The cold sweat seeped into the pajamas, merging the gap between the skin and the soft faux fur. But the contact between the fusion was not smooth and dry, but sticky and disgusting. Collins moved slightly, opened his eyes slightly, and saw a soft, doting gaze from Victoria. The clear eyes were like a mirror, perfectly capturing Collins' appearance in the window of the soul.
In her eyes, there was only him.
"Awake?"
Victoria's voice was soft, so soft it seemed to be able to squeeze out water. Collins moved his pale lips and saw a faint bitter smile reflected in Victoria's eyes.
"Is it morning already?"
A light laugh, Victoria's warm breath brushed Collins' face. Collins held his breath, not wanting to take in the scent from Victoria's body.
That scent, from a demon.
Even if he held his breath, refused to breathe in the same air as the demon, closed his eyes and resisted the temptation, the whispers from the depths of his soul still lingered in his ears.
"Yes, it's morning already, and I'm hungry too."
A willful tone, Victoria appeared to be a twenty-year-old, at the peak of youth and vitality. Her voice was mature, but occasionally she would speak like a child, whining at her parents.
If it was just a normal child throwing a tantrum, it would be fine. But Collins knew that once this terrifying woman threw a tantrum, it meant she had her own purpose.
Victoria kissed Collins and when they separated, she smiled and said,
"Now, you are covered in my scent from head to toe."
"Even your lips are filled with my breath."
"..."
"Oh, I forgot, it's already morning. You must be hungry. I'll prepare breakfast for you, and you will definitely like it."
Finally releasing Collins, Victoria, wearing simple underwear, jumped off cheerfully. Collins got up from the bed, took a deep breath and lay back down.
"When is it exactly?"
His hand reached towards the ceiling, fingers clenched, as if trying to grasp something, but in the end, it grasped nothing.
A voice full of sarcasm flowed out bit by bit from Collins' nostrils. He knew that now was the only time he still had some freedom, the only time he could figure out a solution.
====
His feet were bound, his hands tied to the chair, and even his head was fixed on the chair back. Collins had lost all function except for his lips, which could still move freely.
Victoria placed a medium-rare fried egg in front of Collins, and then pushed a salad and fish pancake next to the fried egg.
Collins shook his head at the fish pancake.
"I don't eat fish."
Victoria wagged her finger.
"No, no, no, eating fish is good for your health. Besides, I made it with my own hands. If you don't like it, I will be very sad."
Collins closed his mouth, expressing his decision through actions.
"Ah, why are you so stubborn, my child? I must find a way?"
Victoria forcefully put the fish pancake into Collins' mouth, pressing her hand on his chin, not giving Collins any chance to swallow it. Suppressing his disgust for the fish, Collins had no choice but to swallow it.
After the force-feeding play was over, Victoria laughed and stared at Collins with her eyes, occasionally revealing a sharpness under her calm gaze that made Collins constantly shiver.
"Perhaps we can have a good talk now."
Collins gritted his teeth, slowly expressing his thoughts, word by word.
Victoria's nails slid across Collins' cheek, beneath the intoxicated expression, there was no room for compromise.
"Love is truly beautiful, it doesn't require a response or reciprocation from the other person, it can burn hotly on its own. As long as I'm happy, as long as I'm joyful, nothing else matters.""What you're doing is a crime," Collins roared. He had been imprisoned by Victoria for a week, trapped in an abandoned house with this damned woman. He wanted to get out, to escape this hellhole.
Victoria held onto the enraged Collins and whispered in his ear.
"Love is great, sacred. It doesn't care about the other person's response or reaction. It allows me to immerse myself in the beauty of giving. Love accepts everything about the one being loved, including your anger, pain, confusion, and sorrow. I want to possess you, to have you, to always hold you. I want to be the only one in your eyes, for you to carry only my breath. You have to eat the food I prepare and sleep on my bed. I want everything about you, your body, mind, and soul. If you don't want to give, it doesn't matter, I'll take them myself."
"That's love, my dear."
"Go to hell, you freak."
Collins trembled with anger, but Victoria smiled sincerely. She felt that even in his rage, the object of his love was still so captivating.
"If I die, I will take you with me, my love."
==========
The sound of rustling, fair fingers constructing magic nodes on the magic synthesis circuit, organizing and integrating different energy circuits.
These were fourth-level magic circuit nodes, with five different elemental powers converging. Basic magic circles could only tame a single magic element, and with each additional element, the difficulty multiplied by ten. As such, even an apprentice in rune magic could use a single-element magic circuit, while a compound circuit with two elements required an intermediate-level mage, and a circuit with three or more elements needed a high-level mage to control.
A magic circuit with five elements was an extremely rare and challenging subject even among high-level mages. Among all the students in the Royates School of Magic, only Collins, the owner of the titles of chief in both runes and magic circles, could accomplish it.
However, even for the most outstanding student, Collins, who had defeated his senior colleagues in rune magic and magic circles after just one year of enrollment, still appeared hesitant when faced with the challenge of a fourth-level magic circuit. His actions showed signs of difficulty and hesitation.
"Miss."
The bodyguards around Ilena had been waiting for quite a while, and they were beginning to grow impatient. They reminded the noblewoman beside them that time was not abundant for them, and the person they were facing was not worth wasting time on.
"You all can leave first."
The bodyguards left from the entrance, and Ilena watched as Collins used his fingers to construct a basic three-dimensional mathematical model, then merged the five powers in space, finally performing a motion that formed a visually three-dimensional structure under the power of magic. Even Ilena, a woman with high standards, couldn't help but feel that this was a genius at work.
At 16 years old, a fourth-level mage, he had obtained the title of an intermediate-level mage within half a year of enrollment. More importantly, the blood flowing in his veins truly belonged to his own family.
Crimson bloodline, a bloodline left behind by a legendary mage a thousand years ago.
There was no more suitable person than this man.
"I want you to marry me."
The words were straightforward, bare and unmasked. Ilena heard Collins's voice shatter his sanity, and the best proof was that the foundation of the mathematical model had already been completed, and the fourth-level magic circuit, which was close to the end of magical deduction, collapsed with a teeth-gritting sound.
A white light emanated from the protective device in front of Collins. Magical experiments were prone to accidents, and regardless of the discipline, considerable investment was made into magical protection devices in laboratories. It was said that the value of the protective device emitting white light was so high that it could only be looked up to by the average working class. This expensive device fulfilled its full potential in its domain. Under the white light, the mixed elemental power that could have disintegrated Collins into dust gradually stabilized, and when the stability reached the minimum absorption requirement, the protective device absorbed all the elements.
The protective device emitted a dazzling array of colors. This was the appearance of the device digesting its contents. Until the digestion was complete, Collins didn't have the courage to experiment with his fourth-level magic circuit again.And, there was no excuse for ignoring the women around him. Collins dare not look at Elena. He only replied, "In terms of blood relation, you're my cousin."
"How rare is it for close relatives to marry within the family? In order to maintain the purity of bloodlines, besides immediate family members, there isn't much restriction for those who belong to the same generation."
"You're two years older than me."
Collins heard a disdainful snort. It seemed that his cousin, who couldn't be described as anything less than perfect, was displeased with his inability to find even a single excuse. She even began to show disdain by not bothering to respond.
