Upon returning to the mansion, it seemed Darkness hadn't left her room.
The mansion was eerily quiet. He went straight to her room and knocked on the door.
"Darkness, are you awake?"
No response came from inside the room.
Could she still be resting?
No, impossible! She was a muscle-headed knight through and through, always full of energy. She couldn't possibly be lazing in bed like Aqua and the others. She must be too embarrassed to face him, pretending to be asleep.
Darkness lay curled up in bed, wrapped tightly in blankets, squirming like a maggot.
She was too mortified to face reality, regretting her bold impulsiveness from the night before.
She was also furious about the unexpectedly strong side effects of Wiz's item!
You see, there was a reason for Darkness's boldness last night.
As a regular customer at Wiz's Magic Item Shop, she often purchased magical items on Wiz's recommendation.
Recently, Wiz had suggested a special potion that could make skin smooth, silky, and radiant — a product popular among both female adventurers and noble ladies!
But it came with a catch!
The potion drastically altered one's personality!
The gentle became violent, the lazy became diligent, the innocent became cunning, and masochists became sadists. Even the weak became strong!
That's exactly what happened to Darkness!
She had always been shy, afraid of shocking others with sudden actions — though she often did shock them anyway.
But yesterday, when all the party members were drunk, Darkness thought it the perfect opportunity to use the potion.
Just as she applied it, a man barged in — the party leader, Adam Carter.
This startled her. Her heart pounded, her face burned hot, and her mind nearly shut down.
When Adam offered to leave, she meant to nod in agreement.
The potion worked with shocking speed. Within just a few exchanges, her personality transformed into something incredibly assertive, and she found herself forcing him to stay!
She had even asked him to wash her back! And worse, she had tried to force herself on him!
Most mortifying of all, she remembered every detail!
The more Darkness dwelled on it, the more embarrassed she became, wishing she could shrink into a ball and vanish into the ground.
As she pondered what to do next, a voice came from beside her.
"Really now, if you're awake, Darkness, just say something. I'm worried about you."
"Eh?!" She poked her head out from under the covers and saw a figure standing nearby, "Adam?"
As she spoke, she noticed her door was open. Then she heard him say:
"When you didn't answer and I heard nothing from inside, I knew I had to check on you. So I let myself in — I hope you'll understand."
Everything happened so suddenly, she couldn't find words to speak.
"Come on, get up, Darkness!"
"Hmm?" Seeing Darkness still curled up under the covers, Adam knew she was too embarrassed to face anyone, so he decided to forcefully pull her out of bed, "Get up, now!"
He yanked away the covers, revealing the figure inside.
White! His eyes were filled with holy light!
The bright sunlight shone on her pale skin, its reflection creating a blinding screen of whiteness.
Though her golden hair falling across her shoulders was beautiful, the intense light made it impossible to see her clearly.
Damn! Who set up this holy knight?
"Waaah!" Darkness screamed, quickly snatching the blanket back from his hands and curling up into a ball again.
This time, she refused to show her face at all.
Adam felt awkward. He hadn't expected Darkness to still be naked, just as she had been last night.
However, now wasn't the time for apologies — that would only make her more embarrassed. He decided to take a different approach.
"My, my, Darkness really is a pervert, sleeping naked. Who would have thought?"
"I-I-I-I'm not like that! I just, I just—" She tried to defend herself.
But Adam didn't give her the chance, "Why be embarrassed? Isn't this exactly how you've always wanted to be treated? —"
With that, his hand slipped under the covers. He gently caressed Darkness's silk-smooth skin, moving from her neck to her chest and stomach.
Her body stiffened as goosebumps appeared on her skin.
She was nervous yet expectant.
Adam could tell by her heavy breathing and rising body temperature.
He stopped his movements at just the right moment, leaving her frustrated.
Writhing, she gasped, "Adam, y-y-you're doing this on purpose, aren't you?! Leaving me hanging ... but, this feeling is amazing!"
This method might have worked a bit too well.
"So, shall we talk, Darkness?" Seeing it was time, Adam changed the subject, "What happened last night? Why did you become like that?"
"..." She didn't speak, just squirmed in protest.
He pressed on boldly, "Didn't we already bare everything to each other last night? Isn't it a bit late to be embarrassed now?"
Darkness, still huddled under the covers, replied in a muffled voice, "Yesterday was just because of the potion, that's why I..."
"Oh, because of the potion?" Adam caught this detail, "So, where did you get this potion, and what are its effects?"
"Actually..." Then, she told him everything about the potion.
"I see, I see..." He nodded, "So it was Wiz's special potion that caused such a big change in you?"
Understanding the whole story gave him a headache.
That Wiz — always selling such troublesome items. Though it made sense; only she would stock such bizarre products that left people completely confused.
Now, he needed to focus on helping Darkness return to normal.
"How long are you going to keep dawdling? Get up already!"
"What do you mean 'eh'? Isn't it normal for party members to be open with each other? Stop being so embarrassed!"
"Get up! You perverted Darkness, how long are you planning to stay in bed!"
"Why are you being so shy about such a small matter? You pervert!"
The more he spoke, the more confused Darkness became. She couldn't understand what Adam was saying anymore.
Was she wrong? Was there something wrong with her? Could party members really be this open with each other?
Wasn't it normal to be embarrassed after what happened? But why was he acting like it was all so natural?
She didn't know! She couldn't think straight anymore!
Adam was trying to redirect her thoughts.
Though she would probably realize it later, right now the most important thing was to help her overcome this embarrassed state.
"Get up, Darkness! Aqua and the others are worried about you — hurry up and get back to normal!"
"But — but I'm not dressed."
"Get. Up. Now!" His tone grew increasingly forceful as he urged her on, not giving her time to think.
"T-to make a girl change clothes in front of you, Adam, you're such a pervert after all! I was wrong about you!" Though Darkness said this, her flushed face betrayed her lack of conviction.
In fact, Adam suspected she was actually enjoying his forceful demands.
But it was precisely because of this that Darkness was able to successfully break free from her paralyzingly embarrassed state.
The only cost was that his noble image in her eyes completely crumbled.
T/N: Not that I'm defending the MC now, but simply explaining why he sometimes seems a bit pussy about initiating relationships.
First, he has the brain of a regular man who isn't addicted to pornography, so he doesn't think about putting every woman he sees beneath him. Second, the times when he is provoked and does nothing is to avoid situations , where he could be seen as a cheap opportunist and end up destroying relationships because of it.
And finally, relationships take time. Don't think you're going to make a woman or man fall in love with you in a day or two. I have a fiancée and I know this well.
T/N: If you want more chapters , check out my Enjoy reading on NovelHub - your free online novel platform.Enjoy reading on NovelHub - your free online novel platform.com/mrblackwing