Chapter 141. The Embodiment of My Desire

‘This is…’

What is this?

Utterly perplexed, Ellen’s mouth opened and closed repeatedly. A hand gently caressed her stiff cheek. Ellen blankly turned her head to look beside her. As their eyes met, he suddenly lowered his upper body and kissed her.

He tightly embraced Ellen, who flinched in surprise, and pushed his tongue into her mouth, exploring deeply. A kiss that was gentle yet rough, and as thirsty as finding an oasis in a desert.

“Ah…”

After a while, Enoch’s hot breath fell on Ellen’s white nape as he parted his lips. When he kissed her sensitive skin with a ‘chup’, Ellen startled greatly and trembled. It was hard to grasp exactly what was happening, the situation was completely beyond her comprehension.

“Ah!”

Suddenly, her neck was bitten hard. Enoch, who had sunk his teeth in as if a beast marking its prey, soon raised his head and looked down at Ellen with rather ominous eyes. Ellen was so confused that she couldn’t come to her senses at all. What on earth was this situation? What was this on her ankle, and this man… why was he doing this?

Why, still, at me, with those eyes.

“Trying to run away from me twice, you’ve got some nerve.”

“Ah…”

“I won’t tolerate a third time. Though it’s impossible for you to run away anyway.”

He murmured softly as he grabbed her ankle and lifted it. As if to properly show her the firmly attached shackle.

“It’s a magical tool with tracking magic. I’ve engraved it with my blood, so only I can remove it.”

“Tracking magic…”

Ellen muttered blankly. The situation she found herself in felt so much like a dream that she couldn’t feel any sense of reality.

“You can never escape from me. Don’t even dream of running away. I’ll never let you go to that bastard Felix Werner, even if you die.”

Ellen was shocked as Felix’s name was mentioned again. Thinking that this misunderstanding should be cleared up if nothing else, Ellen hastily opened her mouth.

“Nothing happened with Felix.”

Then she paused for a moment. Why am I explaining this? Isn’t this an issue that doesn’t need explanation?

The love magic has been lifted, and there’s not even a grain of sand’s worth of reason for Enoch to be jealous of Felix.

So he should be indifferent to whoever I’m with… Surely, that’s how it should be…

‘Why…’

Why hasn’t the look in your eyes changed when you look at me?

Have I finally gone mad…?

“Do you know that bastard likes you?”

“…I know.”

“You know? You knew and still were with that bastard? Why? Were you going to accept his feelings? Don’t tell me you’ve already kissed and slept with him?”

“No!”

As she was once again subjected to an absurd insult, her mind suddenly cleared. Ellen bit her lip hard and, though trembling like a rain-soaked puppy, glared at Enoch quite fiercely as she declared.

“Nothing happened with Felix. I clearly rejected Felix’s feelings. So please stop talking about Felix now.”

Staring at the woman who was clearly expressing her will despite her obvious fear, Enoch laughed lightly. His hand unconsciously moved to gently stroke her slender waist. In fact, his hands had been caressing various parts of her body since earlier. Without him fully realizing it.

“Fine, let’s drop the talk about that unpleasant Felix Werner.”

“……”

“Now I need to hear your story. Why did you leave without saying anything to me? Because the love magic wore off? Were you afraid of its side effects?”

“…I…”

Ellen flinched, shrinking her body that was still being toyed with, and moved her lips. She was still too confused.

She thought he would be angry with her. She was afraid of being hated. But… his reaction when she faced him like this was too different from what she had expected.

Therefore, before answering his question, she had to ask.

Because she couldn’t bear not asking.

“Don’t you… hate me?”

“I hate you so much I want to break you right now. Because you dared to run away from me.”

“…Don’t you… detest me?”

“Not really. Seeing you makes me feel like I’m going crazy with burning inside, but this feeling isn’t hatred. Even after that damned love magic wore off, you still look so damn pretty and lovable to me. Do you know how much I’m holding back right now? I’m going crazy wanting to devour you right this instant.”

“……”

Her mind went blank. It sounded almost as if he was saying he loved her.

But, but, how… Your feelings were supposed to be due to magic.

Ellen asked blankly.

She couldn’t help but ask.

“Do you… love me?”

“……”

Enoch seemed at a loss for words, as if he was suddenly struck dumb.

As if the weight of that question had suddenly become heavier.

Only after some time had passed did he mutter, talking to himself.

“Do I… you…”

Confusion settled in his golden eyes. Ellen saw a new side of him that she had never seen before. She had never thought she would see such an expression, such anguish, from him. Because Enoch Bayern had always been as lofty and noble as the stars in the sky.

For such a star to truly fall into her arms… she never dared to hope for it.

“I don’t know.”

“……”

The man who had finally faced his own feelings muttered in an uncharacteristically bewildered voice.

“I was truly out of my mind after you left. Is this because I love you?”

“……”

“This damn feeling of mine… it’s too dark and sticky to be called love.”

“……”

“The whole time I was tracking you down, I thought about locking you up. When I finally found you, I really wanted to do that. Though I didn’t end up doing it. But… you ran away from me again. Twice.”

“……”

“It was only after I caught you in the rain that I finally made a decision. To put this on your ankle and lock you up.”

“……”

He laughed self-mockingly.

It was a laugh tinged with self-loathing and resignation.

“Do you know where this is, Ellen?”

“……”

“It’s my private villa in Rublea. You’re trapped here. A madman who’s lost his mind because of you has imprisoned you here. And that madman is now pondering how to keep you by his side for life. …What should I do, Ellen.”

He stroked her lower abdomen lingeringly. With clear intent.

“If you were to bear my child.”

“……!”

“Then you might never be able to escape from me.”

Enoch spread Ellen’s legs and pressed his body closer. As if he was about to plunge into her at any moment.

“You’re kind, so you wouldn’t be able to turn your back on a child you painfully gave birth to. No matter how terrible I am for trying to keep you by my side even by force like this, you wouldn’t be able to leave because of the child. Right?”

Finally confirming the unbelievable truth, Ellen gasped, overwhelmed with shock. As if to sever even the last thread of denial remaining in her heart, he drove in the final nail.

“Yes. If this is love, then it’s love.”

“……”

“This… sticky, black swamp-like thing.”

“……”

“This crazy feeling of wanting to possess you even if it means breaking you, this kind of thing is love.”

Dumbfounded, he laughed, running a hand over his face, which was twisted in agony. Ellen felt dazed, as if she had been hit hard on the head with a hammer, unable to think anything. She still couldn’t believe it. That he desired her even without the power of magic…

“I thought you loved me too.”

“……”

“I thought you were attracted to me, even if not with the same crazy feelings as mine. But was I wrong?”

The hand that had been caressing around her waist skillfully removed her indoor top. Ellen’s n*ked body was exposed in an instant, with only the shackle on her ankle reflecting a smooth silver light in the gaslight.

Enoch lifted her ankle and kissed her snow-white instep with a ‘chup’. He touched and licked her smooth leg as if cherishing something infinitely precious. He was willing to become an unforgivable bastard for life if it meant possessing this woman.

Having finally acknowledged this desperate and impatient desire, he felt rather at ease. It was laughable how he had been acting like an idiot, swayed by magic or whatever until now. He should have done this from the beginning. He should have acknowledged and accepted this dark and deep desire to bind her to himself, rather than mere curiosity or interest.

Since when had it been?

Since when did you become such a coveted existence to me?

If my desire were to be molded into human form, it would surely take your shape. You are the first desire I’ve had in this boring and meaningless life. Your existence could not be replaced by anything else. Even if I brought another woman and stripped her n*ked in front of me, I wouldn’t feel any excitement. Because what I want is only you, the embodiment of my desire, you alone.

So, tell me you want me too.

So that my existence, which feels like an incomplete part the moment I realized this feeling, can become complete through you.

“I understand my feelings now. Now I’m curious about your heart.”

“……”

“What about you? Do you want me too?”

He asked with uncharacteristic anxiety, with a desperation he had never felt before. Confident in his typical arrogance that she must feel the same way as him.

However, Ellen’s reaction the next moment was something he had never expected.

“Why…”

A transparent tear rolled down from her blue eyes. Her voice, sounding so sad, struck his heart dully.

“Why only now…”

* * *