This ever manipulator

Hina gulped down her saliva. She could feel Alaric's warm breath on her face as he moved closer.

A single drop of sweat trailed down the side of her face. Though she panicked, she still maintained her composure.

"Of course not, Lord Alaric. I do not hate you," she replied as calmly as possible. "I hold no grudge."

Alaric was able to pick up on how she was obviously forcing a smile, wondering if she was even trying to hide it.

"If you don't hate me, then shouldn't you have a bit of respect for what I'm currently doing in the barony?" he so shamelessly asked.

Hina was silent yet again.

"Are you looking for praise, my lord?" Hina was bamboozled.

"Praise? Do I look like the kind of man who would easily melt just because he got called wonderful ego-raising names?"

"..."

"Oh, how little you think of me..."

This time, Alaric placed his hand on her cheek, feeling the warmth that seemed to be growing with every passing second.

"... I know you find it hard to believe, but I've really changed... I promise."

Hina glared a bit. "I don't mean to be rude, my lord. But why are you trying so hard to convince me? It's not like I've ever complained about your behavior before."

"True, you haven't..." Alaric pulled closer yet again. "And yet I'm trying to make you see the best in me. Why do you think that is?"

For some reason, his words managed to hit her where she didn't expect. Her cheeks turned red, unable to hide her expression any longer.

"W-what are you saying? I'm... I'm not falling for your lies again!" she hastily averted her eyes.

This was good news for Alaric.

On the outside, it would look like he was just flirting so she would like him.

But on the inside, he only wanted one thing from all this...

'This should be able to get me free customer service without paying a dime!' he grinned internally as he rubbed Hina's hair.

'Obviously the old man will ask me for money when I tell him what I need him to make. Money? I don't have that. If I did, I wouldn't be working so hard to get that mining ground moving. So? What do you do when you're short on cash? You manipulate your way through!'

[I think that's just you...]

'Shut up!' he continued scheming. 'I know for a fact she still likes me. I checked her character profile when I walked in, and I remembered her relationship value was over 60. All I need her to do is to just crack a bit, and I'll have myself free customer service in no time.'

[Your shamelessness knows no bounds.]

Alaric ignored the system.

Now, he held Hina's cheek with both his hands.

She so desperately wanted to fight against it, push him away, or at least pull her face out. But for some strange reason, she wanted more—wanted to see how far he was willing to go.

Just from his skin touching hers, she could already remember the night they once spent together. How he handled her delicately while also making her moan like she never thought she could.

Memories of that night began to cloud her judgment.

Thoughts like, Do I really want to miss this chance? I know he might be using me, but...

In conclusion, her body began to betray her.

"Tell me, did you ever miss me? Even when I didn't check up on you?" Alaric whispered in her ear, his ass already lifted from the bed.

She swallowed her pride. No one was around... Even if it was for a while... maybe he didn't leave her on purpose. Maybe he was just lost, and now he's really back...

"Yes... Yes, I did. Every single day," her voice cracked. "I felt used, but I didn't stop thinking about you. So cruel... I thought I was being enchanted. How can you be so evil?"

Ha! I knew it. Jackpot! Alaric's soul excitedly leaped out of his body.

Missing such an opportunity was not going to be an option for him.

He moved his hand from her cheek all the way to her neck, gripping her in such a way he could see her gasp a bit.

"You acted so curt toward me, almost felt like you didn't want me around. So who is really the cruel one?" he spoke, his lips barely far from hers.

"I... I didn't want to look che-ap..." she managed to respond, her entire body already heating up just from the fact he was close to her.

Alaric was fully aware she was weak against him; thus, he pushed further.

"I'd never think that of you... not when you're looking this pretty."

With that, he pressed his lips against hers, savoring the taste of her soft pink lips.

Dust from the workshop was painted on it, but an erection is not something one would want to ignore so easily.

As they continued kissing, Alaric slowly pushed her to the bed, his hand wrapped even tighter around her neck.

Hina didn't complain. Oh no, it was the opposite.

The feeling that Alaric had her in the palm of his hand turned her on even more.

She rubbed her thighs together, her face completely beet red as she continued to kiss him, rubbing her entire body against his.

It got to a point, Hina lost control of herself. She wrapped her legs around him, using them to push Alaric's crotch closer to her watering valley.

Grinding like a snake, she made sure she could feel his hardness rubbing against her.

Hmmm~

Her moans began to come out the moment Alaric moved his lips to her neck.

She didn't waste any time either; she immediately began to unbutton his shirt. Like a wild beast who had just caught its prey, she didn't plan on ever letting go.

Not until he had knocked her out completely.

.....

A\N: Please let me know what you think of the story so far. Your response will determine if I'll continue the book on the right path.

And also, thank you all for the support, it really helped motivate me to continue.