“To remove the curse, you’ll need to share my bed for a while. To properly guide your mana and expel the curse, I need to infuse my mana in the same way.”

Roina felt her heart sink at those words. So this was what Rutan had been hiding. Even the kiss just now had been nothing more than a healing act. A sharp pain pierced her chest.

“I’ve been searching through all the ancient texts, hoping to find another way, but they all take too much time or are simply impossible to achieve now. I still have more to look at, but I don’t think there’s any other way.

In the midst of the old library, bathed in the quiet moonlight, a man with long black hair and golden eyes sat beside her, his voice polite yet tinged with pain. Roina pressed her hand to her chest, her heart pounding. A spirit continued to shelve the books, but every book in this library seemed to have passed through this man’s hands today. He had gone to such lengths to avoid sleeping with her.

“I’m sorry. Maybe there’s something else I can do…”

“No, really, it’s okay. I’m, I’m fine. Please, just infuse your mana in the same way.”

“…Are you sure?”

The man’s golden eyes, shining intensely, met hers. Roina closed her eyes tightly. She wanted to get rid of the prince’s mark as soon as possible and was willing to take the fastest route. But the truth was, she wanted Rutan so intensely that this felt like just an excuse.