Ash didn't answer her question.
Instead, the sly smile that had toppled courts and melted hearts curved across his lips while his thoughts raced.
He didn't care about Kale or the original script, not really.
But a protagonist accelerating this fast meant someone, something, was feeding him opportunities.
And the aspect of that? He would be lying if he said it didn't interest him.
'Faster ranking up... he could've possibly stumbled upon an encounter.... however, it's better to be safe than sorry.' He thought before speaking.
"The King of Velora, of course," he said at last, voice light, as though the entire world should already know his face.
[Sonna Voss's Affection – 42 %]
Sonna's frown deepened. Every syllable from his mouth felt like warm fingers sliding down her spine, but years of trauma had forged iron around her will.... which was much stronger than the average A rank.
She squared her shoulders and spoke.
"Where is King Alaric and Queen Sara?"
"Dead," Ash answered flatly, rising from the throne.
He descended the dais slowly; each step was deliberate. He didn't like wasting time on pointless manipulation when raw power would do, but he wasn't stupid enough to move blindly going to fight someone who currently, was wrapped in a bit of mystery.
Sonna's expression darkened.
"Dead? Impossible. The world would know if the crown changed by force."
Ash ignored her, closing the distance until she instinctively backed away.
"Queen Sonna," he said, voice low, "I know exactly why you came. The sway of your hips.... the neckline cut just low enough.... the little glances meant to hook a man... and reel him in." He lifted one hand, fingers curling lazily in the air.
The throne room answered.
It began as a pulse that was thick, honeyed warmth that rolled across the marble like breath. Pink mist bled from the cracks between stones, curling upward in slow, sensual spirals. The floating lanterns dimmed, their light turning rose-gold and heavy, as though the flames themselves had grown aroused.
Vines of living ivy that climbed the pillars shuddered, then surged outward in sudden, violent growth, leaves unfurling with wet, hungry sounds. New blossoms burst open along the walls that was crimson, obscene, dripping nectar that hissed where it touched stone.
The very air thickened, sweet and cloying, pressing against skin like a lover's tongue.
It was no longer just sexual.
It was need.
Raw, primal, and insatiable.
The marble beneath their feet rippled as though aching to be touched. The throne itself groaned, wood and metal flexing like muscle under strain. Every inanimate thing in the room twisted toward the same starving, wordless want.... more life, more sensation, more everything.
Sonna's breath caught. Her knees buckled again; this time she didn't fight it. The mist slid over her skin like silk, into her lungs like wine, and the Lotus inside her chest screamed in ecstasy and terror.
Then Ash snapped his fingers.
Silence.
The mist vanished between one heartbeat and the next.
The vines withered to ash.
The lanterns flared back to cool azure.
The air went cold and clean and empty.
Sonna sagged against the doors, trembling, tears already drying on her cheeks.
"However," Ash continued, voice calm again, "I offer the key to all your problems."
He was smiling... not cruel, not kind, but simply certain. If the insatiable lotus caused an overflow of lust, then... who was better at the job, if not him?
But everyone knows help comes with a cost.
"What do you want?" she whispered.
"Information," he said, stepping close enough that her back met the double doors. He leaned in until their noses nearly touched. "Your son reached A-rank far too fast. I want to know who's pulling his strings."
Sonna's eyes widened. "K-Kale?"
Ash nodded once.
A single tear slipped free. She didn't bother hiding it.
Ash frowned, genuinely confused. 'What the hell is she crying for?'
He wiped the tear away with his thumb. "Relax. I'm not asking you to kill him. If I wanted him dead, I'd do it myself."
She stared, lost.
"I-I don't know," she finally breathed. "Six months ago, he was Mid B-rank. He only told me he received a divine blessing."
Ash's mind clicked the pieces together instantly.
'A divine blessing, huh?'
It was all but confirmed now.... Someone—or something—was backing the protagonist.
"Good," he said. "Here's the deal."
He was already walking back to the throne, casual as if they discussed the weather.
"I permanently silence your Lotus. In return, you find out who Kale's backer is. You give me the list of kingdoms you had lined up next; I'll charm the rulers, so you never have to sell yourself again. The rest is up to you. He's your son."
Sonna stood frozen.
No more torment.
No more nights.... for crowns.
No more waking up hating the woman in the mirror.
"P-promise me," she said, voice cracking like thin ice.
Ash paused, looked back. Something in her eyes...centuries of pain deeper than any status screen could list make him understand.
He sighed as he crossed the distance again,
'Fuck it' He thought as he, cupped her chin, and pressed a quick, firm kiss to her lips.
[Eternal Bloodline of Bonds: Do you wish to form a bond with Sonna Voss?]
[Sonna Voss's Affection – 75 %]
He then accepted not for her.... but to truly understand the look she had in her eyes.
And as he accepted, the world around the two froze.
Then his vision shifted.