The grand ballroom of House Velcroft was alive with flickering chandelier light and whispers hidden behind jeweled fans. Velas stood at the top of the stairs, just outside the crowd, cloaked in midnight-blue finery that hugged his frame and gave his pale-gold eyes a predatory gleam.
Every noble in the room noticed him.
None recognized him.
Exactly as Seraphina wanted.
She arrived a moment later—radiant in a crimson gown split up one leg, her silver-blonde hair twisted into an elegant braid. Her arm slid into his without hesitation.
"Smile," she whispered.
"I already am," Velas replied without looking at her.
Down the steps they descended, two predators cloaked in perfume and silk.
---
[Quest Progress: Attend the Auction – Complete]
[Condition Met: First Public Display with Seraphina]
Affinity Increase: +6% (Total: 47%)
Bonus Trait Activated: Poised Presence – Temporary boost to Charisma during social events]
---
Dozens of nobles were gathered—each more dangerous than the last. Some were old money from merchant families. Others wore military colors. But Velas's eyes were drawn to a man leaning against a marble pillar: tall, lean, with sharp black eyes and a silver ring on every finger.
"That's Lord Ceylan," Seraphina whispered under her breath. "Relic trader. Dangerous. Ambitious. And interested in me."
"Jealous already?" Velas asked with a smirk.
She dug her nails lightly into his forearm. "Play your part. I want him looking at you tonight, not me."
They crossed the floor together as servants passed out flutes of pale wine. At the far end of the room stood a velvet-draped platform with the night's prizes—six artifacts laid out in locked glass boxes, each faintly glowing with residual energy.
Velas activated his skill silently, letting a soft pulse pass over the crowd.
---
[Touch of Desire – Passive Aura Activated]
Nearby Targets: 24
Mild Attraction Induced: 11 / Moderate: 6 / Strong Interest: 3
Resistance Detected: 4 (Noble Class – Wards in effect)]
---
The energy flowed back into him like warm honey, settling in his chest. He could feel the weight of their glances, the stirrings of interest behind practiced masks.
But one pair of eyes stood out: piercing, amused, assessing.
Ceylan.
The man approached with his hands behind his back, every step casual but precise.
"So," he said, glancing at Seraphina, then at Velas. "You've brought a pet."
"More like a partner," Seraphina replied smoothly.
Ceylan's eyes flicked to Velas. "He has the look of a hungry wolf. Where did you find him?"
Velas tilted his head. "She didn't find me. I walked in."
"Bold," Ceylan said. "But bold men rarely survive long in rooms like this."
Velas smiled. "Then it's a good thing I'm not a man you've seen before."
Ceylan studied him for a long moment, then smirked and walked away.
Seraphina exhaled slowly. "Good. You passed the first test."
"I thought I already did."
"That was for me," she said. "This one was for them."
---
Soon the auction began.
One by one, relics were presented: a dagger that whispered in dreams, a brooch that healed wounds once a day, a mirror that showed people's hidden desires.
Seraphina bid twice—deliberately low, never enough to win.
She was saving her coin. And her attention.
"For the last relic," the auctioneer said, "we have something… special. A fragment of a broken divine tablet. Language unknown. Origin: disputed. Residual energy: stable."
A velvet cloth was pulled back to reveal a stone sliver etched in glowing runes. The air grew subtly colder.
Velas felt his heartbeat shift.
Something old hummed behind those markings. Something not dead, just… waiting.
He swallowed. The system pinged in his mind.
---
[Divine Relic Detected – Fragment of the Unknown Word]
Danger Level: Moderate
Potential: Unknown
Corruption Risk: Low (Dormant State)]
---
"You want that," he murmured.
Seraphina nodded slowly. "I do."
"Why?"
"Because everyone else wants it too."
The bids began—fast and sharp. Two nobles raised stakes to absurd levels in seconds.
Ceylan stayed silent.
Velas leaned close to Seraphina. "You said you wanted me to impress you."
She raised an eyebrow. "You're not bidding."
"No." He smiled slowly. "But I can distract."
Before she could ask, he moved.
Velas crossed the floor with predatory grace, drawing curious eyes. He stopped at the table where the fragment lay, watching it under the glass.
The auctioneer stammered. "Sir—please—"
"I'm not touching it," Velas said, just loud enough for the crowd. "Just looking."
Then, as if drawn by curiosity alone, he looked toward Ceylan and gave the faintest smirk.
It worked.
Ceylan stood.
The room stiffened.
"No one moves near relics unless they know what they are," Ceylan said sharply. "Or unless they're foolish enough to die."
Velas held his gaze. "Why don't you come find out which I am?"
---
[Rivalry Initiated – Ceylan (Neutral Hostility)]
Effect: Future interactions will increase tension-based rewards
Seraphina Affinity +8% (Now 55%)
Lust Energy Increase: +4%
Status: Temptation in Motion
---
Velas stepped back just as the final bid rang out.
Seraphina had won.
The moment the relic was secured, she touched his hand lightly and whispered, "That was dangerous. You could've ruined everything."
"But I didn't," he murmured. "I made you stand out."
She looked at him with something like awe.
Or hunger.
"I don't know whether to punish you… or take you to bed."
He leaned in, his breath brushing her ear. "I'd enjoy both."
---
Back in her private chamber, the door closed behind them. The relic was placed in a warded case. Wine was poured. The tension finally spilled free.
She pressed him against the table first, lips brushing his with testing pressure.
"You want this?" she asked.
"I want power," Velas whispered. "And you taste like it."
Their mouths crashed together.
---
[Skill Activated: Touch of Desire – Enhanced Effect (Affinity
>50%)]
Lust Energy Absorbed: 6%
Leveling Progress: 23/100 → Tier 2 Threshold Approaching
---
The Incubus King's legacy stirred within his blood. And Seraphina? She was just the beginning.