The next day.
Early morning light filtered through the gaps in the curtains.
A thin sliver of light fell across the foot of the bed.
Elvia opened her eyes.
She stared at the ceiling for a long time.
It was an unfamiliar ceiling.
It was wooden, with a few cracks and a water stain in the corner.
She blinked.
Then, she felt it.
Beneath the covers was smooth skin.
And beside her was a warm body.
Her face flushed red in an instant.
Her fingers gripped the edge of the blanket, her knuckles turning white.
She didn't move.
She just stared at the ceiling, her gaze somewhat dazed.
Last night...
No, she had been the one to take the initiative.
She was the one who had washed herself clean and waited in bed.
She was the one who said they should sign the Shared-Death Contract.
She was the one who said she wanted to tie him to her ship.
But...
Now that it had actually happened, she still felt a bit lost.
She turned her head.
Her gaze fell on that sleeping face.
Black hair was scattered across the pillow, with a few strands hanging over his forehead.
His eyelashes were long, casting a small shadow beneath his eyelids.
His nose was straight, and his lips were slightly pursed.
He slept very quietly.
Elvia stared at his face for a long time.
This was the first time she had looked at him so closely.
Before, in the Carter Royal Capital, in Caran City, in the Withered Rift.
She had seen him many times.
But each time had been a brief glimpse or during a tense confrontation.
It had never been like this.
Quietly and carefully looking at his face.
His face wasn't actually that handsome.
At least compared to the noble young masters she had seen before, it was far from it.
But...
He was pleasant to look at.
There was something indefinable between his eyes.
It wasn't tenderness, coldness, or steadfastness.
It was more like...
She couldn't quite put it into words.
It was like a calmness that had settled after experiencing too much.
As Elvia watched him, her face grew even redder.
She hadn't expected it.
This guy had actually taken her.
The man who had rejected her all the way from the Carter Royal Capital to Dragonbone City.
He had actually...
Taken her.
Back when she had tried to force him, he had been so resistant.
Pushing her away, hitting her with a brick, even using a Stun spell.
He simply refused to touch her.
Yet when she delivered herself to his door, he just...
Accepted it?
Elvia bit her lip.
She felt an indescribable emotion in her heart.
A bit of shame.
A bit of annoyance.
And a bit of...
She didn't dare think further.
The more she looked, the faster her heart beat.
As a member of the Carter royal family.
She had seen too much of the decadent lives of the nobility.
The banquets, the dens of debauchery, those unsightly scenes.
She had seen plenty.
She thought she had long since grown accustomed to it.
She even considered herself an experienced veteran.
She thought she wouldn't have any special reaction to this kind of thing.
But...
When it was actually her turn, she instead...
Became quite innocent.
She didn't know why.
It was probably because...
Scenes began to surface in her mind. Not from last night, but from much earlier.
Confronting John's Holy Knights together in the Hero's Tomb.
Holding her hand and spinning amidst magic at the wedding banquet in the Carter Royal Capital.
Rescuing her from the mouth of a demon, covered in blood, during the escape from the Withered Rift.
Tearing through space to pull her back from the brink of death amidst the fear of the Dark Tide.
Scene after scene.
Rotating in her mind like a revolving lantern.
And then there were the arguments.
In Caran City, she called him a "lunatic."
In the Carter Royal Capital, he called her a "Cowardly Princess."
On the flying vessel, when she was so scared she hugged him, he had said expressionlessly, "Hold on tight."
They had bickered all the way.
From Caran City to the Carter Royal Capital.
From the Carter Royal Capital to Dragonbone City.
All along the way.
She had thought her feelings for Lin Gui were merely utilitarian.
No, she was sure they were.
Starting from Caran City, she approached him because of the Demon's Poisonous Kiss.
And in the Carter Royal Capital, she approached him to gain his protection.
It was also because of his ability.
After all, it was no exaggeration to say.
That winning him over was almost equivalent to getting a ticket to the throne.
So she had continuously made overtures to Lin Gui, seducing him.
No sentiment, pure profit.
She was never a good person.
She was a politician.
A princess who would use any means necessary to survive.
A lioness who could fight her way into the finals for the throne with no foundation of her own.
So when Lin Gui asked her why she changed her mind and joined him.
The reason she gave was that she couldn't take the torment of crossing the wilderness.
She didn't want to lose her life of luxury just like that.
She could accept losing her power as a princess, but she couldn't accept living a miserable life as an adventurer from then on.
That was indeed one of the reasons.
But it wasn't all of it.
As for the real reason...
Elvia stared at Lin Gui's sleeping face, her blushing face and pounding heart having already told her the answer first.
She let out a soft breath.
Then, she moved.
She propped up her body, and the blanket slid down from her shoulders.
The morning light fell on her collarbones and her shoulders.
She leaned toward Lin Gui.
Her face moved close, close enough to see the curve of his eyelashes.
Close enough to feel the warmth of his breath.
She tilted her head slightly.
Her lips moved toward his, gently approaching.
And then...
Those eyes opened.
Black pupils looked at her calmly.
Without a single ripple.
Elvia's movement froze.
But only for a second.
A curve slowly formed at the corner of her mouth.
It was a charming smile.
Carrying a hint of laziness, a hint of provocation, and a hint of... an indescribable emotion.
"Good morning."
Her voice was very light, carrying the huskiness of someone who had just woken up.
"Mr. Accomplice."
Lin Gui looked at her.
The morning light filtered through the curtains, falling on her face.
Long golden hair was scattered over her shoulders, with a few strands trailing over his chest.
Her eyes were golden, like molten amber in the light.
Her lips were turned up slightly in a smile.
Below her collarbones, the blanket barely covered her.
That curve was partially visible.
She propped herself up over him, looking down at him from above.
Like a lazy lioness.
Lin Gui blinked and replied flatly.
"Good morning."
Elvia chuckled softly, her finger tracing a circle on his chest.
"Let me ask you a question."
"Okay."
"You rejected me repeatedly—"
Her finger stopped, and she looked up at him.
"Why were you so compliant this time?"
Lin Gui was silent for a moment.
He looked into Elvia's golden eyes, seeing his own reflection within them.
Then he spoke, his voice calm.
"First, I need a helper."
"To help me run the post office."
Elvia gave a light laugh.
"Uh-huh."
"Second, I need your abilities."
Lin Gui's voice was very flat, as if he were stating facts.
"Whether it's dealing with the nobles..."
"Protecting me while we rest during our trek through the wilderness."
"Or extracting city-state intelligence from my post office customers."
Elvia's eyes lit up.
She nodded in realization, drawing out her words.
"Ah~~"
"So that's why you opened a post office to deliver letters."
She tilted her head and thought for a moment.
"But that's a bit of a detour."
"If it was just to extract intelligence from them—"
"There would be absolutely no need to take the risk of delivering letters."
"Well, whatever."
She shrugged.
On this rare morning after their first night, Elvia didn't want to talk about those things yet.
The things she herself didn't quite want to face.
"We can talk about that later."
Then she leaned in even closer, her voice dropping lower.
"So what about the last reason?"
Her eyes were sparkling with expectation.
Lin Gui looked at her.
The morning light gave her face a pale golden glow.
That beautiful face held a sort of cautious expectation.
Like a child waiting for the answer to a confession.
Lin Gui sighed, his tone carrying an indescribable sense of helplessness.
"Finally—"
He paused.
"Since I've already decided to let you get dragged into this."
"I don't want to have to 'watch out' for a comrade's 'ambush'—"
"Whenever I'm facing an enemy."
When he said the word "ambush," there was a clear hint of resentment in his tone.
Elvia blinked.
Then her expression changed from expectation to confusion.
From confusion to stiffness.
She remembered the things she had done before.
In the hotel in the Carter Royal Capital, she had prepared to drug him.
On the hotel balcony in Dragonbone City, she had pinned him down in a chair.
And the advice she had given Theia before she left... In Dragonbone City, it seemed like she had heard that Theia had even succeeded...
Every time, she had chosen when he was seriously injured or weak.
Every time, she had wanted to "ambush" him.
The corner of Elvia's mouth twitched.
Her expression became very subtle.
"Just because of that?"
Lin Gui looked at her, his gaze calm.
"Is that reason not enough?"
Elvia gave Lin Gui a sideways glare, this man who had gotten what he wanted and was still acting innocent.
She had expected an answer where he was infatuated with her.
Even if it wasn't that, even if it was just that he couldn't resist the temptation of her charming body, Elvia could have accepted it.
But who would have known it was this.
Just because he didn't want to have to watch out for her ambushes the whole way?
Well, although if there really were such an opportunity, Elvia was almost certain she would have pushed him over anyway.
But... was this something he should be saying to his woman?
Elvia huffed with an unhappy expression.
"Don't even think about getting into my bed for a week."
"Who exactly is getting into whose bed?"
Elvia's face darkened further.
"You're such a buzzkill."
"If you had just lied and admitted your mistake, I might have even gone for a second round with you."
As she grumbled, Elvia rolled over and got out of bed.
Stepping onto the floor with her bare feet, she leaned over to pick up the clothes she had stuffed under the bed last night.
The morning light leaked through the gap in the curtains, falling onto her back.
Her movements were quick, as if she were intentionally avoiding looking at Lin Gui.
She put on her shirt and fastened the buttons.
She picked up her skirt, shook it out, and stepped into it.
She draped her coat over her shoulders and adjusted the collar.
Lin Gui also sat up.
He pulled his mage robes from the bedside, shook them out, and put them on.
The two of them sat back to back, each putting on their own clothes.
Neither of them spoke.
The only sounds in the room were the rustle of fabric rubbing together.
And the occasional sound of footsteps from the distant street outside the window.
Elvia finished dressing, stood by the bed, and straightened her hair with her hands.
She didn't look back.
Lin Gui was also dressed, sitting on the edge of the bed as he stepped into his boots.
He leaned down to tie his laces.
Then, from an angle Elvia couldn't see.
His eyes changed.
A pale gray tint appeared deep within his pupils.
That gray was very faint, like mist or smoke.
But within that gray, something was flowing.
It was the Eyes of the Netherworld.
He raised his hand, and a very faint, transparent luster condensed on his fingertips.
That luster was very weak, like a film of water pressed against his skin.
Soul Attachment.
A novice soul magic.
It could allow a soul to have a physical touch.
Lin Gui's gaze fell between himself and Elvia.
There, a line existed.
Very thin and very faint.
Its color was a light red, like diluted blood.
One end was connected to Elvia's heart, and the other end was connected to his.
The line was very soft, drifting slightly in the air.
Like a silk thread blown by the wind.
Lin Gui looked at that line and was silent for a moment.
He didn't tell Elvia.
There was another, most core reason why he hadn't rejected her.
Before, he hadn't wanted to get involved with women.
It wasn't because he was aloof, it wasn't because he was cold, and it certainly wasn't... because he was impotent.
It was because he was afraid.
He was afraid that after he failed, his enemies would use the soul lines to purge everyone related to him.
Those people sitting in the Alliance Council, those who controlled the Black Dragon Army.
They had too many means.
Soul tracking, bloodline tracing, divination, and Prophecy.
As long as one was connected to him, as long as there had been a fusion of souls.
Those people could follow this line and find the other person.
And then, kill them.
That was why Theia's affection had been so obvious.
So obvious that she had even pinned him down in the treehouse and succeeded.
Yet he had never given her any kind of statement.
It wasn't that he was ungrateful.
It was that he didn't dare.
He didn't dare tie Theia to his ship.
He didn't dare let her fall into an irredeemable situation because of him.
He had thought that his revenge would likely be carried out alone.
But he hadn't expected it.
The emergence of Soul Attachment had broken his concerns.
This novice magic, this seemingly useless ability.
It actually allowed a soul to have physical touch.
It also allowed him to touch and destroy that line.
Lin Gui raised his hand.
The transparent luster on his fingertips slowly approached that light red soul line.
The moment he touched it, the line trembled slightly.
Like a lute string plucked by the wind, it emitted a silent vibration.
That vibration followed his fingertips and entered his body.
Very light.
Like a feather falling on his heart.
In his mind, the voice of Shadow Blade Lynn rang out.
"Is this the magic you used back then to undo my soul bomb?"
Her voice was calm but carried a hint of inquiry.
"Yes."
"A novice magic."
Lin Gui's tone was flat, as if he were talking about something very common.
"As a spirit, Lady Shadow Blade Lynn has such abilities naturally."
"So it's not strange for there to be such a magic, right?"
Shadow Blade Lynn fell silent.
For a long time.
So long that Lin Gui thought she wouldn't speak again.
Then, her voice rang out again, carrying a hint of an indescribable emotion.
"Do you want to cut it?"
"If so."
"I suggest you do not."
Lin Gui's finger paused.
Shadow Blade Lynn continued.
"Such a soul line is known as..."
"The Thread of Affection."
"Its duration is extremely long."
"And it is not affected by physical means, barriers, or any other interference."
Her voice was calm, as if she were reciting knowledge she had long since memorized.
"If you two are separated."
"You can use this to find her very quickly, without having to put in as much effort as you did in the center of the Dark Tide."
"At the same time, you can judge her condition through the state of the soul line..."
"Whether she is alive, dead, healthy, or in critical danger."
She paused.
"This is an effect that even hair or blood cannot achieve."
Lin Gui was silent for a while.
He knew this.
He had done a lot of research into soul magic, his greatest natural enemy.
He had read many books and checked a lot of data.
He had learned much about souls.
However, compared to Shadow Blade Lynn, he still couldn't match her.
Before she died, she was a soul mage.
She was someone who stood at the top of that field.
What she said was more credible than any book.
Lin Gui's hand slowly lowered.
The transparent luster on his fingertips dissipated.
His gray pupils also returned to black.
He glanced at that light red soul line.
The line drifted gently in the air as if nothing had happened.
He looked away.
A noisy sound came from downstairs.
It wasn't just the sound of ordinary passersby.
It was many people.
The footsteps were messy and urgent.
They were mixed with voices, though he couldn't hear what was being said, the tone was very hurried.
And then...
Thud, thud, thud.
A knock at the door.
Very heavy, very heavy.
Lin Gui frowned.
At this time, it wasn't yet the hour for the post office to open.
He stood up and walked to the window.
He pushed the window open and leaned out to look down.
It was a squad of knights...
Rate on N.U.
