That night had definitely taken a rather strange turn. Just a few moments earlier, he had finished absorbing [All the Evil in the World] and was still trying to understand the consequences of that transformation when he was interrupted by the unexpected visit of Grayfia, who had appeared in person in his office to accept the proposal he had made earlier.....
That sequence of events was somewhat bizarre, even for him. If Grayfia had arrived only a few minutes earlier, she would probably have found him in the middle of the fusion process with [All the Evil in the World]. He couldn't help wondering what would have happened if she had witnessed that scene. However, thinking about it carefully, perhaps it was just another proof that he truly was "blessed by the world." The more coincidences of that kind occurred, the more that possibility began to make sense to him....
But he mentioned none of that to the woman standing before his eyes. Grayfia seemed clearly conflicted about the proposal he had made earlier and, considering the circumstances, had probably made that decision in a moment of despair. In the end, it would have happened sooner or later. That was precisely why he had planted that idea during the meeting, leaving it to mature in her mind until the appropriate moment arrived....
Huh...?
Why was he feeling so satisfied with that sensation that everything was unfolding exactly according to his plan? It was almost as if he were intoxicated by the certainty that every piece had fallen precisely where it should. Perhaps it was the influence of [All the Evil in the World] on his mind. That feeling of control, of manipulation, and of watching events unfold according to his will... was strange. But, to his surprise, it was a very pleasant sensation....
Alear tilted his head slightly, his voice coming out dry and almost disinterested:
"You are referring to... what, exactly?"
You know perfectly well. Grayfia clenched her teeth upon realizing he was pretending not to understand. The cold gleam in her eyes intensified for a brief moment as she tried to contain her irritation. Did she really have to say it out loud? Just thinking about pronouncing those words made her face heat up with shame.....
"You know perfectly well what I am talking about...." she said, in a tone lower and weaker than she had intended.
Alear raised an eyebrow, maintaining an expression of genuine confusion.
"Really? I don't recall making any proposal during that meeting. All I remember is your husband's threat, saying I would regret my decision and things of that nature..."
The silence stretched for a few seconds.
Grayfia took a deep breath, suppressing her irritation and gathering the courage to finally say what she had been trying so hard to avoid. Then, in a low yet clear voice, she answered:
"...About sleeping with me. In exchange for you restoring the agreement with the Gremory Family."
Alear brought a hand to his chin, pretending to reflect with absolute seriousness. After a few seconds, he let out a soft "Ahh..." and nodded, as if he had finally remembered: "Ah, that... It was only a joke. I didn't think you would take it seriously."
Grayfia froze completely. For a moment she seemed incapable of processing what she had just heard. After all, she had spent a good part of that day gathering the courage to accept a proposal that, until then, she had believed had been made seriously. She had been willing to make that sacrifice to save the Gremory Family; she had spent hours fighting against her own thoughts, doubts, and internal conflicts to finally make that decision... and now she discovered that all of it might simply have been for nothing?
Then Alear let out a low, almost soft laugh and continued with a provocative smile:
"But for you to have taken my proposal so seriously that you came here during the night, willing to accept it... I must say your husband can't be very good at satisfying you." He paused briefly before adding: "Poor Sirzechs."
"...!"
What?
Grayfia's aura exploded suddenly. An intense wave of cold spread through the office and, within seconds, the entire mansion seemed to be enveloped by a freezing temperature. The air grew heavy, charged with power and a rage she could barely contain. Her eyes shone with a dangerous light and, for an instant, it seemed she was about to defend her husband.
Before she could do anything, however, Alear let out a soft sigh and released his own aura.
"It was a joke. You really have no sense of humor..."
A purely malevolent magical aura expanded from his body and took over the surroundings. Honestly, calling it malevolent was a foolish comparison. The aura that came from that young man was evil stripped of any purpose, morality, or justification; the evil that existed even before anyone learned to call it evil. The atmosphere seemed to rot around him, as if reality itself had recognized something that should never have existed....
Grayfia was enveloped by that aura; all she could feel was terror. She felt as if she had been cast into the depths of an infinite ocean made of darkness, where every drop carried a curse, every current whispered hatred, and every fragment of that void seemed to say the same thing: evil. There was no fury, sadism, or desire to kill in that aura. And that was precisely what made it terrifying. It was evil in its purest form—indifferent and incomprehensible—an existence that needed no reason to corrupt everything it touched.....
Her aura simply vanished. Her entire body began to tremble, her knees nearly giving way under the weight of that presence, while her mind was flooded by a sensation she could not rationalize. It was as if billions of silent voices were screaming inside her soul at the same time, not pronouncing words, but transmitting a single truth impossible to ignore: Evil. Evil. Evil. Evil. Evil..... The more she tried to resist, the smaller she felt, like an insignificant creature before something that could swallow her whole.
Her mind, with the little lucidity she could still preserve under that suffocating pressure, could formulate nothing beyond a single question: how could something so rotten and malignant exist? How could that be part of a person's aura?
Then, suddenly, the pressure disappeared.
Alear withdrew his aura with the same ease with which he had released it. The suffocating darkness dissipated like smoke on the wind, and the office gradually returned to its normal state. He simply smiled calmly, maintaining an indifferent expression, as if nothing extraordinary had happened.....
Grayfia, however, was far from well. Her entire body lost its strength while her legs trembled violently. She nearly collapsed, needing to brace one hand against the edge of the desk to keep her knees from giving way. Her back was completely soaked with cold sweat, and the shirt of her uniform had stuck to her skin. Her face was as pale as that of someone who had just contemplated something that should never exist. Her eyes, normally cold and unshakable, now stared at Alear with a mixture of fear, shock, and disbelief, as if her mind were still trying to comprehend what she had just experienced.....
She opened her mouth, but no words managed to come out. For a few moments, all that remained in the office was the silence and her irregular breathing—the involuntary sound of someone who had just experienced absolute terror....
Alear observed her reaction for a few more seconds, the calm smile still present on his lips. Then he spoke with the same composure as always:
"I was only joking just now… both about your husband and about not having been serious. The proposal I made earlier was genuine...."
Grayfia raised her gaze, still pale and trembling slightly. A small spark of hope appeared in her gray eyes, mixed with the residual fear.
"…Then…?" she asked, her voice hoarse and low.
Alear rested his elbow on the desk and crossed his fingers, maintaining a casual tone, almost as if he were discussing an ordinary business contract.
"I can help the Gremory Family. I have a business in mind... something quite profitable. You could act as my partners. We would split the profits fifty-fifty." He paused briefly, keeping his gaze fixed on her. "But in exchange, I will do whatever I want with you in bed. I'm certain you would try to negotiate a few terms to preserve at least a little of your dignity, such as not accepting certain things or demanding that I use a condom or something of the sort. After all, you swallowed your own pride and decided to offer yourself to me in exchange for saving your family, yet you remain an extremely proud woman. That is why I want to make my offer perfectly clear: it is non-negotiable..."
Grayfia grew even paler. The blood seemed to drain completely from her face as Alear's words settled into her mind. Even so, the image of the declining Gremory Family, the growing political pressure, and Sirzechs's powerlessness weighed more heavily than any embarrassment or personal pride. Then a bitter smile appeared on her lips—empty, laden with resignation and the wounded pride she forced herself to swallow.
"...I accept. You may do whatever you want with me, but I want a magical contract to guarantee that you will keep your word..."
"Hmm? All right." Alear materialized a magical document in his hands and signed it without hesitation before extending it to Grayfia. She received the contract, read every clause carefully, and verified thoroughly that everything matched what they had agreed upon. Only after making certain there was no trap or hidden condition did she raise her gaze to him once more.
"When will we begin?"
Alear rose calmly from the chair.
"Let's go to the bedroom first. Follow me...."
Grayfia hesitated for only a second before following his steps. The mansion's corridor seemed longer than usual. Each step echoed in her ears together with the accelerated beating of her own heart.
When they reached Alear's bedroom, the door closed behind them with a soft click.
Silence prevailed for a moment.
Grayfia stood a few steps from the bed, breathing deeply and looking at the young man's back in front of her. Her fingers trembled slightly as she prepared herself mentally for what was about to happen. Pride, dignity, and the fact that she was a married woman about to betray her husband screamed in protest, but the contract had already been signed. There was no turning back. With slow and deliberate movements, she brought her hands to the tie of her uniform and began to undo it. Next came the buttons of the white shirt, one by one. The fabric slipped from her shoulders, revealing pale skin and the black bra underneath. Then came the skirt, which fell around her feet...
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