III.

The ring was identical to the one from his grandfather’s portrait in his youth. The ring that had been stolen by demons—how did Nancy end up with it?

Aaron wanted her to give him a reasonable explanation. But all he got were vague stories that didn’t sit right with him.

“It happened before I was even born!”

It was true—the ring had been stolen thirty years ago, well before she was born.

But how could she know that? Claiming ignorance sounded like an excuse, if not a blatant lie. The more he thought about it, the more suspicion grew in his mind. Could it be that she was involved with demons?

She wasn’t like the hero he had expected, but she wasn’t evil either. Maybe this was just the kind of hero she was meant to be.

Just as he was trying to think positively, the betrayal of his trust sparked a wave of anger. But just as quickly as the anger flared up, it vanished, as though it had been washed away by an unseen force.

What’s going on? Aaron tried to make sense of the situation, but then, out of nowhere, a notification window appeared before him:

【 The spell cast on Aaron has been broken. 】

Wet, golden hair, slightly upturned, cat-like eyes, and skin—no longer the unpleasant gleaming green—now fair and clear.

It had been almost a decade since he had last seen a woman’s face. It felt strange, almost shocking. He couldn’t tear his gaze away.

‘Don’t look at her face,’ the prophecy came rushing back to him.

His heart pounded in his chest. The pulsing sensation quickly turned into an overwhelming, chest-tightening pain that made him break out into a cold sweat.

“Nancy,” he breathed, his hand gently caressing her cheek, and the pain eased a little.

Instead, a burning heat surged through his body.

“I can’t stop wanting to touch you. Why… why am I like this?”

He muttered, confused. Yet, no matter how confused he was, he couldn’t bring himself to remove his hand from her face.

In fact, he wanted more—wanted to see her up close, every detail of her face.

Every time he touched her, Nancy flinched and made a sound. At first, she furrowed her brow, thinking it was strange, but soon, the sounds she made began to evoke a different feeling—something almost alluring.

“Nancy.”

When he said her name, her golden eyes, weakened with a dazed look, turned toward him. She rubbed her cheek against his large hand as he held her face. Aaron swallowed hard, his face flushed.

Nancy tried to resist her own actions, desperate to stop herself.

But no matter how hard she fought against it, the mental spell was too powerful. The more she tried to resist, the more her mind turned to mush, leaving her feeling only pleasure.

Aaron slowly leaned in, so close that their noses nearly touched. He stopped just short and inhaled deeply, starting from her cheek and down to her collarbone, taking in her scent. It was as if he wanted to smell every inch of her, leaving nothing untouched.

Their eyes locked. Aaron, narrowing his eyes, gave her a look she couldn’t quite understand.

“You smell like the same soap I just used. That same scent,” he murmured.

Why was he so excited by the simple fact that they smelled the same? Objectively, it wasn’t even a particularly pleasant smell. In fact, while using the soap, he had thought it was rather mediocre.

But he wanted to smell it more. He wanted to pull her close, bury his nose in her skin, and take in her scent as deeply as he could. It was a strange, unfamiliar desire, one he’d never had before.

It wasn’t the smell itself that was driving him wild.

Aaron realized. It was because it was her scent. He was excited by the fact that he was smelling her.

“Stop talking nonsense and back off…”

Nancy tried to push him away, pressing her hands against his chest.

But Aaron didn’t like hearing that. He took her wrist and pulled her back into his arms, holding her tightly. As her body fit snugly against his, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

How had things come to this? Just moments ago, he had been filled with cold rage over her betrayal. But now, that coldness had evaporated, replaced by a heat that felt almost unbearable.

His eyes, his mind, his heart—they were all on fire. Wherever their bodies touched, it felt like they were melting together.

To feel her even closer, Aaron wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace, leaving no space between them.

“Ah… wait, Aaron… stop…”

Nancy gasped, feeling lightheaded from the increasing pressure. She thought if she stayed in his arms any longer, she might lose her mind.

“Let go of me, Aaron, let go…”

“No. It feels good like this,” Aaron murmured, brushing his lips lightly against her ear. “Don’t you feel the same?”

She should have immediately said no, told him to back off, but for some reason, the words wouldn’t come out of her mouth.