Chapter 38: Step 38 - Obtaining the 4th Affection Heart
"Good morning..." Romie said as she could hardly look away from my eyes. She was looking at me as if she had completely fallen in love with me. "Last night was.... Amazing."
She was on the bed, clearly still tired from last night.
We had gone all the way, more than once and let’s just say that her body had some difficulty holding on. A lot of it, actually. Because once I was done with her, she could barely move her legs, she was borderline on the verge of losing consciousness.
But one thing was sure. It had been fucking amazing.
It was some of the best sex I ever had. But what annoyed me the most was the fact that even after all this. I was still stuck at three Affection Heart.
Last night hadn’t made me able to tame her, which was extremely annoying without the shadow of a doubt. But I wouldn’t be giving up. I knew that I was close to taming her once and for all just like with Morgana. However, I also knew that I needed to give her some space. Over the past few days, I had consistently went after her, trying my best to charm her.
But it was too much now. I needed to give her some space for her to realize that she also craves me.
"Yes, last night was definitely nice..." I muttered, slowly standing up from the bed, noticing that Romie was already losing her mind as she couldn’t move her eyes away from me, staring at me, unable to look away. "But I have to leave... talk to you later, okay?"
***
[Romie’s POV]
He was gone.
Romie sat up slowly, her muscles aching in the best way possible. Her body buzzed with residual heat, but her heart felt... empty. The way he had just walked away — no lingering touches, no possessive whisper in her ear — it wasn’t like how she imagined it.
He had her. Completely. And now she was alone.
She wrapped her arms around herself, fingers digging into her arms.
Why does it feel worse now than before we slept together?
The thought made her stomach twist. She hated it. Hated how she missed his scent, how she kept turning to the door like he might walk back in.
Romie had always been the strong one. Sarcastic. Sharp. Unapproachable.
But now...
She buried her face in her hands.
She craved him. Not just his touch.
Him.
***
Sariah’s boots struck the gravel path like war drums.
Her cloak fluttered behind her, the crystal in her hand glowing faintly, pulsing in time with her heartbeat. She had it. Everything. Days of surveillance, recorded evidence, whispered words, subtle manipulations — proof of Zale’s influence, the way he turned prideful girls into docile, addicted shells.
Romie was just the latest victim.
The garden smelled like lilac and dew, but it couldn’t mask the bitterness in her mouth. Her jaw was tight, her heart burning with righteous anger.
Morgana had to see this. She had to.
The arched tower entrance loomed ahead.
She entered without knocking.
Violet glowstones lined the walls. Thick incense hung in the air, curling like smoke from a dying fire. The room was dark and dreamlike, as though time moved slower here.
Morgana stood by the tall windows, hair glowing silver in the dim light. Her black silk robe clung to her form as if molded from shadow.
She didn’t turn as Sariah approached.
"You’ve been busy," Morgana murmured.
"You have no idea," Sariah snapped. She slammed the crystal onto the table between them.
The memory projection flickered to life. Zale’s voice cooing into Romie’s ear. Her flushed face. Her quiet moans. Her surrender.
Morgana finally turned.
Sariah pressed on, voice trembling with intensity. "He’s manipulating all of you. You saw what he did to Romie. How many more does he need to seduce before you wake up?"
Before Morgana could answer— the door opened.
Zale stepped inside.
Calm. Collected. He closed the door gently behind him, his eyes scanning the room like he already knew what he was walking into.
"Ah. An intervention," he said, almost amused.
Sariah spun toward him. "You shouldn’t be here."
"I go where I please."
Morgana said nothing. She just... stared.
Then, without a word, she walked across the room and wrapped her arms around him.
Sariah flinched like she’d been struck.
Morgana pressed her face to Zale’s chest, inhaling deeply, as though calming some madness that brewed inside her.
"You don’t need to say anything," she whispered. "I trust you."
Sariah’s face paled. "You what?"
Zale looked at Sariah with a quiet, confident gaze. "She’s mine."
Morgana nodded.
"I belong to him," she said, turning her glowing eyes to Sariah. "And I don’t care if you watched, or what you saw. Zale is free to do what he wants. With me. With Romie. With anyone."
Sariah stepped back, horrified.
"He’s broken you."
Morgana’s lips curled into a serene smile. "No, Sariah. He freed me."
Zale said nothing more. He just stood there, arms around Morgana, letting the silence speak for itself.
The crystal flickered and dimmed.
Sariah’s hand trembled. She looked at Morgana. Then at Zale. Her anger faltered, replaced by something more dangerous.
Confusion.
Curiosity.
And the smallest spark of fear that maybe... just maybe... there was something that was missing to her. She wanted to understand why Morgana was so dependent him.
She always thought that it was a spell but it might have been something else. Something greater.
Maybe Zale was just that great.
Maybe she needed to see for herself why he was so great.
***
It had been hours.
The sun was high in the sky now, spilling golden light through the academy’s windows, but Romie hadn’t moved from her room. The sheets still clung to her skin, damp from sweat, her legs tangled beneath her as if her body refused to let go of the memories.
She’d tried. Tried to read. Tried to meditate. Even tried to eat.
But nothing worked.
Every breath she took felt thin. Every thought circled back to him. The way his hands had roamed her body. The slow, deliberate way he took control of her without ever needing to ask. The scent of his skin. The weight of his gaze. The pressure of his voice against her ear.
Her hand trembled as she tried to lift a glass of water, only for it to spill onto the table beside her.
"Fuck..."
She leaned forward, clutching at her chest. Her heartbeat hadn’t been normal since he left. It was fast, erratic — like her body didn’t know how to regulate itself without his presence. Her lips were dry, but not from thirst. Her skin was hot, but not from fever.
It was him.
Her body wanted him. No — needed him.
She stood up, only to stumble. Her legs still hadn’t recovered. But that wasn’t what mattered. What terrified her was the ache between her legs — the dull, constant heat that refused to fade. Even after all they’d done. Even after she’d been stretched and filled and exhausted.
It wasn’t enough.
She made it halfway across the room before she collapsed to her knees.
"...Zale..." she whispered.
Just his name made her body react, her thighs clenching.
She crawled to the mirror, dragging herself like a woman possessed. Her reflection stared back at her — flushed, unkempt, eyes wide and unfocused. She looked like a girl drowning in obsession. And that’s exactly what she was.
No spell. No manipulation. Just pure, overwhelming craving.
A knock at the door.
She didn’t move. She couldn’t. Her heart slammed in her chest.
The door creaked open.
And there he was.
Zale.
Tall. Calm. Watching her with a knowing gaze that made her feel completely bare.
"I... I can’t," she choked. "I can’t do this without you..."
She hadn’t meant to say it. It just slipped out — like a truth she’d been holding back for too long. Her knees trembled as she tried to crawl to him.
Zale stepped inside, quietly closing the door behind him.
"I noticed," he said gently.
He crossed the room, each step a balm to her soul, her breathing already starting to steady as he approached. She collapsed into him as soon as he knelt beside her, her fingers clinging to his shirt.
Her voice was breathless. "I need you... I can’t sleep, I can’t think... please—don’t leave me again..."
Zale’s hand lifted her chin. Her lips quivered under his touch.
A soft chime echoed in his mind.
[Affection Heart Acquired – 4/5]
A new line of text followed immediately:
[’Taming’ function unlocked.]
Zale smiled.
She had no idea how deeply she had fallen — but the system knew. And now, so did he.
"You don’t need to beg," he whispered, stroking her cheek. "You’re mine. And I take care of what’s mine."
Romie let out a soft, desperate sob, burying her face into his chest as if trying to melt into him entirely.
"I belong to you," she murmured. "I don’t want to fight it anymore."
Zale didn’t say a word.
He just held her, his hand stroking down her back slowly — and deep within his interface, the ’Tame’ button began to glow softly, waiting for his command.
He wasn’t in a rush.
But when the time came... she would be his, fully and utterly.
