Saving My Childhood Friend Through... Questionable Means... - Chapter 29
He wanted to do it again… but he himself knew that it would be too much.
Letting out a deep sigh, he grabbed a cloth from the bedside table, he carefully cleaned Seria’s body and helped her into her robe.
Seria lay dazed on the bed, her gaze unfocused, until Lucas carefully lay beside her in his robe. Snapping back to reality, she sat up abruptly, startling Lucas into sitting up as well. Without a word, she grabbed his arm and turned it toward her. The curse mark on his forearm had completely disappeared.
“It’s gone! I wasn’t seeing things—your mark is gone! We can call the sorcerer now!”
“What? …It really is gone. I can’t believe it. How could it disappear this easily?”
Lucas stared at his forearm in disbelief. The mark had vanished without a trace. He had thought there would still be more time, more nights to endure, but with the mark gone, an unexpected sense of loss settled in his chest.
He remained silent, his eyes fixed on his now-clear arm. Seeing his reaction, the smile on Seria’s face slowly faded, and an awkward silence filled the air around them.
The curse was broken, yet the heavy tension between them remained.
What would become of their relationship now?
Seria clenched her eyes shut, overwhelmed by a sense of hopelessness. This was why she had initially tried to keep her feelings out of it, why she had told herself this was nothing more than duty. But it was too late now—everything had already gone awry.
Turning away from Lucas, she reached for the glass of water on the bedside table.
That was when Lucas suddenly wrapped his arms around her from behind.
“Seria,” he murmured.
“What? What is it?”
She froze at his touch, her body tense. She tried to sound nonchalant, but her voice wavered slightly. Lucas didn’t loosen his hold as he spoke again.
“Thank you. If it weren’t for you, I might not have made it through this alive.”
“…Yeah.”
Seria’s chest tightened at his words. No matter how unsettling the journey had been, she had saved her friend’s life, and that was all that mattered, wasn’t it? Lucas remained silent for a moment, still holding her close. It felt like he had something more to say, but he hesitated, drawing the moment out.
“And one more thing,” he began, his warm breath brushing against the back of her neck.
A large hand slid down to her flat stomach, making her heart race. Seria swallowed hard, waiting for whatever serious words Lucas had to say.
“Should we do it one more time?”
“…What?”
Her disbelief was palpable. Before she could fully process his words, she felt something hard and hot pressing against her lower back. She didn’t even need to look to know what it was, and her fists trembled with frustration.
“Come on, Seria. I worked so hard to get better at this. It’d be a waste not to put all that practice to use… right?”
Lucas mumbled, leaning down to press his lips against her ear. His chest, broad and warm, pressed against her back, and his hand slowly slid up to the collar of her robe, tracing the fabric as if waiting for permission to remove it.
Seria’s expression darkened as she watched him. It was painfully clear now—his mind was filled with nothing but s*x. That was all he seemed to care about.
‘I can’t believe I actually expected something serious, she thought bitterly. What an idiot I am. He’s just trying to seduce me again!’
Furious, she slapped his hand away and got up from the bed, leaving Lucas’s hand grasping at empty air.
“No. I don’t want to. The curse is gone, so there’s no reason to do this anymore.”
“What? But… I thought I was good at it! Didn’t I do well? Can’t we just do it one more time?”
Lucas, oblivious as ever, moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her slender waist. She could feel his arousal pressing against her again, and her face twisted in frustration.
‘Is he even trying to hide it? Does he think I owe him this or something?’
Her anger bubbled to the surface. Unlike her, who was agonizing over their tangled relationship, Lucas seemed to have no worries at all. His only concern seemed to be satisfying his body’s desires.
“You’re unbelievable,” she scoffed, wrenching his hands off her waist.
Taken aback, Lucas tried to reach for her again, but Seria slapped his hands away, her voice trembling with anger.
“I said no! The mark is gone. All that’s left is to call the sorcerer. I’m leaving!”
“Wait, Seria! Are you mad?”
“I’m not mad.”
Her sharp tone and flustered demeanor betrayed her words, making Lucas frown in concern.
“You are mad. Did I do something wrong? Tell me, so I can fix it.”
“There’s nothing to fix. The mark is gone, so tomorrow I’ll send for the sorcerer. That’s it!”
With that, Seria stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her before Lucas could follow.
She sprinted down the empty hallway, her chest heaving with a mix of fury and an unshakable chill that settled deep in her heart.
