NOVEL WEB Chapter 28: I’ll be Your Damsel-In-Distress So You Can Keep Playing the Hero
Soril’s no longer at the camp after she exits from Rakgar’s tent. The discussion has already ended. She asks around for his whereabouts to have the soldiers point her towards the forest and sets her on the way. Brushing the stray vines from her face enroute. Bathory finally makes a comeback as she trudges through the moonlit darkness,
Aren’t you clingy. Why don’t you try to advance the plotline with Rakgar instead? Get some variety going.
How come you only show up when I’m not in danger?
You’ll just threaten me into giving you a deus ex machina otherwise. Your powers are the only thing I have against you. So, about Rakgar.
You still want to fuck him after he conspired to have me raped, broke my spine and held me captive? I thought your standards were shallow, but holy shit, I didn’t realize it was nonexistent.
You threw him off a wall, shanked him in the balls and now you took him hostage. I think it’s rather even. The setting is perfect for hate sex to happen. What better time is there? He’s deliciously shackled up in a cage, unable to retaliate. Just thinking about it makes my heart pound!
Give up on your hate sex fantasy already. I won’t do it.
It immediately flattens Bathory’s tone into disdain,
You don’t want your strength back then? Don’t you want to fight your own battles?
It’ll be convenient. But I think I’m doing fine the way I am now. It’s not worth betraying my morals for it anymore.
But you’ll betray your morals for Soril? Killing thousands of people and using underhanded methods to threaten a sister with her own brother. You are a biased hypocrite. You completely band wagoned onto his side.
Then so be it. I have my flaws. Stop trying. I won’t fuck the enemy.
Bathory clicks her tongue at that.
Oh. You’ll change your mind sooner or later.
Going completely silent. It takes a few more turns to reach where the soldiers have told her. She smells sulfur in the air as she emerges from the tree lines to a clearing. It’s another hot spring. She spots Soril in the water, slouched against a rock. His head craned up to the starry skies. Clothes dangling on a low hanging above him. She calls out to him as she approaches,
“So, what’s Rakgar’s verdict going to be?” he drags the towel off his eyes at her voice,
“You’re cold-hearted, Lumeria. Did you come all this way just to ask me about another man?” Huh. Is he jealous? Or is he messing with her? She kicks her clothes off to jump into the water. He curiously watches her waddle close to press herself onto him, drawing circles onto his chest. She plays along the role of a flirty maiden,
“You know that’s not what I meant, handsome.” he holds back a smile. Pushing a finger into her forehead, tilting her back,
“You’re so cringy.” she tries to bite at it. He snaps his hand away. But she won’t drop the façade, instead, she turns it up, sugaring her voice into a whine,
“My kind Lord then, please enlighten me the fate of the red-haired scum.” he does chuckle at her antics this time,
“Stop. I’m going to get goosebumps.” giving in,
“We’re going to keep him alive for now. His sister is a bigger threat than Wascald. We’ve already sent the negotiation letter. If it’s possible, I don’t want to engage them in a battle at all.” she agrees,
“That’s probably the best resolution in this moment.” then she shares, “I found out he’s the prince of Godor, his father is the late Duke of Estalis. The Sansara wants him back. I’m unable to figure out why yet. But solving that will probably be step one in dissolving their allegiance.” He looks exhausted at that,
“Well. I didn’t think he was a nobody. But that’s quite an insane backstory. Offing him recklessly may cause a shit storm of complications with Godor going forward.” Sinking into the stones, he mutters unintentionally,
“Guess that’s why he hates me so much too huh,” Ah.
“You slipped up.”
He abruptly cuts in his sentence. His shoulders tense, before he tries to brush it off,
“What do you mean?” despite he’s fully aware.
“You know your father killed the Duke of Estelis. You lied to me.”
He looks away in a quiet mutter,
“My father’s already dead. I don’t want to paint him in a negative light.” He isn’t exactly proud to admit that. Then he quickly changes the topic,
“You went to speak to Rakgar.” she decides not to press. After what Rakgar’s told her. She understands Soril’s not in a position to tell her anything even if he does know something so there’s no point putting him on the spot. She instead replies,
“Of course. He’s my hostage.”
“Speaking’s all you did?”
“What is this? Are you jealous?” He shrugs,
“You mentioned he’s Bathory’s next target to get your power back, so I won’t be surprised.”
“Would you dislike me if I did more.”
“I can’t control what you want to do.” Yeah. He would dislike her for it. She reaches forward to pinch his face, smiling to break the tension,
“Stop sulking. I have zero intentions to. I’ll stay weak so you can keep playing the hero to protect me.” it inspires a half-flick to the corner of his lips,
“I’ll try harder next time to stop you from becoming a baggage again.” Ah! So cheeky. Then he recalls, stretching an arm up to reach for the pocket of his clothes, he pulls out half a jade crest,
“I couldn’t get the full thing. It got shattered in the fight. That weirdo got the other half. But this should be fine.” seeing it instantly reminds her,
“Oh, right. I’ve also been meaning to ask. How did you survive the Demon?”
“He got randomly snatched up by some purple glowy circle. I think, at this point, I won’t even be surprised if those people with animal ears you mentioned start showing up too.” she giggles,
“I would highly doubt that. He just got recalled by his contractor.”
“You’re speaking gibberish to me right now.”
“Think of it this way. You’re bound by obligation to work for the Crown Prince. Just imagine yourself as the Demon, and the Crown Prince is your contractor. The only difference is, the Crown Prince can summon you to his side any time if he needs you.”
“Won’t that be convenient.”
“Yeah. But the downside is, you must obey everything the Crown Prince commands, even if it’s something you really don’t want to do.”
“Pretty much the same thing then.”
“And not only that. You start losing your fighting prowess if the Crown Prince refuses to feed you.”
“Can’t I just eat?”
“No silly. Demons feast on life force. The stronger the Demon the more life force they take from their contractors.”
“That’s so abstract.” she simplifies it into the most basic terms she knows,
“You need to have sex with the Crown Prince to make you strong. But that just makes him old.” he immediately scrunches his face,
“Thanks for putting that imagery in my mind.”
“You’re welcome.” she gets another flick on the forehead for that.
“Any idea what he’s doing here?”
“I don’t know. All I’m able to gather right now is that Demon’s pretty powerful. He’s probably taking a huge toll on his contractor. So, whatever she’s asking for won’t be a mere petty request. But, judging from the fact that she’s also after Bathory’s family crest. I have this feeling that we’ll be seeing them again sooner or later.”
“Speaking of which, I tried requesting your meeting with the Crown Prince. You should hear his reply in twenty days.” That immediately makes her light up,
“Really?” she presses him a brief kiss, “Thank you!” it disarms him for a few seconds, before he prompts,
“Don’t you owe me another one for saving you?”