The Price of Affection

“You you you you what are you doing!!”

Noyu said nothing, just licked his tongue.

“No, don’t! We’re still only engaged; at the very least, we should wait until after the wedding!”

“I—I don’t condone premarital intimacy!”

Noyu, completely disregarding his words, first picked something up from the table, then climbed onto him with the lithe grace of a cat.

Her petite frame made it easy for her to settle on top of him.

She was so light; once her body completely covered Mingqian’s, a faint smile graced her lips.

“What ‘engaged’? After today, we’ll be married.”

Noyu shifted delicately in his embrace, and a faint, crisp jingling sound filled the air.

Mingqian felt his defenses rapidly crumbling.

The scent of flowers, the sight of her body imprinted on his retina…

‘No, I need to find a way to distract her!’

Mingqian suddenly thought of Bai Wanting.

She, too, had been obsessively attached to him, but Noyu was infinitely more endearing.

While Bai Wanting would force herself upon him, she would always, in the end, relent and let him go.

Unlike Bai Wanting, Noyu was younger than him—so much so that he had practically raised her himself.

He knew, deep down, that Noyu utterly detested seeing him close to other women.

“I have a daughter!”

Mingqian blurted this out, a desperate gamble, looking directly into Noyu’s eyes.

The girl’s breath hitched noticeably.

Just as Mingqian believed his ploy had succeeded, Noyu merely smiled.

“Mmm, I know.

Her name’s Aile, right?”

“It’s fine.

Even if everyone else misunderstands you, I won’t.”

“That child… she’s an orphan, isn’t she?”

It seemed she had already investigated thoroughly.

“Alright, stop mentioning other women in front of me.

Here, drink this.”

Mingqian clapped a hand over his mouth, adopting an expression of defiant refusal.

“I won’t drink it, even if you kill me!”

“Won’t drink it?”

Noyu’s lips curved into another smile.

“Then perhaps I should feed it to you?”

She made to drink the contents of the bottle herself.

Mingqian was unsure if he could still maintain his composure after another deep kiss with Noyu.

“I’ll drink! I’ll drink it!”

Whatever it was, he was convinced that with his formidable mental fortitude, he could surely overcome it!

‘Indeed, man can conquer nature!’

He snatched the small metal vial from Noyu’s hand, tilted his head back, and swallowed it in one gulp.

A metallic, rusty taste spread across his tongue.

Mingqian frowned, and then, the sensation…

“Blood?”

Noyu nodded slightly, then used her index finger to wipe the crimson liquid from the corner of his lips.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know?

You used a secret art on that child, didn’t you?”

“Using your essence to purify hers.”

Noyu gazed at him with eyes that held a hint of darkness.

“I…”

Noyu pressed a finger to his lips.

“Even if you don’t say it, I know.

After all, I understand you very well.”

“I’m just displeased that you didn’t tell me.”

Mingqian had believed that saving Aile was his own responsibility, and he hadn’t wanted to involve anyone else in the matter.

After all, to him, this world was merely a simulation.

Yet for these girls, they lived vibrant lives in this world; if they died, they would truly be gone.

He was unwilling to drag them into it.

Shamefully, this reluctance also stemmed from his lingering fear of women, a consequence of his imprisonment by Bai Wanting.

“I’m sorry, Noyu.”

Noyu slowly pushed his entire body onto the bed.

“Don’t apologize.

Because I cannot lose you, no matter what, I am willing to give you half of myself.”

“And even if it means dying, I want to die before you.”

She gently embraced Mingqian’s body, the soft contact sending a jolt of numbness through his brain.

“I cannot imagine the pain of losing you, so please, forgive my willfulness.”

To offer one’s magical essence (TL Note: ‘魔力根源’ refers to the core source of a person’s magical power, often linked to their life force), meant a gradual descent towards death.

This process would only accelerate, never slow.

Noyu couldn’t possibly be unaware of this, yet she valued Mingqian’s life above her own.

This realization left Mingqian in a daze.

He had been abandoned by a girlfriend, then imprisoned by a childhood friend who held no affection for him, and he had, at one point, given up on himself entirely.

But now, such a girl was calling out to him with love.

“Ah, you’re blushing?”

Noyu playfully touched his cheek, a mischievous smile gracing her lips.

“Do you think I’m terribly cute, and want to push me down?”

“No, how could I?

I’m a well-known ‘vegetarian man’ (TL Note: A slang term referring to a man who is not interested in romantic relationships or sexual activity).”

“I’ve never even considered such things.”

Mingqian stated earnestly that even in this situation, he ought to remain unmoved.

Yet, his chest truly felt a little warm…

“Is that so?

But Master is clearly reacting.”

She deliberately brushed against Mingqian’s body.

His heart was pounding.

“Such matters should require mutual consent!”

Mingqian averted his gaze, focusing all his attention on calming his body.

But the more he tried to calm himself, the faster his heart raced…

As if irresistibly drawn by her body.

“No—Noyu, let me go, quickly!

I think I’ve been drugged!”

“Ah, that would be the drug I gave you.”

“Has Master forgotten?

My element is water, you see?

Drink my blood, and it will course through your entire body in just one minute.”

Noyu held up three fingers.

“Are you saying… three bottles!?”

Mingqian was aghast.

Even if he were an ox, he couldn’t withstand such a dosage.

“Not quite.

It was thirty bottles.

I crammed all their essence into one.”

Noyu licked her moistened lips, her gaze drifting to a particular spot.

“Hehe, look, he’s agreed, hasn’t he?”

“He—he hasn’t agreed… it’s a delusion, you must be mistaken.”

“Hmph, stop with your nonsense.”

Noyu exerted a little force, and Mingqian immediately sensed impending doom.

“Ah, do you prefer wearing socks or going without?

While they might be a little bothersome, I’ll still accommodate your preference for such a small thing.”

“And this bell… you must be careful.

The maids are all at home, you know.

If they were to hear…”

The overwhelming potency of the drug made Mingqian barely able to hear the girl’s voice.

“Hehe, staring so intently… does Master like this so much?”

Mingqian was no longer capable of coherent thought.

His rationality was being systematically dismantled by the girl’s repeated ‘Master,’ and in the very end, he heard only a soft whimper.

****

“Aile, the so-called Light Element is magic that blinds others.”

“You mean…?”

Aile failed to grasp the meaning of the statement; Chris’s explanation was far too abstract.

“It’s like, *crack, bang, thud!* And then the enemy just falls over.”

“…”

Aile silently regarded Chris, the Duke’s personal guard and maid.

It seemed Chris had only offered to teach her Light Element magic simply to toy with her.

She had long known that Chris was at odds with her, so this turn of events was well within her expectations.

It was merely a pity for her half-day of self-study.

With that thought, she decided to no longer engage with the girl.

She still had many magic formulas she hadn’t fully comprehended, and merely relying on the teacher’s lessons wouldn’t allow her to grasp them completely.

What was even more unfortunate was that the teacher seemed absent today.

Ordinarily, whenever he was present, Chris would never bother her.

But precisely today, he was nowhere to be found.

“Sister, I need to go back and study.”

Aile looked at her with emotionless eyes, then turned to leave, only to have her arm caught by Chris’s hand.

She glanced back, meeting the girl’s playful gaze.

“Sister, let go.

I’ll report you to the teacher.”

“You! You little rascal…”

Chris’s expression shifted to one of surprise.

She hadn’t expected the dutiful girl she was in front of Mingqian to have already learned such a tactic.