CHAPTER 109: BEGGING FOR HER OWN DEMISE

Mika kept his composure, though his heart was thudding with triumph. Yelena had said it, clear, resolute, even if shy: she would do it.

The proud angel who just moments ago was trembling with indignation was now clutching the chain like it was her lifeline, cheeks hot, voice low, admitting she’d go through the condition if that’s what it took.

But he couldn’t let her know how perfectly this played into his hand. No, he had to play the doubtful one, the cautious one. So, he tilted his head, brow furrowed in hesitation.

"Yelena...are you really serious right now? Or are you just saying this so I won’t give it away? Because if you’re lying, if you think you can just take it, hide it away in some drawer, and never use it, you know I’ll find out."

"...You know there’s no point lying to me."

Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. For a fleeting second she had thought about that, just keeping it locked away, hanging it somewhere like a keepsake.

But his words cut into her, and she knew he was right. With Mika, there was no hiding, no escape. He would know.

So, slowly, almost unwillingly, she gave the faintest nod.

"It’s true." She admitted, voice low. "I’m not lying, Mika. I...I’ll wear it. Myself. I’ll be the one to use it."

That answer made his eyes narrow slightly, studying her with sharp focus. Then, calmly, he pressed.

"So then...does that mean you’re taking responsibility for it? For everything that comes with it? Even the condition?"

Yelena’s hand trembled around the chain. Her morality screamed that this was ridiculous, humiliating, but another voice, louder, hissed that if she backed down now, he’d hand it to some faceless girl, some passing fling, and she would be left with nothing.

That vision of him smiling at another woman, offering her this gift, her gift, was unbearable. She lifted her chin, her cheeks red but her eyes unwavering.

"Yes. I’ll do it...I don’t want to, but I can’t let anyone else take it from me."

"...So, if this is the price, then I’ll pay it."

Silence stretched between them, tense, weighted. She gripped the chain loosely now, like it might burn her, while Mika watched her with a look so steady it made her shift under his gaze.

Yelena thought for sure he’d mock her, tease her, look at her in disgust as he was basically her son and she was asking him to make such vulgar comments about his mother’s body.

It was only natural that he would be put off.

But instead, he just breathed out, calm and gentle and said,

"...Fine Yelena. If you really want it, then it’s yours. I won’t stop you."

He gave a small smile, tilting his head as though he were conceding.

"It’s a shame I won’t be able to give it to that other girl, but I can always find something else. If you want it so badly...then you can have it. As long as you’re the one who uses it."

"Huh? R-Really, Mika?" Her eyes widened at how easily he gave in. "You’re not going to take it away from me?"

"Really." He nodded, smiling faintly. "If you want it so much, it’s yours."

But instead of relief, Yelena felt confusion stir in her chest.

Why wasn’t he resisting?

Why wasn’t he looking at her with disgust like she expected for suggesting something so taboo?

But that confusion and the reason he was so calm in accepting everything was cleared up with what he asked her next.

"But, Yelena...you said you’d wear it. Then tell me. How are you going to fulfill the condition? You don’t have a man in your life. You’ve said it yourself, you’ll never have one."

"So...how are you planning to unlock it?"

The question froze her blood. She blinked, utterly baffled...How could he not see it?

And slowly, as if the words weighed more than stone, she murmured,

"W-What are you talking about, Mika? There is no one else...The only person who can do this with me...is you and no one else other then you."

His eyes went wide. For a moment, he was silent, then suddenly he laughed, a sharp, nervous laugh.

"Stop it, Yelena. Haha! That’s a pretty funny joke. You and me? Don’t be ridiculous."

But she shook her head, deadly serious, voice trembling but resolute.

"I’m not joking, Mika. Not at all. You’re the only one I have. The only man I’ve ever let this close. The only one I could even think of doing this with."

"...There is no one else, Mika. Only you. Do you understand what I’m saying?"

His laugh faltered and he stared at her, caught off guard by the unshakable determination in her eyes.

"But, Yelena...you and I...even though we aren’t related by blood, we’re basically a mother and son, so that’s, wrong...That’s taboo. We can’t..."

He sounded lost, dumbfounded, though deep inside, he knew this was exactly where he had maneuvered her. His innocent act was flawless.

And Yelena, falling for it, leaned closer, her voice gentler, almost coaxing.

"I know, Mika. I know how it sounds. It feels strange to me, too...But what choice do I have? You’re the only one I trust. The only one I could ever imagine doing this with. And I refuse to give this chain away to anyone else."

His confusion only deepened, or at least, it looked that way and she could feel him tensing, almost freaking out, so to calm them both she gave a soft laugh.

"Don’t panic, Mika. It’s nothing big. Don’t overthink it."

"Nothing big?" His head lifted sharply. "What do you mean?"

She smiled in a strangely casual, reassuring way.

"Just listen to me, Mika, yes, the request sounds absurd, but it doesn’t mean we have to take it so seriously. It’s just words. Just...compliments. Nothing more."

Think of how you always tease me, calling me thick, saying I eat too much. This is the same thing, only the opposite. Instead of mocking, you’ll compliment me...That’s all."

"But Yelena..." He pressed, feigning nervousness. "The artifact isn’t asking for casual compliments. It’s...dirty. Raunchy. Things no son should say to his mother. No man the women who held him as a baby. It’s—"

She cut him off with a laugh, warm and disarming.

"Exactly. It’s so absurd, it will be laughable. So, it will basically mean nothing."

"Just think about it, If there were feelings between us, maybe it would be strange, but like this?...It’s just a joke, a silly requirement. I beg we’ll even laugh about it later."

"Really?" He blinked at her, feigning uncertainty. "You think it’ll work out like that?"

"Of course, Mika." She patted his shoulder lightly, smiling in that calm, older way. "Imagine this: if I suddenly looked at your abs and called them sexy, what would you think?"

"That you were joking." Without hesitation he muttered. "Or that someone was pranking me. Cameras hidden somewhere."

"Exactly." She said with a small smile. "That’s how it will be. No matter what you say, it will be funny. Harmless."

He hesitated, then said carefully. "But Yelena, the artifact says you have to actually feel it. To be hot, aroused, flushed...How can you fake that?"

She waved a hand dismissively, confident again.

"That’s the easiest part. I can regulate the mana in my body. I can make myself feel flushed, make my pulse quicken. I can fake it as much as needed. All that matters are your words. The rest, I can handle."

Saying all of this, she thought she was convincing him.

She thought she was leading the argument, soothing his doubts.

But in reality, Mika could barely contain the grin threatening to stretch across his face, as she was begging for it.

Begging for his trap to spring fully shut.

She was making excuses for herself, rationalizing it, pushing herself deeper into the snare he had laid. It was no longer him coaxing her forward.

It was Yelena, prideful, desperate Yelena, who was begging him to go along.

And inside, Mika almost laughed at how perfectly it was working.

Yelena, meanwhile, still thought she had the upper hand. She was still talking, still trying to reassure him, to convince him that this wasn’t a big deal. Her voice had that nervous brightness to it, the kind people use when they’re trying to steady themselves.

And then Mika let out a sudden laugh. A sharp, startling sound.

"Haha!...Hahahaha!

Yelena blinked, her words faltering. "Mika...?"

"Haha! It makes sense now." He said, cutting her off smoothly.

His smile was relaxed, almost careless, as though the tension from earlier was nothing more than a cloud he’d chosen to brush aside.

"It totally makes sense now and I realise I was the one overthinking it. I was the one worrying too much. If we just treat it as banter, like you said...it won’t mean anything at all. Later on, it’ll just be funny...It totally makes sense, why didn’t I think of it that way."

Hearing him agree with her, Yelena’s relief was immediate, flooding her expression with warmth. She smiled wide, a bit sheepishly, and nodded quickly.

"Yes, that’s right, Mika! Exactly! You see? You were worrying for nothing."

But before she could finish basking in that fragile relief, Mika’s hand moved. Swift and decisive, he caught her by the waist and pulled her into him.

The suddenness of it made her gasp, her palms flattening against his chest. Her body pressed flush against his, heat bleeding through clothes and skin alike.

"M-Mika?" She stammered, cheeks flaring .

But he didn’t let her go. His hold was firm, grounding, almost possessive and when he spoke, his voice carried none of the easy playfulness from before and was quite solemn and grave.

"But Yelena...just because we’re treating this like a joke doesn’t mean I’m going to handle it like one."

Her eyes widened slightly. The gravity in his tone was unexpected, startling, even.

"You should know by now, I don’t do things half-heartedly." He continued gravely. "Not in battle, not in life, not in this. Whatever I do, I do with full purpose and full intention."

"So, if the goal is to meet the artifact’s condition...then I’ll go all out."

Her breath caught in her throat, and for the first time that night, Yelena found herself hesitating. She had thought it would be lighthearted, harmless, just playful words tossed around like smoke. But Mika’s eyes told her otherwise.

"That’s why I’ll say things you’ve never heard from me before." He continued. "Dirty things. Shameless things. Things no son should ever say to the woman who raised him."

"And unlike you...I’ve had experience with these kinds of words. I know how to make them sting. I know how to make them burn."

Yelena’s lips parted, her face flushing even hotter. "Mika...you..."

His gaze didn’t waver. "So, are you ready for that?"

Her heart pounded. For a moment, she was embarrassed, flustered even, staring at the boy, no, the man, who was holding her now.

But then she remembered. This was Mika. Her Mika. Her beloved boy who she had raised, who she had loved in her own way for so long, someone who could never make her flustered in that manner.

So she laughed.

Her hand lifted, brushing across her own face almost as if to chase away her nerves, and she shook her head with a small smile, refusing to take him seriously.

"Don’t kid yourself, Mika." She said lightly, her voice carrying the warmth of a teasing scold. "No matter what you say, nothing will actually bother me. I’ll just treat it as a joke."

"...So, don’t be so serious. It’ll be fine at the end of the day."

But Mika’s eyes didn’t soften.

Instead, he leaned closer, his smile faint but his tone unshakably certain.

"If that’s truly how you feel, then it’s fine. If you can keep it as a joke, untouched and unshaken, then there’s no problem at all."

His grip on her waist firmed ever so slightly, his breath brushing near her ear as he added, voice calm yet edged with something that made her skin prickle,

"But remember this, Yelena...if anything else happens, if anything goes further than you expect, it won’t be on me. It’ll be on you."

"You’re the one who brought this upon yourself. You’re the one who’ll bear the consequences."

Yelena shivered at that. She didn’t know why. His smile was gentle, his words steady, but there was something in the way he looked at her, like a hunter cornering his prey, like someone who knew exactly where this was headed, even if she tried to deny it.

And for the first time since their argument began, she felt as though she had stepped into a game she hadn’t realized was being played.

And now...she wasn’t sure if she could get out.