CHAPTER 55: FINALLY A FREE MAN!

Then he brought out the beast core—the dull, faintly green beast core of the D-rank Goblin.

Seraphina’s lips parted slightly, her voice a soft breath of disbelief.

"This..." she murmured, her eyes locked on the core as though it were a forbidden treasure. "It’s... more than what you should give me."

"Keep it," Xavier said quietly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Her brows knit in concern. "But I don’t want to. You need it more than I do, Xavier."

He shook his head, gaze steady. "No. Besides... I need to find my mother and sister. You can use it—help me look for the people who own them. I have to buy them back and free them. Just think of the change as me paying you... for finding them for me."

Her lips trembled faintly at the sincerity in his voice. She nodded slowly, but her eyes searched his face with something deeper.

"Xavier... tell me. Did you get the Goblin beast core yourself? Is that where you disappeared to so suddenly?"

Xavier exhaled, knowing there was no point in pretending. "Yes."

She took a step closer, her voice soft but edged with worry. "Please... tell me whenever you plan to do something dangerous like this again. I promise... I won’t hold you back."

His answer was a silent nod, though the air between them had shifted—thickening with an unspoken tension neither tried to name.

Seraphina rose from the couch, her movements slow, deliberate. She reached for her bra and other clothes, the subtle rustle of fabric brushing against skin filling the quiet space. As she fastened the clasp, her lips curved into a small, almost playful smile. "Alright then... let me prepare your documents."

Xavier leaned back, watching her. The sway of her hips as she crossed to the table, the way a stray lock of hair fell across her cheek, the quiet confidence in every movement—it all pulled at him. She was happy for him, he could see it. Happy that he was regaining his status.

She adjusted a few things on the desk before pulling out a set of papers. Her fingers, elegant and sure, moved over the documents as she wrote and signed. When she turned to him with the pen, he stepped forward, signed his name, and set the pen down.

When the last signature was in place, Seraphina’s expression bloomed into a radiant smile. She stepped into him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Congratulations, Xavier. You’re officially a free man. No more chains, no more restrictions. I’m... so happy for you."

Her body pressed against his, warm and soft. He could feel the curve of her breasts molding to his chest, her heartbeat faint but steady. His hands slid around her waist, holding her close as her perfume—subtle and intoxicating—filled his senses.

Neither moved for a moment. Just the slow exchange of warmth, the faint sound of their breathing, the quiet hum of something unspoken lingering between them.

When she finally drew back, her eyes met his—soft, but with a spark that made his pulse stir.

But suddenly she embraced him again. She staid even longer in his embrace this time.

Seraphina lingered in Xavier’s embrace, her body still pressed against his, the warmth of her breast molding to the hard lines of his chest. Her fingers traced idle patterns along his collarbone, a teasing touch that sent faint shivers through him, while his hands rested possessively on the small of her back, thumbs brushing the soft skin just above her hips.

The documents lay forgotten on the table, symbols of his newfound freedom, but in this moment, the only chains that bound him were the invisible ones of desire pulling him closer to her.

She pulled back slightly, just enough to meet his gaze, her eyes sparkling with a mix of satisfaction and mischief. A playful smile tugged at her lips, swollen from their kisses, and she tilted her head, her hair cascading over one shoulder like a silken veil.

"You know," she murmured, her voice low and husky, laced with that sultry warmth that made his pulse quicken, "now that you’re a free man, I suppose you’ll be off adventuring—slaying more goblins, and with your looks I’m sure you’re bound to attract more women like a magnet?"

Xavier chuckled, the sound deep and rumbling, vibrating through her as he drew her closer again, his lips brushing her forehead in a featherlight kiss. "Phina, you think anyone could top you? After what we just did on that couch—and the table before that—I’d say you’ve set the bar impossibly high. Besides, if I run into a woman, I’ll just tell her I’m taken by a viscountess who sucks the life out of me... literally."

Her laughter bubbled up, light and genuine, her body shaking against his as she swatted his chest playfully. "You’re incorrigible! But fine, if we’re confessing, I have to admit... that little trick I tried earlier, the one where I teased you without letting you in? I read about it in some scandalous novel hidden in my library. Thought it’d make you beg. Instead, I was the one crumbling like a poorly baked pastry."

He grinned, his hands sliding down to cup her ass, giving a gentle squeeze that elicited a soft gasp from her. The feel of her firm flesh under his palms reignited a spark in his core, his mind flashing to the way she’d ridden him, her hips grinding with that desperate, slutty rhythm. "Oh, that was from a book? Here I thought you were just naturally wicked. But hey, if we’re sharing secrets, I once tried to impress a girl by juggling fruit. Ended up with a banana in my eye. Romantic disaster. Your teases are way more effective... and enjoyable."

Seraphina’s eyes widened with delight, her fingers trailing up to his jaw, tracing the stubble there with a sensual slowness that made his skin tingle. "Juggling fruit? Xavier, you? The man who slays goblins and makes me moan like a whore? I can’t picture it. Tell me more—did you ever try serenading someone? Or writing poetry? Because if your poems are anything like your thrusts, they’d be deep and relentless."

He laughed again, pulling her onto his lap as he sank back onto the couch, her thighs straddling him once more, the heat between them building subtly, like embers waiting for a breath of wind.

Her gown rode up slightly, exposing the smooth expanse of her legs, and he couldn’t resist running his hands along her thighs, feeling the goosebumps rise under his touch. "Poetry? Once. It went something like: ’Roses are red, violets are blue, I’m bad at this, but I want you.’ She threw a pillow at me. But you... you inspire better lines. Like, ’Your eyes are stars, your body a flame, and every time you ride me, I forget my name.’"

She burst into giggles, her head tipping back, exposing the elegant curve of her throat, which he leaned in to kiss, his lips grazing the sensitive skin with a teasing nip. The taste of her—salt and sweetness—sent a jolt straight to his groin, his cock stirring beneath her as she shifted, grinding lightly against him without even meaning to. "Oh, that’s terrible! But sweet in a ridiculous way. Alright, my turn for a confession: When I was younger, I had this fantasy about being swept away by a mysterious stranger in a mask. We’d dance under the moonlight, and he’d whisper filthy things in my ear. Never happened... until you showed up, all brooding and beast-core-bearing. Though your mask is more like that smug grin of yours."

Xavier’s hands wandered higher, slipping under her gown to caress the bare skin of her hips, his thumbs circling in lazy patterns that made her breath hitch. The intimacy of the moment wrapped around them, a cocoon of laughter and lust, her body responding to his touch with a subtle arch, pressing her breasts against him. "A masked stranger, huh? I could arrange that. Steal one from your wardrobe, sneak in through the window some night, ravage you until you’re begging for mercy. But only if you promise to wear that pink bra again—it’s criminal how good you look in it."

Her cheeks flushed, a rosy tint that spread down her neck, but her eyes gleamed with playful fire as she leaned in, her lips brushing his ear. "Deal. But only if you promise to let me tie you up first. Imagine it: you, helpless on my bed, while I tease you for hours. No thrusting, no control—just me, deciding when you get release. Think you could handle that?"

The image she painted sent a surge of heat through him, his cock hardening fully beneath her, pressing insistently against her core through the thin fabric separating them.

He groaned softly, his hands gripping her ass tighter, pulling her down to grind against him in a slow, deliberate motion that drew a moan from her lips. "Phina, you’re playing dirty now. But I don’t think I can handle all that, I’d probably break free just to flip you over and show you who’s really in charge. Like earlier—god, the way you begged me to drill you... that sound is etched in my brain."