"Now, could you help me put this necklace around my neck… please?
Colette's voice was soft, but to Joe, it sounded more than just soft. He looked at her, his gaze lingered at her neck, sensing the ease in her posture as if to say she was no longer wary of his presence.
Zeon swallowed hard, and his mind felt sluggish, resisting the cursed system urged. He tried hard to ignore it, then stood up slowly with tensed muscles.
He took a step, then another, until he stood behind her chair. He reached for the necklace in her palm with a shaking hand. Yet the soft scent of jasmine on her body made his head spin.
His trembling hand hovered over her shoulder. The warmth of her skin, the gentle curve of her neck, the way a stray strand of her hair fell across her shoulder…
Zeon bitten his own lips, until he felt pain. The sting on his lips forced his mind to override his animalistic urges that were screaming for him to touch her. But he could not, he had to think about his life in this world. He didn't want to die for the second time. His hand moved slowly, yet it took him longer fumbling with the clasp.
Colette sat perfectly still, her head tilted to the side, her eyes closed. She was waiting for him to finish the simple task she gave.
When the clasp finally clicked into place, he let out a silent sigh of relief, then stepped back a few inches away from her.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she reached a hand to her neck, her fingers tracing the necklace. A soft, knowing smile appeared on her lips, and she looked up at him.
She didn't need to look at him to know what he was going through. She had felt the tension in his hands, and the hesitation in his movements.
"You're a good man, Zeon. A good man in this hard world," she whispered.
Zeon kept silent, as his mind was still spinning.
She stood up slowly, then turned to face him. Her green eyes looked at him with a hint of deep sadness. She walked to the window behind him, then looked out at the sprawling grounds of the manor. They both were silent, occupied by their own thoughts.
"My husband, Arthur… he was a good man too," she whispered. "Kind, brave…"
Zeon only listened, noticing the shift in her tone.
"He went with the officials of Carja, with a few of our knights, to open a trade route through a dense jungle in the north. We had a treaty with the Wolf Tribe, so they had to use a certain path and not wandered from that path. But the path was not good for carriages, so my husband thought of a different route that would lead through the territory of the Wolf Tribe. He was naive, believing a treaty and a truce were more than a paper."
She turned to face him, her eyes filled with tears.
"They were all killed. My husband, the officials, our knights. No one survived. The Wolf Tribe broke the treaty and killed them all. They said it was because Arthur and the officials trespassed on their sacred grounds."
A tear fell down through her beautiful eyes, but she didn't wipe it away.
"After… I was alone."
She waved her hand around the room. "I have this manor, the wealth, the power, but it feels… empty. A lot of men come here, but I don't like them. They are arrogant… or greedy."
She looked at him with an intensity that made him want to look away. He shifted his weight, recalling that he was also here for a purpose. But his motives felt different, he wasn't after her wealth, and only after for his survival in this world. And he gave his expertise in return.
The silence returned, then she spoke in a lower voice now, and for Zeon, it was almost sounding like a purr.
"Do you… have someone you like, Zeon? Someone special?"
"No, my lady. I have no time for such things." He didn't hesitate to answer.
A genuine smile appeared on her face. It was the first time he had seen her truly smile. It didn't reach her eyes though, but he could feel her sincerity.
She walked to him in a sudden, then stopped right in front of him, so close he could feel the warmth of her body and smelled her scent. His mind screamed for him to step back, but his body wouldn't move. His breath hitched, and he could feel everything in his body jumbling. He had never been so close to a woman in his life who was so alluring, along with the system's urging, he struggled to contain himself.
Colette looked at him with her teary yet beautiful green eyes. Then slowly, she reached out her hand and took his. Her skin was soft and cold against his, contrasting with the heat that was now coursing through him. She put his hand and placed it against her cheek, deliberately.
His mind went blank. The heat, the lust, it all faded into a distant noise. He felt the delicate skin of her cheek against his rough palm.
"Just… be my friend, Zeon. I'd be grateful," she whispered, showing off her loneliness.
He looked into her eyes, without being able to think anymore. He could only nod slowly, and said in a hoarse voice. "I will, my lady."
A beautiful smile appeared on her lips once more. She took his hand off her cheek, held it for a moment, and then let it go.
"You can go now. Return here before dinner. I want you to try my genius chef's cooking," she said, now his voice more composed.
He nodded, took a step back, then another, then turned and walked out of the study. His legs felt a little wobbly. He didn't look back, he just kept walking, away from her.