章 20: Strange Desire

What I had feared had happened, and it was so unexpected that it took me by surprise.

Hell, how could she possibly know Eden? He lives thousands of miles away from the capital and shouldn't be here very often. And even if he were here, it was simply impossible to find this woman by chance.

However, it doesn't matter anymore, the most important thing now is to get out of this situation.

My brain began to quickly search for any possibilities that I could grab onto and change my situation. Soon I settled on the best option, Limenna's ring, which was still in my inventory. If I could use it and peek into her thoughts, I would find a way to change the situation in my favor.

Raven was still standing behind me, resting her head on my shoulder as one of her hands caressed my mask. In addition to the light odor of expensive liquor, she had a naturally intoxicating scent that awakened my masculine instincts. At any other time, I would have considered letting them go, but now I only glanced at her and activated the status.

_________________________

[Name: Raven Nightshade]

[Age: 227] [Race: Human/????]

[Rank: 5 star]

[Agility: 1720]

[Strength: 1000]

[Stamina: 900]

[Mana: 1980]

[Intelligence: 1550]

[Charm: 40]

[Luck: 10]

[Talent(S): Dominion of Shadows]

[Blessing:---]

[Affection score: 100+???]

__________________________

My hopes for Limenna's ring dissolved the moment I saw her horrifying stats. The ring could be used as long as the target's intelligence level did not surpass mine by 5 times. And since there was a huge gap between us, it was useless.

Indeed, in the face of absolute power, all tricks are meaningless.

What stunned me even more than her stats, which I might have expected, was her affection.

'System, are you sure it's definitely supposed to be 100+? And what's with the question marks?'

[Yes, there is no error in this meaning. As for the question marks, this is an indication that her feelings for you are different from normal affection or love, and the system cannot accurately categorize them.]

One thing I realized from her status and explanation of the system was that if I let my guard down in front of her, things could end very badly for me.

Sliding her hands down my body, Raven didn't hesitate to touch all the places she wanted to.

"Since we last met, you've gotten stronger… and bigger."

I couldn't continue to stand still, so I decided to act on my understanding of Eden.

"I could say the same about you."

With a smirk, I moved one of my hands to her ass and squeezed it possessively.

"Mmmhhhhhhh~"

As my hand plunged into her elastic ass, a quiet moan escaped her mouth and one of her hands gripped my body tightly.

"You've never done that before..."

Fuck.

"...but I kind of like it."

With those words, Raven leaned against my body and greedily inhaled its scent with an excited smile on her face. After a few breaths, she looked into my eyes.

"Have you finally decided to accept my offer?"

I didn't speculate on what she meant and bluntly said.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

She gazed at my face in silence for a few seconds before revealing her seductive smile.

"You're upsetting this lady with your words."

Then, leaning her hot lips against my ear, Raven whispered.

"I'm about you becoming all mine~"

She pressed even tighter against me, this time plunging my hand into her lush breasts.

"No."

A serious, deep voice with a hint of coldness came out of my mouth. Even though I'd said it, I doubted my answer would have any effect on her.

The next moment, however, Raven pulled away from me with some reluctance.

"I already promised you I wouldn't act against your will, Eden."

She turned away from me, walked a few steps away, and took a wine glass from the table. Holding it in her hand and inhaling the aroma, she said.

"Because you're like the most exquisite wine I've ever tasted, and the longer you resist and refuse me, the more desirable you become. So the day I can finally savor you..."

She looked at me again. A perverse smile played across her face, her cheeks flaming and her breathing heavier.

"... will undoubtedly be the best day of my life."

The words made goosebumps run down my body. I think I understand what kind of affection the system was talking about.

After the shock of her words passed, a second one came immediately, when I managed to see Raven in the semi-darkness.

She possessed a haunting beauty with jet-black hair, porcelain skin, and eyes of swirling amethyst depths.

Her slender, graceful form was a masterpiece of seduction, clad in a shimmering black silk gown that clung to every curve. The dress revealed a hint of décolletage and delicate lace detailing, enhancing her allure with a touch of mystery.

She was a vision of dark temptation incarnate, with a body that promised pleasures beyond your wildest dreams.

Tearing my gaze away from her, I walked straight toward her.

No matter how she felt about me or what she looked like, it was important to take the initiative now and steer the conversation toward what I wanted. Otherwise, she'd keep bringing up topics that only Eden knew, and I'd be stuck.

Walking past her, I sat down at the table and pointed to the chair across from me.

"Sit down, we have a lot to discuss."

Raven sat down where I indicated and began to glare at me with a frown.

Did I do something wrong?

"If your acting is over, you can take it off."

From her cold words, I felt a numbness throughout my body.

Did she expose me?

It wasn't until a couple of seconds later that realization came to me along with relief.

She was talking about the mask I still have on.

There was no point in hiding my identity, so I took it off and put it on the table. Before it touched the table, however, it was already in Raven's hands. I couldn't even see how she did it, but I was sure it was one of the powers of her talent.

Raven twirled the mask in her hands with interest, as if looking for something special about it.

"I was actually surprised when you came to me with the mask, and I was pleased with your acting. I'll say more, you were so good that if it weren't for your familiar scent and your red eyes soaked in pure arrogance, I would have thought you were seeing me for the first time."

She looked at me like she was trying to see right through me, and then she whispered faintly to herself.

"How many other talents are there in you that I don't know about? As I thought, you really are the most interesting person I've ever met."

When Raven looked at the mask again, a strange mixture of emotions flashed in her eyes and she carefully placed it beside her.

"I will keep this with me as a memory of this day."

Looking at me again, she asked curiously.

"What's your real purpose in coming here?"