Salvation Through Delusion C126

Chapter 126

At the moment of climax, he always looked down at me like a hunter gazing at freshly caught prey.

More than once, I’d felt the chilling certainty that I was about to be devoured.

Eyes of a predator—gleaming with the power to crush, to dominate, to claim.

And beneath that gaze, my body trembled with electric pleasure.

But I couldn’t fall into it.

I couldn’t let him notice.

I buried that sensation like a secret and, without realizing it, took a step back.

In that instant, Tyroc’s eyes snapped toward me with uncanny precision.

For a brief second, it looked as though a dark flame flared within them.

It was so intense that, despite the distance between us, I felt as if I might be swallowed by that fire.

An unknown unease and wariness surged up.

Don’t be drawn in by that light.

Perhaps my resolve showed in my eyes. The corner of Tyroc’s mouth—just about to curve—froze in place, and his gaze cooled sharply.

Strangely enough, that made him easier to face.

So I smiled as he strode toward me.

“Welcome back, Your Grace.”

He didn’t answer right away. He simply watched me for a moment.

“Were you waiting?”

Not at all, I almost said—then noticed the surrounding gazes.

Everyone was watching us.

“Of course,” I replied. “I’ve been waiting for quite some time.”

“Why?”

The smile he wore as he asked, the sweetness of his voice—it was like he was teasing a lover.

But I was fully alert. I wasn’t fooled.

Is he picking a fight again?

I couldn’t push back, though. I was the one who’d publicly confessed to being in love with him.

So I smiled back.

“Because I missed you.”

It was the model answer.

But the expressions around us instantly crushed my confidence.

Rick, the two attendants standing a step behind, the butler at the side—

every one of them looked like that wasn’t the right answer. As though they were waiting for something else.

My eyes wavered in panic.

Mo, is there a standard response for situations like this?

[Among Tuvine people, it is customary for a partner to relieve their companion’s fatigue through intercourse immediately upon their return.]

So these spectators were waiting for me to suggest we get right to it?

[In Tuvine culture, this is considered a form of welcome—]

Stop defending these sex-obsessed maniacs!

“And?”

Tyroc prompted belatedly, clearly enjoying this.

I wanted to grab him by the collar. But there were too many eyes.

“Now that we’ve met again…”

“Now that we’ve met?”

Let’s roll around together—the most ordinary Tuvine greeting—just wouldn’t come out.

The longer I hesitated, the stranger the looks became. Like why is he hesitating over a simple greeting?

Forcing a smile, I spoke.

“I want to become one body with Your Grace and help you relieve your fatigue as soon as possible.”

My voice shook briefly, but I managed to say it.

Judging by how the confusion vanished from the onlookers’ eyes, this was the correct answer.

Still, they looked expectant.

Tyroc fanned the flames.

“So?”

His voice and gaze were both smiling.

Damn it.

If they wanted more than words, there was only one thing left.

I grabbed his collar. Not enough to shake him—just enough to pull him down toward me.

As his upper body tilted closer, I smashed my lips against his.

I’d meant it like a headbutt with my mouth—but the reality was nothing like that.

The instant our lips touched, his arm wrapped around my waist and yanked me hard against him.

My tentative brush was swallowed whole as he pried my mouth open and claimed it.

Hot breath. Overwhelming force.

When I froze, his hand seized the back of my head, locking me in place.

Crushed in his arms, my head restrained—it was practically confinement.

And absurdly, it felt… comfortable.

Maybe because yielding to absolute power meant I didn’t have to do anything at all.

That must’ve been why. When his tongue forced its way between my lips, I yielded without realizing it.

The moment my lips parted, his urgent tongue invaded.

On the bed, he’d taken his time tormenting me—yet now, after only a few days, he was acting like it was the first time.

The kiss reminded me of a maze garden.

If before it had been raw violence, now it was sticky and intoxicating.

He devoured me, conquering my mouth, stirring everything inside.

Each contact and separation made obscene, wet sounds that echoed embarrassingly loud.

Aware that we were being watched, I tried to pull away.

The hand in my hair tightened painfully.

“Sh—mph—”

The curse died against his lips.

That did it.

If he was grabbing me, then I’d grab him too.

I reached up and clutched the back of his head.

If you pull, then so will I.

But I couldn’t grip him as hard as I wanted. I was shorter, practically trapped in his arms.

It clearly didn’t hurt much—his lips curved, amused, before finally pulling away.

I hadn’t managed to yank out his hair, but he did release my mouth.

And just as expected, he was grinning widely.

Yet unlike that beautiful smile, the solid lower body pressed against my abdomen was dangerously large and scorching hot.

Annoyingly enough, that obvious arousal stirred heat in me too.

Then reality came crashing back.

People were still staring—wide-eyed.

The butler, of all people, was smiling in deep satisfaction and nodding.

So this was the bare minimum to count as a proper welcome?

Insane. Absolutely insane, Tuvine.

At this moment, I wholeheartedly agreed with Dr. Kim.

No wonder monsters keep pouring out.

“Per your order, we are tracking the movements of Sarne Baiyan. We’ve received information that she recently left Sarne Castle and is acting alone.”

The moment Tyroc stepped through the portal into the estate, Rick launched into his report.

To take Sarne, Baiyan had to fall first.

Which also meant that if Baiyan were eliminated, crushing Sarne would become much easier.

But Baiyan was a Sword Master like Tyroc—far from an easy opponent. Rick’s tone was grave.

Hadn’t one of Sarne’s Sword Masters already been gravely injured three years ago in a battle with an unknown Sword Master, only to die later?

Rick didn’t want Tyroc to face Baiyan.

“There’s only one reason for her to move like this,” Rick continued. “Sarne must have finally caught the trail of the one they’ve been chasing for years.”

He stopped there, trusting Tyroc to understand.

If Baiyan clashed with that long-standing enemy, it might be better to wait and watch.

Who knew? Maybe the enemy was still alive—and might even wound Baiyan.

Despite Rick’s concern, Tyroc gave a detached order.

“Confirm Baiyan’s location.”

Just confirming it—yet Rick could already picture him charging straight in.

What if he was badly injured fighting Baiyan?

But Tyroc, unconcerned with distant threats, asked the moment he stepped inside:

“Where’s Rue?”

“He should be arriving at the estate soon. He went into the fog again today.”

Rick hurried after him and added,

“I think he wants to lift the curse for your sake.”

At that, Tyroc’s gaze turned cold.

Whatever Rue was doing, it wasn’t for him. Tyroc knew that—and had already told Rue the curse was his burden.

So if Rue cared about the curse, it was either for some ulterior motive… or out of sheer sympathy.

Either was fine.

If it was an ulterior motive, Tyroc could seize it and use it as leverage.

If it was sympathy, then it was interest—and that pleased him.

Tap. Tap.

The sound of his swift footsteps echoed through the great hall.

From the moment he decided to return home, every nerve had been tuned toward the face he would soon see.

As the goal drew near, his blood surged violently.

Desire spread so fiercely his mouth went dry.

His mind filled with the image of a pale body slick with sweat, trembling beneath him.

How tight Rue had been. How that hot interior clung desperately to his cock.

Once he’d tasted it, there was no escaping the addiction.

The craving would only grow worse.

Rick was still voicing concerns about Baiyan, but none of it reached him anymore.

Compared to Rue—whom he was about to see—no enemy mattered.

Then, instinctively, he turned.

The moment his gaze met gray eyes, elation surged—only to freeze solid.

Rue took a step back.

You shouldn’t do that, Tyroc thought.

It just makes me want to run over and bite your throat.