The Guardian of The Dragon

Chapter 17

"A ghost you can touch..."

He stared at the locks of blue-violet hair slowly slipping from his grasp.

The color kept flickering before his eyes.

As he waited for her, he grew angry.

He resented the fact that he had no control over this situation.

But it dissipated when he saw her.

This woman might be the only way out of the maze he'd been lost in for so long.

If she appeared in front of him again, he would grab her by any means necessary.

Now that he saw her, he realized.

This woman was beyond his will.

He couldn't force her, couldn't kill her, and the more he looked at her, the more mesmerized he became.

He couldn't control his attraction to her, even though his head told him she was dangerous.

"Are you dead?"

"... No."

"Then you're not a ghost."

Suddenly, her hand was seized.

Frea gasped as she felt the warmth of the man's grip.

Aran brushed her fingertips.

"You've never held a weapon, your hands haven't done anything rough. You're unguarded, unafraid, and your hobby of barging into people's bedrooms naked without trying..."

"I don't..."

Frea interjected, withdrawing her hand.

"I don't do it intentionally, and when I fall asleep, I find myself here..."

"And upon waking, you're back in your own room."

Frea released a small sigh.

"I understand it's hard to accept."

"It's not that I don't believe you. Every effect has a cause. There must be a reason for your presence here."

"A reason..."

"Let's trace back to the day you first arrived. Consider what has changed since then."

Frea was taken aback.

'This man... he's not as...'

She had expected him to reprimand her, to demand answers.

She'd assumed he'd be pushy.

"Did I say something weird?"

"No. Actually, I have a hunch."

This time, Aran's expression made Frea laugh.

"Did I say something weird?"

Aran looked at the woman who was making a pun on him, feeling ridiculous.

He had met so many people, and there were so many different kinds of humans in the world.

But this woman was definitely different.

He couldn't quite place her.

He realized that if he couldn't get what he wanted through coercive means, he'd have to bully.

He thought of all sorts of bait to use in negotiations.

Wealth? Power? Anything? He could offer.

He wasn't sure if she was naïve, stupid, or just playing a clever game of hand when she so readily showed her hand without promising anything in return.