IBWCD 28

Chapter 28

*Drip*

As the distance between them closed, a thick liquid dripped from the tips of his jet-black hair and trickled down her bare thigh beneath her negligee.

Evelyn winced at the cold, sticky sensation.

“There’s blood…”

Evelyn stopped mid-sentence. The faint scent of his body odor, so close to her nose, had momentarily irritated the tip of her nose.

“Why are you offended?”

It wasn’t offensive. It was just overpowering. Even covered in blood, the man reeked of lust. While she was distracted by the scent, he added.

“Unfortunately, it’s not my blood.”

“Then…”

She bit her lip, about to ask whose it was. She didn’t need to know whose blood it was.

After a moment of relief that it wasn’t his, Kalian let out a breath thick with fatigue.

“This place is meant to imprison me. Before I am completely consumed by a demonic entity that thirsts for magic and goes on a rampage.”

Evelyn nodded, suddenly remembering the underground fortresses of the North.

It was a quick guess that the portrait over the entrance had made her overly nervous.

“What do you think of it?” Kalian asked, tilting his head to make eye contact with Evelyn, his dark eyes reflecting her own stiffness.

Her cheeks flushed red as her heart leapt again, even though they were only face to face.

“What, what…?”

“Do I look like a monster to you, too, being consumed by magic in exchange for the use of my powers, and panting like a demented beast whenever I do?”

Evelyn gripped his cloak tightly with trembling fingertips and looked up into his wet face.

The image of him in chains and restraints, howling low like a beast, came into focus.

How she wept at the sight, at the horror of it all.

The entire past was burned into Evelyn’s retina and mind.

Only she remembered it now.

“No, I’ve told you before, I’ve never thought about it, not once, and-”

“…….”

“I didn’t know it was a place like this. If a passing remark had warned me, I would never have come in.”

“Yeah.”

He replied briefly.

“You would have.”

So unpleasant, the omitted afterword seemed to echo in her ears like a phantom.

She had spoken the truth, but her words had not gone down well.

Whether she intended it or not, she knew she was being unkind.

Evelyn’s face darkened, and she spoke again.

“I know it sounds like an excuse, but I have no desire to pry into the grand duke’s private affairs…, even if they are dangerous.”

She meant it, too.

But her lips curled at the thought that he would turn cruel if she lost her usefulness, whether as a cure or a substitute.

“I don’t expect anything from you, my lord, I just want to help in any way I can.”

Kalian’s dark eyebrows arched upward, as if her words were somewhat unexpected.

At the same time, there was silence.

It seemed to take a moment for the raised eyebrows to calm down, and then Kalian’s hand closed around one of Evelyn’s cheeks.

They stayed like that for a long moment, looking into each other’s eyes.

It was hard to see much, whether it was the darkness or the disheveled hair that covered their foreheads.

‘It’s warm…’

It felt strange to rest her face completely in a large hand.

He chuckled softly when she absentmindedly rubbed her cheek against his.

“You’re hot.”

“…….”

“I’m feeling a little feverish myself.”

With that, he gently brushed a strand of his own hair across her forehead.

Evelyn could finally look Kalian in the eye.

Golden, bloodshot eyes.

Evelyn felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up on end at the sight of his eyes, like a starving beast in winter.

But she calmed her panicked chest with a familiar calm and groped at his sleeve.

Sticky, red blood stained her fingertips.

“You must have quietly disposed of the assassins someone sent on your way back to the manor.”

There were two ways he could go off the deep end.

The side effects of exerting his power, and when he sees too much demonic or human blood, causing his Magic to become unusually high.

It seemed more likely to be the latter right now, since he wouldn’t have used his powers against a mere human.

Evelyn grabbed him by the collar.

“Grand Duke, do you mind if I undress you for a moment? I need to check your physical condition.”

“I’ve told you before, too much healing will only poison your own body.”

Evelyn knew that.

Unless she had access to magic at her disposal or borrowed the power of a god, the act of healing took a great deal of energy.

To make matters worse, Evelyn suffers from a disease called magical reflux.

But she needs him to cure her of this curse.

They were like cogs in a wheel.

“I know, but wasn’t the whole point of us getting together in the first place, to solve each other’s problems?”

Dark magic passed down from generation to generation.

Power like no other.

Despite having it all, Kalian has yet to wield his powers freely.

He must meet the Transcendent Purifier to awaken and transcend his limitations.

‘But first, I must help him, for only when he becomes the perfect Guardian will my position be solidified.’

Evelyn felt compelled to prove herself worthy.

That way, when his mate does appear, she won’t be so miserably abandoned.

The more sincere she is, the greater the reward and power she will receive…

Evelyn, who had decided that that was all that mattered, that she would live only by carrying the name of Orpheus on her back, looked him in the eye with determination.

“If I can help the grand duke, I’m willing to suffer… any pain.”

Then the man with the small chin gently brushed his thumb across Evelyn’s wet lips.

His feral eyes swept over her eyes, nose, and mouth, lingering at the nape of her neck before returning to her lips.

The thirst in his eyes was so palpable that Evelyn swallowed dryly in nervousness.

No, perhaps it was more of an attachment to life than a sexualized emotion?

Anyone would look at her with those eyes if they tasted the healing power she flowed.

It was then.

“Well, then, take it.”

He whispered languidly, grabbing her by the back of the head and pulling her close.

His face was so close to hers, she squeezed her eyes shut, thinking her lips might be torn off.

“…….”

But no matter how long she waited, she didn’t feel the sensation she expected.

Instead, she felt his ragged breath tickle the bottom of her lips, and she could tell he’d stopped just short of touching them.

He opened his eyes nervously, his fierce gaze searching every inch of her face.

“Why don’t you try it first this time.”

“…what, what.”

He pressed their noses together, as if he would peck her lips at any moment.

“Healing. Thinking I’m out of it.”

For a moment, she wondered what kind of play this was, but the meaning was clear.

It has happened to her often in her past life.

It was no small feat to pour healing power into the limp body of an unconscious man, especially one as large as a doorway.

Especially if it was in a dungeon or on the street.

But the man wasn’t talking about simple radiant healing.

That deep gaze must mean…

“That’s not something you get to practice.”

Evelyn hesitates to reply, and before she can think of anything else, he’s in her face, scolding her.

“You’re good at doing things that are hard on the mind.”

He chuckled and guided Evelyn’s hand to wrap around the nape of his neck.

Evelyn’s eyes fluttered uneasily at the natural touch.

“…ha.”

Sighing, there was no escape. She was embarrassed, but there was nothing she could do to avoid it, nothing she could do to close her legs. She was already close enough to breathe.

She gulped in a breath through her thick throat. Her chest rose and fell with her ragged breathing. Closing her eyes tightly, she let out a long breath.

“Then… excuse me.”

Nostrils flared as she tilted her head at an angle. His breath was sweet in the dizzying tangle of it, and their lips, pressed together awkwardly, were feverishly hot.

It was a tightly-packed mouth, but the tension of the place made it seem even more erotic today.

“…….”

She bit his lip curiously, but her mind went blank as to what to do.

Evelyn just followed his lead, but when she tried to do it, she felt somewhat stuck and difficult.

All the while, the healing power flows steadily into him.

He could feel it seeping into him through his interlocked lips and the coolness of his palms.

It was a clumsy cleansing against his will, but he returned the kiss silently, wrapping his arms around Evelyn’s waist.

A therapeutic touch, devoid of emotion.

Her lips parted slightly as she thought to herself that it wasn’t easy to control her breathing while channeling the healing power properly.

“I shouldn’t be so clumsy.”

A large hand clings to her heated cheek. He growled in frustration as he pulled Evelyn closer to him.

“You said you’d do your best, so you’d better learn the ropes.”