"If I want to obtain a woman," Kanjuro's voice was low and brimming with confidence, as if stating the easiest thing in the world, "there is none in this world I cannot have. You will soon know the answer."
Jeanne frowned slightly, pondering Kanjuro's thoughts.
"Compared to obtaining the body, controlling a person's heart is far more interesting, Jeanne. You are not yet dark enough!"
Before his words had fully faded, his figure, like a ghost, silently penetrated the wall and entered Sola's bedroom, which was permeated with a faint fragrance and an air of sorrow.
The moment he stepped into the room, everything around seemed to be put on pause—the fluttering curtain froze mid-air, the swaying tree shadows outside the window solidified, even the tear about to fall from Sola's lowered eyelashes halted.
Time, at this moment, was forcibly stripped away.
A familiar, abyssal pressure descended.
The figure of the Demon Sister, Chiyo, materialized in the frozen air, accompanied by faint whispers and light laughter.
She looked at Kanjuro with appreciation, her eyes shining with the light of one observing a satisfactory creation.
"Kanjuro, your 'guidance' and'sculpting' of that king of knights were truly magnificent." Chiyo's voice resonated directly in the depths of his soul, carrying praise. "Watching her beliefs be subtly shaken by the implanted darkness, struggling in agony—this performance has pleased our Lord, and it has pleased me."
She extended her slender finger. A point of profound, Dark light, as if carrying countless rivers of memory, condensed at her fingertip.
This is your reward—'Authority of Memory'. It allows you to touch the forgotten corners deep within a soul, awaken slumbering imprints from past lives, and cause past karma to replay in this life.
That faint glimmer of light sank into Kanjuro's brow, and a vast stream of information about memory manipulation and retrospection instantly merged with him.
He felt as if he could 'touch' the invisible threads of memory surrounding living beings.
Time resumed its flow.
Sola was still asleep.
Vaguely sensing movement, she groggily lifted her head. Through tear-blurred eyes, she saw a strange, handsome man of an almost sinister beauty who had somehow appeared in her room.
She was startled, instinctively wanting to cry out.
Outside the window, Jeanne merely watched quietly, a flicker of curiosity in her eyes. She wondered what kind of human heart Kanjuro intended to toy with this time.
Kanjuro gave Sola no time to react, his newly acquired ability activating instinctively.
His gaze, like the most precise probe, instantly pierced deep into Sola's consciousness, skimming over fragments of her current life's memories, reaching straight for the past-life imprints covered in the dust of reincarnation.
In an instant, countless blurred images flashed before his eyes—an ancient castle, a night of elopement, a forbidden love that crossed class boundaries, and... that red-haired woman for whom she was willing to betray everything. The soul wavelength of Princess Grainne perfectly overlapped with the core of Sola's soul before him!
"So that's how it is..." The curve of Kanjuro's lips widened, carrying a cruel amusement of one who sees through everything. "The threads of fate truly love to play such nauseating jokes."
Sola felt unsettled under his gaze. It seemed to pierce through her flesh, seeing the most secret corners of her soul. "You... who are you? What do you want?"
Kanjuro didn't answer her question. Instead, he took a step forward, looking down at her, his voice carrying a seductive tone: "Do you want to completely escape Kayneth? Do you want... to be with the one you truly desire in your heart, that radiant knight Diarmuid, in a proper and legitimate way?"
These words struck like a magic curse, instantly hitting Sola's deepest desire.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Sola denied outright.
Kanjuro once again channeled the Authority of Memory into Sola's mind and consciousness.
Sola remembered the story of her past and present lives.
She remembered her past as Diarmuid's lover.
Kanjuro's handsome face wore a wicked smile. "I ask you now, do you still want to be with Diarmuid?"
This time, covering her eyes, tears streaking her face, she blurted out almost without thinking, with trembling hope: "Yes! I do!" But then, a sliver of reason made her wary. "You... can you do it? What's the price?"
"Price?" Kanjuro chuckled softly, reaching out to lift a strand of her fiery red hair, bringing it to his nose for a light sniff. A pure, maidenly scent wafted over.
He immediately understood—Kayneth, that fool who strictly adhered to church doctrine, had indeed never touched her before marriage.
"The price is," he lowered his voice, whispering like a demon making a deal, "you need to 'offer' something first. For example... this body of yours, still pure and flawless."
His gaze roamed unashamedly over her graceful curves. "Complete this 'transaction' with me, and I will help you clear all obstacles, letting you have your wish fulfilled, throwing yourself into the arms of your knight... or rather, your past-life lover."
Sola's face instantly turned deathly pale, her body trembling slightly from fear and intense inner conflict.
On one side, the shackles of her family and a loveless engagement; on the other, the uncontrollable emotional impulse in her heart and the inexplicable familiarity and attraction towards Diarmuid. And now, this mysterious man before her was offering a shortcut, filled with humiliation yet potentially leading directly to her goal.
Betray her fiancé? Use her body as a bargaining chip? The immense moral shackles almost suffocated her.
But... thinking of Diarmuid's melancholy and handsome face, Kayneth's coldness and arrogance, the future of being forever trapped in this political marriage... a desperate, do-or-die courage, mixed with a mad craving for the forbidden love, ultimately overwhelmed everything... "What? Still hesitating? Beautiful princess, don't you long to be with the knight in your heart?" Kanjuro sneered.
Sola sighed, actively untying her deep red nightgown, revealing her perfect, exquisite figure.
She closed her eyes, long eyelashes still holding teardrops, and in a voice nearly drained of strength, made her choice: "...Alright. I... agree."
A flicker of anticipated mockery and the pleasure of conquest passed through Kanjuro's eyes.
He said no more, reaching out and easily pushing the delicate body, willingly sacrificing itself for so-called 'love,' down onto the soft bed.
Shadows descended, like fate itself, now perfectly manipulated by Kanjuro...
Jeanne observed silently from afar. "Using memories of past and present lives? An endless cycle? I see." Jeanne watched the scene of Kanjuro and Sola embracing.
It was as if she were studying why humans are dominated by desire. "In the end, so-called love is just this shallow, isn't it, Kanjuro?"
Kanjuro, intertwined with Sola, heard Jeanne's sigh and laughed. "There is no such thing as love in this world. Don't you see Sola's current state? In her eyes, I have essentially surpassed both Diarmuid and Kayneth."
"How despicable." Sola cried out loudly, "Please, Kanjuro, stop talking!!" Her voice was filled with shame and sobs!
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