What I asked for in exchange for my cooperation was simple—yet far more valuable than anything else they could offer.
"All I need is greater access to the underworld," I stated firmly, my voice cutting through the tension in the room like a blade. "You're probably aware of this, but the underground society operates beyond our usual reach. Information about it, as well as the flow of knowledge within it, is scarce. I want a direct line to that world."
Eris crossed her arms, her crimson eyes narrowing as she assessed my words.
I leaned forward, my expression unwavering. "I'm not going to demand sex from you in return for my cooperation. And besides—" I let out a short, dry chuckle. "I don't think I could put my dick inside crazy."
Her brows twitched, and her lips parted slightly, as if contemplating whether to be offended. "You're calling crazy?"
"That's beside the point." I waved a hand dismissively. "So, how about it? I want you to keep inford about the movents in the underworld—every whisper, every shift in power. In exchange, you'll have my full cooperation. It's a fair deal."
For a mont, the air between us grew heavy. Eris remained silent, staring at , her gaze unreadable. Then, without a word, she lifted her hand, hesitated briefly, and finally placed it in mine.
Her grip was firm, her fingers cool against my skin.
"Alright." Her voice was quiet, yet resolute. "That's a useful deal to have."
And just like that, an alliance was forged between us—one that would soon shape the tides of the underworld.
***
The road back to Milham stretched before , the distant glow of the city flickering like embers in the night. I wasn't entirely sure why, but I had the distinct feeling that Rose wanted sothing from .
Her presence trailed behind like a lingering shadow. She hadn't spoken, but the way she kept following made it clear—she had sothing to say.
"Leon."
Her voice finally broke the silence, hesitant yet firm.
I turned my head slightly, catching the flicker of uncertainty in her erald eyes.
"I honestly can't make sense of all of this—of you coming here for , of you getting yourself entangled in things I can't even begin to understand." Her voice was quiet, laced with a vulnerability she rarely showed. "I'm just... I'm still in shock over the fact that you're here for ."
She exhaled slowly, as if trying to gather her thoughts.
"You said you ca to inform about the establishnt of the Eclipse and the one truly behind it... But that's just a front, isn't it?"
A pause.
Then, she t my gaze, her expression unguarded.
"The truth is, you just wanted to see ."
I remained silent.
Because she was right.
I hadn't co all this way for information about Eclipse or its mastermind. That was nothing more than an excuse. The real reason I was here—the only reason—was because I wanted to see her again.
"Leon, I..."
She faltered.
Sothing flickered in her eyes—sothing raw, unspoken. I had never seen this expression on her before. It was a mix of hesitation, longing... and sothing deeper.
But then, just as suddenly, she lowered her gaze.
"Nothing... I'm sorry for wasting your ti. You can go now."
She turned away.
A sharp pang shot through my chest. Before I could stop myself, I reached out, my fingers wrapping around her wrist, pulling her back before she could slip away.
Her breath hitched.
"You're planning to leave this country after this, aren't you?" My grip on her hand tightened. "You don't intend to see again."
She didn't resist, but she didn't turn to face either.
"Yes..." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "I really... I an, I don't want to be involved with you any longer. It feels like I'm just being played with, so... I decided to end it here."
Her fingers trembled slightly in my grasp.
"However..."
She finally lifted her head, and when our eyes t, my breath caught.
There was sothing in her gaze—sothing unshakable, sothing defiant.
"I don't think I'll be able to go through with it." Her voice quivered ever so slightly. "What exactly have you done to ...? I hate you."
Then, without warning—
She stepped forward, grabbed my collar, and crushed her lips against mine.
A sudden warmth exploded between us.
Her tongue invaded my mouth, demanding, desperate. My heart pounded, the heat of her body pressing against mine as her hands clung to my clothes.
I didn't hesitate.
My arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer as I deepened the kiss. Our tongues tangled, our breaths mingling, the taste of her overwhelming every sense. Her fingers dug into my back, as if afraid that letting go would shatter this mont.
I didn't care if soone saw us.
I didn't care if the world around us continued to move.
All that mattered was this.
Her.
The way she fit perfectly in my arms, the way her lips trembled against mine, the way her body pressed into like she never wanted to let go.
This mont belonged to us—and I wasn't going to let it slip away.
As if sothing inside her had snapped, she shoved away with trembling hands, her erald eyes flashing with turmoil.
Then, without a word, she turned and ran.
The sound of her hurried footsteps echoed against the quiet night, the crisp air carrying the soft rustling of her clothes. The way she moved—the desperation in her stride—told everything.
She was trying to escape.
To leave behind.
But I wasn't going to let that happen.
At this mont, there were only two choices—to let her go forever or to chase after her.
"Just let go, Leon!"
Her voice cracked, filled with sothing raw—sothing painful. But I didn't stop.
"I can't do that!" I shouted, my heartbeat pounding against my ribs as I surged forward.
"Why!?" she scread, her breath ragged from both exhaustion and emotion. "You already have so many won, don't you?! So why are you still after !? I'm practically an old lady already!"
"I like it when my woman is mature! Why do you think I have Gabrielle with !?"
A bitter laugh escaped her lips, but it lacked amusent. It was hollow.
"I'm not as ladylike as Gabrielle! You don't deserve !"
"You're more ladylike than you give yourself credit for!"
I had no idea why we were screaming at each other in the night, my voice reverberating into the darkness as I chased her. But sohow, this mont—this chaos—felt like it carried the weight of everything left unspoken between us.
If this were so kind of dramatic love story, the skies would have opened up, rain pouring down on us in a cinematic downpour. But no—this wasn't a soap opera.
So I did the only thing I could.
I laid everything bare.
"I love you, Rose! Please, be my woman!"
The words struck like lightning.
She stopped.
Her entire body stiffened, shoulders rising and falling as she breathed heavily. Then, slowly, hesitantly, she turned around.
Her erald eyes were wide—disbelieving, vulnerable.
"You… love ?"
Her voice wavered, as if she wasn't sure she had heard correctly.
Then, she let out a broken, breathless laugh, shaking her head.
"You're not being fair, you know, Leon?" she whispered. "I was trying to forget you. I was trying to move on. And yet you…"
Her fingers clenched into fists at her sides, her entire body trembling.
"How could I… How could I say no when you say sothing like that?"
Tears pooled in her eyes, shimring under the moonlight.
"You knew, didn't you? You knew that I loved you."
She bit her lip, a single tear slipping down her cheek before she wiped it away with a frustrated swipe.
"Ugh, I hate this… Why did I beco like this? Why did I turn into so pathetic, infatuated schoolgirl—one who still loves her boyfriend despite knowing he cheats on her?"
Her voice broke at the end, and she looked up at , her gaze a storm of emotions.
"What exactly have you done to ?"
I didn't answer.
Because deep down, I already knew.
It was my ability—the one I had used to claim the won I desired.
And I had used it on Rose as well.
That alone had undoubtedly twisted her emotions, tangled them into sothing even she couldn't fully understand.
I wanted to say sothing.
To explain.
But the words never ca.
Yet there was one truth I knew with certainty.
I stepped forward, my gaze never leaving hers.
"I love you."
It wasn't a lie.
It wasn't manipulation.
It was the undeniable truth.
And when I said those words, sothing flickered in her eyes.
***
Gabrielle's POV
The night stretched on, the chill in the air creeping into my skin.
Master was late.
Too late.
The people he had been searching for had already gathered. Even the woman he had arrived with was accounted for.
Yet he was nowhere to be seen.
I wasn't the type to worry.
I knew exactly what he was capable of.
And yet—despite knowing that—there was a small, irritating tug of unease in my chest.
"Leon sure is taking his ti," his bespectacled friend muttered, adjusting his glasses as he peered at the ti.
"He's probably taking a dump," the girl beside him said casually, arms crossed as she leaned back.
I glanced at her.
Sothing about her… reminded of Master.
I sighed, pushing the car door open. "I'm stepping out for a bit," I said before walking away.
The air here was sharper, colder than in Milham.
I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with the crisp night air.
This place… It was close to where I had grown up.
An old, almost forgotten part of ached to visit soone I once knew.
But she hadn't been ho.
I wondered where that woman was now…
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