The silence stretched out, heavy and awkward.
Seraphina blinked. The magical filter over her eyes shattered into a million pieces. The "Glow of Justice" evaporated, leaving behind just a sheen of lukewarm grease.
The "musky scent of masculinity" instantly reverted to smelling like a locker room that hadn't been cleaned since the Dark Ages.
'I am a fool. An absolute, colossal moron.'
She stared at the man in front of her. He wasn't a rugged anti-hero. He was a rat-licked, dog-poop-looking thug in a bathrobe that was legally actionable.
'Of course he said no. Men like him don't have honor. They have price tags.'
She stiffened her spine, wiping the remaining tears from her face. The adoration was gone, replaced by the cold, calculating look of a royal negotiating a trade deal.
"Fine. I understand. You are a mercenary at heart. Name your price. Gold? Land? Rare artifacts? Anything you want..."
She paused, crossing her arms over her chest defensively.
"...Anything except me. My heart, my body, and my soul belong to Arthur. And only Arthur."
'I haven't even proposed to him yet! Once I cure his blindness, once he sees my face again... that will be my gift. Then I'll ask him to marry me. It has to be perfect.'
Kaizen didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached out and grabbed her hand. Before she could pull away, he spun her around in a slow, deliberate pirouette.
"W-What are you—?"
He walked around her in a slow circle, eyes scanning her up and down like a customer inspecting a used car for scratches.
He looked at the thin fabric of her pajama bottoms, the way the t-shirt clung to her waist, the curve of her hips. It wasn't a look of admiration.
It was the look of a wolf deciding which part of the sheep to bite first.
Seraphina felt a wave of nausea.
'Disgusting. He's looking at me like I'm a piece of meat on a butcher's hook. Just pure, unadulterated lust.'
She glared at him, clutching her arms tighter.
"Men and their lust. It's pathetic. You should all strive to be more like my beloved Arthur! He is a paragon of virtue!"
Kaizen stopped circling and leaned against the table, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Is that so?"
"Yes! Arthur is pure! He respects me! I am certain that even if I stood before him completely naked, offering myself to him, he wouldn't do anything! He wouldn't even touch me!"
She lifted her chin proudly, convinced of her lover's moral superiority.
Kaizen chuckled. It started low in his throat and erupted into a full-blown laugh. He shook his head, looking at her with genuine pity.
"Princess, if a guy doesn't touch you when you're naked... that's not because he's a saint. That's because he's not a man."
"How dare you!"
Seraphina was vibrating with rage. Steam was practically pouring out of her ears. Insulting her was one thing, but insulting Arthur's manhood? That was a declaration of war.
"Tsk, tsk." Kaizen shook his head, looking at her like a disappointed parent dealing with a tantrum. "Touchy subject. Anyway, let's talk business. My price is decided. For my services... I only want one thing."
He paused, his tongue darting out to slowly lick his dry, chapped lips while his eyes roamed over her chest like a radar lock.
She seethed, hugging herself tighter. "In your dreams, pig."
"Alas, that's the problem. I can't have you, right? Your heart, your soul, your... assets... they all belong to your beloved Arthur, correct?"
"That is right! And don't you forget it!"
"Are you sure?"
"I would bet my life on it! My heart is a fortress!"
"Good. Then let's make a bet."
Kaizen stepped closer, invading her personal space with that signature onion-musk scent. "I'll join your little suicide squad. But during the mission, I'm going to try to sway that stubborn heart of yours. If I succeed, you're mine."
Seraphina blinked. She paused, letting the words sink in.
'Wait. That's it? He thinks he can seduce me?'
She almost laughed out loud. It was pathetic. She looked at his greasy hair, his cratered face, and the general 'unwashed goblin' vibe he radiated.
There was absolutely zero chance—negative chance—that she would ever fall for him. Her heart was a fortress built for Arthur. This was basically free labor!
"Fine. But there are rules."
"Glad you asked." Kaizen held up one finger, grinning like a shark. "Condition one: I can touch you however I want. Whenever I want. But... only outside your clothes. No skin-to-skin contact below the neck."
Seraphina frowned. That was annoying, basically legalized groping, but she could tolerate a few handy-roamys if it meant saving Arthur.
"However..." Kaizen's voice dropped an octave, getting raspy. "If you finish... if you cum even once from my touch... then I win the round. And my prize? I get to use my mouth on you. Naked or not."
Seraphina's face went white. The thought of his mouth... down there... while she was exposed...
'Revolting! I'd rather kiss a toad!'
But then her tactical brain kicked in.
'Wait. He can only touch me through clothes? Thick travel clothes? Leather? Armor? There is no way in hell this ugly brute can make me climax through three layers of fabric. Especially when I'm repulsed by him! He's delusional!'
It was a bluff. He was overestimating his skills. This was the easiest bet in history.
"So, do we have a deal?"
"Not quite."
Seraphina straightened up, a smirk playing on her lips. She had him now. She was about to checkmate this pervert.
"I have a counter-condition."
Kaizen blinked, genuinely taken aback. He hadn't expected the prey to bite back. "Oh?"
"If I lose... if I somehow succumb to your... crude techniques... you still cannot claim your prize immediately." She took a bold step forward, poking a finger into his chest. "You can only use your mouth on me after I make you cum."
Kaizen's eyebrows shot up into his hairline.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. It's a trade. Equivalent exchange. I only pay up if I personally finish you off first."
Seraphina was cackling internally. It was the ultimate failsafe. The Absolute Defense.
Even if, by some miracle of dark magic, he managed to make her enjoy it, she just had to refuse to touch him.
If she never touches his 'excalibur', he never gets to use his mouth. It was a stalemate where she wins and he gets eternal blue balls.
'I am a genius. A tactical mastermind.'
She risked a quick glance down at the massive bulge still trying to escape his bathrobe, shivered with a mix of fear and revulsion, and immediately looked away.
'Yeah. Not touching that. Not in a million years. I win.'
"So, deal?"
Kaizen stared at her for a long second, processing the trap she thought she'd set. Then, a slow, dark, predatory grin spread across his face.
"Deal."