Chapter 88: Man Of Principles

Luca stared at Nyx for a long, quiet moment, the moonlight casting soft shadows across her face.

Then a mischievous grin slowly spread across his own.

“So what about you, Nyx?”

He tilted his head, eyes glinting.

“Is your heart racing like all the other girls? Pounding away in there?”

He leaned in slightly.

“Or is it calm and settled? Like a gentle pond on a windless night?”

He expected Nyx to get a little flustered or atleast hesitate as this wasn’t the easiest question to answer.

But she didn’t miss a beat, as her smile turned sly and she asked,

“Why don’t you check for yourself?”

Before Luca could respond, she straightened proudly, pushing out her chest.

The fabric of her dress—modest, high-necked, showing no cleavage—strained noticeably against the generous, plush curves beneath.

Even fully covered, the sheer size and perfect shape were impossible to ignore—enough to make any man’s thoughts wander.

She looked him dead in the eye, voice low and teasing.

“Touch it yourself. See if my heart is beating…or racing.”

Luca blinked.

For a second, he just stared—caught off guard by the bold offer.

Nyx’s lips twitched.

She let out a silent, amused chuckle, fully expecting him to hesitate, to laugh it off, to play the virtuous gentleman and decline.

But then—Luca’s hand moved.

Nyx’s eyes widened a fraction as his palm actually cupped the underside of her left breast, fingers splaying softly against the fabric.

He pressed just enough to feel the steady thump beneath—warm, plush, impossibly soft.

Luca’s grin returned, lazy and appreciative.

“Hmm…hard to feel the heartbeat clearly with a chest this impressive.”

He tilted his head, as if listening.

“But from what I can tell…it was calm at first. Nice and steady.”

His thumb brushed lightly across the curve.

“Now, though? Ever since I put my hand here…it’s definitely picking up. Beating faster.”

He met her gaze, eyes dancing.

“So even the cool, composed Nyx gets her heart racing from a little physical contact.”

But Nyx wasn’t looking at him and instead looked down at his hand, still resting gently, possessively against her breast, then back up at his face.

She didn’t look offended by what he did like any other women would and instead a surprised laugh escaped her.

“I honestly didn’t expect that, Hero.”

She shook her head slowly, smile widening.

“I thought you’d be all righteous and virtuous like the Heroes in old fairy tales. The ones who’d blush, stammer about honor, and gently push the tempted maiden away.”

She glanced pointedly at his hand, which hadn’t moved and was, in fact, still idly caressing the soft swell.

“But here you are…not just feeling my heartbeat, but taking full advantage to grope and fondle while you’re at it.”

She arched a brow.

“You’re nothing like those storybook Heroes.”

Luca finally, reluctantly withdrew his hand.

He shrugged, completely unapologetic.

“I don’t know anything about your fairy-tale Heroes.”

“All I know is that I probably won’t be able to sleep peacefully tonight if I were to reject someone who was offering her busty breasts to me.”

“So I did what I had to do to get some good night’s sleep.”

He met her eyes, utterly shameless.

“Anything wrong with that?”

Nyx studied him for a moment—then laughed, low and rich.

“Not at all, Hero. Not one bit.”

She stepped closer, voice silky.

“I’d much rather have a man who’s honest about his desires, than some hypocrite pretending to be noble while secretly wishing he’d taken the chance.”

She looked up at him, eyes gleaming.

“I’ll take a Real Man over a Storybook Saint any day.”

And just as she said that, a quiet, harmonious moment settled between them—charged, comfortable, full of mutual appreciation.

Luca then broke it with a curious tilt of his head.

“So…what really brought you up here? It’s pretty late for just a chat.”

Nyx straightened, expression shifting to something more purposeful.

“Not just a chat. I came with a purpose.”

She stepped even closer.

“To reward you.”

“Reward me?” Luca blinked. “For what?”

Nyx’s smile turned sultry.

“For everything. Saving Esme and the others. Bringing us all together again. Reigniting hope when we thought it was gone.”

She placed a hand on his arm.

“The girls rewarded you with kisses earlier. I thought…you deserve something from me too.”

Luca’s grin returned, interest sparking.

“Oh? You’re going to kiss me too? I wouldn’t say no.”

But to his surprise, Nyx’s eyes darkened with promise as she said,

“No…Not a kiss.”

She took his hand, tugging gently toward the door.

“Something else. But not out here. Inside.”

Luca followed, curiosity and anticipation rising.

They stepped into the warmly lit house.

And the moment the door closed behind them, Nyx turned the latch with a soft click.

Luca opened his mouth to ask—

—when Nyx moved.

Quick, graceful, decisive.

She placed both hands on his chest and pushed.

He landed seated in one of the cushioned chairs, eyes wide in surprise.

Before he could speak, Nyx sank to her knees in front of him—elegant and graceful—positioning herself between his spread legs.

She then looked up, gaze intense and hungry, fixed directly on his crotch, as Luca’s breath caught.

“Nyx…?”

“Relax, Hero.”

Her smile was slow, lewd, and full of intent.

“This is your reward.”

Luca was surprised by this massive reward that came out of nowhere and wondered if the Goddess had given some charm blessing when sending him down here with all the ’rewards’ he’s been receiving.

But before he could say anything, Nyx started speaking again, her voice a velvet murmur that seemed to wrap around the quiet room.

“To tell you the truth, Hero, when I saw little Luna and Lulu and all the other girls swarming you—kissing your cheeks, hugging you, pampering you with all that innocent, overflowing love of theirs…something stirred in me.”

She leaned in slightly, her breath warm against his knee.

“I thought to myself…this man has done so much for us. Saved us. Protected us. And here he is, letting those children reward him in their sweet, childish way.”

“So I wondered…why shouldn’t I give him a reward too?”

Her hands slid a fraction higher, thumbs brushing the inner seam of his trousers.

“But more than just a reward.” She continued, eyes intensifying. “I wanted to give you something proper. Something to balance the scales. Because in this world, everything comes at a price, doesn’t it?”

“Oh, I know—you’re the Hero sent by the Goddess herself.” She gave a soft, almost teasing laugh. “It’s your sacred duty to protect us, to stay confident and strong and selfless.”

“But even Heroes shouldn’t work for free. Even Heroes deserve to know that the people they save are grateful.”

“I especially didn’t want you to ever think this village was ungrateful.”

Nyx’s fingers paused, resting lightly but possessively on his thighs.

“That we’d just take and take from you without giving anything back.”

“So I thought…I’d do something for you.

She chuckled again, the sound richer this time.

“But I knew I couldn’t just offer a kiss like the rest of the girls. Sure, kisses are sweet, but they’re childish things, something those little girls would do. And I…”

She looked up at him through dark lashes, lips curving into a sultry smile.

“I’m not a child anymore. I’m a fully grown women, So I decided a grown woman should give a grown man something more…fitting.”

Her palms glided upward until her fingers brushed the buckle of his belt.

“And you know exactly what I’m going to do next, don’t you?” She whispered, voice husky with promise. “In this position…with me right here…you’ll be very, very happy.”

“All you have to do is sit back, relax, and let me take care of everything.”

Without waiting for an answer, her hands moved to the waistband of his trousers.

But just as she began to pull, Luca’s voice cut through the charged air.

“There’s no need.”

Nyx froze. Her hands stilled, and she looked up sharply, eyes narrowing with slight surprise.

“What?”

Luca met her gaze evenly, his expression composed, almost gentle.

“I said there’s no need for you to do something like that. I don’t need you to…to blow me, or anything else, right now.”

Hearing his rejection, Nyx just stared at him, lips parted, as though trying to read something hidden behind his calm eyes.

Then a slow, teasing smile spread across her face.

“Don’t tell me…” She said, voice dripping with playful disbelief. “…that the great Hero is suddenly getting embarrassed? Feeling shy like some little virgin boy?”

She laughed lightly, leaning forward again.

“That’s really funny because, just a moment ago you had your hands all over my breasts—groping them, squeezing them, without a single care in the world…You didn’t hesitate then.”

“But now, when we take it one step further, you’re backing down?”

“What’s the deal with that, Hero?”

Luca chuckled softly, shaking his head.

“Those are completely different things.”

He leaned forward slightly, elbows on his knees, looking down at her with gentle seriousness.

“When you offered your chest…that was you. Your words, your desire, your heart speaking. You wanted it. So I took the invitation. Simple.”

His voice strained further.

“But this? Right now?”

He gestured between them.

“This isn’t the same. You’re not doing it because you want to. You’re doing it because you feel you should.”

“Because you think you owe me. Because you want to ’recompenate’ me, make sure I feel appreciated, keep me from leaving.”

He met her eyes directly.

“It’s not for you. It’s for duty. For the village. To tempt me into staying.”

Nyx opened her mouth—then closed it.

Luca continued quietly.

“And I don’t want that.”

He pulled back with conviction in his voice.

“I don’t want a woman forcing herself or feeling like she has to just for my sake.”

His expression turned solemn.

“If we ever do something…it has to be because you want it. Truly want it. For yourself.”

He gave a small, wry smile before finally saying,

“Anything else would leave a bad taste in my mouth.”

Silence settled for a moment.

Any other man, faced with a woman as beautiful and willing as Nyx—kneeling, offering herself so openly would have leapt at the chance.

Most would be cursing Luca’s name right now, coughing blood in frustration at his refusal.

A dream like this didn’t come along every day.

But Luca simply sat there, calm and unbothered, a faint, satisfied smile on his lips.

He had his principles. His own code.

And no amount of temptation, no matter how intoxicating, would make him compromise them.

Not even for someone as breathtaking as Nyx.

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