Under this indifferent gaze, everything inside Tilia was burning.
The anger that had once filled her subsided, leaving only unbridled desire as her instincts began to rear their head.
Although she was standing in the shadows, she felt as if she were directly under the sun, her breathing quickened. It was as if desire ran through my veins, heating my body with a strange fever.
Hurry up, hurry up.
An urgent need beat in her head like a drum. Her instincts were screaming, wanting something.
Give me the answer.
- Answer me. Will you do it or not?
Her body had already half lost its mind, as if it was on the edge.
- Tell me quickly. I need to make a decision.
If Ilex Davenport wasn't going to sleep with her, she needed to find another man quickly before she completely lost control and ran off to find the disgusting Gregory Myers.
Tilia clenched her fists tightly, trying not to let go of her last thread of sanity. There was something wet glass between her fingers - it was sweat or blood, she couldn't tell. Ilex's eyes slowly followed the path of the liquid dripping onto the ground.
"I need to find someone else."
Just as she was about to turn around and leave quickly, a quiet voice, as if speaking underwater, made her stop.
- If I don't sleep with you...
His unexpected words grabbed her by the legs.
-Are you going to sleep with someone else?
- What?
Tilia stared at him in disbelief, unsure if she had heard correctly.
- If I don't do this, are you going to tumble around with another bastard?
No, she heard correctly.
Ilex Davenport stared at her with hazy, pale gray eyes, demanding an answer. His gaze was more like the look of a snake looking for its prey than the look of a human.
“If I don’t do this, will you sleep with another bastard?”
Tilia bit her red lips, calculating how much time she had left—time that wouldn't even be enough to save her already ruined underwear.
- Yes.
It didn't take her long to come to this conclusion.
- I'll contact another guy.
Tilia replied matter-of-factly, meeting Ilex's gaze. She watched as some emotion flashed in his eyes that she couldn't identify.
- Is that how it is?
His expression changed.
“Then I think we should sleep together.”
It was a smile she had never seen before. But the beautiful curve of his lips was not kind; he was anxious. No, not just disturbing - it was creepy.
As he slowly stood up, her view was completely blocked.
It was only when Ilex stood in front of her that she realized how much taller he was than she thought, and how much more impressive he looked.
- Sleep with me.
Tilia instinctively took a step back, but Ilex grabbed her before she could retreat.
- You can't let the other guy have all the fun.
A shiver ran down the back of her head, mixing fear with excitement. It was as if electricity had shot through her fingertips, causing them to tremble. Standing before her, Ilex Davenport was bathed in sunlight so bright that she could barely keep her eyes open.
In this blinding light he whispered:
- I've been wanting to sleep with you for a long time.
***
The moment she crossed the threshold of Ilex Davenport's room, she realized that his room was completely different. Trying her best not to show her excitement, Tilia, looking around, entered through a separate entrance intended only for him.
His room was larger than the Ambrose family's living room and reception room combined; it didn't look like a hostel at all.
There was a bed in the middle of the room, draped with beautiful curtains, and white paper and a pen were scattered on the mahogany table by the window.
“It’s like the room was just moved from his family’s house.”
Even as she took a breath, Tilia couldn't help but look around the room.
Suddenly she heard the click of the door closing behind her, and then the feeling of someone's hot body standing very close behind her. Tilia tensed, like a person with a wild beast behind her, her body tensed, and every hair stood on end.
And then it dawned on her.
She came to this room to connect bodies with the man standing behind her. Now was not the time to casually admire his room.
When she stood frozen in the hallway like a wooden doll, Ilex asked:
- What are you doing?
A sleepy voice touched her ear, and Tilia flinched as if someone had bitten her earlobe. Ilex chuckled softly, his laughter echoing in the hallway.
- What's happened? Now that you're here, are you scared?
His voice was as smooth as if it had been coated in oil.
- If you're afraid, say so. I don't have a hobby - sleeping with women who don't want to.
But Tilia was not so naive as not to notice the barb hidden in his words.
So he's saying that if I behave like this, then I should leave?
As much as she wanted to rush outside, she couldn't do it—not yet.
She had a goal that she absolutely had to achieve.
She needs to graduate from the academy. She needs her real life back.
For this, Tilia was ready to sacrifice anything on the altar. Even if it meant mixing bodies with the man she had hated for so long.
"...No way."
Remembering her goal, Tilia tried to speak evenly and pretended to be unperturbed.
- I'm just looking around the room.
She prayed that her bravado would work and he would remain interested in her.
- For what? Do you want me to hate her?
However, when she confidently turned her body towards him, Tilia had to fight not to show her surprise.
They were much closer to each other than she thought.
She almost buried her nose in Ilex's hard chest, and now she had to stop herself from blinking as she took a deep breath. As she inhaled, she caught the scent of his cologne, and as she exhaled, she felt a special warmth emanating from his body.
“...If that's what you like, I can play along.” Do you want this?
Tilia quickly stepped back, trying not to show it. She felt cold sweat run down her back, soaking into her already damp shirt.
At the same time, her breathing began to quicken.
Was this holy water really meant to affect the holy knights?
It felt like she was possessed by a very evil, lustful demon.
What she really wanted was for him to examine her again. No, she wanted him to stare at her naked body. No, that was not entirely correct. Most of all, she wanted him to lose control and... devastate her...
Tilia's feverish gaze returned to Ilex's face.
-...Forget about it.
The man who had been smiling down at her now had a cold, unreadable expression. His pale gray eyes were devoid of warmth, a stark contrast to her burning body.
But despite his indifference, Tilia's breathing only became hotter.
- I don't do things like that.
Ilex's distant voice cut through the air as he looked lower.
His cold eyes traveled over Tilia's sweat-drenched neck, collarbone, and heaving chest before moving back up. The insolent look sent a chill down her spine.
In truth, it is a miracle that she managed to get this far.
Several times, following Ilex here, Tilia almost lost consciousness, almost begging him to help her right there. But now she was sure that the effect of the drug had not fully manifested itself until that very moment. The sensation blurring her vision was completely new. The desire to touch his body was now beyond her control.
"So hot."
Her desire-ridden mind demanded only one action.
She didn't know exactly what position or movement was required, but the command was clear.
Looking into his downcast eyes, Tilia raised her hand to her neck.
- I want to take this off.
Her fingers reached for the button she had fastened this morning, now slick with sweat.
The smooth button now felt like a suffocating shackle around her neck.
Seized with a fever, Tilia could not resist and undid the first button.
At that moment she thought: “It was my vision that wavered or his pale gray eyes.”
- Okay, go ahead.
Ilex's hand suddenly touched her shoulder.
Tilia inhaled sharply as his large hand touched her overly sensitive body.
But it wasn't because his touch was provocative or her body craved stimulation. This was due to the temperature of his hand.
Ilex Davenport's hand was unnaturally hot, as if there was fire in it. Considering that her own body was already suffering from a fever, the heat from his hand was definitely abnormal. It was as if he had just run across the entire academy grounds at full speed.
- But before that.
Before Tilia could fully comprehend the situation, Ilex spun her around.
- First you need to wash yourself.
Before she realized what was happening, she was already shown into the room.
Staring blankly at the elegant door, she saw his long arm reach past her. The brass doorknob turned with a click and the door swung open.
- I don't sleep with unclean people.
With these words he pushed her inside.
She turned around in shock, a look of bewilderment on her face, but the door had already closed tightly behind her.
- Towels in the closet above the sink. Wash up and go out. I'll wash myself somewhere else and come back.
With those firm words, his presence quickly disappeared from the bathroom. Soon after, the sound of the front door closing loudly echoed throughout the room.