An Bai didn't need to wait long for the demon to return.
When he stepped back into the cell, he held something in front of his face. "You wouldn't mind, would you?" There was a clear tone in his voice, telling him that this couldn't be anything good.
An Bai looked at it more closely and realized that it was a silver bracelet with inscriptions on the inside. His lips curved up in a smile and he calmed down. He had expected that this would happen so he wasn't too worried. As long as this guy didn't do anything that he couldn't anticipate, his plan would indeed work.
"A bracelet to make sure I won't be able to use my spiritual power even outside the cell? I don't think it's necessary but if you feel better this way, then I certainly won't mind." To make sure that he seemed sincere, he even raised his arm for the demon to put the bracelet on.
The guard looked at him, trying to see whether this was a trick or not. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could read from An Bai's face. "Huh. You don't want to try to argue?"
An Bai raised his brows, seeming surprised. "Why would I argue with you? You're doing me a favor, aren't you? In that case, isn't it only to be expected that I do what you tell me? And don't forget that I was willingly imprisoned in exchange for my king's beloved. Naturally, I know how to behave in this situation."
The guard still had some reservations but thinking of it that way, he didn't expect any hidden reason anymore. Anyway, the dragons were like this. They would do much more for their king than the demons would. Even if there was nothing to be had in return. "Well, if you really don't mind, then that's good. It would pain me if you were uncomfortable with this."
Despite saying so, the demon didn't look concerned at all. He grabbed An Bai's arm and then slid the bracelet over his hand, fastening it around his wrist. He imbued some of his spiritual energy and An Bai could feel the inscriptions lighting up.
He turned his hand and looked at the bracelet, his lips still curved into a gentle smile. "It looks quite good on me, doesn't it?"
The demon smiled and cupped his cheek. "There's always a special kind of beauty to a bound person." His gaze swept over An Bai's body as if he was thinking of tying him further up but in the end, he still stepped back. "Anyway, I've made sure that you won't try anything funny. So I guess we should go now. I'll make true on my promise."
An Bai nodded and waited for the demon to open the door. He tried not to look around too much and just followed him outside, down the corridor and out of the dungeon. It seemed that this guy wasn't just bringing him to another cell as he had asked for. Instead, he was indeed bringing him somewhere more … private.
An Bai wasn't surprised at all when he found himself in front of the door to a regular room. He gave a wry smile and then followed the demon inside, taking a look around. The room wasn't big, obviously not that of an important person. He was happy to see that there was still a door on the other side leading to another room.
The demon closed the door behind them and then inched closer to An Bai, pulling him back into his arms. "So what do you say? Is this private enough for you?" He swept An Bai's hair over his shoulder and brushed his cheek with his lips.
An Bai tensed up involuntarily but had to force himself to relax. "It's exactly what I had in mind. Thank you for being so considerate with me." He turned around in the demon's arms and gave him a smile.
"Then I guess I deserve a reward for this."
The demon grabbed onto An Bai's hair, pulling his face up to him. Their lips met. An Bai furrowed his brows at the force that was used but he didn't dare to push him away. He still needed this to work. Thus he could only endure for now and pretend to be breathless with passion when the demon finally pulled back on his own.
The guard looked at him, a satisfied smile on his lips. "I guess you weren't just playing around after all." Even up until now, he had still been sure that An Bai was just doing this to somehow escape. But now, he hadn't used the opportunity he had just gotten. It was probably safe to say that even if he wanted to leave, he wouldn't do so right now.
An Bai chuckled. "Didn't I already say that I stood in for our king's beloved on my own accord? I won't flee. That would just put His Majesty in a bad spot." In fact, this wasn't wrong. Since a dragon's lover was even more important than their own life to them, he would never endanger the Son of Heaven. Because if something happened to him, it wouldn't just be a loss to the Nine Heavens and the gods but to the dragon race as well. After all, he didn't believe that their king would be able to hold on after the crown prince died.
Thus, he would do nothing to compromise him. But … he also didn't want to sacrifice himself. Thus he wouldn't just sit back and instead try to save his own life while not bringing about any negative consequences for their king.
The demon didn't really care what An Bai's reasoning was. He was just satisfied that this person really wouldn't try anything. Thus he went ahead with what he had intended to do: He pushed him toward the bed, rubbing his hands. He had to make sure that he had a thorough taste and enjoyed every moment.