Hisha clicked his tongue at her, he wasn't going to respond to her question, instead, he went with a different approach, "you shouldn't be struggling, it's damaging to your precious skin."
Pesa scrunched up her nose and spat on his face.
Getting to his feet, Hisha turned around and let out curse words after another in regret.
His hands made strangling gestures around the air while he envisioned Pesa in his grasp. It ached his heart to be treated with contempt by a member of his harem–even he was at a disadvantage because of what she had done.
'What the heck is wrong with this female?!' He thought with frustration and anger.
[There seems to be some sort of grudge held]
'You think?' Hisha sarcastically answered and turned around to look down at Pesa.
With a new resolve, he walked up to her once more and squatted.
Picking up the hem of her black dress, he used it to clean his face.
Pesa had tried to retaliate by aiming at his head with a kick, but was too slow in her attack and was swiftly caught by the ankle.
"You're a tough one aren't you?" Hisha laughed and released her leg before moving away slightly.
Unable to go easy on her anymore, his eyes glowed and his brows furrowed. "Tell me who sent you to do this!"
[Ability: Telekinesis]
Pesa let out a gasp as she tried to take in air, she could feel something gripping her by the throat and obstructing her air inflow.
Knowing it was dangerous to be in such a position and still have no way of breaking free, she struggled amidst choking and begged for her life.
Hisha momentarily paused, he wasn't going to kill her, all he needed was information–if he could get that, he could be one step away from getting to the bottom of the conspiracy.
"Are you willing to talk?" He questioned with a stern face. His eyes are devoid of any emotions.
Pesa thought about it for a while, contemplating which would be to her benefit. Slowly she nodded her head, if she could get away with telling him a bit of what she knew, she could trick him into letting her go.
[As a fay, she can't be trusted]
HTC immediately warned, feeling something off with her willingness to talk. Her kind was usually malevolent and grotesque diminutive humanoids.
Even as it gave Hisha a heads up, it wondered why this female was different from her kind in physical appearance, the only characteristics that she had readily displayed would be her foul personality.
'You think I don't know?!' Hisha hissed in response.
He folded his arms and leaned on the wall before he spoke. "Prove to me you can be given a second chance, if you're lucky, you could get your ability back."
Pesa's eyes searched the ground as she contemplated how she would sieve out her words. It was best to play it safe for a while.
"Yes my lord." She bowed her head.
Hisha's brows twitched at her response, even though she had bowed, he could feel that she was mocking him in effect.
[Make her pay by making her yours! There is no way she would be able to refuse]
HTC suggested, creating a smirking emoji with flames behind it.
Hisha shook his head at the system's response. 'Spoken like a true desire system, you couldn't just keep that lewd thought to yourself, can you?'
[...]
HTC suddenly realized it had just gone against what its host had reprimanded it for.
As Hisha clicked his tongue and shook his head, he watched Pesa lock eyes with him as she prepared to speak.
"Remember, your ability is at my disposal, you can't have any funny ideas while staring at me." Hisha pointed out and laughed.
A frown could be seen on her face as she watched Hisha mock her. Even though she didn't understand how that was remotely possible, she needed to be set free.
"I would never..." She began and let the rest fade off without completing it.
"My family was killed when I refused to be brought here to be your harem. I never wanted any of this." She related and avoided making eye contact with Hisha after that.
[She's hiding something]
HTC's words were outlined in red as it was suspicious of her tone and body movements.
Pesa's eyes darted everywhere on the ground, she was right about her family being killed, she was marked without her consent when chosen.
She hid the fact that she was approached by a group of strange-looking hooded people who offered to rid her of the person that brought her so much anguish.
'You have some enemies far greater than I am, you self-centered immortal!' She cackled in her thoughts and tried her best to hide the smile that was forming on her lips.
Hisha caught on to that devious smile that flashed on her lips. He wasn't so stupid enough not to understand what could be going on through her thoughts.
"When I had asked for the selection, it was never meant to be this way," he began, trying to justify the previous host's actions.
It all boiled down to the fact that the tribal chiefs had a hand in the unprecedented decision used in getting the harem.
'I'm going to kill those old geezers someday!' He vowed in his thoughts and gritted his teeth.
They needed to serve their land to its fullest, then he would strike at them.
Walking up to her, he placed his hand on her head and gently stroked, "you have every right to be angry and I'm sorry about your parents' death."
She wasn't evil but rather manipulated by someone else's plans, if he couldn't make her feel safe, there was no way she would turn a new leaf.
Pesa raised her head to stare at Hisha, those weren't the words she was expecting, and felt a warmth course through her body with his touch.
Tears brimmed in her eyes, conflicted about what she knew and his actions. "Please stop trying to care, it will take you nowhere." She sniffled.
Squatting, he brought his face closer to hers and raised her by the chin to meet his eyes.
"You have one of the most beautiful blue eyes I've seen." He subconsciously blurted out and instantly regretted the slip.
When he saw her brows begin to crease, he snapped out of the dazed state and proceeded to continue with what he originally planned.
"You would be given a chance to redeem yourself, if you could come out victorious after your 50th duel, I would let you off if you still wish to leave my side."
'50 duels?! Why don't you just say you want me here by all means?!' Pesa felt agitated and worried that she might not live to see that day, not with so many stronger females eager and ready to participate.
Pulling her face away from his grip, she glared at him, disturbed by such preposterous condition–it was going to take several weeks if not months of compulsory participation to attain her redemption and freedom.
She didn't sign up for any of this, she had made it very clear she wanted nothing to do with his harem and that includes the tournament.
"What if I refuse your offer, my lord?" She asked through gritted teeth and narrowed her eyes at him.
*****
A/N
Thank you all for responding to the previous note with an inline +1, the little confidence boost was just what I needed, had given me the resolve to continue knowing I have a few who still read.
Thank you [David_Harvey_0583] for your gift and GT.
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