After the celebration, everyone's codex and personal weapon were returned, and we headed back to the provisional home the King had granted our guild. I intended to follow Crimson, but not before retrieving my dagger from Joey and giving him a brief account of the evening, which Elizabeth seemed far more eager to discuss for some reason. Meanwhile, Crimson was 'preparing the right atmosphere,' as she put it.

Eventually, I made my way to her room.

However, before her door, for some reason... I felt unexpectedly agitated.

"Why do I feel agitated?"

I asked myself, feeling my heart pounding loudly in my chest.

"It makes no sense..."

I stood there, motionless, with my dagger clutched in my hands as I observed it...

"Hmm..."

I already spent a night with her before, and I didn't feel like this...

"I don't get it..."

Maybe because it didn't feel as serious the last time? Maybe because I was more looking for a fight than an intimate night that evening, and she had eliminated all the monsters...?

"Perhaps. Or maybe, because..."

For the first time, I was actually considering the idea of lowering my guard...? To stop looking constantly behind my back?

"Just the thought of it, is..."

Liberating... To let myself be lulled in harmony, without a care in the world... feeling free...

"In the end, I am nothing but a slave to comfort!"

My mother said that love is good... But is this really love?

"No, I don't think so..."

Though, the mere idea of being comfortable with someone, with them knowing what I am, without having to keep my guard up, is...

"Lovely..."

I hastily shook my head.

"No, this is Crimson! Can I even trust her at all?"

I wondered...

"I don't know... I don't think I can..."

A sigh escaped my lips...

"But then, why do I feel so weird...?"

Ah, I bet her stupid premises are to blame.

"In the end, she really is a bitch..."

She filled my mind with all those dirty thoughts... and now I couldn't stop thinking about them. Actually, now I looked forward to them...

"Curse you, bitch..."

Yet, I couldn't bring myself to open the door.

"I'm hungry..."

I lost track of my own thoughts...

"Maybe I should get something to eat first?"

Nobles really are cheap... I ended up eating nothing at the celebration!

"Yes, maybe I should..."

Just as I decided to turn away, the door creaked open, revealing Crimson. She stood there in a dark, seductive, bitchy, and partially see-through attire that completely and inadvertently took my breath away.

"Oh, for a moment I thought you changed your mind about tonight," she said with a smirk, bringing a finger to her lip.

"Ah, no, I... Um..." I lowered my guard too much!

"Why don't you come inside?" she murmured.

I swallowed hard. "Huh, yes... I just thought that maybe I could get something to eat first... since I ate nothing at the celebration..."

My words sounded like a weak excuse...

"Come in, I shall satisfy your hunger," she said, her voice low and sultry.

"Ah, okay..." I murmured, feeling embarrassed by myself, slowly and hesitantly stepping inside.

The room was exactly as Crimson described it would be: adorned with scented candles that cast a dim, comforting light while releasing their sweet, floral aroma into the air.

She closed the door behind me. "To bring your dagger here..." she said from behind, while I still observed her decoration. "Are you by chance in that kind of foreplay?"

Way to kill my vibe... "No, it's just important to me, and I didn't want to leave it-"

Before I could finish, she seized my shoulder without a warning, turning me toward her, surprising me with a passionate kiss, causing my heart to skip a beat. I found myself quickly giving in as her fingers tangled in my hair, and as the searing kiss continued, she led me to her bed, never letting me go.

With trembling fingers, I gradually loosened my grip on the dagger, allowing it to slip from my grasp as I reciprocated her touch. Eventually, she broke the kiss, leaving me gasping for breath, losing myself in the depths of her eyes.

"I wouldn't mind if you were into that, you know?" she teased.

"I... um," I cleared my throat. "I thought you wanted to have a bath together?" I managed, catching my breath.

"We can do that now if you want; the water is already hot. But I thought maybe you'd like to warm up a bit first? It's your call. What do you desire, Snowflake?" she soothingly offered.

"I... I don't know," I admitted.

She giggled, leaning close to my face. "Do you want me to continue?" she asked, her lips grazing mine before she bit it, just for the taste.

I slowly nodded. "I'm fine with that."

Satisfied by my answer, she resumed, gently caressing my arms with a tender touch.

"Am I allowed to remove this dress?" she asked after a while, seeking my approval.

"Yes... you can."

"And how do you desire me to remove it?" she added, her voice husky.

What kind of question was even that? "As you wish, Crimson..."

Hm. Perhaps, I should've thought about that better. As she kissed me, she obviously chose violence, quickly tearing the dress apart to reveal my whole body, making me shriek in surprise.

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"You know... that was expensive," I replied, meeting her gaze with a glare.

She, however, looked stunned.

"What are you looking at?" I chided.

She grinned. "You have the breasts of a Goddess."

"I'm about to punch you-"

Once again, without letting me finish, she made her move, assaulting me.

This girl... I stepped inside her room saying I was hungry, and I was the one getting eaten! Not that I disliked it, but still... I had to settle for a pillow lying to the side.

And she was clearly enjoying my reactions; at some point, she stopped just to look at me, resting her head on my stomach, but she continued as soon as I asked her to. Despite her sadistic nature, she was... suspiciously gentle. Maybe sometime she would jokingly nibble at my skin, but it still was affectionate, and she knew exactly what she was doing...

Eventually, I completely surrendered to the sensations. She was intoxicating, and I felt oddly at ease giving myself over to her entirely.

In the quiet that followed, her lips brushed delicately against mine while she held me tenderly in her arms. I felt utterly consumed by the taste, and I'm pretty sure I lost track of time because of that. Sadly, at some point, she pulled away.

"Perhaps, now we could take that bath together," she whispered; I could barely hear her voice above the pounding of my heart.

I didn't reply, lost in a haze of sensations, unable to formulate any thought or speak a word. I just stared at her, as if mesmerized, while she did the same.

We stayed like that for a while, the room filled with the soft sounds of our breathing, mingling with the soft and comforting sounds of the crackling candles, and the distant hum of the night.

My heart was pounding, my breath uneven, but gradually, both steadied as I nuzzled in her embrace.

"You're so adorable, Snowflake," she said softly, her warm body still enveloping mine while she gave me tender kisses.

"Crimson..."

"Yes, Snowflake?"

Drawing closer, I placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "I want to have that bath now..."

She gave me a proud smile. "Is that so? Then, let's go."

With yet another tender kiss, Crimson helped me up, guiding me to the bathroom she had prepared. It was filled with steam; the warm, inviting water already drawn. Scented oils and petals floated on the surface, while the soft glow of more candles illuminated the room.

She stepped in first, extending a hand to help me in. The water was blissfully warm, enveloping us as we settled down, facing each other.

For some reason, I couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed and exposed; my cheeks warm, despite what we had done on the bed just moments before...

As I tried to make sense of the confusion in my head, she reached for a sponge and some soap, lathering it up before directing her attention to me. "Come on, turn around," she said.

"Huh, no..."

She softly giggled, leaning in close to run the sponge over my back, but as she did, a numb sensation washed over me.

"No!" I let my body dash to the side of the bathtub, creating a small wave of water rippling around me.

Crimson looked at me with wide, amused eyes. "You do realize there's just so much space for you to run away from me in here, right?"

"If necessary, I'll break through the wall," I declared.

Crimson laughed, thinking I was joking. I was dead serious.

"It feels weird, I don't want to..."

"Of course it does, Snowflake; that's a significant scar. Scars are like this until you get used to the touch, even after years. The more you expose it to sensations, the more you'll get past this. And I can tell you haven't given it much attention."

I looked at her, perplexed. "Why do you know so much about scars? You don't even have one..."

She smirked. "I told you. I'm a sadist; I know how to treat my pets."

"If that was supposed to reassure me, it didn't..."

She closed in. "I'll stop if you want me to," she murmured. "But if you're willing to try... just a little, to move past this... then allow me to help you."

I averted my gaze; I hated those... sweet, pleading eyes. She really knew how to be inviting if she wanted to...

"Fine..." I conceded, stealing a glance. "I'll try..."

"Then, turn around."

Hesitantly, I exposed my back to her, kneeling in the warm water as she began to wash it.

My body instinctively tried to run away from her touch. I forced myself to stay still, tightly shutting my eyes to focus on blocking out all the unpleasant and uncomfortable sensations that sponge brought with each stroke, rubbing against my scar. Though that probably only did the opposite.

"See? It's not so bad, is it?" she asked.

"It's horrible," I replied. "No... terrible."

"Is 'terrible' better or worse than 'horrible'?" she quipped, her tone teasing.

"Does it matter?" I retorted.

Suddenly, her breath tickled my ear. "Don't worry," she softly whispered. "Open your eyes and look at me."

"Hmm..." I mumbled at the uncomfortable sensation as I followed her advice, still trying my best to endure.

She was dangerously close, and as our eyes met, she started rubbing with even more pressure, my body leaning forward in response. She pulled me closer, her eyes never leaving mine. "Focus only on me. Don't think about anything else."

"Okay..." I replied, slowly getting used to it.

"Repeat after me," she murmured. "Everything is alright."

"Everything... is alright."

"There is nothing to be afraid of," she added.

"There is nothing to be afraid of..."

"Crimson is hot."

I stifled a laugh. "I'm not saying that."

She chuckled. "If it weren't you, right now I'd be punishing this bad girl."

"Why... are you acting like this with me, then?" I genuinely asked, slightly tilting my head.

"Don't think about any of that. Just focus on me," she soothingly said once again, rubbing more forcefully, making me almost squirm.

"A-alright..."

"You know... you look beautiful surrounded by petals, Snowflake," she whispered. "Your skin is soft, smooth... graceful. You really do look like a Goddess."

"Um... thanks?" I managed, feeling a weird warmth spreading across my cheeks at the unexpected compliment. "I think the same about you..."

"Oh? You do?" she said with a subtle smile. "So you were lying before. You do think I'm hot."

"I... I don't know..."

She leaned in closer. "Tell me, what do you like about me?"

"Huh..." I was struggling to find an answer with everything that was happening. The sponge rubbing against my scar giving me strange feelings, Crimson being so close, her eyes drawing me in, her lips so tempting, her breath warming my face, while her skin warmed up my body... "I like... your stupid lips."

She giggled. "You don't have to hold back, you know? You can kiss me if that's what you desire."

I kept looking at her for a while, and my cheeks couldn't help but burn hotter with each passing second. "Then..."

Her forehead met mine. "Just say what you want," she whispered. "I'm here only to please you, Snowflake."

If, just for one night... I could really and completely forget about everything. About all the pain and the ugly sensations. About all the uncertainties and the doubts. Forget about this nasty world, without a care for it... If I could do that, just for one night, just for once... why hold back?

"I want you..." I finally admitted, the words leaving my mouth before I could even realize. "I want more of you. I want you to make me forget about everything. Can you... do it?"

She looked at me with wide eyes of surprise, before giving me a content smile; even her cheeks turned red. "How could I possibly say no to you, when you look at me with such eyes..."

It was because of everything she said to me, what she did to me... that now I felt like this.

The blood cursing through my veins, my skin burning with warmth, my heart threatening to burst from my chest, my irregular breathing, the fog in my mind...

She was the cause of it all...

"Crimson..."

In that moment, that was all I desired, my complete focus. She was more than enough to make my head spin. Her eyes, her lips, her tongue, her taste, her body... intoxicating, dizzying, irresistible...

So, I closed the distance, capturing her in a kiss before entrusting myself to her one last time. I followed her expert guidance, and she did not disappoint me in the slightest. She also ended up being more than satisfied; I could clearly see it in her eyes, I was... her source of joy, this night.

Finally, content, I let my body collapse against hers, the water sloshing around us. I continued to kiss her lips, wrapping my arms around her as I grew breathless, my hair cascading over her like a waterfall. She reciprocated the embrace with equal fervor, until, at last, we finally pulled away.

We intensely looked into each other's eyes while our breaths mingled, leaving a warm sensation between us.

"You..." she murmured with a sly smile. "You really melt just like a snowflake, you know that?"

For some reason, that comment made me feel so embarrassed that a soft groan escaped me. "Shut up..." I mumbled, my voice shaky, feeling my eyes slightly wet from the intensity of the moment.

She laughed; a sound so sweet I didn't even know it could come from her...

Exhausted, I let my head collapse onto her chest, finding myself listening to her fast heartbeat; it was extremely comforting as we slowly caught our breath together, while her fingers gently caressed my hair, lulling me into a serene state.

After a while, she pulled me closer, and our eyes met again. She gave me a tender kiss. "I'm in love with you, Snowflake," she then whispered as her hands cupped my cheeks.

Despite the strange warmth her words brought, I couldn't shake my doubts... "I... I see."

"Well, that wasn't mean. That was just cold," she said with a chuckle.

"Sorry..." I murmured, averting my gaze.

"I'm aware, don't worry. I know it's not easy for you to trust. I just wanted to let you know," she said, meeting my lips once again, pulling me into a tighter embrace.

"Alright..."

"You've already done a lot today, you know. Look, I'm even caressing your scar right now, and you're fine with it." She made me realize.

"Ah... I'm just too tired to notice," I replied, feeling another wave of embarrassment wash over me.

"I'm proud of you," she softly said, kissing me once more.

"Well... if it can help a little, I may not say that I love you right now, but..." I stammered.

"But...?" She tilted her head, looking at me with wide, curious eyes.

"I, um..." I looked away again as she leaned in closer.

"What is it?" she softly asked.

"... I liked it," I admitted, my voice barely audible.

Her lips curled into a big smile, giving me another kiss. "Then that's good. What do you say if we go to bed now? Sleeping together? Hm?"

I really wanted to say yes, but... "I really have no strength left," I said, finding myself chuckling.

She gave me a sweet smile, lifting me into her arms, her eyes locked onto mine. "I'll carry you to it, then."

"Crimson..."

"What is it, Snowflake?"

"... Kiss me again."

She chuckled at my request. "As you wish..."