Therefore, his mind moved slightly, somewhat reducing the intensity of the bio-field's pressure on her body and making the teeth-tingling creaking sounds disappear.
Then Karl said: "This is just a lesson for her, to curb her arrogant attitude of looking down on others."
"Don't worry, there will be no serious harm. Just wait another three minutes."
Geralt looked at Yennefer's painful, yet even more humiliated and frightened eyes, and couldn't bear it.
He opened his mouth, wanting to ask for the time to be shortened, but hearing that the sound of Yennefer's bones creaking had stopped,
he also understood that Karl was already doing this for his sake and had secretly lessened the punishment.
Now that Karl had shown restraint and mercy, Geralt felt awkward speaking further.
He knew Yennefer well, and knew that her attitude towards ordinary people, even most non-human races and many fellow sorcerers, was indeed filled with natural arrogance.
Sometimes even he felt it was too much, and perhaps letting her suffer a little wasn't a bad thing.
Those three minutes felt like a century to Yennefer.
She felt the terror of this invisible force, an existence she couldn't understand or contend with.
It was like some extremely powerful and unknown atmospheric spell, yet she couldn't sense magical fluctuations, which was simply despairing.
Three minutes later, Karl's mind moved, and the bio-field applied to Yennefer's body was instantly withdrawn.
"Ah!" The pressure suddenly disappeared, and Yennefer felt weak all over, as if all her strength had been drained; sweat poured from her forehead like a stream.
Her expensive black and white dress was almost immediately soaked with cold sweat and clung to her body.
She uncontrollably collapsed forward, and Geralt hastily stepped forward, firmly holding her weak body.
Yennefer leaned into Geralt's embrace, gasped several times, and barely stood.
She first glanced at Geralt with a hint of anger and grievance.
But then she immediately broke free from his support, turned to Karl, and bowed her head deeply.
Her voice trembled slightly with lingering fear, and she said very solemnly: "Your Excellency, I deeply apologize for my previous rude offense. I am sorry for my foolishness and behavior."
Karl pursed his lips and laughed, shrugging his shoulders, as if he hadn't just been the one applying terrible pressure.
He gently swirled the glass in his hand and said quietly: "Well, I accept your apology, Yennefer."
Yennefer was stunned, her violet eyes full of surprise and a slight, barely perceptible scrutiny.
She stared at Karl and asked cautiously: "My lord... you have heard of me?"
She wasn't sure if the other party knew of her through Geralt or for other reasons.
Karl nodded slightly, but his gaze fell on Geralt with a meaningful smile.
He said slowly: "Before, at the Ellander temple, one night, Geralt seemed restless after falling asleep, muttering in his sleep like a sleepwalker..."
He deliberately paused, enjoying the sight of Geralt's instantly tense face and Yennefer's eyes suddenly lighting up.
"...He said your name two hundred and seventy-two times. I think it's hard not to remember."
He took a sip of wine, barely suppressing the almost uncontrollable smile at the corner of his mouth.
In the bonds of love, these two would be inseparable in the future.
Though they sometimes quarreled, deep down they couldn't do without each other.
He continued adding in an even but deadly tone: "He whispered in his sleep that Yennefer is the love of his life."
"Without you by his side, his life has lost its meaning, and the colors have turned gray."
"..."
Geralt's face, which seemed paralyzed, now showed no obvious emotional changes.
But his amber cat-like eyes were full of doubt and even self-doubt. Was what Karl said true? Did he sleepwalk?
He remembered that his sleep quality had always been good, and even when he lived with Lambert at Kaer Morhen, he had never been complained about for sleepwalking.
And Yennefer, hearing Karl's "sleep-talking," her expression of surprise quickly turned to joy and disbelief.
The anger, grievances, and fear in her heart seemed diluted by these words at that moment.
Her eyes sparkled, she looked with tenderness, and Geralt's eyes were full of confusion.
She slowly approached, her voice involuntarily elongated, with a soft implication, and asked quietly: "Is that true? Geralt~"
The tail of "Geralt" rose slightly, so numb it almost made Geralt's hair stand on end.
Geralt felt Yennefer's body almost close to him and smelled the familiar scent of cloves and currants on her.
And the fiery emotion in her violet eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through people's hearts.
He remembered the "Mind Closure" technique Karl had promised at the inn earlier.
His heart crossed, and he secretly gritted his teeth: "Karl's spell really works! I can only hold back and confess!"
So Geralt's face tried to maintain an expression that changed little.
Looking into Yennefer's eyes, he deliberately hid the complex look of self-doubt, told that he had something on his mind, and was too shy to confess directly.
He replied in a deep voice: "Perhaps... it's true, Yen."
He paused, as if contemplating his words, and finally added in a low voice, as if resigned to his fate: "I am more obsessed with you than... I even realized myself."
And Geralt's "confession" instantly made Yennefer's face bloom with a bright radiance.
She looked very moved, and even the corners of her eyes seemed a little moist.
She reached out and gently stroked Geralt's face.
However, although her heart was filled with sweetness, as a sorceress, her habitual suspicion also quietly grew.
Almost silently, she secretly performed a small, barely noticeable mind-reading technique on Geralt.
She wanted to eavesdrop on his true thoughts and confirm this sudden romantic confession.
But the next second, her suspicion turned to genuine surprise. Her spell was like a stone sinking into the sea.
Upon touching the surface of Geralt's consciousness, it encountered a layer of strong, invisible barriers and easily bounced back, unable to penetrate deeper.
"Huh? Mind reading... why isn't it working?" Yennefer's heart stirred, and disbelief flickered in her eyes.
"Could it be... that this Excellency really created a new spell, 'Mind Closure,' as he mentioned earlier? And the effect is that powerful?"
She couldn't help but look again at Karl, who was leisurely tasting his wine, and the solemnity in her eyes deepened more than before.
╔══════════════════════╗
📘 Want more?
Join me on Patreon for bonus chapters
and early access!
🔗 https://www.patreon.com/cw/OverlordD
╚══════════════════════╝