After a long while, Theron took steps forward until he was right before Lyra, looking down at her. He reached a hand forward and played with the collar of her silk robes.

"What is this? Someone sent you here to seduce me?" Theron teased.

"You—! This…"

Lyra wanted to be offended for a moment before she realized that that was indeed exactly what was happening here. Even if she wanted to deny it, how was she going to?

"Let me guess. Matriarch Macie wants you to control me? How does she think a little virgin like you is going to do that?"

Theron's tone was still teasing, but Lyra wanted to go and find a place to bury herself.

Her legs shifted, crossing and uncrossing. But she seemed to have forgotten that she wasn't wearing any underwear. She had been afraid that she would chicken out at the last moment, so she had stripped herself bare other than this silk robe that stuck so well to her skin it hardly left anything to the imagination anyway.

There was a flash of a small strip of hair and pretty pink lips, something that didn't escape Theron's attention in the slightest, before it disappeared again.

'A bit… red…' Theron thought, raising an eyebrow. 'She didn't…'

When Theron realized what happened, he was speechless. It was no wonder she was so red; that color wasn't entirely out of embarrassment at all. She had probably taken some sort of low-class, manageable aphrodisiac.

This wasn't the sort of mind-melting aphrodisiac used by bad actors trying to scam women into their beds. Instead, it was the sort used by married couples who wanted to spice up their love lives a bit.

It seemed that Lyra hoped that her first time would at least be enjoyable, so if she couldn't get her mind right alone, she might as well use some supplementary help.

The redness Theron was referring to wasn't about hair at all, but rather the plumpness of her lips down there. They looked engorged with blood and carried the faintest hint of mist and moistness to them.

Suddenly, Theron began to wonder if Lyra was really just crossing her legs to hide something, or if it was for a completely different reason.

"I…" Lyra didn't know how to respond. How could she be so bad at this? She hadn't even said anything yet but Theron had already seen right through her.

Theron chuckled. "You are very beautiful, though, Senior Sister."

Tugging on the collar of her silk robes just a little bit more, Theron caught the sight of a pretty pink nipple. They stood at attention, clearly another side effect of the mild aphrodisiac she had taken. They could practically cut glass.

Though her breasts were large, they fell like healthy dewdrops, carrying a beautiful light sheen of blush and sweat on them.

Lyra's breath hitched when she saw Theron's actions, her body trembling as she fought against every instinct to get him to stop.

Inwardly, she was conflicted. If Theron was sharp enough to see through all of this, even if she did give him her body, there was no way she would be able to control him.

But if she didn't even try, then she would suffer just the same.

Just what should she do?

The worst part was… after seducing a man so much more powerful than her to this extent, could she even leave now if she wanted to?

What was she supposed to say? Oops? I made a mistake? Let me leave after flashing my breasts in his face?

Suddenly, Lyra began to wonder if it was really her real self justifying her staying, or if it was the aphrodisiac talking?

She knew it was dangerous to take such a thing, even if it was mild and manageable in its effects. Because she had a good impression of Theron already, it was just amplified a hundred times over.

That confident smile, that handsome jawline, that most in-control glint in his eyes.

She found herself loving it.

But the words Theron said next, after letting go of her silk robe's collar, thrust her right back into reality.

"Why don't you tell me why someone with a background as powerful as yours is willing to go so far to appease someone as weak as Matriarch Macie?"

Lyra's eyes flashed with confusion as her head snapped up.

How did Theron know about her background? No one should know.

Was it because of the Cloud Resonance saber she had given him?

No. There was no way to deduce anything from that saber.

Although Cloud Resonance weapons were rare, they were still common enough. There were a few in the Sect—at least, there were a few Touching Cloud Resonance ones like her own.

That saber also didn't have the slightest markings on it either. There was nothing on it that should identify her family. That weapon couldn't even really be considered a weapon of her family either—it was just a castaway treasure left to middling guards who took care of their dogs and horses.

They weren't even real soldiers.

It looked grand to take out here, but it wasn't important enough to her family to be meaningful in any way.

"You… how did you…"

"Well, there are three things, really. First, your earrings and anklets. The jingle is interesting, and I didn't pay them much mind at first. But the more I listened, the more odd they felt to me.

"I don't even think you've noticed, but I've been around Sound Mancers before—quite a few of them, in fact—enough to feel that the chimes of your earrings and anklets aren't normal. They harmonize with you in a way that's just… the slightest bit off-beat."

Lyra's heart shook with roaring waves. Theron didn't even say the second and third reason yet, but she already knew that he had definitely figured it out.

Those earrings and anklets of hers weren't just fashion accessories… they were shackles she could not take off.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.