Jon gazed at Melody deeply, his mind wandered to the distant past.
Melody was introduced to his family when she turned fifteen.
She was his milk mother's third child and second daughter.
Jon trusted his milk mother deeply.
After all, when he was a helpless newborn, unable to form a single coherent thought and branded an unlucky star for being born on the darkest night, devoid of light, and for bringing death to his mother the moment he was born, she was the only one who stood by him against all accusations and superstitions, feeding him her nutritious breast milk in his late mother's absence and helping him survive and grow healthy dutifully.
While his father not only neglected him but also spat curses at the sight of him, using him as an outlet for his misfortunes and blaming every ill that befell him on his existence, she cradled him like he was a part of her own flesh and blood, treating him better than her children.
He grew up drinking her milk, surviving off her kindness and mercy. If she had been as cruel and superstitious as the rest of the villagers, then perhaps—under the neglect of his father and the schemes of the green tea bitch he married less than a month after his mother's funeral—he would've died during the most fragile days of his life.
Thus, when his milk mother requested he take her daughter into his service, he readily agreed, desiring to repay a small part of the favor she had done him.
After Melody began her new life as his personal maid, she didn't wait for even a week before she started seducing him.
With her angelic looks and curvy body, who could resist her invitation?
Jon, who had been single since birth, gave in to the temptation, marking her as his territory.
Until now, he believed it was mutual attraction that brought them together, but after hearing her request, he began to seriously doubt that.
"Hmm." A heavy hum escaped Jon.
Melody couldn't tell what he was thinking. His expression was unreadable as he stared at her with inky black eyes that were still like the surface of a tranquil lake under a moonless night. She didn't know that a storm of thoughts were swirling behind those calm eyes, weighing the implications of her request.
"Is it a yes or no?" She asked somewhat impatiently.
"I can agree to your request, but only on one condition," Jon said, gently tucking a few strands of loose hair behind her ear.
"What condition?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
She had done so much for him since she began serving him. She had given him her body and her heart, and if it were possible, she would have given him her soul too. That's how much she loved him. She was crazy for him. So the fact that he was putting forward a condition to fulfill her request didn't sit well with her. But he was the master, and she was just his maidservant. She didn't dare argue or accuse him of not loving her as much as she loved and desired him. All she could do was show a hint of her dissatisfaction.
Noticing her dissatisfaction, Jon grabbed the back of her head and pulled her in until their faces were just an inch apart. Melody's heart sped up. With his eyes boring intensely and possessively into hers, he calmly stated, "Never betray me."
Melody blinked in suprise, "That's it?"
His condition was surprisingly easy to fullfill.
"Yes." Jon said in a voice that had always managed to send shivers down her spine.
"Is that something to ask for? I love you so much. I would never betray you," Melody said.
These words, even if they come out of a woman with average looks but a clean lifestyle, they would be pleasant to hear, but Melody possessed a radiant and hypnotizing beauty.
Hearing her say that with a look of utter conviction, Jon's heart was touched.
However, one thought held him back from blindly believing her.
'Human heart is unfathomable. One moment it can be warm and the very next moment it can cold and cruel like ice shards.'
Jon had experienced it firsthand.
Right now, Melody needed him.
But in the future, if their positions were reversed…
Would her heart remain the same?
Or would she turn her back on him the moment she found him no longer useful?
It was hard to tell.
That was precisely why he was giving her the chance to participate in the Battle Spirit Awakening Trial.
If she turned out to be talented, her status would rise. From the maidservant of the unlucky star of the Mountain Clan, she would become the darling of Stone Village. She would be desired by all three clans with each trying to poach her for themselves.
He truly wanted to see what she would do then.
Would she be swayed?
Or would she remain by his side… and serve him until death do them apart?
If it was the latter, he would cherish her like a treasure in his grasp.
But if it was the latter...
Jon's eyes narrowed into thin slit, gleaming gloomily.
The price of betrayal would be heavy!