Chapter 49
In the brief moment I was lost in thought, the rough hand withdrew.
“Though it seems you already know quite well.”
Ashidwa let out a low chuckle, pressing his forehead against mine.
“You’ve already had me once, haven’t you?”
His breath spilled over me, dangerously close.
“Thanks to that, I’ve learned something new.”
I couldn’t make sense of what he was saying. What did he mean? What was he trying to imply?
I wanted to cover my ears, but before I could, he was already on top of me, easily pinning down my limbs.
“Truth or lie—it doesn’t matter. Love is one of the most effective ways to make someone yours.”
A spell of brainwashing, one that forced love.
He made me understand its essence all too clearly.
“So… you’re going to use that method on me too?”
He caught both of my wrists in one hand and pinned them above my head.
I struggled, putting strength into my arms, but it was useless. No matter how I writhed, I couldn’t break free from his grip.
With his free hand, Ashidwa brushed against the corner of my lips.
“Did I ever tell you… I wanted to raise a dog?”
Ignoring my question, he continued with his own words.
…A dog?
“I wanted one—brave and loyal. Unfortunately, the imperial family doesn’t approve of such beasts, so I was never allowed.”
He let out a shallow laugh, as though reminiscing about the innocence of childhood.
And then, in the next instant, it happened.
He pulled something from his robes, leaned closer with his forehead pressed to mine, and suddenly pressed his lips against mine.
“Mmph—!”
When he parted just slightly, a low sound escaped his throat.
“Good. Leave yourself to me.”
“…What?”
Flustered, I tried to speak, but every word was swallowed by him.
His lips lingered softly, and just as I tried to push harder against his shoulder—
His hand came to rest against my neck.
Shrrk—!
Golden mana wrapped tightly around my throat.
I tried to shake off the suffocating pressure, but Ashidwa was faster. Just like I had once been with him.
“Yes… this won’t do, Inerea.”
Just like that day when I had cast the spell on him.
“You—!”
Before I could finish, his hand tightened at the nape of my neck, and he kissed me again.
Soft, warm lips pressed down firmly.
In that moment, the golden mana spread across my body, sending shivers through me.
I had never seen anything like it—gold, dazzling and divine, flooding my entire world.
It was like a shockwave. Every cell in my body came alive, as though doused in freezing water and thrown into flames all at once.
“Ashid—”
Even calling his name vanished into the void, devoured by the haze overtaking me.
My mind went blank, drained of all thought.
“Ugh!”
Through my trembling lashes, I saw his golden eyes burning fiercely.
“W-wait—!”
My hands clawed desperately at his shoulders.
But my grip weakened, slipping away again and again.
He entwined his fingers with mine and guided my arms to wrap around his neck.
How long I thrashed, I couldn’t tell.
At last, the golden mana that engulfed me slowly ebbed away. He pulled back at a leisurely pace.
Panting, I looked up.
His lips, already red, now glistened darker, and he wiped them with a fleeting smile.
And then—his gaze struck mine, choking me with invisible force.
The world went black.
Ashidwa, breathing raggedly through a haze of searing pain, brushed back his sweat-soaked hair.
The golden mana that had seemed to cover the world slowly receded.
And what remained—
Thud.
A woman collapsed at his feet, her long white throat trembling faintly, marked with the unbreakable sigil of a one-sided contract.
Ashidwa looked down at Inerea lying on the floor.
“This doesn’t seem like the best place to keep lying down.”
He crouched and tapped her pale cheek.
The wound in his abdomen pressed sharply with pain, making him grimace.
Her lashes fluttered faintly but gave no real response.
His hand slid to her throat.
There, on her fair skin, gleamed a golden mark burned into her flesh.
“It took a while to prepare this.”
He gripped her chin roughly, lifting her face.
“Inerea. Do you like it?”
At his voice—her name—her lids finally rose.
Those gray eyes, usually as mercilessly beautiful as jewels, were now filled with something else entirely—
“…Ash…”
A love-struck gaze, directed wholly at the caster who had stolen her heart.
“I hope you like it.”
She nodded meekly.
“I do. It’s yours, Ash. Of course I’d like it. Right?”
And she smiled.
Brighter than spring flowers, more radiant than the summer sea.
It was a smile Ashidwa had never seen before. A smile that proved Inerea Mertiel had fallen neatly into the pit he had dug for her.
“Yes. It seems to have worked perfectly.”
He murmured in satisfaction.
That habitual smile of his no longer lingered at his lips.
Sweat dripped onto the bed, his wound twisting, heart racing, pain tearing at his body. Yet Ashidwa exhaled slowly, composed.
He asked:
“Inerea.”
“Yes, Ash. Tell me.”
She leaned into his touch.
“Do you love me?”
That day—
“I love you.”
Just as she once had said to him.
“If you love me… prove it.”
He tested whether the spell had taken hold.
It was simple. Almost too simple.
“You can do it, can’t you?”
And like she had been waiting, she fluttered down to him, kissing without hesitation.
Just like that day long ago.
Satisfied, Ashidwa’s lips curled at last.
He leaned into her warmth unconsciously.
“Yes. Well done.”
It was only because his mind was fogging from unbearable pain.
Inerea Mertiel was ensnared in the spell.
Just as she once bound him in shackles, so too had she now been bound.
And so easily.
Perhaps because his body had yet to fully recover, Ashidwa had collapsed onto the bed.
Inerea slowly rose, bathed in faint moonlight filtering through the dark cabin.
Her back, thin and weary from days without rest or food, was still too noble and beautiful to be pitiful.
She looked down at the man lying on the bed.
Her slender fingers stroked his golden hair softly.
Her lovely face twisted suddenly.
Into something utterly wretched.
I’m doomed.
As she clutched her head, staring at the unconscious man, the truth had dawned on her.
The moment his spell bound her—she realized.
This is Adriam’s contract!
A binding created by Adriam, one of the primordial magi.
A contract of love.
But the spell had one fatal flaw.
“It doesn’t work on other magicians.”
In other words, anyone with mana was immune.
“And I happen to know how to use magic.”
Simply put—she wasn’t actually bound by the spell Ashidwa had so confidently cast.
Awkwardly, she lit a small light orb in the dark room.
She glanced once at the unconscious Ashidwa, then turned her eyes to the window.
She could leave right now if she wanted.
And yet, the reason she remained, gently stroking his head, was simple.
“Ash, are you awake?”
Because perhaps… this was another opportunity.
“…”
His lashes trembled faintly as his eyes slowly opened.
He holds secrets that could see me executed instantly if revealed.
And so, if she played this right, staying by his side could be the greatest chance she’d ever have.
