The next morning, Valkorion woke up a bit early when he noticed that he wasn't sleeping alone. It was that moment when a mild internal panic swept through his entire body when he realized that he had slept with Mellisandre.
Personally, he was torn between being satisfied and depressed over the matter; part of him was worried about the future because he didn't know how to handle this at all. Till now, he had been only with the prostitutes, be it this life or the previous one, so...
His conclusion was that he wouldn't really find the answer and would let fate decide how all of this would end. It felt weird because she was his friend? Or at least he thought that she was, as she was one of the few people to whom he could talk.
Not to mention, they had been living together for the past few weeks, so their relationship was closer than expected. He would be rather sad if something changed between the two of them due to this, but now, there was probably nothing that he could do about it.
They had already done the deed, and he had to admit that it was a phenomenal experience, very different compared to the time when he had sex with prostitutes in his past life or the whores in this new life.
Probably the fact that they had some sort of emotional connection between them, making the entire experience reach a wholly new level of pleasure, and everything around that.
Mellisandre was especially passionate about their time together, and as he was thinking over it, he felt a weird feeling in his chest, as he wanted this moment to last forever. When he thought that this month would soon enough end, he became rather sad.
There were not really many people whom he was close to, much less on an intimate level; she would be the first person in both of his lives who was close to him on an intimate level, and as much as he tried to rationalize the entire situation, he had to admit that it was rather pleasant.
He really didn't know how to deal with the feelings that were storming inside him, as he wanted to kill some monsters to let out some steam. In fact, Valkorion wasn't really good at dealing with this emotional crap, as he used to be apathetic for most of his life, and now, when the barriers were broken bit by bit, he felt like a total mess.
Just as he was pondering over the matter, he felt something moving next to him, and soon enough, he felt that Mellisandre was hugging him from behind. She was still entirely naked, with her crimson-red hair flowing down, further enhancing her natural beauty.
"I can sense your emotional distress from miles away..."
She said quietly, as he continued to stare down, not really saying anything as he waited for her to state what she wanted to say.
"Are you now distressed due to last night?"
Her voice was firm yet gentle as she asked the question, which made him even more nervous than he had been before.
"Partially. I know that you are smart enough to figure out the situation and solution to the problem on your own."
Valkorion stated that he was confident that she was smart enough to figure out everything before she even started, and he wasn't wrong. Melisandre was probably one of the most skilled individuals in psychology and all related fields, despite this world not having developed the field properly.
She knew what someone was thinking even before the person in question started the thought process...
"You actually fear that the only relationship with a woman that you ever had that lasted for a long time would be shattered because we had sex, yet at the same time, it is vastly better to have sex with someone to whom you have some feelings. At the same time, you want to keep it, but you also don't really trust me because something back in your mind is telling you that everything that I am doing is at the behest and order of the Red Temple, right?"
As he heard her saying the entire analysis of his entire being, he didn't know if he should be honored or what because he was rather certain that she was right in every single thing that she had spoken so far.
"I always told you that you are too smart for your own good."
He stated silently as he conceded defeat on this matter, now that he was resolved to reach some kind of solution to this situation. If this situation wasn't resolved right now, they wouldn't be able to continue on their mission to the Orange Shore, and that was unacceptable.
"You would be a fool to trust me so easily, which would greatly lower my opinion of you. And yes, I already have a solution to our little predicament."
She said casually, after which she then proceeded to explain the matters she wanted to say further.
"During the time we were together at your manor at the Cartharys, it was one of the very few times in my life that were rather enjoyable, more than the time at the Red Temple, should I admit it fully. While I could keep saying that I didn't do this to manipulate you or obtain some sort of affection for me to have leverage over you, it would be rather useless. So I have a different solution in the form of Geass."
Geasses were the special Beoynder Items that served as a form of contract between two parties. They were usually manufactured by powerful Beyonders of some Pathway whose name was unknown to Valkorion, but they were very rare even in the Valyrian Freehold.
They were used when there was basically no trust between two or more parties, or when the parties of the contract wanted to ensure that everyone would carry out their responsibilities.
"So... you would really go for the Geass?"
In fact, Valkorion was rather surprised that she proposed to use the Geass to resolve the matter. He thought that she wouldn't be willing to go this far, so it was certain proof to him that he wasn't the only one who was feeling weird about their situation.
"Yes, I actually enjoyed last night. I have my needs, and at the same time, I enjoy your company too much for us just to part ways and never meet again."
Hearing that surprised him too much for him to ignore, as he turned around and kissed her on her lips, they immediately started kissing passionately, almost forgetting about what they had been talking about several moments before.
"Then we shall sing a geass to resolve the trust issue... any conditions, or shall we already go for the Orange Shore. I fear that if we remain here for any more time, we won't be leaving the wagon for another day."
Valkorion said as he planned to finally leave for the Orange Shore.
They had already spent more time in the Volantis than was necessary, but he had to admit that many pleasant surprises came from the Volantis.