"Why the cuffs?" Vivian asked, voice laced with curiosity.
"Ether cuffs," Azalea corrected, eyes never leaving his book.
She squinted at him, then her eyes widened as realization hit.
He's not afraid of me manipulating his emotions… she thought, He's afraid I'll manipulate that girl's emotions.
Tch. She clicked her tongue.
She should've done it the moment she saw the girl—her aura had been chaotic. Jumbled. Rage, frustration, grief, confusion—too many emotions at once. It was overwhelming. She'd never encountered someone with such a storm of raw, unfiltered feeling before. It had stunned her. She forgot to act.
"...Wait," she said, voice shifting into mock horror, "But don't these cuffs leave me vulnerable? What if your manly instincts kick in and you can't control yourself—what if you try to ravage me?"
There it was—the narcissist in full display.
Azalea didn't even flinch.
"Trust me when I say this… you don't ignite any form of lust in me," he replied, tone flat. "You can sense emotions, can't you? Then you should already know. You don't even register as one percent of the women I've seen in my life."
He strapped the cuffs tighter, then calmly sat across from her, legs crossed, and reopened his book.
"You could lie naked before me, and I'd be more tempted to sit on you than touch you."
Vivian stared at him.
Then she roared.
"What?! HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT TO ME?! Do you know how many men would beg to die for just a kiss from me?!"
He didn't even look up.
Silence.
It made her skin crawl.
That indifference. That total disregard. She hated it.
What did he mean, he'd rather sit on her?
Then—she smiled.
A slow, sharp smile.
He wasn't emotionless. He was just... hidden. That mild flicker of irritation earlier? She'd seen it. It was there.
And if she could draw out any emotion—even the faintest glimmer—she could manipulate it. Twist it. That was her gift.
That was the game.
She slid across the seat beside him, voice dipping low and silky.
"Hey," she murmured, pressing her thigh against his.
He didn't look up.
"What," he muttered.
She took his free hand and guided it to her chest.
"You feel that?" she whispered against his ear. "Just imagine sucking on it. Firm and soft… I can bury your full length between these perfect, pillowy breasts."
He remained silent.
"Come on," she purred. "I'm practically throwing myself at you. I'll let you have me as much as you want. Don't you want to know what real, peak pleasure feels like?"
He finally looked at her.
Just for a moment.
A grin began to bloom across her lips.
Yes… that's it. Come on, show me something—just a flicker.
Then—
"You don't say. So you're just a whore after all," he said, tone bored.
Her face went slack.
Not a trace of lust. Not even disgust. Just... nothing.
How?!
She'd seduced royalty, warlords, and high priests. Every kind of man imaginable. Even those like him—the cold ones—eventually caved. All she needed was the right trigger. The right kink. Everyone had one.
But this guy?
Nothing.
"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered.
No heat. No flicker. Not even curiosity.
It made no sense.
She stared at him—then narrowed her eyes.
"Wait. Are you… a woman?" she asked, genuinely baffled now.
"No," he replied, brushing her hand off. "You just don't interest me."
"Anna," he called, and the carriage lurched to a halt.
Vivian's frown deepened.
No... I'm losing.
Her greatest weapon was useless. And worse—Anna was coming. She sensed it.
That girl was terrifying. Her ether pool was monstrous. Even if the cuffs didn't fully seal her own power, they sealed enough to limit her influence. With what little ether she could channel, manipulating someone like Anna was impossible.
But this guy—he still might be manageable. She just needed to trigger something. Rage. Lust. Anything.
I won't lose. Not like this, she thought.
Her tongue shifted, moving a small capsule tucked behind her molars. A failsafe.
An aphrodisiac.
One strong enough to override resistance. Biological, not magical. Even the coldest man couldn't resist its effects if ingested.
As the carriage door creaked open, she lunged.
Just enough ether flowed through her to enhance her strength. She grabbed Azalea by the face, the pill ready behind her lips—
But before she could kiss him—
CHOP.
A swift blow landed against her neck.
Her body seized.
"Ghk—!"
She staggered back, coughing violently.
Too late.
She'd swallowed it herself.
Azalea clicked his tongue. "So the ether cuffs are garbage after all."
"Sir?" Anna's voice cut in. She stood by the door—hair a wild mess, eyes gleaming with silent madness.
"Take her to the back. Gag her. Tie her up. Then lock her in the box. I don't want to hear her voice."
Anna nodded, dragging the dazed and trembling Vivian away.
The girl didn't fight.
She couldn't.
Because she knew what she had just ingested.
And it wasn't some petty street drug.
It was a problem.
A very, very big one.