The warmth of Irene's greenhouse still lingered on Kael's skin, but Verdant Vale had already turned a page.
He sensed it in the way the air chilled, despite the sun. In how the villagers' eyes lingered a little longer. And most of all, in the way the System whispered warnings like soft daggers.
[SYSTEM ALERT]New Affinity Detected: Liora WynnTrait: Coldfire EmpressRisk: Emotional Rejection / Status ImbalancePath: Unlockable Through Dominance Shift or Empathic Disarmament
Kael raised a brow at the name.
Liora Wynn. He'd heard it in passing. A noblewoman—married, though her husband was always "away on business." Owner of the Moonveil Estate. She rarely spoke to anyone, yet always held the gaze of everyone when she entered a room.
He didn't expect to meet her so soon. But fate had other plans.
Kael was walking the cobbled edge of the artisan quarter when the sleek black carriage passed. It halted abruptly. The coachman jumped down, whispered into the curtained window. A pale hand emerged, pointing directly at Kael.
"You," the voice said, smooth as chilled wine. "Come."
The coach door opened like a mouth expecting surrender.
Moonveil Estate sat at the edge of the village, surrounded by an unnaturally quiet forest. The home was cold stone and silver-laced windows, gardens carved into precise geometry—no wildflowers, no softness.
Inside, Kael was led through a corridor of mirrors. All of them clean. Polished. Reflecting him at every step.
He was brought to a sitting room where Liora Wynn lounged like a predator on a chaise of black velvet.
She wore silk the color of stormclouds. Her hair was obsidian, coiled into a braid like a whip resting on one shoulder. Her expression was unreadable—her lips curved in something that was not quite a smile, not quite disdain.
"So," she said, studying him without blinking, "you're the parasite whispering into lonely ears and warming cold beds."
Kael met her gaze calmly. "I'm just a man trying to live."
She rose and circled him, her fingers trailing just inches from his back. "No. You're more. I've seen it. Felt it. When Ravella changed. When Mireille smiled for the first time in a decade."
She stepped in front of him. "I don't care for men. Not most. Especially not those who think a tender word can melt an iceberg."
Kael tilted his head. "What do you want from me then?"
She leaned close. Her breath was mint and ice.
"I want to see if you break."
They did not speak after that.
She led him through a side door into a chamber carved of gray marble and silver veils. The bed was wide, cold, untouched. She sat on its edge, one leg crossing over the other with deliberate poise.
He moved closer, not with hunger—but with curiosity.
And something unexpected bloomed behind her icy facade.
A hunger she hadn't fed in years. One that twisted in her throat, yet refused to moan.
Kael reached for the braid on her shoulder. Slowly, reverently, he uncoiled it.
"I'm not here to tame you," he whispered. "Only to remind you what warmth feels like."
She tried to stay still when his fingers slid under her bodice.
But even the strongest frost begins to crack under steady sun.
Her mountain peaks—hidden behind iron composure and fine silk—were smaller than Ravella's, yet proud, firm, kissed by goosebumps as his lips traced along their slope. He teased their hardened peaks until even she shivered.
Liora inhaled sharply. "You think this is skill? Charm? Everyone bends eventually?"
"No," Kael said. "Some choose to lean."
Her gasp broke through when his tongue circled one summit, and her hands, so long held still, gripped his shoulders like thunder was about to strike.
He knelt, sliding her robes aside. Below the silken folds lay a cave concealed in snow, surrounded by meticulously trimmed bushes—almost like she didn't want to admit she waited for this.
When he pressed his fingers to her inner heat, he found it already wet.
"You're melting," he whispered.
"Don't speak," she snapped—but her voice cracked like thawing ice.
Kael obeyed—but his hands did not.
When his serpent emerged, she raised a brow—not in fear, but in calculation.
She laid back, spreading herself with practiced grace. "Then show me what gods gave you, Icebreaker."
With a single motion, he entered her, his snake slipping into the cave, and her breath caught—surprised at how easily she welcomed him.
They moved not with fire, but with storm rhythm. She clutched the sheets, bit her lip. Her control unravelled with every thrust. Every strike of his hips melted her walls until she was gasping, arching, whispering things she never allowed herself to say.
Her climax came silent, fierce. Her eyes wide open. No moans—just a soundless shatter.
Afterward, she lay beside him, a silver strand of hair stuck to her cheek.
"You will not own me," she said.
Kael smiled. "You weren't meant to be owned."
[SYSTEM UPDATE]Fourth Union ConfirmedCancer Regression: 66%New Trait Gained: Mirror Veil – Detect hidden emotions in those who suppress themAffinity Liora: Unlocked - Vulnerability Stage
She stood, wrapped in a robe like moonlight.
"You may return tomorrow," she said flatly. "Or not. I've had what I needed."
Kael nodded and left.
He didn't need to win her heart. Just awaken it.
Outside the mansion, standing among the trees, the man with the mirror pin returned.
He watched Kael disappear down the road.
"Four down. And still he doesn't know who planted the system…"
He touched the mirror pin, and for a moment, Kael's reflection shimmered in its surface—eyes glowing with something more than life.