CHAPTER 576: CHAPTER 578: ROSE TO BLOOM

Condition: Cursed (The Crimson Bloom)

Stage: Active – Unstable

Description:

A forbidden curse woven into blood and soul. The Crimson Bloom feeds upon unfulfilled desire, igniting the vessel with fevered hunger. The afflicted is driven towards yearning, delirium and carnal release. Should the vessel maintain purity past the appointed threshold, the bloom will wither and collapse the body from within, resulting in death.

Effects:

Fever of Desire: Body temperature rises uncontrollably, leading to weakness, delirium, and uncontrollable impulses.

Crimson Thorns: Resisting relief worsens the condition, accelerating decay of life force.

Bloom of Desire: Only through the surrender of purity may the curse be broken.

—

Damon didn’t even know what to say. No wonder Abellona had been so touchy with him—she couldn’t help it. She was already suffering from the first stage of the curse.

’Why the hell would Ashcroft use this particular curse?’

At the same time, he could understand why she didn’t tell him about it. She was vulnerable at the moment, and he was a threat to her purity... though in this case, she was the threat to his.

’Yeah, I see where this is going, and it’s not going to end that way...’

Damon closed his eyes. Abellona’s head wobbled softly against his side. He felt a sudden wave of disgust—not at the helpless Abellona, but at how vicious the curse was. This type of curse didn’t give you a choice, or rather, it did.

It was either fall for its whims or die.

Ashcroft must have known exactly which path this prideful woman would choose. It wasn’t about her purity for the Demon Lord of Domination. No—it was about killing Damon. If Damon did nothing, Abellona would die. However, if he acted, he would make an enemy of her. Without their seamless cooperation, Ashcroft would have an easier time killing them.

After all, all things considered, Ashcroft was getting weaker by the minute.

Abellona’s breathing grew heavier, her chest rising and falling as she let out a soft sound that Damon could only describe as a moan.

He couldn’t do anything about it until the hour when it bloomed. That was when her life and death would be decided.

Damon frowned.

Yeah, that would absolutely not work.

As someone who had lived his whole life for his sister, Damon could commit any crime, but he drew the line at this.

"If we don’t do anything about that curse, you’ll die..."

Abellona bit her lips. Her feverishly red face carried her struggle against the curse.

"I...I... rather...I choose death. If it comes down to it...I will die..."

Damon didn’t even glance at her. His expression remained calm as he analyzed what to do.

"What about me... I’ll die with you too..."

Abellona buried her face in his chest, letting out a soft giggle Damon didn’t think he’d ever hear from her.

He knew she was struggling. Her soft flesh pressing against his own was not exactly unappealing, and he would be crazy to say he hadn’t thought about it.

But that was it—only the thought, and nothing more.

’My will is as strong as iron, dammit.’

Abellona finally calmed herself. She took out a small dagger from her spatial ring, moving it to her waist and strapping it to her belt.

"If it comes to it...I’ll slit my throat..."

Damon glanced at her resolve, feeling his body regain some strength.

"While I’m supposedly a threat, you shouldn’t be the one worried. The real danger here is you. Let’s not forget—you’re a whole rank stronger than me. What happens if you pounce on me?"

Abellona was quiet for a moment. Right... that was a possibility. She had been too busy drooling over this man in her delirium to consider that she could easily overpower him.

That was correct. She was the threat.

"Don’t even give me the ’I’ll take responsibility and marry you’ crap. I’m a pure gentleman."

Damon wasn’t lying. Sure, he had messed around with Attina Margan and had his way with a few women back in the day, but he had never really gone further.

Right now, he was just trying to act nonchalant.

Abellona shook her head, her long black hair scattering loosely across her face.

"That...that won’t happen..."

Damon crossed his arms with a disdainful expression.

"You wanna die with my life along for the ride? Fine. I don’t mind double suicide. But I can’t abide being defiled and not tying the knot afterwards..."

He didn’t actually care—he was just trying to get her mind off the curse. It seemed the more time she had to herself, the more the curse grew. He needed to shift her mood.

Abellona gasped a little in utter shock. Was this man serious right now?

Biting her lips, she whispered, "If I don’t die, I promise I will do whatever it takes to marry you."

She glared at him with a bit of distant apprehension.

"As long as you aren’t from one of the Four Grand Dukedoms... if you were, it would be troublesome..."

She gazed at him with a soft smile.

"If I live, I’ll make it work... so, can I take off my clothes?"

With a simple gesture she began reaching for her chest, trying to pull down her garments, when Damon reached out and grabbed her much smaller hand, at least in comparison to his own.

"Snap out of it."

Abellona looked down at her partially visible cleavage. Her face turned an even deeper shade of red from embarrassment. Quickly, she turned around, ruffling her clothes back into place to cover her chest.

Damon glanced at her with a soft sigh.

She tilted her head a little, a soft glistening tear forming in her eye from embarrassment.

"Don’t look...you rogue..."

Damon shrugged, reminding her,

"What’s the big deal? Nothing I haven’t seen before. I mea—"

Before he could finish his crude words, her barely recovered wing slapped him across the face.

"Ouch," he muttered nonchalantly.

Abellona didn’t have the face to look at him. She just crossed her arms over her body, facing the other way.

There was a small moment of awkward silence that stretched far too long.

"So...what’s this ’can’t marry someone from the Grand Duchies’ business?"

Abellona must have been desperate for any topic that didn’t concern her body or chastity, because she jumped at the question with a simple response.

"It’s not allowed, and there is no precedent. Since the empire was formed, the imperial family and the grand duchies have honored some old arrangements between them."