It was impossible to say how much time had passed, but it was only when Otillia began to tremble from a lack of oxygen and extreme agitation that the long, heated kiss was forced to an end.
Her breathing was a ragged mess.
She pulled back just a fraction, panting heavily.
Her face was flushed, and her blue eyes were watery and dazed, yet they shone with a startling intensity.
She gazed foolishly at Ian’s own slightly swollen lips, a silly smile spreading across her face as if she had just obtained the most precious treasure in the world.
“Ian… mine…”
She murmured, her body going limp from the intense “exercise” and her already weakened state.
It was as if her last thread of strength had been drained away.
She slumped against Ian’s chest, her arms still stubbornly wrapped around him.
With a sweet smile lingering on her lips, her heavy eyelids eventually drooped.
Finally, her breathing became completely steady and rhythmic as she fell into a genuine, deep sleep.
Even in her dreams, her arms did not loosen their grip, as if she were terrified that the person in her embrace would vanish the moment she let go.
Ian lay there, his chest heaving.
His lips stung with a burning sensation, and his nose was filled with the scent of her hair and the lingering taste of the kiss.
It took a full 1 minute for him to recover from that almost predatory display of affection.
Ian moved carefully, bit by bit, prying Otillia’s arms from around his neck.
It took a fair amount of effort before he finally managed to extricate himself from beneath her and her tight embrace.
Looking at Otillia, who was sleeping soundly on the bed with a smile as if she were having the most wonderful dream, Ian rubbed his tingling lips with a complicated expression.
The price… was a bit high.
But regardless, the timing was finally right.
He pulled out the Memory Seal Scroll once more.
This time, there were no more obstacles.
He pressed the scroll against Otillia’s smooth forehead.
A soft glow lit up, slowly seeping into her skin.
She furrowed her brows slightly, as if sensing something even in her sleep, but her expression soon smoothed out, and she sank into an even deeper tranquility.
Ian focused intensely, guiding the power of the seal.
Eventually, the magic from the scroll completely vanished into the space between Otillia’s eyebrows, leaving behind only a faint, nearly invisible silver mark that quickly faded away.
The Memory Seal was complete.
Ian let out a long sigh of relief, feeling more exhausted than if he had just fought a brutal battle.
He carefully laid Otillia flat and tucked her in.
After one last look at her peaceful sleeping face, he retreated silently toward the window.
Outside, the sky was approaching dawn, with a faint pale light bleeding through the edge of the deep blue horizon.
Ian rubbed his throbbing temples and his still-stinging lips.
Dragging his exhausted body, he slipped out the window as silently as he had arrived, melting into the fading darkness of the night.
The room returned to silence.
Only the mingled light of the moon and the brightening dawn fell upon the girl’s serene face.
Shortly after Ian’s figure had completely disappeared from the window, the long, thick eyelashes of the girl who was supposed to be in a deep, sealed sleep flickered imperceptibly.
The innocent, satisfied smile on her lips shifted into one of predatory contentment, as if a scheme had succeeded.
Beneath the covers, her fingertips gently brushed against her own lips, which still held a trace of tingling numbness.
Repeated soothing potions, repeated Memory Seals… her body and mind had long ago developed a Rare Magic Resistance to such methods.
‘Silly Ian, you’ve used this so many times, you won’t even change the recipe or the scroll…’
‘Hee hee, Ian… my Ian…’
Having obtained her “first kiss” and an “admission of affection,” the irritability and sense of emptiness that had been tearing her apart were temporarily filled.
A surge of wild ecstasy and satisfaction crashed through her chest.
She couldn’t help but hug the blanket and roll around on the large bed like a small beast that had received its favorite toy, letting out an irrepressible, giddy giggle.
After a few rolls, she finally calmed down and lay on her side, her finger absentmindedly tracing the faint patterns on the duvet.
‘Hmph, I’ll let you go for now.’
‘If I push too hard all at once, you might run away again…’
‘I need to take it slow… until you come back to me, step by step, of your own free will…’
Her fingertip gently slid over her slightly swollen lips.
The warmth and sensation of Ian seemed to linger there, causing her to shiver involuntarily as a deeper obsession flickered in her eyes.
‘Before that… I’ll give you a little more… time to roam free.’
She stepped out of bed barefoot, her feet sinking into the soft carpet.
She didn’t head for the door, but instead walked toward a wall on the inner side of the room adorned with intricate carvings.
Her fingers pressed against several specific, unremarkable raised sections of the carvings, applying pressure in a precise sequence.
A soft *click* sounded, and a section of the wall slid inward soundlessly, revealing a Hidden Chamber behind it.
The chamber had no windows; only several Starlight Stones embedded in the ceiling emitted a cold, ghostly light.
Several metal chains shimmering with dark gold magic patterns hung from the walls.
The chains themselves were slender yet possessed an extraordinary toughness.
The cuffs were designed with exquisite sturdiness, their edges polished smooth — clearly they were precision-made items, not crude tools meant for shackling magical beasts.
Nearby hung several pairs of shackles made of the same material, lined with soft leather.
Their sizes were clearly intended for human wrists and ankles.
A strangely shaped chair with thick velvet cushions sat in the corner, its armrests equipped with adjustable restraints.
On a shelf against the wall, various bottles and jars were neatly arranged.
Labels bore names such as “Potent Tranquilizer,” “Mana Soothing,” and “Deep Sleep (Special Blend).”
There were even several pink bottles that only partially displayed characters for “Conception” and “Passion.”
Furthermore, there were several other peculiar items with clear, specific purposes:
Fragments of a Space Interference Array, blueprints for a Magic Suppression Collar, and even several open books filled with dense notes.
The titles included *Rare Magic Resistance*, *Mental Guidance and Suggestion Techniques*, and *Ancient Binding Magic*.
Everything here silently testified to the room’s owner’s long-term “collection” and “preparations.”
Otillia walked slowly into the Hidden Chamber, her gaze like that of a queen inspecting her territory.
Her fingertips brushed against the cold chains, and she picked up a velvet-lined collar to toy with it.
Her gaze was tender to a disturbing degree.
“No rush…”
She whispered to the empty chamber, and to the person who wasn’t there.
“Everything here will be the best… the most suitable Love Nest for us…”
“When the time comes, you won’t be able to leave me… This place will be a world belonging only to the two of us.”
A sweet yet dangerous smile curved her lips.
She gently placed the collar back where it belonged and turned to leave the Hidden Chamber.
The wall slid shut once more, sealing perfectly without leaving a single trace.