Aethernea : Soulbound [Book 1]

Episode 86 - Seduction

Previously:

Elaru picks up Kiel's ring and the two of them go to Black Pearl restaurant where she intends to give him the ring and explain its usage. Unfortunately, as they enter the lobby of the restaurant, they run into Rhur Rroda – Kiel's older brother, and his date. Kiel and Rhur engage in a word battle. Elaru pretends to be clueless and mentions Rhur's reputation as a "flower plucker".

* * *

Elaru looked helplessly at Kiel and asked curiously. "I always thought it was very rude for people to call your big brother a flower boy in such a condescending manner. There is nothing wrong with liking flowers. Don't tell me that I misunderstood?"

Kiel's face broke out into an involuntary smile. His heartbeat accelerated in exhilaration. This word battle had become just as thrilling as an actual battle. Seeing Rhur lose miserably gave him a delightful sense of pride.

Joining hands with Elaru to beat a common foe... this feeling wasn't bad at all. On the contrary, this feeling made his blood boil, made butterflies flutter in his stomach. This feeling was simply...

Wonderful.

As Elaru's beautiful eyes stared at Kiel in feigned confusion, Kiel thought that today she looked more beautiful than usual. She was always incomparingly attractive, but today, she was too magnetic, too alluring. Even his icy heart couldn't help but feel moved as he gazed down at the beauty.

This time, he wasn't being teased by her, this time, he was the third party watching her tease someone else. And at this moment, for the first time, he saw everything clearly.

This side of Elaru... was the side that he loved the most.

As soon as the thought entered his mind, ripples of heat started coursing through his entire body.

A side that he loved?

Kiel's hot blood suddenly ran cold. This thrill, this glee was too addictive, too dangerous. He shouldn't allow himself to feel this way! He needed to stop it from the seed, for if it grew and spread, it would become resilient and ever-present, like weeds, impossible to root out.

But how does one stop their own feelings?

Kiel's solution was to stop thinking about it and bury it deep down.

Unlike Kiel, Rhur wasn't feeling wonderful at all, in fact, he felt as if someone just punched the air out of his chest. Even the sweet, creamy wine left a bitter taste in his mouth. He was usually quite eloquent, but this redhead left him speechless.

It was one thing if Kiel provoked him, and it was another if it was the girl he was trying to court. A thousand poisonous things that he could say came to mind, but he couldn't say any of them. Otherwise he would risk leaving a bad impression that would negatively impact his future plans.

He wasn't even sure if the girl was taking jabs at him while pretending to be ignorant or if she was actually ignorant. Since he wasn't sure which of the two was the case, he couldn't settle on which course of action to take. All he could do was minimize his losses.

He had to endure the urge to retaliate.

Unfortunately, the waves of glee coming off from Kiel made the enduring inconceivably hard. When was the last time Rhur ate a loss while dealing with his little brother? He was usually the one to walk away victorious!

It's fine. This minor sacrifice will be worth it in the end. He comforted himself.

Fortunately, he didn't need to endure for long. Luck seemed to be in his favor, for right at this moment, their ordered food arrived.