"May I enter, my Lord?" He heard a familiar feminine voice.
"Eliza?" Mordret replied, his voice slightly breathless.
Eliza pushed open the wooden door, which emitted a creaking sound that engulfed the silent room. As Mordret's eyes fell upon her, he couldn't help but remain motionless.
'Huh?' Zephyr struggled to think of anything. The world seemed to freeze around him, and he found it hard to catch his breath. He feared that even a single moment might shatter the exquisite image he was beholding.
Gulp-
An audible gulp broke the ice. "My Lord?" Eliza asked softly, her movements slightly fidgety, trying to conceal her uncovered thighs.
"..." Zephyr was rendered speechless. He had no time to recover from the incident with the cookie woman and her daughter's actions before facing another predicament.
Eliza was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. Her radiant blue eyes captivated his very soul. Not only that, but her neatly cut raven hair, with a single tendril resting on her right cheek, and the rosy hue on her pale cheeks… She held him entranced.
For that one moment, he couldn't tear his gaze away from Eliza's face. He forgot everything... His love for Mira, archaeology, his own name, and even the necessity of air. All he desired was to lose himself in those beautiful, pure, and radiant blue eyes.
Blue eyes...
'Where did I see them?' Mordret drew a cold breath. Though his face remained stoic, his ears turned red and felt like they were burning. He blushed in the most concealed way possible.
Eliza couldn't see his neck turning red due to the collar of his shirt, leaving her anxious about his next words. What if Mordret had forgotten his promise? She was at that age, after all.
'H-he must remember... At least for her sake…' Eliza looked down and clenched her fists, questioning if she had acted too hastily.
Meanwhile, Mordret was utterly captivated by her beauty, to the extent that he hadn't even noticed her outfit.
It wasn't her usual Victorian-style black maid outfit, which covered most of her skin. It was something entirely different!
Eliza was wearing a see-through dress that reached her thighs, along with a visible black net lingerie with small threads tied at the back. A small bow added a little cuteness to the bold underwear.
The enticing design of the lingerie, combined with the transparent gown, reminded Zephyr of something he had only seen in adult videos. But witnessing such beauty in person made his heart race.
The blue butterfly pendant resting on her chest glowed brightly, emitting a soft blue hue. The choker around her neck emitted a slight pink aura, further captivating Mordret, who couldn't take his eyes off her.
Zephyr had never seen anything like this before. Not even once in his life!
'Mordret! You bastard get to enjoy such a woman around you! EVERY DAY!!' Zephyr felt consumed by jealousy.
He shivered. The only thing that lacked in Mordret's room was a window. Adding to it was not leaving the room, in short, Mordret was unaware of time.
Even the cookie woman's house had no way to find whether it was night or daytime.
But Mordret couldn't care less. For now, all he wanted was to stare at Eliza.
However, as if he ran out of luck, he heard a small voice. It was Eliza speaking at an inaudible scale.
"Do you… remember? My Lord?" But Mordret heard it. He heard it clearly.
"Eliza…" Eliza jerked as she was surprised by his sudden call.
With some visibly painful efforts, Mordret got up from his bed and walked closer to her.
Eliza's eyes widened as he gestured for her to stay and let him come closer. "M-my Lord!" She stuttered, attempting to assist Mordret, but he refused again.
"Eliza…" As Mordret drew nearer, he gently held her tightly clenched fists and loosened her fingers. "I am fine." His calm voice answered sincerely and apologetically, but it did little to calm her pounding heart.
Both stared at each other for a prolonged moment, and no words were spoken. Holding her small fingers in his hand, Mordret's stubborn eyes refused to blink, and Eliza mirrored his determination.
Meanwhile, Zephyr was perplexed within. 'Why am I doing this?' Mordret's body had taken this action unconsciously. But Zephyr had full control over it, so how was this possible? He felt flustered and sensed that Mordret wanted to say something but simply couldn't. Something that, if revealed, might shatter the very image of this beauty like a fragile mirror.
He followed his instincts and allowed Mordret's words to sink into Eliza.
"No… No! No, my Lord, no. You are not fine." Eliza held her head low and bit her lip. The tears in the corners of her eyes threatened to flow and ruin her beauty, but Zephyr swore that even her tears would look like pearls. Those enchanting eyes held guilt underneath.
It was evident that Mordret's forgotten memories were troubling her. The storm of emotions in her shaky hands indicated –
'Wait! Is this the storm the system warned me about?' Zephyr connected the dots, and a sudden realization dawned on him.
Eliza looked frail, fragile, and broken beyond repair. Her actions spoke louder than words, and louder still.
Taking a step closer, Eliza fixed her gaze on Mordret. Her fingers slightly tightened as she asked in a shaky voice, "D-do you remember now, my Lord?"
A slight frown appeared on Mordret's face.
Again.
Again, the same frown that had driven Eliza away the last time. 'Damn it! What is the thing she wants me to remember?!' Zephyr wanted to shout and tell Eliza that he wasn't the Lord she was searching for.
He was Zephyr! Zephyr Satoru! Not Mordret Valorborn!
But he couldn't do so. Breaking his character would mean failing the first condition of the game. He had to remain as Mordret.
Eliza hadn't given up either. Taking another step, she stuttered, "D-does this remind you of something?"
Her long eyelashes drove him mad. The gentle flutter of those feathery lashes drove him madder. Every time she blinked, those captivating eyes burned with newfound strength.
Maybe he had seen those eyes somewhere? But back in the real world, people with such eyes were impossible to find! Much less had he seen someone like that!
"..." Eliza's body shuddered as Mordret's silence answered her question. Was she hasty? Yes, she was.
What was the point of waiting? If the Lord had forgotten his oath, something she never wished for, then she could not bring herself to stay here anymore.
The Lord she served had long since left… and if that was the case, then it was better for her to leave…
"Eliza?" She was pulled out of her thoughts as Mordret called her name again.
The sound of that name had a strange tone. It wasn't warm, but it was expectant. It wanted answers but did not ask directly.
The new Lord was expecting answers from her… Eliza.
'NO! I cannot give up! Once! Just once! Last time!' Eliza strengthened her resolve.
Using every fiber of her will, she took the last step… standing very close to Mordret. A few inches at most.
Zephyr gulped. The stimulation of Eliza's body, along with the growing desire to succumb to the soft lips with rosy hue… Standing merely some inches away, his heart desired to taste those lips.
A little closer… Just a little… a little… He just wanted to answer and be freed from this torture!
Her see-through dress, provocative lingerie, and seducing lips were all calling for him to dig in. But something held him back.
Unknowingly, his attention was drawn to everything… except her eyes. And when Eliza noticed Mordret's heavy breathing and red ears.
The warmth in her blue eyes faded, leaving only a trace of disappointment.
Crac-Crack-
Mordret heard the sound of something cracking, but his attention remained on Eliza.
Her body radiated a deathly cold aura.
sigh An involuntary sigh escaped Eliza's lips.
She had given up. Perhaps the courage she had mustered for all this was in vain.
Her Lord still had not remembered the most important thing in their life. An oath that had connected the two of them.
The only thread, the only reason why she had been with her Lord.
If not for that reason, she was as good as dead. After all, serving an unknown man who now stood in front of her was not her Lord.
The body was merely a vessel for her Lord. The person inside was not her Lord if he could not remember the promise. As simple as that.
Without uttering a word, Eliza turned and started walking away.
But as she turned, suddenly Mordret grabbed her hand.
'Ah! It must be the succumbed desire for my body…' Eliza sighed again.
Her Lord had warned her about her beauty. And now that he had no memories of the past, his animalistic instincts to have her must've caused it.
"Eliza…" The same tone of a stranger rang in her head. She had no intention to turn around. Why should she be obliged to an unknown man, after all?
"Turn around, Eliza, and show me your eyes." At this, however, Eliza's heart, which had seemed to have stopped, found a rejuvenating hope.
Just as she turned around, she found Mordret breathing heavily. Yet, keeping his wits in check, he struggled and said, "If I cannot remember… Make me remember."
***
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