Romei had anticipated such an answer, but actually hearing it made her heart troubled.

The reality that she would have to sleep with him out of necessity was distressing, but what troubled her even more was that Barmas’s life depended on her choice.

Despite having decided to embrace life again because of Barmas, and believing she should respond sincerely to the affection and genuineness he showed her, she still couldn’t make up her mind.

This was because Barmas was also the reason why Romei had chosen death in the first place.

While not everything about her decision to die was because of Barmas, he had certainly been the decisive factor.

Perhaps if she harbored more malice now, this could be the perfect opportunity for revenge.

A golden opportunity to push him into suffering by rejecting the relationship with Barmas who had desired her so desperately.

Yet strangely, in this moment, Romei felt her feelings toward him—which she had hesitated over and pondered for the past three months—becoming clearer.

During Romei’s silence, which he interpreted as rejection, Rajie grew anxious and pleaded with her while she was lost in thought, practically begging:

“I know this is a shameless request. I also understand that you likely still harbor negative feelings toward Lord Barmas for bringing you here and tormenting you.”

“…”

“But Lord Barmas has changed for you. He consumed only the life energy brought by familiars because he felt guilty about taking energy from you, even though he knew it might kill him…”

“Where is Barmas now?”

Romei interrupted Rajie’s elaborate plea and persuasion to ask this question.

Noticing the light of determination in Romei’s eyes, Rajie immediately answered before she could change her mind.

“He’s being brought here. He should arrive soon with the others.”

“I see…”

No sooner had he mentioned Barmas’s arrival than the half-closed bedroom door was urgently pushed open with a forceful kick, without even a knock.

Through the opened door, several familiars poured into the bedroom.

They were carrying Barmas’s body, each supporting a part of him, bringing him to the bed. They all had rough breathing, seemingly exhausted from the journey, with large beads of sweat forming and flowing down their foreheads.

Romei approached the bed where Barmas lay. The familiars who had been looking down at him with dark expressions sensed her presence and stepped aside.

Up close, Barmas’s face clearly showed the unmistakable presence of death, without needing any explanation.

Romei reached out and gently stroked Barmas’s face—whether he was unconscious or asleep, she couldn’t tell. A streak of red liquid was flowing from the corner of his mouth.

“If I don’t share my life energy with Barmas here, how long can he hold on?” she asked quietly.

A familiar with red hair answered her calm question.

He honestly shared his assessment: “Fifteen minutes at most, even being generous.”

“…”

“He had several seizures while we were bringing him here, and we barely managed to move him by putting life energy in his mouth. That’s how serious the situation is.”

“…Fifteen minutes.”

Romei murmured.

It was certainly an urgent situation. Not an hour, but at most 15 minutes—if she abandoned him, his life would end.

The familiars present, including Rajie, all watched her intently. Time was of the essence, and only Romei could save Barmas.

They waited for her to give orders, but Romei said nothing. She simply gazed at the collapsed Barmas, who looked nearly dead, with clear, transparent eyes, remaining eerily calm.

Just when Rajie was about to urge her to answer, Romei lifted her head and calmly ordered the familiars who were watching her:

“I’m sorry, but could everyone please leave the room for a moment?”

“…?”

“And please make sure no one comes near the bedroom for about three hours.”

Her firm yet straightforward gaze and calm, clear orders meant only one thing:

Romei had decided to save Barmas.

Recognizing her intention, the familiars followed her orders seemingly entranced.

“…Yes, understood. Is there anything else you need?”

“Nothing else, but I’d appreciate if no one entered the bedroom until I call for you.”

“Understood.”

The red-haired familiar nodded. If it would save Barmas, such a request was easy to grant.

“Then, we entrust Lord Barmas to your care.”

After bowing their heads respectfully to Romei, they quietly left the bedroom, unlike their rough entrance when they had rushed in.

With a click, the bedroom door closed, leaving only Barmas and Romei alone.

In the silence that settled over the bedroom, Romei quietly removed her slippers and climbed onto Barmas’s body, her movements gentle and fl*id.

Unlike her soft movements, Barmas remained completely still. He merely breathed roughly, his breaths sounding like they might stop at any moment.

“You fool…”

Romei murmured, caressing his cheek. With her thumb, she wiped the bright red liquid from the corner of his mouth and brought it to her own lips.

When she licked it with her tongue, it had no taste. It wasn’t blood, but likely the life energy they had fed him to keep him alive while bringing him here.

“Why did you hide this from me?”

Romei asked, knowing she wouldn’t get an answer from Barmas. Meanwhile, her hands pulled at the straps of her chemise dress.

Soon the dress fell to her feet. Romei’s n*de body, fuller than before, was completely revealed.

Only the necklace he had given her that morning dangled over her ample bosom, the sole thing covering Romei’s body.

“…Did you think I’d be happy if you died like this?”

“…”

“You really are… just as cowardly now as you were before.”

While reproaching Barmas for hiding such an important fact from her until things had become this serious, Romei’s hands were unbuttoning his shirt.

His upper body, hidden beneath the elaborate shirt with many wrinkles, was much thinner than Romei remembered.

When Romei stroked his chest with her palm, Barmas’s eyelids, which had been closed all this time, twitched.

‘He really must be out of life energy. To respond this much just from my touch.’

There were 15 minutes left. Within that time, she needed to feed him life energy at least once.

Urgently, Romei pressed her lips against Barmas’s.

After gently nibbling and caressing his closed lips, she carefully slipped her tongue inside.

Contrary to Romei’s expectation that she would only lightly brush against his teeth since Barmas was currently almost unconscious, as soon as she inserted her tongue, he opened his mouth and began sucking on her tongue, intertwining it with his.

“Hnngh…!”

Experiencing such stimulation after so long, Romei felt her body heating up involuntarily.

As her tongue, trained by him, became wet with saliva, embarrassingly wet sounds began to emerge from between their lips.

“Mmm… hm…”

The pleasure Romei felt from intertwining her tongue with his was greater than she had imagined, causing her to tilt her head back and try to withdraw her tongue.

However, Barmas seemed unsatisfied with just this much and raised his head toward Romei, pressing his lips against hers desperately, like someone gasping for breath.

“Haah…”

“Huu…”

Now he was firmly pointing his tongue tip upward, stirring the inside of her throat. Romei’s body twitched at the feeling of having her mouth violated.

‘Ah… it feels good…’

Despite not having been intimate for several months, Romei’s body easily surrendered to pleasure, seemingly having waited for this.

Even though they had only kissed, she could feel herself becoming thoroughly wet below.

‘I really have been trained by Barmas. Looking at how I’m enjoying such an intense kiss…’

Romei had always hated Barmas’s lewd comments about her, but now she couldn’t help but acknowledge the truth in what he had said.

After kissing for a long while, until their lips glistened with saliva, Romei was finally able to pull her mouth away from his.

“Huu… hahh…”

Romei inhaled to catch her breath and wiped the saliva from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. Barmas’s complexion had improved and his breathing was better, but his eyes remained closed and consciousness hadn’t returned.

Which meant:

“He needs more stimulation…”

And there was only one greater stimulation Romei could give him here.

Romei turned her head back and looked down. Somehow, she noticed his pants had become taut. He was clearly *rect.

‘I don’t understand why a sick person would get hard down there…’

Feeling both embarrassed and puzzled, Romei inwardly muttered as she positioned herself between his thighs. Then she parted his bulging front and grasped his manhood.

One fortunate aspect of this process was that she had previously undressed him during f*llatio, so it took less time to mentally prepare herself.

Barmas’s member, freed from his underwear, raised its head seemingly longing for fresh outside air.

Blood vessels bulged prominently along the shaft, and merely holding it in her hand made the bright red gl*ns open and close at the tip, expelling transparent fl*id.

Romei took a deep breath at the sight of its imposing presence, then took the gl*ns into her mouth.