Hisshh~

The quiet crackle of the fireplace in Yara’s home barely filled the tense silence as Aestrea stepped through the door.

His boots dragged slightly against the polished floor, leaving behind faint, dark smudges—blood.

His clothes were soaked in it, and not all of it was his.

Cuts and tears ran down his coat and pants, but none of it seemed to bother him. His crimson eyes, glowing faintly, were as cold as ever.

“You’re finally bac…?”

Yara looked up from her chair by the fire, raising an eyebrow at him.

She was sprawled lazily, a book resting open in her lap. Her ink hair shimmered under the firelight, and her sharp gaze flicked up and down his figure.

“Where did you…?” Her voice trailed off, her tone was more curious than concerned.

“You look like you just came back from slaughtering a whole army.” Her fingers tapped the edge of her book lightly as her lips curled into a mischievous smile.

At her words, Aestrea shrugged, brushing past her.

“Nothing significant,” he said calmly like he hadn’t just walked in dripping with blood.

“Just had to… clean up some trash.”

Yara’s smirk deepened, and she shut her book with a soft snap. She set it down on the small table beside her, leaning forward as her sharp eyes stared at him.

“Oh, really? ‘Trash,’ huh?”

“You’re bleeding all over my floor, you know.”

He glanced down briefly, noticing the faint red smears he was leaving in his wake.

“It’s not mine,” he muttered, brushing a hand over his teared-up coat as if that could clean it up. Then, he started heading towards the bathroom.

Seeing him entering the bathroom, Yara sighed, before reciting a cleaning spell on the floor and directly barging into the bathroom.

There, Aestrea had already taken off his shirt, showing countless scars on his body.

Yara’s eyes widened significantly, as she stared at his well-defined body. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she slowly brushed her tongue past her lips.

“…Can’t I have some privacy?” he asked.

Yara crossed her arms at his words, her loose silk robes swaying slightly as she moved.

“You can’t just walk in here looking like that and not tell me what happened, Aestrea,” she said firmly, completely ignoring his question.

Aestrea didn’t answer right away. Instead, he walked over to the tub and placed a waterstone inside the holder.

With a small flow of mana, water began streaming down like a soft waterfall.

“Haaa…” He watched it for a moment before letting out a deep sigh.

Then, slowly, he turned to face her.

‘I already got way too much involved with her, and by her eyes, I can feel that she won’t leave me alone, even if I try to run.’

‘…I’ll simply accept where this relationship is going.’

“I killed the VIPs from the Death Tournament,” he said flatly.

His crimson eyes stayed locked on hers.

Yara blinked.

For a moment, it looked like she hadn’t heard him.

Then, her lips parted.

“You… what?” Her voice came out in a quiet gasp.

“You heard me.” He turned away again, rolling up his sleeves.

“They’re dead.”

She stared at him, her mind racing.

“You killed them all? All those stuck-up VIPs?” Slowly, a grin crept across her face.

And then, before she could stop herself, she burst into laughter.

“Haha… HAHAHA!”

Her laughter echoed through the room, growing louder and louder.

She clutched her stomach as she doubled over, her voice rising into near-hysterics. It was the kind of laugh you’d hear from someone who was just a little mentally ill.

He glanced back at her, raising a brow.

‘Oh. She’s back to normal…’

After a while, Yara finally managed to straighten up, wiping tears from her eyes as she caught her breath.

“Ahaahaaa!” she gasped.

“Those bastards. Those arrogant, self-important bastards. Those bastards died to you? She started laughing again but managed to keep it quieter this time.

When she finally stopped, Aestrea asked curiously:

“Did you get the reward for winning the tournament yet?”

He really wanted to see what prize it was that those VIPs were so mad to get it.

“Of course I did,” she said, still grinning. “The owner handed it over himself right after you left.”

“And?” Aestrea asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.

“And,” she said, leaning against the wall, “he tried to make me an offer. Said I should hand you over to him. Apparently, he thinks you’d be useful to his little group.”

“Well, of course, I refused.”

Hearing her words, Aestrea looked at her for a moment.

‘…Does that guy seriously think I belong to her?’

He brushed the thought away quickly.

“What exactly is the prize?” He couldn’t help but finally ask.

At his question, Yara’s smirk widened. Without saying a word, she reached up to her left hand and tapped a small ring she wore.

A luxurious-looking box appeared in her hand, shimmering slightly.

Then, she knelt down, and then, slowly opened the small box…

“Will you mar—”

“—No.”

And was flatly rejected.

Yara rolled her eyes, chuckling softly.

“Killjoy.”

She stood up, holding the box open for him to see.

Inside, a small, glowing object sat nestled on a dark velvet lining. Aestrea’s eyes widened slightly as he stared at it.

“…Is that… a Dragon’s Tear?!”

“Not just any Dragon’s Tear,” Yara said proudly.

“It’s a Dragon’s Crystallized Tear. Pretty, isn’t it?”

“No wonder those damned bastards wanted to win the tournament so much,” Aestrea exclaimed softly, still shocked that the prize was this.

A Dragon’s Tear was something extremely rare.

Although it was much cheaper and less useful than a Dragon’s Bone or a Dragon’s Heart, it was rarer than both of them combined.

After all, for the arrogant race of a Dragon to shed tears, it was almost impossible to happen.

But of course, the Dragon’s Tear could be more useful than both of them, depending on who utilizes them.

A Dragon’s Tear can work like the highest-grade kind of elixir, it can heal any hidden injury, poison, or even curse!

Not to mention, that it improves your growth speed, expands your mana meridians, strengthens your heart, increases the absorption of mana, and even grants you resistance to things such as poison, curses, and many more!

It is extremely useful!

“Ahh…”

Aestrea frowned slightly.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he asked Yara…

“…If the prize of this… shouldn’t Lich’s Heart be incredibly cheap?” he asked, and slowly, he started seeing beads of sweat forming on Yara’s forehead.

“Well? Everyone wants to be my challenger, and because of that, I figured out that you still needed to owe me a favor!”

“After all, winning that tournament, your reputation in the underworld sky-rocketed!”

Aestrea’s frown deepened.

He grabbed her shoulders, staring into her eyes, and asked:

“Do I have the face of someone who wants to increase his reputation?”

His glowing red eyes met hers dim black ones.

Yara tried to open her mouth, but the intensity of his stare made her words falter.

Her heart skipped a beat and started beating fast.

Like really fast.

Too damned fast for her liking.

Her pulse quickened as she stared into his glowing eyes, and for some reason, she couldn’t stop herself from noticing how close he was.

She bit her lip, looking at those firm red eyes, and her gaze slowly switched between his lips and eyes…

‘Damn… why does he have to look so damn good when he’s mad?’ she thought, gulping hard as she looked at his pale pink lips.

‘Don’t stare at me like that….’ she shifted her legs slightly…

‘If you don’t stop… I… I wi…’

Chuu♡

Before she could even think about what she was doing, Aestrea leaned in.

His lips brushed against hers—soft, quick, but enough to send a jolt of electricity through her body.

Her eyes widened in shock, as she felt a hand grabbing her waist, slightly, pushing her closer to his chest.

Her delicate hands instinctively pressed against his chest due to the sudden push, and a small blush started creeping out to her face.

Smack~

Yara stood frozen for a second, her face burning as she stared up at Aestrea.

That soft, unexpected kiss left her breathless.

But when her senses finally caught up to her, her lips curved into a sly smile.

“Oh? What was that?” Yara tilted her head slightly, a teasing smile pulling at the corners of her lips.

Aestrea didn’t hesitate.

“Why? You don’t know what a kiss is?” His words came out smoothly, catching her off guard as he dodged her question.

Her eyes narrowed.

“…This bastard.”

Before he could say anything else, she moved quickly, her hands shooting up to grip his neck, pulling him toward her with a force that surprised even him.

She locked her arms around him, staring deep into his glowing crimson eyes.

The air between them felt charged, heavy.

“…About the favor you owe me…” she whispered, her voice soft but with a sharp edge.

Her tongue lightly traced her lower lip before she continued, her words lingering in the space between them.

“If you sleep with me, you can clear that debt—”

Smack!

“Mhm~”

She didn’t need to say twice before Aestrea’s lips slammed against her, causing a small groan to escape her lips.

He pulled her in tighter, his fingers digging into the back of her neck, forcing her closer to his chest.

His lips were firm and demanding, and she couldn’t help but melt against him.

The intensity of it made her pulse race.

“Mmm, mmm…!”

The kiss deepened, and she felt the heat of his breath on her lips as he slowly slid his tongue between them.

Slicks…

His tongue moved gently, teasingly, then with more urgency, running along her lower lip before finding its way into her mouth.

Yara’s body shuddered, her heart pounding so hard, it almost hurt.

“Mhmm~!!!”

Her hands slid up to his chest, pressing against him, trying to anchor herself as their kiss continued.

His tongue moved against hers, slow at first, then faster, more desperate if he was trying to taste every bit of her.

His lips moved over hers with a hungry fervor, each kiss more intense than the last.

Slurp!

Yara gasped when his hand slid to her waist, pulling her even closer.

Her chest pressed against his, and she could feel the steady beat of his heart—thump-thump—matching her own.

Yara moaned softly into his mouth, the sound escaping before she could stop it.

“Pwa~ Mmm~!”

Aestrea’s grip tightened, and his lips moved against hers, slower this time as if savoring the taste of her.

He pulled back just enough for their lips to part, only to quickly press them together again, his tongue sliding in to reclaim her mouth.

When he finally pulled away, their lips barely separated, and Yara’s breath came in soft, shaky gasps.

Her pulse raced.

Thump-thump!

She stared up at him, stunned, her chest rising and falling quickly.

Before she could even process her thoughts, Aestrea was lifting her up effortlessly, pulling her into his arms.

Yara gasped, her arms instinctively wrapping around his neck as her legs wrapped around his waist.

The movement was so smooth, so fluid, as though they’d done this a thousand times before.

Smack♡!

Her lips found him again.

Aestrea moved slowly, carefully carrying her toward the bathtub. It was already filled, the water swirling peacefully inside.

With a flick of his fingers, he used his mana to stop the water from flowing in.

But Yara’s hunger for him was growing.

“Chuu, churup! Slurp, smack, lick~”

Her lips moved over his, each kiss more eager than the last. Her nails dug into his back, her body pressing more weight into him, demanding more.

It caught him by surprise.

Splash!

They both fell into the large tub, water splashing everywhere, drenching them completely.

“Haaaa!”

Gasping for air, they quickly pulled their heads out of the water, their breaths heavy and uneven from the intensity of their kisses.

They stared at each other, eyes locking as they simultaneously licked their lips, feeling the heat between them.

Yara couldn’t help but glance down at Aestrea’s chest.

Aestrea, just as mesmerized, found his gaze drawn to her chest.

Her robes were soaked, and her black bra was now clearly visible.

They were both hungry for each other.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep