If They Get Obsessed, I’m Doomed - Chapter 85
Chapter 43.2
And that moment of restraint gave Lexius his chance.
With a smirk, he pulled Ariel closer and teleported again. In an instant, they both disappeared.
Skylar had lost sight of Ariel yet again, right before his eyes. As he stared at the empty space where they had been, the rationality in his blue eyes chipped away even further.
Ariel’s surroundings shifted in an instant once more.
This made it the third time.
The lakeside, with its swaying ash leaves, had transformed into a garden filled with blooming four o’clock flowers. Nearby, a white fountain splashed water into the air.
It was a view Ariel recognized from the dormitory grounds.
She struggled to turn her head while still in Lexius’s arms, checking her surroundings, and let out a sigh of relief. This time, Skylar, who had been chasing them, was nowhere in sight. The fact that he wasn’t there made her suddenly remember Lexius’s taunting words.
“You’ve only got one left now, don’t you?”
And Lexius had said he had three left.
That “one” was probably referring to the number of times Skylar could teleport. By following them earlier, he had used up all his remaining teleports. Skylar wouldn’t be able to follow them here. If he had taken a vehicle, it would have been different, though it would have taken some time because of the distance.
‘I guess we don’t need to teleport anymore, right?’
Exhausted by the sudden changes in her surroundings, Ariel tried to break free from Lexius’s hold, but he refused to let go. As she twisted and struggled, he tightened his grip, preventing her escape.
“How creepy.”
He remarked, sounding almost impressed, as he looked beyond the fountain.
In the clear, cascading water of the fountain, the reflection of bright golden hair appeared. Despite having seemingly reached his limit, Skylar stepped out from behind the white fountain. His pale blue eyes blazed against his pallid skin as he advanced toward Lexius, though he faltered for a moment, clearly exhausted.
“Lexius!”
Skylar spat out the name through gritted teeth, his voice filled with anger. Having pushed himself past his teleportation limit, his complexion looked worse than ever.
In contrast, Lexius remained utterly unruffled.
“You’re going to hurt yourself, using something that doesn’t suit you.”
He taunted, even pretending to be concerned for the stumbling Skylar, all while getting ready to teleport with Ariel once more. Despite Skylar catching up, Lexius stayed calm, knowing he still had one more teleportation left.
Determined not to lose them, Skylar forced himself to run, desperate to close the gap.
She was now just within his reach, close enough that he could almost grab her if he stretched out his arm. But like a cruel taunt, Ariel, held like a puppet by the man wearing a smug smile, began to turn transparent right in front of his eyes.
The blue eyes that had been chasing her widened in an instant.
“Ariel…!”
Skylar desperately reached out, but once again, he was left grasping at empty air. He stumbled forward, cursing as his hand swung through the void.
His arms and legs were shaking uncontrollably.
The repeated use of magic, which was fundamentally incompatible with him, had drained him completely.
Feeling a mix of helplessness and fury at his own failing body, Skylar lay face down on the dry grass, tearing at the blades in frustration.
Teleportation was already a stretch for him, but he’d even resorted to a high-level tracking spell, one that was even more ill-suited. Moreover, he had crafted it with advanced-level magic far beyond the usual standard because anything less wouldn’t have worked against someone like Lexius.
Clenching his teeth, he pushed himself off the ground.
Nonetheless, that was all he could manage. He was too exhausted to follow them any further. Even if he forced himself to try again, his depleted magic wouldn’t be enough to take on Lexius.
In frustration, Skylar ripped off his dirt-streaked blazer and threw it aside. The once-white garment fell to the ground, now crumpled and stained, mirroring his wounded pride.
He couldn’t even protect Ariel from Lexius, let alone Devoncia, and now, she had been taken away from him.
̊ · : * ✧ * : · ̊
As Lexius teleported once more, Ariel’s surroundings shifted again.
They were now in an alleyway between tall brick buildings, somewhere unfamiliar. Despite it being midday, the thick shadows made it feel dark and chilly.
From the classroom to the library. From the library to the lakeside. From the lakeside to the dormitory. And now, from the dormitory to this place. After their first teleportation, Lexius had mentioned he had three left, so this had to be the final one. On the other hand, Skylar had likely run out of teleportation chances long before now.
‘…There’s no way he can follow us anymore, right?’
Ariel felt a bit of relief, but it didn’t last long. Her expression darkened as she remembered Skylar’s voice, shouting her name in desperation. It had been so raw and desperate that she couldn’t help but feel guilty.
‘I should’ve at least looked at his face back then…’
As she thought about it, a sudden chill ran down her spine as she remembered what Skylar had been trying to force upon her.
‘I can’t be a princess. I don’t even want the meals at the imperial palace, which would be the foundation for that.’
Ariel reaffirmed her intentions, which she hadn’t been able to express clearly due to the circumstances. She had gone along with Lexius’s sudden actions just to avoid that path.
“…Senior, it doesn’t seem like he’s following us anymore.”
Still trapped in Lexius’s arms, Ariel spoke softly, hoping he would release her, but Lexius didn’t respond. He didn’t loosen his hold on her.
“Um, Senior? I think it’s fine now, you can let me go.”
“….”
“Senior?”
She called out to him repeatedly, but he didn’t respond. She tried tapping his chest and shoulders, even nudging him, but nothing worked.
Ariel began to feel extremely uncomfortable with the situation.
She struggled with all her strength, trying to pry away Lexius’s hands that held her, but it was futile.
Lexius, wearing a relaxed expression, effortlessly kept her restrained. No matter how much she twisted her arm and fought, it was useless. The places where he held her only began to hurt. It was clear that if she kept struggling, she’d just end up hurting herself more.
When Ariel finally gave up and stilled, he tilted his head and smiled.
“Already giving up?”
He seemed to be enjoying her resistance.
Seeing the amusement brimming in his golden eyes, Ariel’s spirit quickly faded, and her arms went slack in his grip. Resisting someone who thrived on it was like throwing logs into a fire. Instead, she figured that if she stayed calm, he’d eventually lose interest and let her go. At least, that was what she hoped.
Still, Lexius didn’t let go. Instead, he quietly stared at her pale wrist and slender fingers resting in his hand.
Noticing that the interest in his eyes hadn’t faded, Ariel felt a bit flustered.
What happened next was even more startling. Lexius lowered his head to her wrist, still held in his grasp. His lips, curving slightly, brushed around the bend of her wrist before pressing softly against the back of her hand. The gentle warmth of his lips pressed lightly against her cool skin.