"You are absolutely delectable. I can't wait to taste your essence," whispered Zenos, his hot breath sending sparks throughout the girl's body.
After what felt like an eternity, the Viceroy finally loosened his bone-shattering grip on Mavislin, allowing her a shaky breath of relief.
But before fully letting her go, he pressed a lingering kiss to her cheek—just as he had done before facing Solaris, his lips hovering against her skin for a moment longer than she expected.
The touch was both familiar and unsettling, leaving her caught between the memory of his tenderness and the undeniable force of his presence.
The first thing that the dragoness did was to roll away from the blonde, nearly slamming herself into the wall. Zenos blinked in confusion before closing in on her once more.
"Zenos, I honestly do not have the stamina to withstand your punishment any longer..."
"Did my touch fall short of your expectations, dragoness? Perhaps I should have been bolder, taken even more liberties to see how far you'd let me go. Your face told a different story—lost in bliss, eyes heavy with desire as my tongue explored your neck."
"I could have sworn you were savoring every moment. Tell me, was it not enough, or do you crave even more?"
"I do not crave for more! And besides, you said it was a punishment so of course I wouldn't want more..."
"Hmm?"
The dragoness felt a flush of warmth rising from the pit of her stomach, spreading to her cheeks. It dawned on her that the Viceroy had no real intention of punishing her; his words were merely a pretext to satisfy his own desire for physical contact.
Zenos's smile was reminiscent of Asmodeus, the Prince of Lust, radiating an irresistible allure. He gently cupped her cheek with his hand, his thumb lightly grazing her lips.
The touch was tender, yet imbued with a suggestive intimacy that made her heart race, underscoring the complex interplay of power and desire between them.
"Ah... So it seems you've figured it out... Never expected any less from the leader of the Intelligence Taskforce of the Syndicate," chuckled the Viceroy before giving her a rewarding kiss on her forehead.
He ceased cornering her, reclining on his side with his arm propped on the pillow and his chin resting in his hand. From this relaxed vantage, he observed with satisfaction the way his dragoness had grown increasingly flustered.
"You know you could've just asked..." pouted the dragoness, deliberately turning her back against the enemy.
"You wouldn't have given it. Besides, I did have to teach you a lesson in bringing strangers over..."
The blonde merely laughed as Mavislin playfully slapped the Viceroy's chest when she turned over, drowning him with name-calling insults until she felt a wave of exhaustion set upon herself.
She didn't want to admit it but the Viceroy's actions had truly relaxed her and taken her mind off her doubt of the earlier conversation with Void and Matt.
"You knew that I was having a tough time yet you chose the most unconventional way in the world to ease my stress," said the dragoness, pouting.
"It worked, didn't it? I must admit, I despise seeing that look of dread on your face right after a victory. Now, tell me—why were you sulking?" questioned the Viceroy, gingerly grabbing a lock of hair and playing with it.
Mavislin sighed as she thought back to her conversation with Arashi and Mattheos. About how the tengu was so angry at the rabbit for undermining her ability as a teacher and leader. She then turned over to glance at the blonde, who patiently awaited her explanation.
"It was nothing..."
"You do not sulk for nothing. You aren't a child."
"Hmph... I never did get to grow up so let me sulk like a child for once."
Mavislin so desperately wanted to close her eyes and ignore the staring Viceroy but could not do so under such pressure. She then abruptly sat up and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I have a question," said the dragoness, looking down at her lap.
"Shoot."
"When you said that thing about the hearts of others... About understanding them... Would it apply to my situation of how I treat Matt and the rest of the division?"
"It depends, how different do you treat that bunny as compared to your brethren?"
"I fear that I have been growing too lenient on the rabbit as compared to the rest of my younglings. I had started to show more compassion towards him without realizing that I could be coddling him too much. And this has affected my previous students."
"And it bothers you? Do the words of your underlings carry that much weight with you? I had thought you were above such concerns."