Sieg liked it.

“What’s this? Tying your hair like that, throwing a tantrum and changing your hairstyle?” Sieg approached curiously, not understanding. He casually draped his arm over the girl’s shoulder, pointing and giving his commentary.

She nodded lightly, smiling softly.

“But it’s not bad. After all, you’re naturally beautiful. Whatever you wear looks good, fits perfectly, and whatever hairstyle you wear never feels wrong, or anything like that.”

Suddenly realizing something was off, he narrowed his eyes, looking at the reflection in the mirror. Seeing Emilia, who had never worn makeup before, now wearing it quite convincingly, alarm bells went off in his mind—this was bad, he was about to get suspicious… Something wasn’t right, nine parts out of ten.

She’s coming for me…….. Woman, you’ve successfully caught my attention.

Could it be that you have some ulterior motive? It’s normal—just craving my body, huh? You’re shameless.

Thinking this through, he appeared calm, showing no extreme reaction. Hakimi had already desensitized him; it was like eating or drinking. He took a few steps back.

“All right, Emilia, don’t be like this. Have you ever seen a friend act this way? I know you’re pure, a virgin, and it’s your first kiss. Gerard has never touched you, nor do you need to prove it with actions. I trust you, so can we take things slow? I’m a bit conservative………… I like things to come naturally—that’s what makes it interesting. Don’t you think so?”

He could even predict and respond in advance. He was practically superhuman. These words weren’t a stalling tactic—they were sincere. Unconsciously, he trusted Emilia too, hoping she wouldn’t deceive him.

Otherwise, he’d really cry, the kind of crying you can’t soothe. It was clear he now regarded Emilia as a potential wife candidate, no longer disgusted or rejecting her as before. He was slowly accepting her love, trying to accept her. As for when they could truly be together, he didn’t know—perhaps someday, but who could say…………………

Emilia had her own thoughts on this. Her lack of response wasn’t acceptance; rather, she was brewing a big move. Lowering her eyes, her bangs falling over them couldn’t hide the loneliness in her gaze, tinged with an abyssal darkness and uncontrollable possessiveness. Her slender hands rested on her long legs.

She clenched them tightly, nails digging into her skin. The pain cleared her muddled mind a bit. She bit her lip lightly, perhaps unwilling to accept the situation. Whenever she saw that green-haired woman interact with Sieg, she couldn’t control herself, even though she knew it was wrong, bad. She knew Sieg disliked it and promised not to act recklessly anymore.

But she still did………… What’s wrong with me? She asked the deepest part of her heart, and perhaps found the answer, saying it all in one breath.

“I understand now. I’m sorry, I got a bit too excited. I can’t bear to see you with other women…………… interacting with them, even touching their hair…… Sieg, please only look at me, only love me, only think of me. I can satisfy all your desires for a woman, all your fantasies. I’ll try my best—no, I’ll do it perfectly, I promise. So please, let your eyes see only me, your heart hold only me.”

“What if I can’t, Emilia? I have many things to do, many people to see. I can’t always look at only you. Besides, I can’t keep looking at you constantly—people need to sleep. When they close their eyes, they can’t see anything.”

It was obvious Sieg was speaking physically, while Emilia spoke emotionally. Their words didn’t quite match, yet somehow it gave a unique flavor. Whether he truly didn’t understand, didn’t hear, or was pretending ignorance, the result was that their conversation sounded nonsensical.

“That’s true. That’s why you’re you, Sieg. Sorry, I lost control of my emotions again. Sorry, I’ll be more careful next time.”

Clearly, this worked instantly. She calmed down a lot, forcing a faint smile to ease the atmosphere. Those earlier words had been somewhat frightening.

Better to just skip over it, but nothing happened.

“It doesn’t matter. Anyway, I don’t care. It’s late, let’s sleep. Turn off the lights, Emilia. If you keep dawdling, it’ll be dawn before we know it.”

After saying this, he jumped onto the bed with the creak of the boards, pulled the covers over himself, closed his eyes, and quietly drifted off, with no further movement.

But judging from the cold sweat that kept breaking out on his back and forehead, he likely caught on. He wasn’t some dull-witted harem protagonist; he was the man known as the emotionally intelligent Hakimi.

When the leader offers a dish, I pass it around; when the leader offers a toast, I refuse.

Lying on the bed, his mind was racing………………

Damn it, does this fall under gravity’s domain? If so, it’s too much.

I feel like Emilia is acting strangely. She’s a bit too extreme this time—the look in her eyes like she wants to devour me alive.

Whatever, sleep. Things will look better after sleep.

Without opening his eyes, he lay there stiffly, like a corpse.

He felt the lights go out, sharing the bed with the girl, inhaling her faint fragrance.

That unique scent filled his nose, and everything seemed normal.

Over time, he had grown accustomed to it.

He fell asleep, without any further reaction. It wasn’t that he slept deeply; he was quite sensitive. With magic surrounding him, any abnormality nearby would usually wake him up, but Emilia was still classified as safe…………

This gave her the opportunity to strike subtly. Her small mouth murmured softly; a breath like a gentle breeze caressed his face, lulling him into a sleep from which he wouldn’t wake.

She quietly lay on her side by the bed, naturally so she could watch the person before her. Her blood-red eyes were full of love.

“Asleep now?”

At this moment, moonlight shone through the tent, illuminating Emilia dressed in light, thin nightwear. Every movement radiated feminine grace, her fair skin faintly visible.

Growing bold, she stretched out her slender hand and gently embraced him.

Soon, only a mysterious wet patch remained by the bed, alongside Sieg, who woke up refreshed and full of energy, scratching his head. It was obvious he didn’t know what had happened but was suddenly invigorated.

Even the many old injuries had improved, and his physical condition had gotten better.

This was probably thanks to whatever trick Emilia had played.

Curious, he asked the shy girl hiding her blush on the bed,

“What did you do, Emilia?”

“I used holy water. It’s holy water, you know.”