"I never expected that the little puppy I raised had already grown so much without me realizing it."
Emerging from the bathroom, Ivyst, cradled in Lynn's arms, spoke with a meaningful tone as a bright smile flickered at the corner of her eyes.
It didn't matter anymore.
Holding Ivyst, who couldn't move freely, Lynn returned to the bedside with an expressionless face.
After biting him all over, Ivyst had unlocked a whole new way to play with him.
Even though he was the man, he felt like he was being teased.
Looking at Ivyst, who hugged him without saying a word, Lynn sighed.
He had no idea what this woman was thinking right now.
She neither asked where he had disappeared to during those days nor how he lived through the possession of two Great Demons.
She seemed uninterested in it all.
She didn't say anything, didn't do anything; she just held him like that.
Ivyst didn't even give him the chance to move freely, as if fearing he would find an opportunity to escape.
Even when they occasionally chatted, it was about recalling past events between them.
Lynn just silently listened, with no recollection.
First unpleasant meetings, banquets where they smoothed things over, dates of sorts—none of it he remembered.
To Lynn, this woman was seriously ill.
Not just physically but also mentally.
She seemed to have lost any interest in things like the King's election, as though she was using this short and sickly relationship to escape reality.
By now, everyone should have been on their way to the Imperial Capital on the train.
But Ivyst seemed unwilling to let him go.
The two of them entangled, falling into some unknown abyss together.
Feeling the cold shackles on his neck, Lynn breathed in the scent of Ivyst's embrace and fell into contemplation.
He suddenly remembered, last time he left the Pantheon, Miss Witch had vaguely mentioned something about a "critical juncture."
He hadn't cared then, but now he understood everything.
Miss Witch's trial was to change Ivyst's tragic fate of being imprisoned in Dead Water Prison.
To change that, he needed to increase the plot deviation significantly.
If he really remained imprisoned by Ivyst in the room , the future would not change.
She would repeat the same mistakes as in the original story and be pierced through the chest by the Holy Sword, pinned in the depths of Dead Water Prison for hundreds of years before finally escaping.
He could even guess the reasons.
With the formidable power of world correction, allowing the curse on Ivyst's face to flare up again, killing all her subordinates by accident, sending her into a complete frenzy and initiating a massacre on the Empire, and then being stopped by Xiya and her companions—all of this could be easily accomplished.
So now, he had to make this seriously ill woman come to her senses.
Or rather, obtain from her the opportunity to return to the Imperial Capital and move freely.
The shackles on his neck were the "critical juncture" Miss Witch talked about.
Once they were successfully unlocked, it meant Ivyst temporarily suppressed her unhealthy emotions and started to act like a normal person.
But how exactly should he do it?
Lynn silently pondered.
And with that thought, two full days passed.
In these two days, master and servant almost became conjoined, hardly ever leaving that bed, and the shackles on his hands were never unlocked.
And whether Lynn was eating or using the restroom, he had to keep Ivyst in his arms.
If one didn't consider the abnormal relationship between them, and the intermittent madness of Ivyst, this scene was quite harmonious—although in reality no substantial progress had occurred.
The only time they bathed was when Ivyst took the initiative to suggest it.
But it was merely bathing.
She seemed to treat Lynn like a little puppy that needed meticulous care, rubbing his hair and back.
From her eyes, Lynn didn't detect any sexual desire typical of a relationship between a man and a woman.
It was truly headache-inducing.
He originally wanted to try the approach of boiling a frog in warm water, to momentarily soothe Ivyst's possessiveness and insecurity, trying to show through actions that he wouldn't run away.
Yet Ivyst seemed oblivious to it.
On the contrary, Lynn himself was almost becoming lazy.
Being kept as a pet by a gorgeous elder sister is kind of exhilarating.
Of course, if some steamy, slippery social activities were to take place, that would be even better.
Lynn, oh Lynn, have you forgotten the task that Miss Witch assigned to you?!
You need to return to the Imperial Capital and exact revenge on those original female protagonists, delivering a brutal backstab to Hero Xiya!
With such a heavy trial to bear, how can you indulge in the beauty here?
Played with by elder sister.jpg.
Lynn, oh Lynn, have you forgotten the deep-seated hatred you carry for the Bartleion family?!
Played with by elder sister.jpg.
Feeling Ivyst's warm embrace, Lynn was perplexed, not understanding why this woman could just hold him for an entire day.
However, after resisting strenuously for four whole days, he was finally prepared to act.
A method like boiling a frog in warm water was doomed to fail.
If he wanted this woman to unlock the shackles, he had to administer a strong dose!
Only by doing so could he bring her back to reality!
Looking at Ivyst, who was holding him in her arms while quietly lying in bed reading a book, Lynn suddenly propped himself up and struggled a bit.
Ivyst's attention was drawn by his actions, and she casually closed the book, cradling his chin: "What's wrong?"
Lynn was about to say something but was interrupted by her.
"Do you find it boring staying here every day?" Ivyst touched his head, "Would you like to play some interesting games?"
"Princess, I have something I want to tell you."
Upon hearing this, Ivyst frowned slightly, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes.
"Whatever it is, we can talk about it when I have time." As if sensing something off, she subconsciously chose to evade, "I just thought of something fun."
As she spoke, she propped herself up and leaned against the side of the bed, then tugged at the shackles on her wrist.
"I remember when you first arrived at the manor, you were a bad dog that had lustrous thoughts about his master," Ivyst suddenly raised her long, slender legs encased in black stockings, "Bold enough to sneak into the master's room and steal the stockings she wore."
This one thing I am absolutely certain could not have been me.
Lynn subconsciously retorted.
However, Ivyst was unaware of his inner thoughts, merely lifting her soft little foot, gently rubbing his chest with her black fabric-covered toes.
"Since you like it so much, I'll give you a chance," Ivyst's breath suddenly quickened slightly, and a blush appeared on her face, "Come on, help master take it off."
"But you can't use your hands, you must use... a dog's method."
Feeling Ivyst's delicate and agile little foot gently pressing against his chin, Lynn took a deep breath.
"So, Princess," he said in a measured tone, "These things you've been mentioning to me these past few days, like how I held you hostage at first sight, how I helped clear up at the ball, or something about a date... I really don't remember any of them."
"Maybe it's because my spirit was disturbed when I was possessed by the two Great Demons in the Soron Mountain Range. Anyway, Duke Tierus told me, I seem to have forgotten some things related to you... um..."
Before he could finish speaking, he felt Ivyst's beautiful foot, wrapped in black stockings, press down hard on his face.
At this moment, the Imperial Princess's face was pale, her expression cold, seemingly unwilling to listen to him go on.
But this was the reality that she had to face after all.
Lynn gently held Ivyst's soft, slender little foot and removed it from his face.
Then he spoke earnestly, "I'm sorry, Princess."
"I... have lost my memory."
That very night, the shackles around Lynn's neck were removed.
But in their place, his limbs were locked into even heavier shackles at the four corners of the bed, his whole body lying spread-eagle on the bed, unable to move a muscle.
Not only that, his mouth was stuffed with something made of cloth, and his eyes were deprived of vision by a blindfold.
Now I've really done it.
(ps: I'm experiencing writer's block a bit, the protagonist's moves in the following section, as well as the change in the female lead's mindset, are quite important. I need to handle them carefully, I should be finishing up this plotline the day after tomorrow.)