The Dryad’s Temptation

“Well, well…”

Within the grand lobby of the inn, Lucius rose to his feet with a smile, clasping his hands before his chest and clapping twice.

“Finally, I see you, my beautiful fiancée… Miss Haia.”

“I am not your fiancée. Show some respect, Mr. Weinshield.”

Saranya’s gaze settled upon the uninvited guests, her right hand resting on her hip, hovering near a dagger.

“Quite the entourage, wouldn’t you say?”

“There’s no need to be so tense, my dear. I’ve brought only family and trusted friends. Rumors reached us that you were ill and confined to bed, and with Lady Hillburg, the matriarch of your household, away, everyone has been quite worried about you…”

Lucius spread his hands innocently, turning to introduce each person to Saranya with an air of friendly casualness, as if he were truly just visiting with kith and kin:

“My elder brother, Harold.”

“Mitchel, Knight Commander of the Holy Fire Faction, along with several of his fellow knights.”

“Mr. Malacar, the esteemed owner of the Rust Chain Arena.”

“And my charming companion, the divine spellcaster, Miss Dalia.”

“And finally, this lady—”

Lucius’s lips curled into a proud smirk. Following his gesture, Saranya’s pupils constricted, her expression instantly clouding over.

“A good friend to us both, Miss Lenix.”

Lenix had disguised her complexion, but beneath the smooth, translucent, flesh-toned skin, her emerald eyes fixed on Saranya like a leopard’s, unwavering.

“You must avenge yourself upon the black witch. Never forget that.”

Within Saranya’s horrified gaze, the dryad lady’s honeyed lips parted and closed with elegant movements.

Even more unsettling, the voice reaching her ears was not Lenix’s captivating tone, but Kaelan’s timid one, which squeezed her heart into a tight knot.

Lenix had successfully captured her complete attention.

“The black witch Kaelan, you want to make her yours, don’t you? Make her apologize, make her repent, make her experience what it’s like to be treated as a toy, wantonly humiliated, tortured to the point of wishing for death?”

“Imagine it: she’ll kneel by your side, wagging her tail like a dog, begging for mercy. Yes, that cruel witch will scream, moan, and shriek beneath you, pleading for you to let her go…”

Saranya’s throat bobbed. Lenix’s words made her blush and her heart pound, yet the people around them remained outwardly composed, while Lucius continued to loudly exchange pleasantries, seemingly oblivious.

A faint magical glow emanated from the depths of Lenix’s eyes, a verdant vortex swirling around her pupils. Soon, an identical vortex appeared in Saranya’s own gaze.

By the time she sensed something was amiss, she found herself unable to avert her eyes.

The next moment, she felt her body detach from her control. She became an observer, watching herself laugh and converse with Lucius, helplessly witnessing herself shake hands with each visitor, and, under Phillo’s bewildered gaze, inviting Lucius and his entourage to dinner.

They reserved a long table and instructed the servers to clear the lobby of any extraneous individuals, thus commencing their convivial exchange.

That wasn’t her; the person at the dinner table was not truly her, yet it commanded her body.

The real Saranya remained bewildered throughout, utterly immersed in the fantasy Lenix had woven for her.

Indeed, with just a few words, Lenix had plunged her into an exaggerated and erotic fantasy. The “Saranya” remaining in the inn was a docile girl, adept only at small talk and foolish smiles, perpetually flattering everyone.

Even with the most dangerous enemies before her, she still offered her warmest smiles. Despite Phillo’s worried expression and desperate hints from the sidelines, she repeatedly ignored him, readily accepting Lucius’s invitation to visit his estate after dinner.

She had believed she could resist, but she had severely overestimated herself. This was the price of her arrogance…

Her rationality began to dissipate, and the illusion of Kaelan, spoken of by Lenix, grew vivid. She found herself increasingly disinterested in the happenings at the dinner table, gradually succumbing to Lenix’s repeated, enchanting suggestions.

Such suggestion and manipulation were addictive, she knew, yet she was powerless to resist.

At the table, Lenix set down her goblet, licked her fingertips, then turned to exchange a laugh with Lucius, yet her words inexplicably drifted into Saranya’s ears:

“Tell me, once you have Kaelan, where will you keep her? A tavern room? Or perhaps my Tidal Mirror Hall?”

“The dungeon… there’s a dungeon beneath the tavern… I’ll lock her there… No one but me will be allowed near her…”

“Oh, splendid! We shall lock Kaelan there…”

“Heh… heheh…”

“Kaelan will kneel, begging you for mercy, but you won’t… She is yours by right. You can torture her however you wish, can’t you?”

“Yes… I won’t spare Kaelan… because… because she is mine… heheh…”

“Indeed, that’s right… Good girl~ I will guide you through an act of ‘revenge,’ and she… she will be your spoils of war…”

Upon hearing Lenix’s words, Saranya’s shoulders trembled with excitement, a twisted, maniacal grin tugging at her lips as she tilted her head back and drained an entire glass of red wine.

“Continue… I want more… Please… tell me more about Kaelan… I miss her… It’s been so long… so long since I last saw her—”

“Where is she?”

“I don’t know…”

“Hahahahaha—”

Lenix abruptly shifted her demeanor, covering her mouth as a contemptuous laugh escaped her lips, audible only to Saranya.

“How pathetic. She abandoned you, didn’t she?”

“I… I don’t know…”

“You’re useless now, a mere waste, of no further value to her. So she chose to discard you and find a new toy. Isn’t that perfectly normal?”

“Stop… *sob*… *hiccup*… Stop talking…”

“And yet, here you are, still longing for her, even stooping to beg me for a mere scrap of imagined solace…”

“Yes… yes, Lenix… please… fulfill my fantasy… I want to see her…”

She and Kaelan had been separated for too long.

If Lenix’s words were true, if Kaelan had indeed abandoned her and she would never see her again, then perhaps, for a while, immersing herself in such a fantasy might offer a semblance of happiness.

At the table, the conversation had reached its most spirited peak. Lucius, having uttered some unknown jest, had prompted a burst of laughter from everyone present. Saranya, too, joined in with the loudest, most unrestrained cackle, allowing the tears in her eyes to cascade freely down her cheeks.

“Now, my poor child… your master can help you… Your new master, Lenix, can help you turn these fantasies into reality…”

“Ugh… *gasp*… Can you… can you truly help me obtain Kaelan…?”

Saranya looked at Lenix with a dazed, bewildered expression, the illusion of having found a savior taking deep root within her heart.

As their peculiar exchange seemed to reach a critical juncture, the dryad shed her frivolous tone, turning to fix her gaze intensely on Saranya’s eyes:

“Call me ‘Master,’ and promise you will always obey me. Anything you desire, I can give you.”

“Kaelan! I want Kaelan!!”

“Very well… but you must fulfill my demands, be a good child, and then you shall have your reward…”

Lenix snapped her fingers, tilting her head slightly. Her softly curled, teal hair cascaded around her ears as she cast a seductive, silken glance at Saranya:

“Call me, ‘Master.’”

Saranya’s vision suddenly spun, the lights hanging overhead shattering into a myriad of stars in her eyes. A wildfire of guilt ignited in her heart, and her vocal cords vibrated, forcing out a sound:

“Ma…”

‘For Kaelan, this is all for Kaelan…’

“Ma… ugh…”

The second syllable caught in her teeth, as if a rigid membrane prevented her from speaking.

Gasping, Saranya clutched the tablecloth, the knives and forks on the table clattering loudly as she pulled them. All eyes in the room turned to her.

“Master!”

The visitors fell silent at once, the entire hall plunging into an instant, profound quiet.

“Hmm…”

A greedy smile blossomed on Lenix’s face. She confidently turned to Lucius, her eyes conveying the report of her victory.

However, Lucius’s expression was grimmer than ever at that moment.

“Master…”

Saranya whispered, repeating the word.

“Little Ya.”

A clear, cool voice shattered the oppressive silence. Kaelan, with an indifferent expression, strode to the table and calmly took a seat beside Saranya.

“There’s a feast, and you didn’t call for me?”