Amidst the panic and tension suffocating him, Kaydan suddenly felt a tangible physical sensation. Against his skin, the youth felt the touch of fingers caressing his cheek with an incredibly gentle motion.
The touch was a stark contrast to the confining magic shackles restraining all his limbs.
"Answer this question with only a nod or a shake of your head!" Arvin whispered right in front of the youth's face. His voice flowed incredibly softly and lowly, yet it possessed a captivating pull that forced Kaydan to focus all his attention. "Are you willing to be free from the slave seal that has shackled you all this time?"
Kaydan's eyes widened. A question about something he had only ever dared to dream of in his empty fantasies had just been spoken directly to him. Freedom? The word sounded like an illusion that was far too beautiful.
However, his survival instinct and yearning for freedom took over. Kaydan nodded his head firmly against the pillow.
"Okay, I understand." Arvin replied, responding to the youth's nod with a satisfied tone. "In that case, let's make a simple deal. I will release all your restraints and the gag over your mouth right now, but on the condition that you must not scream and must not move from your current position. Are you willing to comply?"
Once again, Kaydan gave a quick nod, agreeing to the terms laid out by the invisible existence above him.
Once the agreement was made, Arvin immediately dispelled his restraining magic. In an instant, the gag over Kaydan's mouth vanished, along with the absolute pressure pinning down his wrists and ankles. The gray-haired youth could finally breathe a sigh of relief and move his limbs once more.
However, true to his word, Kaydan did not scream or change his resting position. He remained lying down with his legs spread wide apart, his body still clearly feeling the heavy weight of Arvin pinning him down, though the latter had yet to reveal himself.
"Who are you exactly?" Kaydan whispered, his voice slightly hoarse, his eyes darting warily as he tried to peer into the empty air directly above him.
Arvin did not answer the question with words. Instead, he chose to reply by canceling his invisible magic.
Instantly, the air above Kaydan's body rippled, and Arvin's physical form materialized out of thin air. Kaydan gasped in shock, his breath catching in his throat. The distance between them was incredibly close.
Right before his eyes appeared a handsome youth with blue hair and a pair of blue eyes that were staring down at him with deep interest.
"I am Arvin Vedegra..." Arvin said with a mysterious, subtle smile. "...the target your master just ordered you to approach."
Hearing that name fall from the lips of the youth above him, Kaydan was profoundly stunned. His mind seemed to short-circuit for a few seconds. He truly never expected that the mission target Lionias had just ordered him to seduce had actually infiltrated deep into the palace and was currently positioned right on top of him.
However, he quickly brushed aside all his shock and confusion. His main focus right now was not on how Arvin managed to sneak in, but rather on the impossible offer he had just heard.
"Hey... can you really free me from this unremovable slave seal?" Kaydan whispered, demanding certainty, his light green eyes radiating a fragile glimmer of hope.
"Of course I can do it!" Arvin whispered back, without a single shred of doubt in his blue eyes. "But if you are freed later, you must promise to be loyal to me. What do you say?"
Upon hearing the word 'loyal', Kaydan's facial expression instantly hardened. The dark fate that had bound him all this time took over his rationale.
"So, you want to free me only to make me your new slave?" Kaydan hissed bitterly, his eyes glaring with fierce resistance. "If that's the case, I would rather die than become someone else's slave again after being freed from here!"
Seeing that perfectly natural defensive reaction, Arvin's smile only grew gentler. Reaching out, his fingers once again caressed the side of the cute, brown-skinned youth's face with deep affection, soothing his emotions.
"I will never enslave you, Kaydan." Arvin whispered in an incredibly sincere and convincing tone. "Not as a subordinate, nor as a servant. I want you to be my tenth spouse."
That single sentence successfully froze Kaydan in his tracks. His eyes widened completely. He was beyond shocked. He never expected that the grand target of his mission actually already had nine spouses, yet bluntly and without any hesitation, wanted him to fill the tenth position.
"If you agree, I will free you today." Arvin offered again, presenting an absolute choice.
"Will... will simply being your spouse truly allow me to experience freedom?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly with doubt, yet desperately wanting to believe it.
"I swear on my name, you will never regret it!" Arvin answered with utmost conviction.
The blue-haired youth stared intently into the pair of light green eyes directly below him, channeling every ounce of sincerity and protection he was promising. "If you are willing to leave this rotten place and become my spouse, raise your hands and hug me tightly."
It was a challenge as well as a proof of his resolve, but Arvin also did not want to force him. He wanted Kaydan to surrender himself voluntarily.
Beneath the confinement of Arvin's body, the gray-haired youth fell silent. His mind spun rapidly, contemplating his bleak future.
If I refuse and stay here, I will forever be shackled by this slave seal. Kaydan thought, pondering his tragic fate. I am always treated like trash in this palace. Let alone freedom, I am not even allowed to step outside the palace gates just to catch a glimpse of the beautiful outside world.
He looked back at the pair of blue eyes that were staring at him with immense gentleness. A gentleness he had never received from anyone in the Victoriaz Kingdom.
"D-Don't you already have nine spouses?" Kaydan asked in a quiet voice. "Then why... why do you want me too?"
"Because you are cute!" Arvin whispered quickly and very honestly, answering the question without a shred of hesitation. "To be honest with you, Kaydan, I am indeed a bit greedy when it comes to cute boys. Especially those who have already caught my attention and become my targets. By any means necessary, I must succeed in marrying those I have marked."
Hearing a confession that was so blunt, brimming with self-confidence, yet spoken in such a casual tone, Kaydan could only widen his eyes in disbelief.
"A-Am I... also one of your targets?" Kaydan squeaked nervously.
Arvin smiled incredibly gently at him, then provided a definitive answer with a slow nod.
"Initially, I thought he was the only one in this kingdom who bore the curse of a slave seal." Arvin murmured with a tone of genuine concern, recalling Arion who was once in Kaydan's current position. "But it turns out, you share the exact same fate as him, huh?"