CHAPTER 122: CH 122: THE CURSED RESORT - PART 3

Kana’s prolonged silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating. High Priestess Lumine’s soft sigh broke it, the sound carrying both patience and subtle insistence.

"...I suppose I should tell you more. The reason I cannot ask for help from just anyone... and why no random soul can enter the temple... is because the ancient structure we must purify was once a temple of fertility."

Lumine said, her tone lowering into something almost intimate. She folded her hands before her, eyes lingering on Kana as if gauging her every reaction.

Kana blinked, her fingers curling tightly around the hem of her clothes.

"It is... not a place where everyone would survive. But somehow, I have a feeling you would."

Lumine continued, her voice steady but hushed.

Kana froze. For one ridiculous, unbidden moment, her mind betrayed her—dragging her back to late nights and the questionable badly written erotica she might have stumbled upon before.

Situations that sounded outrageous... but somehow eerily similar to what Lumine had just implied.

Her cheeks warmed. Her stomach twisted in both excitement and dread, leaving her completely at a loss for words.

Lumine, sharp-eyed and perceptive, noticed immediately.

She saw how Kana’s gaze faltered, how she wasn’t repulsed—if anything, she seemed... uncertain, conflicted... maybe even intrigued.

The priestess’s lips curved slightly, just enough to hint at her satisfaction.

Deciding to press her advantage, Lumine reached up and removed the delicate veil concealing her face.

Her features, bathed in the golden light filtering through the window, were breathtakingly divine—so perfect it was almost impossible to look directly at her without feeling overwhelmed.

Lumine leaned in, closing the distance between them until Kana could feel the faint warmth of her breath against her skin.

Her voice dropped into a near whisper, sultry and commanding at once.

"Kana, I am asking you for this favor... will you give me your answer?"

She murmured softly.

Kana’s throat went dry instantly.

Her mind screamed at her to process everything logically, but her body betrayed her—her heart raced, her palms grew clammy, and her lips parted only to fail her completely.

"I-I..."

She stammered, unable to form a coherent thought.

Lumine’s piercing gaze never wavered. Every subtle movement—the slight tilt of her head, the closeness of her body, the quiet authority in her tone—left Kana dizzy and breathless.

"...Y-Yes."

Kana finally managed, the word slipping out without her permission, her voice embarrassingly soft.

The priestess arched an elegant brow, as if to confirm.

"You’re agreeing... after understanding all the risks involved? The temple won’t be easy to navigate and might leave you in situations where you might have no choice but to relieve your sexual urges with other’s help or in front of me and Emma. Are you ready to take that risk?"

Kana opened her mouth, intending to ask questions, but Lumine leaned just an inch closer—so close that their foreheads almost brushed.

Her breath caught in her throat, and rationality crumbled completely beneath the overwhelming proximity.

"...Yes."

Kana repeated faintly, her chest tightening.

She wanted to feel. Mortified, but she felt equally excited and aroused. This was making her lose her mind a little, thus her impulsive actions.

For the first time, Lumine allowed herself a small, victorious smile. Pulling back just slightly, she reached for a folded parchment resting on the nearby table.

"Then... sign this."

She said, her tone calm and composed again, as though nothing intimate had passed between them moments ago.

Kana blinked at the agreement in her hands, her thoughts still muddled and sluggish from the suffocating closeness earlier.

Her mind screamed that she should read it, question it, think—but her fingers were already moving on instinct, signing where Lumine’s slender finger indicated.

By the time she lifted her gaze again, realization struck far too late.

Her name was scrawled elegantly across the contract.

Lumine’s serene smile carried an edge of satisfaction.

"Good. It’s settled."

Kana’s stomach dropped, dread catching up to her like a delayed echo.

"W-Wait, what exactly did I just—"

Lumine stepped closer, gently placing a hand on her shoulder, her touch light but firm enough to silence Kana’s protests.

"Prepare yourself. We leave for the temple... this evening."

The high priestess said softly, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Kana swallowed hard, her thoughts spiraling in chaos. She didn’t even know what she had just agreed to—only that there was no going back now.

Outside, the soft crash of waves against the island’s shores seemed distant, drowned beneath the weight of the path she had unwittingly chosen.

And yet, despite the creeping fear settling in her chest, her heart wouldn’t stop pounding.

The door clicked shut behind High Priestess Lumine, and the quiet that followed was deafening.

Kana stood frozen for a moment, her fingers trembling at her sides, before her legs finally gave out and she sank onto the edge of the bed.

The moment she buried her face in her hands, a muffled scream tore from her throat.

"Wh-what did I just do?!"

She hissed against her palms, kicking her feet against the floor in frustration.

Heat crawled up her neck as the memory replayed vividly—the closeness, the soft whisper of Lumine’s voice, the overwhelming pressure that had left her too stunned to think straight.

She groaned louder this time, biting into her sleeve to stifle the sound. Mortification curled inside her chest, tangled tightly with something else she refused to name.

Excited. Terrified. Thrilled.

She hated herself for feeling all of it at once.

By the time the evening sun painted the horizon in streaks of orange and gold, Kana had forced herself to calm down—at least on the surface.

Her expression was neutral when she stepped outside, though her hands were still slightly damp from nervous sweat.

High Priestess Lumine was already waiting beneath the swaying palms, her posture elegant as always, while Emma, the resort owner, fidgeted nearby, looking far less composed.

Kana swallowed hard and walked toward them.

Lumine’s gaze lingered on her for just a moment, unreadable as ever, before she turned toward the distant path leading deeper into the island’s lush wilderness.

"Let us go."

Lumine said softly.

And just like that, the three of them began their walk toward the ancient temple—toward the heart of the curse Kana had somehow agreed to face.

Her steps were steady, but her racing heartbeat betrayed her completely.