Chapter 1: The Price of Help

As night fell, the area outside Serdin Castle was pitch black.

It was a surprising sight every time, as she had once thought it an exaggeration to say that beyond the moat connected to the Lake of Eternity behind the castle lay nothing but an endless, dense forest.

Even at the cusp of summer, the wind pouring in through the slightly open window carried a distinct chill, constantly reminding her that she was in the north.

She had heard it was a long-standing custom not to light lamps in the garden after sunset to prevent monster incursions, yet she couldn’t understand why the castle interior was so brightly illuminated.

The thought of him watching her flushed cheeks and earlobes, hot with arousal, filled her with such embarrassment that she felt an urge to leap out the dark window. Half-wailing, Selonia cautiously called his name.

“Ky-Kylos.”

“Yes, Selonia.”

A low, sweet voice immediately flowed into her ears. His tone was utterly bland, so much so that anyone overhearing might mistake it for a business discussion, yet his actions were quite the opposite.

While one hand firmly bound her wrists above her head, his other hand steadily delved between her thighs, gripping the tender, soft flesh of her inner leg.

“If you could just turn off the lights… Ah!”

As his fingers lingered, caressing her, brushing against sensitive areas, Selonia trembled and squeezed her legs together. Though she had exerted considerable effort, her thighs easily parted again under his touch.

“To avoid the magic erupting from your hands, it would be better to have light rather than darkness.”

“Th-that’s true, but…”

He was indeed right.

She hadn’t yet fully mastered how to control her magic, and whenever her guard was down, spells would spontaneously burst from her hands.

Each time this happened, it was difficult to quell, which was why she had come seeking his help; with her magic uncontained, there was no telling when another spell might erupt, making her current bound position appropriate for the moment.

Nevertheless, this posture, with her body so exposed, was deeply embarrassing.

Using the excuse that her clothes might catch fire due to her magic, he had stripped them all away, yet he himself remained impeccably clad in his nightgown—why did this disparity feel so utterly unfair?

As she parted her lips, searching for a reply, his voice, now deeper, emanated from the nape of her neck. “You decided to use me for this, and I am letting myself be used, so what exactly is the problem?”

“…”

Yes, he was right about that too. While he certainly hadn’t meant this kind of ‘use’ when he first suggested she employ him, the undeniable truth was that she had, in the end, subtly realized everything yet remained silent, diligently allowing herself to be used.

Just moments ago, as she was about to go to bed, a sudden burst of magic had completely incinerated one of her pillows.

Thanks to her recent progress in mastering magic, she had quickly conjured water to extinguish it, but otherwise, a catastrophe might have unfolded, leading to her being branded an arsonist of the Archduke’s castle and imprisoned in the dungeon.

It was she who, realizing immediate action was necessary, had stormed into his bedroom as soon as she doused the flames.

‘Was he always this kind of person?’

Now, looking at him, he was nothing short of a silver-tongued orator. To brazenly claim he was ‘letting himself be used’ while his eyes devoured her with desire was utterly audacious.

She found herself doubting if he was the same man she had encountered a few times before her regression.

Seemingly pleased by her gaping, speechless expression, he leaned in, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. As a smile graced his usually cold, expressionless face, Selonia involuntarily held her breath for a moment.

Beneath his raven hair, still damp at the ends, and framed by his slightly parted gown, his thick chest muscles were visible, creating an intensely erotic sight.

Regardless of any personal feelings, it was an undeniable truth that his appearance was stunning enough to captivate anyone who beheld him.

She hadn’t realized humans were such visually susceptible creatures. Her heart plummeted and then began to thump wildly, a churning sensation rising in her stomach.

Perhaps the strange, undefined emotions swirling in her mind were the cause, for a tingling sensation, as if magic were sparking from her hands again, spread through her.

“Oh, dear.”

In this state, she couldn’t possibly ask him to release her bound hands or to extinguish the lights. As she lamented inwardly, Kylos, perhaps sensing the faint magic manifesting, let out a low click of his tongue and leaned even deeper into her.

“I suppose I’ll have to calm you down quickly.”

Before she could even react to his suggestive words, his soft lips met hers. A warm, moist tongue slipped between her parted lips. With the wet friction of intertwining saliva, the kiss gradually deepened, becoming more intense.

As he licked and savored the inside of her mouth, then withdrew and sucked on her tongue, Selonia’s gaze slowly softened and blurred.

“Mmm, ngh.”

As their lips slightly parted, perhaps to allow her to breathe, soft moans involuntarily escaped her. Each time, Kylos subtly nipped at her plump, swollen lips, relishing her sounds of pleasure.

Fortunately, as their contact deepened, the magic that had been wildly swirling within her hands gradually subsided.

Sensing the tension release from her arms, which had been stiffly clenched in fists, unsure when her magic might flare up again, Kylos’s grip on her wrists also slowly loosened.

Breathing heavily, Kylos gazed down at her for a moment before untying the sash around his waist.

As his shimmering gown slid to the floor, his sculpted physique was revealed in the bright light. His muscles, honed by battle, appeared so firm that a knife would find no purchase.

Selonia’s gaze involuntarily traced the elegant line of his waist, then her sky-blue eyes fluttered wildly before she quickly lifted her focus upwards.

She had been feeling a heavy pressure between her thighs for a while, and now his erection was swollen to its limit, stiffly engorged.

With a deep sigh, he stroked the dark red column, dripping with pre-ejaculate, several times before firmly grasping Selonia’s thighs with both hands, spreading them wide, and burying his face directly between them.

“Hnnngh! Ahh, Ky-Kylos…!”

As the tip of his tongue brushed against her already swollen clitoris, a jolt of sensation shot up her spine. Her slender waist instinctively arched from the unexpected pleasure.

It was as if he didn’t see her covering her face with her now free hands and shaking her head, for he was utterly consumed, reveling in the wetness dripping from her.

“Haaah, Kylos, stop, ngh, not there! Ah!”

Greedily sucking at her, then circling her clitoris, he lifted his head slightly at her struggles. His purple eyes, darkened with passion, slowly absorbed the sight of Selonia moaning.

Seeming to understand the unspoken meaning of her words, Kylos gently stroked her thighs, speaking in a soothing tone.

“I believe I mentioned this before. This is also a type of fluid exchange.”

“…”

She herself had stated that to calm her wildly surging magic, contact with him—more specifically, the exchange of bodily fluids—was necessary.

However, at the time, she had vaguely envisioned only kissing, perhaps progressing to intercourse. She had never meticulously imagined such explicit acts, which made each instance all the more disconcerting.

“You’re dripping profusely down there, yet you tell me to stop—doesn’t that seem contradictory?”

He curved the corners of his eyes in a brief smile, then, without waiting for her reply, lowered his head once more. His moist, clinging tongue pressed between her parted labia, sweeping gently.

The vivid sensation of his thick, red tongue entering and exiting her pulsating opening was palpable.

Despite their limited encounters, he quickly found her pleasure points and began to persistently stimulate them.

As her pleasure spot was relentlessly massaged, a gush of wetness, more copious than before, spilled from Selonia’s vulva.

Simultaneously, she reached her climax, arching her back and letting out a trembling moan.

“Aaah! N-ngh, hnnngh!”

“Hoo…”

Rising up, he stroked her convulsing body before bringing his hand to her proudly swelling breasts. He kneaded the soft mounds with greedy hands, then slowly rubbed his fiercely erect shaft against her slick, wet vulva.

Noticing that he was waiting for her climax to subside rather than satisfying his own desires first, a flicker of confusion entered her pleasure-distorted sky-blue eyes.

Whenever they were intimate, she always felt cared for. This was true even though she was the one who initiated the relationship, and strictly speaking, he was helping her.

He consistently prioritized her pleasure, and if she seemed to be struggling, he would calmly withdraw, no matter how tautly engorged he was.

‘Can I trust him?’

In her previous life, he had been the man who condemned her, even sending her to the stake.

This was true even in that past life, when her being a witch was uncertain; now, having directly witnessed magic spontaneously erupting from her palms, what would he think?

Yet, hadn’t he also confided a secret that could shake the entire Archducal family? At this point, it was unavoidable to feel a vulnerable urge to trust him.

Was the Kylos of today a different person from the one in her past life? This thought had plagued her ever since she realized she had regressed and become entangled with him.

“Selonia.”

Kylos, perhaps sensing her distraction, whispered her name, subtly nipping at her lip. Her sky-blue eyes snapped back to focus, reflecting his amethyst gaze, full of ardent desire.

“…Haaah!”

As her trembling body nearly stilled, she felt an unfamiliar sensation, tight and demanding, pushing into her narrow opening.

Overwhelmed by the surging pleasure, she could no longer entertain other thoughts, and willingly let herself be drawn in by his hands, wrapping her arms around his firm neck.

Soon, her slender body began to sway with his movements.