As the door opened, cool air from outside flowed into the room, and Celitia's nearly burning mind regained a fraction of clarity.

She struggled to lift her head, and in her blurred vision, she saw the white figure walking toward her.

Her nose caught a faint, sweet fragrance - the familiar scent of lavender.

"Sophia?"

Celitia spoke again, her voice so hoarse it was barely audible.

"It's me!"

Sophia threw down the short sword in her hand and rushed to Celitia's side. "Lily, you're really here!"

After Celitia ran out of the VIP room, Sophia and Ariel hurriedly split up to search for her.

But there were too many guests in the great hall, and no one had seen where Celitia went.

Just as she was at her wit's end, Sophia suddenly felt dazed, and dimly heard a woman speaking in her ear.

That mysterious voice told her that Celitia had been cursed and was locked in a small room, urging Sophia to hurry and save her.

When Sophia came to her senses and looked around, she couldn't find any trace of that mysterious woman.

With no time to verify if it was true or false, Sophia followed the hint and came here, cut open the door bolt, and actually found Celitia.

Seeing the girl collapsed on the bed, Sophia felt both heartbroken and anxious.

"What on earth happened?" Sophia asked repeatedly. "How are you now? Who locked you up?"

Sophia rushed onto the bed and embraced the girl with both hands. When she touched her skin, she felt burning heat.

Her body was so hot, and she emanated a faint, sweet, strange fragrance that was different from her usual light lily scent.

An ominous premonition arose in Sophia's heart.

Could it really be as that mysterious voice said—that Celitia had been afflicted with some kind of aphrodisiac curse...

Celitia didn't hear a single word of Sophia's series of questions.

The moment Sophia touched her, Celitia inevitably recalled the moment when Bren had dissolved into black shadows under her hands.

Enormous panic erupted from her heart, and Celitia used all her strength to push Sophia away:

"Don't come near me!!"

She crawled up from the bed and desperately hid in the corner, fearfully curling herself into a ball.

"Don't touch me," the girl's voice was full of pleading. "Please, Sophia."

Although the out-of-control mysterious power within her body seemed to have calmed down and disappeared without a trace, Celitia didn't dare to gamble.

If Sophia also turned into black shadows and dissipated like Bren, Celitia absolutely couldn't accept it.

Stay away, please, stay away.

Moreover...

Celitia hugged her bent legs and buried her head deeply in her knees, trying to hide her flushed face.

"Leave... get out of here... don't look at me, okay, Sophia?"

The skin that Sophia had touched was still tingling and itching, extraordinarily sensitive.

Like a spring breeze had blown in, the fire deep in her body burned more fiercely, gradually igniting her limbs and bones.

Feeling her body's instinctive reaction, Celitia shamefully hugged herself tightly.

The violent gasping could no longer be concealed, escaping involuntarily from her throat.

"...Ugh... ugh..."

After realizing what embarrassing sounds she was making, Celitia stuffed her hand into her mouth, forcibly blocking the remaining sounds.

"...Huff... huff..."

She gasped violently, her teeth biting hard, leaving deep marks on her pale hand.

Using this pain, Celitia barely maintained consciousness, preventing herself from being controlled by her body's sensations.

Her head burned with dizziness, and her vision was unclear.

But she could still sense that Sophia was kneeling half-way beside the bed, still staring at her in a daze.

Please, don't keep watching.

Such a... wretched self...

Crystalline tears accumulated in the corners of her eyes, and her voice was unclear, mixed with a trace of crying:

"Please... don't look anymore... Sophia..."

As if making up her mind, the girl who had been staring at Celitia suddenly let out a long sigh.

She stood up from beside the bed and turned to walk toward the door.

Thinking that Sophia was finally planning to leave, Celitia relaxed and leaned against the wall.

Her back brushed against the cool wall, and her overly sensitive skin immediately broke out in goosebumps.

"...Ugh!"

She trembled, and another uncontrollable moan escaped from her throat.

It's okay, it's okay.

Celitia told herself that she just needed to endure, and she could get through this.

She had always been good at enduring, and this time would be no exception.

Sophia's footsteps gradually moved away and stopped at the door.

She bent down, picked up the fallen half of the door bolt, stuffed it back in, and actually locked the door again.

She took a deep breath, returned with determined steps, took off her white dance shoes, and stepped onto the bed.

Kneeling beside Celitia, she opened her arms and unhesitatingly hugged the girl tightly.

"...Ah!"

Celitia cried out in surprise, trembling all over, desperately struggling to break free from Sophia's embrace.

But no matter how she struggled, Sophia's arms persistently held her without the slightest relaxation.

Celitia was completely panicked:

"I told you... don't come near... ugh!"

Sophia forcibly pulled her hands out of her mouth.

Her teeth scraped across the pale skin, leaving a trail of blood.

Sophia distressedly wiped away that trace of blood, her fingertips gentle as she traced the wounds on her hand.

"I know you're suffering. I'll help you… So don't endure alone anymore, and don't push me away, okay?"

"No... don't come near..." Celitia was still trying hard to push her away.

Sophia pressed those disobedient arms under her sides and leaned close to her body from above.

Brushing aside the girl's sweat-dampened long hair and cupping that flushed face, Sophia lowered her head and deeply kissed her lips.

"Mmph...!"

Celitia's eyes widened in disbelief, while the girl before her slowly closed her eyes.

Sophia held her tightly, lips pressed against lips, greedily absorbing her taste.

The originally light fragrance became sweeter and more intense, penetrating deeper.

Soft, sweet, like a little cake finally brought before her that Sophia wanted to devour entirely.

Little cake...

The memory box hidden in her mind opened at this moment.

It seemed... this wasn't the first time...

This taste that she craved so much, that she couldn't bear to leave...

The girl pressed beneath Sophia gradually gave up resistance.

Her hands involuntarily embraced Sophia's waist, and Celitia slowly closed her eyes.

She seemed to know instinctively how to tease her, sometimes approaching, sometimes provocative, sometimes withdrawing.

Every breath was filled with her scent, overwhelming and occupying all the space in her lungs.

Her body trembled constantly, shivering with each touch.

When she surrendered to the desires of her body and heart, Celitia knew she was completely finished.