Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Ian held Otillia, clearly feeling her heart race as she waited for his answer.
The moonlight was silent, illuminating his pressed lips beneath the mask and the complex struggle within his eyes.
Yes or No.
Ian’s answer was definitely “No.”
After all, he wasn’t crazy.
However, Otillia’s mental state was extremely unstable right now.
Whether the Memory Seal would succeed depended largely on her level of acceptance.
A negative answer would very likely trigger a violent subconscious resistance, leading to the failure of the seal or even causing worse psychological trauma.
The childhood trauma she had just leaked was a clear warning.
He glanced at the dazed yet stubborn girl in his arms, then peeked at the Memory Seal Scroll resting nearby.
Regardless, after tonight, her memory of everything that had happened over these past few days—including this “accidental” night and this specific question and answer—would be sealed.
In that case, there was only one answer! *Click!* ‘I’m breaking the flag!’
“Mhm,” he responded softly, his voice exceptionally clear in the silent room. “I like you.”
Ian paused, and the words to increase his credibility and emotional sincerity flowed out of him like a spring:
“Otillia, you have always been radiant. You’ve done a wonderful job.”
To the current Otillia, those two simple words and the follow-up were nothing less than heavenly music.
A startling brilliance suddenly erupted in her hazy blue eyes.
All the confusion, fragility, and fear were washed away by a wave of ecstasy.
Her pale, haggard cheeks instantly flushed with excitement, and even her breathing became rapid.
“R-really? Ian really likes Otillia?!”
Her voice trembled with unbelievable joy.
She gripped the front of Ian’s clothes tightly, as if trying to confirm this wasn’t an illusion.
“Yes, of course it’s true.”
Ian steadied his voice and nodded.
He felt like he was coaxing a child who had just received their favorite candy.
A second later, Otillia proved through her actions that she was by no means a child who could be simply “coaxed.”
“That’s great! Ian likes me! I like Ian the most!”
She let out a cheer, and an incredible strength erupted from somewhere within her.
With a forceful push and a pull of her arms, she actually tackled the completely defenseless Ian backward onto the soft, large bed!
Ian let out a muffled groan as the back of his head sank into the pillow.
Otillia’s face was inches away from his.
Her heavy, warm breath fanned wetly against Ian’s face.
Then, Otillia straddled him.
Her long golden hair fell down, brushing against the side of his neck and bringing a tingle of itchiness and a faint fragrance.
“Then… Ian, kiss me!”
Otillia leaned down and made her request with sparkling eyes.
Her tone was matter-of-fact, like a child acting spoiled.
“I want it to be like a husband and wife!”
‘Wait, sister!?’
‘Isn’t this progress a bit too fast?!’
‘And the plot isn’t right. Shouldn’t your first kiss be given to the protagonist, Arthur Reinhardt?!’
He only wanted to soothe her so he could perform the seal; he didn’t say he was going to sacrifice his body!
‘System? System! Save me!’
**[No plot fluctuations detected. Judgment: Host’s actions will have no impact.]**
Ian: “?”
‘System, are you even speaking a human language? I am about to lose my virtue to the Female Lead, and you say it has no impact?!’
‘Does the protagonist like the color green?’
Regardless of whether the protagonist liked “all-natural” and “pollution-free” colors, the fact remained that if he touched the Female Lead and the protagonist found out, Ian would definitely be in for it.
Ian felt he could still save the situation.
“Otillia, don’t be like this… We…”
Ian had just started to refuse when Otillia began to lose it.
“Ian is a liar!”
Otillia’s mouth immediately crumpled.
Her eyes began to redden at a speed visible to the naked eye, and her voice took on a sobbing tone.
“You just said you liked me… but you won’t even kiss me… *sniff*… You really are lying to me… Ian doesn’t like Otillia…”
Seeing that the moisture was about to condense into teardrops and fall, Ian was momentarily speechless.
“Fine, fine, fine! I’ll kiss you! I’ll kiss you! Just don’t cry!”
There was no other choice; Ian had to compromise.
If he attracted the guards and they saw this ambiguous scene, it would be even harder for him to seal her memories later.
Ian felt helpless as he gently cupped Otillia’s cheeks.
They felt delicate and slightly hot to the touch.
He tilted his head and held his breath.
Extremely quickly and lightly, he pressed a kiss against her fair, smooth cheek.
It was a brief touch, like a dragonfly skimming the surface of the water.
“There.”
“Mmm~! Not enough!”
It was obvious that this perfunctory effort did not satisfy Otillia.
She grabbed Ian’s retreating wrist, shook her head, and stared fixedly at the outline of Ian’s lips.
She said stubbornly: “Kiss here! The books say that people who like each other should kiss on the mouth!”
“Huh?”
Ian remembered that the knowledge he taught Otillia during the task correction was all healthy and wholesome.
How did she know… Oh!
‘No wonder she suddenly started oversleeping back in her teens! This woman was secretly reading those kinds of books behind my back!’
Before Ian could even react, Otillia started acting up again.
“Ian, are you brushing me off? Do you not like me at all?”
She put on an expression that clearly said, ‘If you dare say yes, I will cry for you right now!’
Ian felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
‘Dammit! Hesitation truly leads to defeat. I should have just slapped the scroll on her forehead back then. Why did I have to go and be soft-hearted?!’
Now, the die was cast; there was no turning back.
“Uh… no… I’m not brushing Otillia off…”
His guilty voice was something even he didn’t believe.
“Then prove it to me.”
Otillia leaned in closer.
Her warm breath almost sprayed onto Ian’s lips.
She slowly closed her blue eyes, waiting for Ian’s move.
Ian gritted his teeth.
‘Forget it, let’s get this over with.’
‘It’s just a kiss; it’s not like I’ll lose a limb. Besides, she won’t remember anything tomorrow.’
Finally, Ian tilted his head up slightly and took the initiative to meet her.
Instantly, both of them shuddered.
For Ian, it was a sensation he had never experienced before.
But for Otillia, this gentle touch was like igniting a volcano of all her long-suppressed emotions.
“Ian…!”
She let out a muffled whimper, and then she met him with an almost fierce return kiss.
Otillia was no longer satisfied with a superficial touch.
Instead, she followed her heart and began a vigorous offensive.
Her arms tightly encircled his neck, and her entire body pressed against him as if she wanted to rub herself completely into his arms and merge with him.
Ian was caught off guard by this sudden, intense reaction. His brain went blank for a moment.
The girl’s soft body fit snugly against him, and the possessiveness overflowing from her was so thick it nearly suffocated him.
He subconsciously wanted to push her away, only to find that she was holding him in a death grip, as if using every ounce of her strength.
His struggle turned into helpless acceptance.
Ian could only lie there stiffly, letting Otillia have her way.