By the time we reached the hotel, I was already exhausted. Being surrounded by mortals who couldn't stop staring at Veneri, constantly suppressing the urge to snap someone's neck, and maintaining layers of deception at once was far more draining than any battle.
The hotel itself was absurdly luxurious. The title of being five-star didn't even begin to describe it. The lobby ceiling stretched several floors high, decorated with cascading crystal light fixtures and sleek digital panels displaying soft, calming visuals. Polished floors reflected our figures as we were led to the reception desk, where staff immediately bowed the moment they saw our forged envoy credentials.
They spoke to us with careful politeness, addressing us with honorifics, and within minutes we were handed access cards and escorted to the upper floors.
That was when the first irritation hit me. We were given three separate rooms.
I glanced at the numbers on the cards and forced a polite smile while inwardly cursing whoever had decided that envoys required "privacy."
The moment we were alone in the hallway, Ely leaned toward me and whispered;
"They're really putting us in different rooms?"
"Apparently they believe we are respectable diplomats instead of three people who have been sleeping within ten steps of each other for weeks."
Veneri only chuckled, already sliding his card into his door. "It's not a problem, Phae. We have solutions."
Of course we did.
Once inside my room—it's a spacious suite with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the glowing city—I wasted no time. I traced Veneri's Teleportation Mystic Circles (since Love Veneri can't use Magecraft, it was up to me), making three linked gates: one in my room, one in Ely's and one in his.
The circles shimmered faintly, stabilizing into invisible corridors that only we could use. Satisfied, I stepped through the one leading to his room without even knocking and immediately regretted not announcing myself.
Veneri had just come out of the shower.
He stood a few steps away from the bathroom door. Droplets of water still dripped down his skin. A white towel was wrapped around his waist. His hair was damp with white curly strands falling loosely around his face.
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
I've seen him like this before. We have been intimate more times than I could count. I knew every line of his body but something about seeing him like that, in a strange hotel room in the middle of an enemy capital, with the soft city lights filtering through the curtains and his Love Divinity scent… my throat went dry.
And to my eternal embarrassment, I realized I was actually drooling. Love Veneri noticed instantly. A smile spread across his face as he walked closer. Even before he reached me, I could smell that intoxicating, soft peony scent of his.
It dulled my senses, making my thoughts feel slow and heavy. He stopped just in front of me, towering slightly due to his height and tilted his head.
"Do you like what you see, Darling?"
I opened my mouth to answer. Nothing came out.
My brain was trying to form words, but all my attention was locked onto him. He leaned in closer and the peony fragrance intensified. I could feel it now, not just smell it. It was pressing gently against my mind, coaxing and urging me to step closer.
His lips hovered just close to mine. I closed my eyes, ready to meet him halfway. The moment he pulled back, my eyes snapped open in disbelief.
He groaned, running a hand through his damp hair.
"Damn it. I should control my scent."
"You… what?"
He turned away slightly, reaching for a shirt draped over a nearby chair.
"If I don't, it's going to get out of hand."
I stared at him, heat rising to my face not from embarrassment, but from pure frustration.
"Veneri, why did you stop?"
He avoided my gaze, focusing on pulling the shirt over his head.
"Mortals have weak minds, Phae. Even someone like you is affected by my Boon. If I keep letting it leak out like this, soon enough more than half the capital will be fanatically in love with me."
He said it so casually that it made my eye twitch.
"Those who saw me are already intoxicated by it ny now. When I was whole, the effect was diluted. But as the Love Pentarch, my Divinity is concentrated. It's harder to control."
I crossed my arms. "Stop changing the subject and just kiss me."
He froze. For a split second, the room felt dangerously quiet. Then, in the next instant, the world flipped.
I found myself pressed against the bed.
My wrists were pinned above my head by one of his hands and his knee trapped my legs in place. The mattress dipped under his weight as he leaned over me with a very serious expression.
"Don't push it, Phae."
My heart pounded against my ribs.
"I can literally hypnotize you to do whatever I want right now and you wouldn't resist because you love me. You wouldn't even find an issue with it but I would."
"Try me."
The moment the words left my mouth, his Love Divinity surged.
The faint peony scent in the air deepened into a visible, soft pink haze that curled around us like mist. It wasn't just a smell anymore. It slid into my thoughts. A powerful, almost painful wave of desire slammed into me, flooding my body and making my limbs feel weak and restless at the same time. My mind started racing with a single, overwhelming need.
[Touch him.]
My fingers twitched against his grip as I tried to pull free but he held me effortlessly in place.
"Veneri just… touch me."
The words slipped out before I could stop them. The pink haze thickened, and my thoughts grew hazier with it. Every part of me was hyper-aware of his closeness. The warmth of his body, the weight of his hand on my wrists, the soft brush of his breath against my skin...
I tried to free my legs. He pinned them down more firmly. My chest rose and fell rapidly as I struggled to hold onto any sense of dignity.
"Please…"
Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the pressure vanished.
The pink haze dissipated and the unnatural hunger inside me collapsed, leaving me panting against the sheets. My entire body trembling from the abrupt withdrawal. Veneri still hovered above me, watching me carefully.
"You're…"
The realization hit me all at once, sending a chill down my spine that had nothing to do with temperature. With just a fraction of his Love Divinity, he completely altered my thoughts and emotions. I, who was immune to mental attacks as an Omniscient, had given in within seconds under something as simple as amplified affection and desire.
It was terrifying.
He didn't let go of my wrists immediately. His grip loosened slightly, but he kept me pinned just long enough to make sure I understood.
"Love needs restraint. Until I can fully control my scent and Boon, we can't do anything intimate."
I nodded weakly. Only then did he release me. I pushed myself up slowly and glanced down at my dress.
My eyes widened.
"Was I really that affected?"
I didn't even need to finish the sentence. The answer was obvious. If this was what his Divinity could do to me— and I was someone who loved him willingly—then what would it do to mortals who had no defenses at all?
Suddenly, his earlier warning about the entire capital falling under his influence didn't sound like exaggeration anymore.
"Veneri, we haven't… been intimate. If you need to control yourself, maybe you should use me as a test subject."
I finally looked at him. I couldn't stop my smirk.
"Are you doing this to test how far you can go?"
"Yes."
"You're really not hiding it, huh?"
"By the say Darling, have you ever… used your Love Divinity to the fullest?"
"I did once with Nari. Even someone like her was affected."
I shifted closer without meaning to. I let my hands rest lightly on the bed beside me.
"You need someone to help you control it. I'm perfect for that. Ely is stronger now. If you used her, she might overpower you. But me? I can handle it. You can block me from using my capabilities and I can manage it."
Honestly, I wanted to lose myself in this. I wanted to let him take me and test himself on me. I'd never admit it out loud but a part of me yearned for it.
"We'll start with sleeping together, okay?"
I glanced toward Ely, who was sleeping in the next room. She was probably exploring her Overwrite. She was far away in both body and mind and we had a few days of freedom.
Why not use them?
A dizzying sensation made my head spin. I tried to resist and tell him I wasn't ready but before the words even fully formed, his lips were on mine. My hands went to his neck without thinking, clutching him like he was the only thing keeping me steady. His touch on my chest was gentle too.
"This Divinity of yours makes you… more lustful than before."
I wrapped my hands tighter around his neck, tilting my head up and meeting his eyes.
"I can't pull away, Darling. This is going to be harder than I thought."
He nodded once. I felt him shift, making sure the space around us was safe.
"Cover the room in sapphire, Darling."
I barely had to think. The walls, ceiling, and floor was reinforced, by my sapphire, until the room was our own little cocoon of safety and secrecy. He cupped my cheek and smiled.
"If you're going to be my test subject, please try to resist."
I gasped, trying to pull away but it was no use. His Love Divinity was a sensation I couldn't fight.
"Stop. I can't..."
And he did, sitting back slightly, that faint, controlled scoff on his lips.
"This is really going to take time, Phae. You're barely resisting it."
"Oh really? Then go all out. Actually, don't. If your Divinity hit full force here, everyone in the hotel would go insane. Thousands of lustful desires would be unleashed at once. That is not exactly subtle."
He nodded, conceding the point. I could see him weighing every possibility and yet, I wanted him to let go, even if it's just a little. I wanted to feel him fully, even if it was dangerous. Maybe if I allowed myself to be swept in, I could learn to resist better later.
So I climbed atop him, resting my hands on his chest, feeling the warmth radiating through his body and let myself act on instinct. My lips found his again, this time being intentional. I let my fingers trail along his chest.
I leaned closer, licking his fingers subtly, letting him see and know exactly what I wanted.
"It's okay to let go sometimes, Darling. Just this once…"
And for the first time, Veneri allowed it.
I felt the power of his Love Divinity flow inside and I let myself fall into it completely. To be honest, I barely have clear memories of what happened but I know that we sent hours experimenting on his Love Divinity in all sorts of ways.
I'm glad I kept my original consciousness with Love Veneri. I wonder how the others are handling the other Veneris...