71 The Woman Who Sold the World (1/2)

When the song ended, they took some time for themselves and moved somewhere a bit more private, where they could speak freely. Reed brought her to his room, the only place he definitively knew wasn't under surveillance at the moment.

The tree-spire's spirit automaton had more pressing matters at hand at the moment, which gave them an opportunity to talk freely for now…

”Is there something you'd like to tell me, Ka'an?” asked Lu'um as she leisurely inspected the room around her in mild interest. ”Or did you bring me here for another reason…?” She sauntered over to the bed and sat on it in act of provocation that caught Reed off guard for a brief moment.

This girl, I swear… Never a moment of boredom when she's around…

Reed snorted in disbelief and said, ”If only that were true. It'd be a lot easier for both of us if that were the case.” He calmly strolled over, sat beside her and gazed into her enchantingly deep, hazel eyes.

”You look beautiful, by the way. Nearly put a stopper in my heart when I saw you. Were you trying to kill me, or something?” said Reed in a joking, accusatory tone.

Lu'um knowingly smiled and said, ”You're getting better and better at flattery by the day, Ka'an. I guess you must have had plenty of practice since we've last seen each other, right, my prince?”

She leaned over and calmly whispered, ”You were superb out there, you know. Handling all those pretty girls as they clamored over you…” Her voice sounded sweeter than honey, but something told Reed that he was in grave danger. That his senses could not be trusted.

Reed quickly stammered out, ”N-No, you're misunderstanding! I-I didn't enjoy that in the slightest, I swear! There was nothing I could do in that situation…! It was all just formality!”

Lu'um crept even closer and her sweet, fragrant perfume wafted around Reed as he nervously inched away from her in unease. She had a primal, intense gleam in her eyes that screamed to him that he was in the presence of a wild predator…

Before he could even react, she had toppled him over like a weak lamb and had pinned him down on the bed as she sat on top of him. Not with physical force, but with her raw, unrestrained aura and dangerously enthralling eyes.

Reed felt his heart pounding out of control and wondered were his strength had gone. He couldn't move a muscle even though he knew he could. Couldn't even think straight, much less form a single coherent thought.

It was a terrifying, thrilling feeling experience — he had been caught in her grasp. There was no escaping her this time...

She slowly nuzzled against Reed's neck as she inspected her prey and said, ”You have the stench… of a liar, my prince” and was about do something when...

...…Velvund opened the door.

Please, not like this… not like this… Have mercy, Oh Lady of Fate...

Velvund stared at the two with a complicated expression and said, ”They're just playing horsie, dear… the wrong way.”

When things finally cooled down, an awkward tension filled the room that could not described with mere words. Reed couldn't even bring himself to look at the old man in the eye, much less Vestel's innocent gaze.

Lu'um, on the other hand, paid no mind to what had happened. She had gotten to work, instead. She easily won over Vestel's favor in record time and had already begun probing her for information about Reed. About what he'd done in her absence, which girls he'd met, and the like…

Velvund chuckled when he saw how hard at work Lu'um had was and said, ”Don't worry, young lady, he hasn't gotten into any kind of trouble since you've last seen him. You need not worry about that.”

Reed curled into his knees when he heard that and wanted to bury his head into the ground.

”Oh, I'm not worried about that. I just had to make sure whether or not he had broken anything during his stay, Your Highness. He has a particular tendency to break or ruin things whenever he is left… unattended,” said Lu'um.

She stood up, performed a small bow and said, ”I am Maya Evergreen of the North and I am at your service, Your Highness,” pointed at Reed with a smile, ”and this is Reed Evergreen, Lord of the Eternal Forest of the North.”

Ahhhhh, she did it… She really did it, just like that…

”My, the Lord of Evergreen? I have heard that a… unique individual inherited that special title not too long ago. How intriguing. I'm not quite sure what to say other than… I already knew about everything.”