Chapter 94: Chapter 94: Seducing a Young Girl?

Jasper’s POV

The night was deep.

I stood before the French doors of the study, my back to the room. The heavy curtains blocked most of the moonlight, leaving the room dim. Only the dying embers in the fireplace occasionally let out a soft CRACKLE, like the only living thing in the dead of night.

A cigar was pinched between my fingertips—a Cuban, its aroma rich and intense. But I hadn’t lit it. I just kept rubbing its rough wrapper with the pad of my thumb, feeling the fine veins of the tobacco leaf. It helped calm me down a little, or at least, it helped me look calm.

My gaze passed through the gap in the curtains, settling on a spot on the second floor. It was pitch-black; I couldn’t see a thing. But I knew that was the direction of Lila’s room.

’Is she asleep?’

The way she looked at me today… it was like she was looking at a stranger. Those eyes, once filled with love, or pouting anger, or stubbornness, now held nothing but a clear, vacant look. That vacancy was a dull knife—not fatal, but it was carving away at my flesh, piece by piece.

The door was pushed open gently, breaking the dead silence in the room.

I didn’t turn back. I knew who it was.

“Father, you’ve been standing here for two hours.”

Zoe’s voice carried a hint of fatigue, along with her usual directness. She walked in and placed a cup of cold tea on the desk. The sound was soft, yet it seemed exceptionally clear in the stagnant air.

She walked up behind me. I could feel her gaze on my back, scrutinizing and uncomprehending.

“The Jasper I knew wouldn’t act like this.” She leaned against the desk, a barely perceptible note of mockery in her voice. “The Wolf King has always been one to forge straight ahead, decisive and ruthless.”

She paused. Her voice lowered, but it was even more piercing. “But look at you now, so plagued by indecision. Is this… the power of love?”

’Love?’

A faint curve touched my lips. It wasn’t a smile, but something more like self-mockery.

I slowly turned around. In the dim light, Zoe’s face was a bit blurry. I walked to the desk, placed the unlit cigar in the crystal ashtray, and tapped it gently with my fingertip.

“No, Zoe, you’re wrong.”

I picked up the cigar. With a slight squeeze of my fingers, there was a soft SNAP as I broke the hard cigar in two. White tobacco shreds spilled from the break, spreading across the dark surface of the desk like a miniature, silent avalanche.

“I used to think that as the Wolf King, all I needed was absolute power to rule the clan and protect the people I wanted to protect.” I looked at the scattered tobacco, my voice low and tinged with a subtle hoarseness. “I used my fangs and claws to subdue all who opposed me, and I used bloodshed and slaughter to intimidate every ambitious schemer. I thought that was the true path of a king.”

I raised my eyes to meet Zoe’s. Even in the gloom, my gaze was sharp enough for her to see the chill in my eyes.

“But look. Despite all our preparations, Derek still managed to turn the situation into what it is now. He’s like a poisonous tumor hidden in the shadows, exploiting the divisions within our ranks and disrupting all our plans. He isn’t afraid of death or pain. He just wants my position, my power.”

My fingers tapped lightly on the desk, the rhythm slow and heavy, each tap like a beat against my own heart.

“Power can suppress for a time, but it cannot eradicate the hidden dangers. Power only breeds more ambition and betrayal. When you rule by violence, the seeds of rebellion have already taken root in the darkness.”

I paused for a moment as the bloody and chaotic past surged like a tide and then receded. I took a deep breath, my voice growing deeper, yet also firmer.

“I’ve finally come to understand that power alone is not enough. What truly brings lasting peace is wisdom. And wisdom is born from love and connection.”

“Love and connection?” Zoe repeated the words, her brow furrowed. She clearly couldn’t grasp such a vague and insubstantial concept. “But, Jasper, isn’t that a bit too ethereal? Lila has amnesia now. She doesn’t remember you, and she doesn’t remember anything about the Wolf Clan. She’s just a vulnerable human woman, utterly confused.”

She straightened up, walked over to me, and her tone became urgent and practical. “Your original plan was to slowly help her break the seal and awaken the power within her by combining the Wolf King’s power. But now, how do you plan to tell her that?”

She looked at me, her eyes filled with helplessness and a touch of absurdity. “’Darling, I know you don’t remember me, but to save you, we need to have sex and combine our energies.’ —That sounds like you’re trying to seduce a young girl. Even if you’re husband and wife in name, you can’t just jump into bed. She sees you as a stranger right now. How do you expect her to accept you?”

The study fell into a dead silence.

The last ember in the fireplace POPPED, sending a few faint sparks flying before being completely extinguished. The room grew even darker, with only a sliver of faint moonlight filtering through the window, outlining our two blurry figures.

At that moment, my expression suddenly stiffened.

Zoe’s words were like a scalpel, precisely cutting through the ornate wrapping paper called “salvation” to reveal the awkward and absurd reality underneath. I couldn’t refute her, because everything she said was true.

My mind uncontrollably conjured up that first chaotic night.

There were no romantic preparations, no heartfelt confessions.

It was a night filled with alcohol, hormones, and a certain unspeakable tension. I had drunk too much, my consciousness was hazy, and the thread of my sanity was stretched to its limit. And she… she also seemed out of it, her eyes glazed and her cheeks flushed.

And then… it just happened.

There was no prelude, no buildup, not even a single decent line of affection. It was like two pieces of dry tinder, in one out-of-control moment, slamming into each other and igniting a fire that could not be extinguished.

It was driven by instinct, a release of desire, and a twist of fate. I still remember her warmth, the feel of her fingertips trailing down my back, and the sound of her broken whimpers in my ear. It wasn’t love, at least not then. It was more like a mutual taking, a way of seeking solace in the midst of despair and confusion.

But now, looking back, it felt more like… fate.

My mouth, in an extremely rare occurrence, twitched.

I cleared my throat twice.

Those two coughs sounded exceptionally abrupt and awkward in the silent study. I was trying to use the action to hide my fleeting discomfort and the complex, unspeakable feeling welling up in my heart. There was annoyance, helplessness, and a trace of… guilt… that even I was unwilling to admit.

I picked up the glass of whiskey on the desk—long since gone cold—tilted my head back, and downed it in one go.

The cold liquid, mixed with the sharp bite of alcohol, burned a path from my throat down to my stomach, yet it couldn’t quell the strange heat rising in my heart. I set the glass down with a CLINK, the base hitting the desk and creating a crisp echo.

Zoe stared at me.

At first, she didn’t react. But then, a flash of realization crossed her intelligent eyes. “Father…” she stammered, pointing at the empty glass, then at my face, which was still trying desperately to remain composed despite the obvious awkwardness. “You… you aren’t trying to say… you’re going to get drunk and sleep with her again, are you?”

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