Yan Trow had recently been getting heated about a pr*stitute – a beautiful blonde rookie actress.

In the Kingdom of Peiren, with its rigid class system, it was common for novice actors and actresses to engage in prostitution.

Once they gained more popularity, they would get fixed patrons, and if they became successful, becoming a noble’s mistress was the established path to success.

Thanks to this, Leah had memorized the face of the blonde beauty she needed to find.

She had seen it in the corner of the theater poster that Rikeil had obtained.

‘But I can’t find her anywhere no matter how much I look. What should I do?’

She needed to find Lord Trow and steal the potion, but neither the man who was supposed to come nor the woman he was supposed to meet was in sight.

‘Should I throw money around and force my way into the noble’s private room?’

While she was struggling with this dilemma.

“How could such a beautiful flower be alone?”

A cheesy line was heard right next to her.

Leah slowly turned her head, dreading what she might see. A man with several buttons of his shirt undone gave her a sleazy look and winked.

‘Ugh, so greasy.’

Chest hair was visible through his unbuttoned shirt.

‘My eyes! My eyes!’

Having seen many good things lately made her less immune to unsightly things. The chest-hair man swaggered.

“I want to pluck this flower wet with evening dew.”

He pulled out a wilted rose that had been stuck somewhere in his shirt buttons and held it out. Leah was internally disgusted.

‘No thanks, please button up your shirt. And what’s with that rose? Get that thing away… huh?’

Leah realized the situation.

‘Isn’t this that thing?’

After the incident where Baron Durford covered the grand plaza with roses for Peirose, a trend had spread among young men and playboys to wear roses on their chests.

Because of this, she had heard about a new trend appearing in nighttime social circles.

Apparently, offering the flower from one’s chest was considered a sophisticated way to proposition high-class prostitutes. She took a sharp breath.

‘He thinks I’m a high-class pr*stitute and is trying to buy me!’

Leah rolled her eyes in panic.

‘I heard that if a pr*stitute accepts the flower and puts it on her chest, it means she’s agreeing to sell her night to you. But how was one supposed to refuse again?’

She needed to refuse without causing a scene, but her mind went blank.

While she was wondering what to do, the chest-hair man pressed the rose into her hand while stroking her wrist.

“Don’t play too hard to get, okay?”

Just as Leah’s hand holding the rose tensed up.

“Let go!”

A shout was heard from upstairs.

***

It was Helix’s voice.

Leah found herself running up the stairs without thinking.

‘Helix!’

Leah gasped as soon as she found him. Several people were surrounding Helix, who was slumped against the wall.

“Baby, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

One woman boldly reached out to touch him while speaking seductively.

“I’ve never seen such a handsome man before.”

Another woman tried to remove Helix’s mask.

“Should we call more people? For someone of this caliber, there’ll be a line.”

“You fool, we should enjoy him first before calling others.”

Men were also clinging to him.

Leah’s mind became a whirlpool of confusion.

‘Who’s your baby? Who are you to try to unmask our Helix? Why are men also clinging to him? I don’t know, whatever. I don’t care anymore!’

Having reached a conclusion in an instant, Leah strode toward them.

“Everyone move!”

Her voice came out sharp without meaning to.

Leah forcefully stuck the rose she was holding onto Helix’s chest.

“He’s mine!”

Those who had been eyeing him stared at her in bewilderment.

The chest-hair man who had first given her the rose had followed and now stood with his mouth agape.

What happened next was even more shocking.

Helix, who had been struggling hard even in his drunken state, pulled Leah’s waist and buried his face in her chest while mumbling.

“Why did you come so late?”

Those who had been surrounding Helix gaped. He had acted like he’d never even held a woman’s hand before, but it turned out he was just picky.

Leah was equally dumbfounded.

‘What’s this? What’s with this uncharacteristically bold skinship?’

Looking down in disbelief, Helix met her eyes and crinkled his eye corners. As he rubbed his cheek against her chest with a smile, the smell of alcohol wafted up with the movement.

‘So this is because of alcohol!’

While Leah was realizing this, Helix continued rubbing his face while also caressing her waist.

‘…Who are you? Where did that Confucian gentleman Helix go?’

It seemed his usual self-control that he wore like armor had completely flown away after drinking.

Meanwhile, he was pressing against her chest padding.

‘This is dangerous.’

Cold sweat ran down her pounding chest.

***

‘If this drags on, I’ll be found out.’

Having made this judgment, she pinched Helix’s nose lightly and spoke in a nasally voice.

“See? I told you it would be dangerous if you came first when you’re so pretty.”

What a desperate act that gave her goosebumps even as she did it!

Helix, having apparently thrown away his usual reserved nature along with his sobriety, just smiled happily.

“You’re prettier.”

“Oh my.”

Those who had been pursuing them now looked at the couple with rotten gazes like dogs watching cockroaches.

Regardless of their looks.

Leah stuck close to Helix as if they were one body and flung open the nearest door.

Bang!

Right in front of their faces, the two beautiful people disappeared into their own world. Those who had been pursuing Helix and Leah opened their mouths in shock before closing them again.

“Ah, life…”

What was this feeling of having their wounds salted while out having fun? The mood had somehow turned sour for those standing in front of the door.

“Guess we should just drink.”

“Sigh. Let me join you.”

***

“Huff huff.”

However, the situation inside the room was quite different from what they imagined. As soon as the door closed, Leah started scolding Helix.

“Why did you drink so much?”

“Leah…”

“Yes, it’s me. Try to get your senses back.”

“Pretty Leah…”

“I know I’m pretty, okay? Ah, don’t collapse! Can’t you walk properly on your own feet?”

She grunted as she dragged Helix toward the bed.

It was truly drunk-person-support mode. Supporting a man as big as Helix was enough to give her muscle pain, given her lack of strength.

“I wish there was a way to build muscles with magic. It would be nice if casting thirty fireballs could build basic strength like doing thirty squats…”

Leah muttered as she managed to get Helix to the bed.

Just as she was trying to lay him down.

“Huh? Huuh?”

Thump.

Unable to handle Helix’s weight, Leah fell onto the bed with him. She flailed like an upturned turtle.

“Ughh…”

The heavy velvet dress and hair ornaments made it impossible to get up immediately. A large hand slipped under her waist and smoothly pushed her up. With his help, Leah’s body finally rolled over to lie face down.

On top of Helix’s body.

“Oh my goodness.”

What was this hot and hard thing?

Her ears turned red at the feeling that made her sealed lustful demon want to fly out. She tried to get up quickly, but she couldn’t lift her body without using his body as support.

Leah wiggled around trying to get up somehow without touching Helix’s body.

“Ungh…”

But to Helix, who had her on top of him, it was just a squirming movement. He let out a low groan.

“Leah… please…”

Sensing danger instinctively, Leah quickly raised her upper body while bracing against his body. As she tried to back away, Helix caught her arm as though he were trying to fish it out.

A large hand hotter than usual.

Each long finger dug into Leah’s arm like a heated iron.

“Leah.”

Helix whispered in a cracked voice.

A soft and low voice that seemed to be boiling somewhere.

“Don’t go.”

Even though the fire mana was inside her.

Helix seemed to be boiling over even hotter.

“…”

Leah looked down at him with her body frozen half-raised.

Both the hand holding her arm and the gaze that couldn’t leave her face were too hot. She impulsively covered Helix’s eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Leah, you.”

Helix removed the hand covering his eyes and placed it on his chest.

Thump. Thump.

“When you’re this beautiful.”

His icy grey eyes rippled like ice containing fire. He whispered, lamenting.

“How can I look away?”

It was an entranced gaze.

Leah met Helix’s eyes.

As if the heat was contagious, her lower abdomen tingled, and she became conscious of the warmth of Helix’s waist and stomach that she was straddling.

‘It’s hot.’

The moment she felt that both the chest she was bracing against and her hand touching it were too hot.

Pop pop pong.

The mana surged up.

Leah tried to snatch her hand away as if she had been burned.

But Helix wouldn’t let go. His hand pressed her hand more firmly against his chest.

The firm chest felt under the smooth skin was getting hotter and hotter… and his heart was beating faster.

Thump.

Thump.

Leah’s ears burned.

She couldn’t tell whether the heartbeat she heard in her burning ears was Helix’s or her own.

Helix whispered in a cracked voice.

“When I’m with you… I become strange like this.”

When I can’t see you my chest feels cold, and when you’re in front of me my heart beats like crazy.

“I’m scared.”

He muttered lowly.

‘Of what?’

Leah wanted to ask. But she couldn’t gather her thoughts, shaken by the mana pouring down like heavy rain.

She felt dizzy.

And hot.

Helix whispered.

“That I might… ruin you.”

Bang.

The door burst open forcefully.

***

“Oh? There are already guests here?”

An unfamiliar man’s voice.

The wind coming through the wide-open door instantly cooled the heated air.

Leah and Helix froze in place. They exchanged frantic looks.

‘Leah, didn’t you lock the door?’

‘I could barely support you, how could I lock the door?’

Step step.

The man who opened the door walked into the room without any regard for the two.

“Isn’t this the room I reserved?”

Of all rooms, they had to enter one that was already reserved. It was a day of multiple complications.

Leah slowly turned her head to check who the person who made the reservation was.

Oh my.’

After searching everywhere without a trace.

‘Why are you here now?’