Chapter 53: The Trap in the Kitchen
Finally, I reached the entrance of the grand royal kitchen. The space was enormous, flanked by dark granite counters that gleamed beneath the moonlight and fine wooden cabinets that stored the delicacies of the elite.
I approached the main counter, where a crystal pitcher filled with purified water rested. I picked up a heavy glass, poured the transparent liquid, and brought it to my lips.
The cold water went down, instantly relieving the burning sensation in my throat.
I sighed, setting the glass down on the dark stone countertop.
The plan was complete. All I had to do was turn around and return to Rebeca’s room.
However, before I could even move the first muscle to turn my body, my heightened perception detected a subtle disturbance in the air behind me.
The nearly imperceptible sound of silky fabric brushing against wood echoed from the back of the dark kitchen.
Someone was there, someone who had been watching me intently from the shadows.
I remained calm, controlling my heartbeat as I slowly turned on my heels to face the intruder.
Emerging from the shadows beside the pantry with slow and perfectly calculated steps was Seraphina.
She was no longer wearing the formal and extravagant dress from dinner.
Instead, she was wrapped in a black silk nightgown that contrasted sharply with the whiteness of her skin and the vivid red of her hair, which now fell messily over her shoulders.
Her green eyes shone with a predatory intensity, fixed on me with a mixture of amusement and pure malice.
"Couldn’t sleep, my sister’s fiancé?" she asked, her voice sounding like a melodic, drawn-out whisper, breaking the stillness of the night with absurd audacity.
I kept my expression completely neutral, showing not the slightest sign of surprise or discomfort.
I slightly inclined my head in a polite greeting, maintaining eye contact.
"I was simply thirsty, Lady Seraphina," I replied, keeping my voice low and controlled. "But I’ve already had my water. If you’ll excuse me, I need to return to the room before Rebeca notices my absence."
I took my first step toward the exit, but Seraphina moved with impressive speed.
She glided across the marble floor and positioned herself directly in front of me, blocking my path.
Before I could step back, her hand rose and her long, firm fingers wrapped around my arm, holding me tightly.
"Don’t be in such a hurry, Shade," she whispered, moving close enough for me to smell the sweet, intoxicating scent of her lavender perfume mixed with the warmth of her body. "The night is still young, and the entire mansion is asleep. Why return to your room so early?"
"I don’t think my presence here at this hour is appropriate, considering my position," I replied, attempting to pull my arm back firmly without using brute force and causing a commotion. "Your mother wouldn’t like seeing us talking alone in the dark kitchen."
Seraphina let out a short, muffled laugh, a deliciously wicked sound that echoed among the granite counters.
She didn’t release my arm. Instead, she used it as leverage to step even closer, practically pressing her chest against mine.
"My mother is locked away in her chambers, and Eleanor is far too busy dreaming about the next title she’ll steal in the Capital," she scoffed, tilting her head slightly.
Her green eyes scanned my face from top to bottom with polished contempt.
"You know... I spent the entire dinner staring at you and wondering what Rebeca saw in you. A bankrupt noble from a miserable peripheral barony that can barely afford to keep its own mana defenses running."
She gave me a sly smile, the very definition of an aristocratic viper.
"I know my little sister very well. Rebeca always pretends to be a saint and a puritan in front of others, but I know just how perverted her thoughts can be in secret. If she’s with you and handed over something as valuable as that Sovereign-Class Airship, then you must be useful to her in some other way. A fun little toy that’s obedient in bed, perhaps?"
Her words were acidic, crafted to wound the pride of any man in the nobility, but I continued looking at her without flinching.
Her venom didn’t affect me.
"You’re projecting your own views onto your sister, Lady Seraphina," I commented calmly.
"Oh, am I?" she purred, bringing her face closer to my neck, her warm breath brushing against my skin.
"You’re trying to use her the same way, aren’t you? Except you... you’re different from all the other idiot men who crawl after us around here. I noticed it during dinner. And I noticed how you stood up to my mother in her office. You’re intelligent. Far more intelligent, calculating, and bold than anyone who has ever stepped into this house. And that..."
She paused dramatically, her eyes gleaming in the kitchen’s shadows.
"...awakens a certain desire in me. A very strong desire."
Before I could respond or anticipate her movement, Seraphina’s free hand released my arm, slid over the fabric of my shirt, moved down across my abdomen with torturous slowness, and came to rest directly over my groin.
Her fingers closed there possessively and firmly, squeezing through the fabric without the slightest hesitation or shame.
An electric shock ran through my spine.
Physically, my body reacted immediately to the bold and direct touch; after all, it would be a lie to say that Seraphina wasn’t an absurdly attractive and beautiful woman.
The contrast of her red hair and the curves perfectly outlined by the thin silk nightgown were a test of self-control for any man.
However, my mind continued functioning like a machine of ice.
While she kept her hand there, provoking me with a victorious look, my brain began processing the tactical data of the situation at incredible speed.
"What exactly is happening here?" I thought, narrowing my eyes.
"Is this a setup by Rebeca’s sister to test my loyalty? Or could it, more likely, be a trap orchestrated by Lady Beatrice to see whether I’m easily corrupted, using her own daughter as bait to destroy me and seize control of the Airship? If someone catches us in this situation right now, my plans for an alliance with the Holforts will collapse before they even begin."
I quickly concluded that the political risk was far too high. I couldn’t afford to give in to the lust of that redhead if it meant losing the entire board.
I needed to get out of that situation as quickly as possible.
"Lady Seraphina, step away," I said in a firmer and harsher tone as I grabbed her wrist and removed her hand from my groin. "I don’t know what you’re talking about, and I really need to return now."
I managed to push her hand away and took a step back, creating a safe distance.
But Seraphina didn’t accept the rejection.
The retreat only seemed to further excite her competitive and predatory nature.
With a swift and aggressive movement, she advanced again.
Her fingers grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled me back into her personal space with violent determination.
At that same moment, with her other hand, she grabbed the upper edge of her black silk nightgown and, with a single calculated tug, pulled the top down.
The fabric gave way, falling to her waist.
Before I could process what was happening, Seraphina grabbed my right wrist and forced my hand directly against her chest, pressing my palm against her warm skin.
The contact was unavoidable.
I felt the shape of her breast fill my palm while her heart beat rapidly beneath her skin.
"What are you doing?" I asked, trying to pull my hand back even as arousal rapidly surged through my blood, making resistance increasingly difficult. "This isn’t right. We can’t do this. I’m going to marry Rebeca. I can’t betray her with her own sister."
Seraphina let out a low, husky laugh filled with pure lust.
She leaned forward, pressing herself even harder against my hand and whispering directly into my ear, brushing her lips against it.
"It won’t be betrayal, Shade... It’ll just be a little fun before the wedding. Are you afraid? A man as bold as you, afraid of a woman? There’s nothing to fear. It’s just you and me here in this kitchen. No one is going to interrupt us. No one will know."
She continued insisting, rubbing her body against mine and using every seductive technique at her disposal to break down my defenses.
Feeling her body against my hand and the closeness of her warm skin was leaving me completely aroused.
My biological instincts were on the verge of burying my political caution.
It was at that exact split second, when the balance of my decision was about to tip toward disaster, that the world around me seemed to slow down.
The air froze, and a familiar neon glow cut through the darkness of the kitchen.
Abruptly, a floating dark-blue screen with glowing borders appeared in the air directly before my eyes.
[ DAILY QUEST INITIATED ]
Objective: Have sex with Seraphina Fou Holfort in the mansion’s kitchen.
Base Reward: +1,000 PV points.
Additional Bonus: +2,000 PV points.
Special Reward: Creation of a New Random Skill.
Skill Status: All user skills remain active and available for use (including Paratempo), with the EXCEPTION of Echo of Nightmare (STATUS: LOCKED).
Penalty for Failure: DEATH.
Time Remaining: 02:00:00
I was completely stunned as I read the floating lines dancing before my eyes.
The rewards the system was offering for that action were simply massive.
Three thousand points in total and the creation of an entirely new skill were advantages that would accelerate my progress tremendously.
And most importantly: the penalty for failing or refusing the quest was death.
I looked at the restriction line.
Echo of Nightmare was locked.
That meant I couldn’t use my standard ability to erase a target’s memories after a sexual encounter.
Seraphina would remember every detail of what happened here, making the situation permanent within her memory.
On the other hand, all my other abilities, including Paratempo, remained fully active and operational.
A wave of cold, calculating clarity washed over my mind, dissolving any moral hesitation or fear of a trap I had felt only moments earlier.
The system had removed my ability to choose.
If I refused in order to maintain the ethics of my engagement, the system would simply kill me in two hours.
Survival was the absolute priority, and the rewards were far too tempting to ignore.
"If this is a trap set by her mother or if I have problems with Rebeca later, it won’t be my fault—it will be a matter of survival," I reflected quickly, analyzing the variables with cold logic.
"And if I use Paratempo now, I can ensure that nobody from outside will enter through that door and interrupt the process while I complete the objective. The target will retain her memories because Echo is locked, but that can be used to my advantage."
I looked at Seraphina’s face. She was still staring at me with a provocative smile, expecting me to give in to her seduction game, completely unaware that a mystical system screen was floating between us.
The hesitation vanished entirely from my eyes, replaced by a focused and dominant gleam.
If the system wanted me to play that dangerous game with House Holfort, then I would play to win.
The two-hour countdown had already begun, and I had no intention of wasting a single second.
