Extra: Yandere Milfs Obsessed with me!-Chapter 133: Rendezvous with a Dominant Femme Fatale
The bathroom was bathed in dim light, filtered through tall, finely crafted copper wall sconces. The walls were light marble, veined with golden lines.
Heavy, thick-fabric curtains held in the warm air, enclosing the room in an intimate atmosphere. Steaming water filled the vast bathtub, its edges carved with elegant patterns.
"Hmmm..."
Ariana was immersed up to her chest, her back resting against the smooth wall. Her pale skin contrasted with the slightly cloudy water, scented with gentle oils. Her long chestnut hair, leaning more toward an orangey shade, naturally wavy, floated on the surface, following the slow movements of the water. A few damp strands clung to her neck and shoulders, accentuating the softness of her features.
A vision with the potential to inspire even the greatest contemporary poets and artists.
Her iridescent eyes, half-closed, caught the faint light and gave her a calm, calculating gaze.
Nothing in her expression was left to chance. Even at rest, she exuded a disturbing presence, the confidence of a dominant femme fatale.
"It’s so soothing," she murmured, shifting slightly to readjust her position.
When she moved, the tattoos on her back appeared: seven runic lines running perfectly along her spine, following the exact curve of her back. And those weren’t the only tattoos she had.
As she lifted one leg, an iridescent flame tattoo appeared on her thigh. The color was elegant, catching the light with a discreet shimmer reminiscent of the philosopher’s stone.
Ariana slowly placed her hand on the edge of the bathtub, letting the water slide down her arm. This was her favorite moment of the day; the sensation of being carried by the water allowed her to fully relax, no longer thinking about everything she had to do.
While she was fully enjoying the moment, the phone in the next room began to ring, breaking the silence.
"Is having a little time for myself really asking too much?" she sighed, letting her head fall back.
She considered ignoring the call for a moment, but the shrill noise of the device was starting to annoy her. She clearly had no other choice but to go answer it.
With a fluid motion, she stood up, placing one foot after the other out of the bathtub; water cascaded down her curves, making the scene even more spectacular.
She then opened the door and headed toward the source of that so irritating noise.
"... Father," she pulled the device to her ear, her voice cheerful as she answered the now reassured and slightly hesitant voice on the line.
"... My darling daughter, I hope I’m not disturbing you?" asked the man.
Who would have thought that Duke Hornraven was actually the overprotective dad type toward his daughter? Hearing him, one might have said Ariana was his mother, but well... what man would hate his daughter? In his case, his love was a bit excessive... Almost as if he were submissive...
"... Well, I was just taking my bath," Ariana replied bluntly while slipping on a bathrobe to cover herself.
"Sorry darling, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I’ll send you that dress you liked... you know, the blue one with the diamond earrings?" the duke hurriedly asked, clearly not wanting to offend his daughter.
"It’s fine, Dad..." Ariana sighed. "But more importantly, did you find the information I asked for?..."
"... Well, you were right about the baron’s young son... he does have a brother... I had to dig a bit..."
While her father went into the details, Ariana, for her part, had drifted into her own thoughts, most likely preparing the cards she was going to play soon. It seemed she now had a good means of leverage over that little arrogant who would soon become her slave.
"... Thank you, but regarding the other one, about Kaiser D. Paragon," Ariana interrupted. "Did you find anything about his mother? Specifically concerning the ’D’ in his name."
"... I didn’t find anything interesting, sorry..." the duke replied, his voice darkening. "I’ll have the research deepened; next time I should be able to give you the answers you want..."
She was quite curious about Kaiser. She had seen him; this wasn’t the Kaiser she had known, and upon looking into it a little, she discovered that this wasn’t the only mystery surrounding her ex-fiancé.
What had happened to him in the meantime for him to display such power when he was supposed to be weak? Who was his mother really? And why did he resemble that person so much, in addition to possessing that Art? 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
She seemed to have more questions than answers about him. A challenge? It turned out she particularly enjoyed solving mysteries.
"Good, I’m glad you called me. I know you must be busy... so I’ll let you go," Ariana finally replied, wanting to end the call.
"Don’t say such nonsense. Of course I’ll always have time for my adored Pandora..."
After a few more exchanges, Ariana finally hung up and dropped onto the nearby couch.
Just as she was thinking of going back to her bath, another visitor made an appearance.
"What do I owe the honor of a visit from the boss himself?" she said in a cheerful voice upon noticing Darwin’s silhouette approaching.
He advanced slowly, his gray eyes shamelessly settling on Ariana’s body. The guy was literally captivated by what he saw, but he quickly pulled himself together.
"Hum... I didn’t know you were taking your bath... I was just passing by to see where you were at?" he added, his voice monotone as he tried not to get lost in Ariana’s curves that the robe struggled to contain.
"Hmm... I see," she replied with a small amused smile upon seeing Darwin trying to hold himself back. "I’m trying to gather information on a few interesting pawns, but I still intend to provoke a war between the imperial family and the Pendragons..."
It was quite impressive to see this girl talk about triggering a conflict that would end countless lives with that warm smile capable of charming anyone. Darwin could feel it: she might be a rose, but she had thorns, a great many thorns.
Perhaps her being by his side constituted a threat because one day she could very well decide to turn against him, but that too was part of her charm, that irresistible charm that pushed Darwin to want to keep her close.
After a brief exchange, the leader of the Ashborn faction left the room, once again leaving Ariana alone.
[...]
Meanwhile, in the Ashborn faction secretariat.
"I would like to see your vice-leader, Ariana Hornraven..."
After his encounter with the duchess or rather his professor where he had intentionally embarrassed her with cold and sarcastic answers,
Kaiser decided to go find his ex-fiancée to obtain the manor.
’Dyana is a loyal woman; it will be difficult to make her crack... I was lucky to have made a good impression. Now I just need to push her to the limit and find the right moment to act.’
"Sorry Lord Kaiser, she might be in her quarters..." timidly replied the girl who was supposed to be the faction’s secretary. She was cute, not extravagantly beautiful but not unpleasant to look at either.
As Kaiser was about to answer, a thug appeared out of nowhere, no doubt wanting to impress the girl.
"Hey...! Why are you ogling her like a pig? Didn’t you hear, the boss isn’t here," he growled, a proud smile stretching across his face, visibly pleased with his performance.
’I don’t even know what I’m supposed to think...’ Kaiser sighed inwardly, not even bothering to glance at the guy. ’Maybe it’s my fault after all; if my reputation were up to par, a thug like that wouldn’t even breathe the same oxygen as me...’
"... Could you call her then? It’s urgent," Kaiser said to the girl, with his smile.
Seeing himself ignored, anger took over the guy who couldn’t tolerate such an affront. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go... How could a bastard, and a first-year one at that, dare ignore him like that?
"Hey... bastard, I’m talking to you. You wanna die? You think you can do whatever you want in the faction quarters?" he growled, stepping forward to grab Kaiser.
But as he took one more step, a familiar voice stopped him dead.
"... May I know where all that courage comes from?" Ariana’s voice was authoritative yet still carried her usual playful tone. She deliberately let a hint of murderous intent slip through.
Sweat beaded on the guy’s forehead as he turned to face Ariana. "Boss... Boss, I’m sorry, I didn’t know..." he tried to articulate.
"Get lost..." Ariana said, approaching Kaiser while swaying her hips. The man disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.
’Still as hot...’ Kaiser thought upon seeing the woman in front of him. Perhaps these were thoughts from the previous owner of this body, but he felt it. Every time he was in this woman’s presence, his barriers suddenly became much more fragile.
"So Lord Paragon," she began, staring at Kaiser. "To what do I owe this sudden visit? Are you here to join us or..." she lowered her voice slightly, looking straight into his eyes with a smile.
"... are you here for something more private, in memory of the good old days."
’What good old days? You just stripped the entire county’s money from me.’
As she spoke, she closed the distance between them, letting her fruity perfume fill Kaiser’s nostrils. He chuckled, returning the same intensity in his gaze.
"... Now that you mention it, that’s probably not such a bad idea, but I’m just here for a manor," Kaiser replied calmly, leaving Ariana a bit confused.
"A manor? That intrigues me... Let’s walk outside a bit."
"Yes, I was made to understand that to have one, you need to be in the top 50... a trivial thing, but I noticed that one of your underlings is actually in that top 50..." Kaiser continued, explaining while walking with his hands in his pockets.
"... In memory of the good old days as you mentioned, I preferred to come see you, thus avoiding humiliating your faction."
Hearing him, Ariana smiled and simply nodded.
"However, I would like you to do something for me. I will personally make sure to offer you a manor worthy of the name," she added.
’Damn,’ Kaiser thought. He knew exactly what kind of girl he was dealing with the kind nicknamed femme fatale. But at this point, he at least needed to know what she wanted.
"And what would I have to do for those pretty eyes of yours?" Kaiser asked, skeptical.
But instead of an answer, Ariana smiled again and stepped closer, gently pressing her warm lips to his cheek in a kiss.
"When the time comes, you’ll know. For now... How about coming to the gala evening I’m organizing next week?"
"And why would I do that?" Kaiser asked.
"Because... I’ll be there... Isn’t that enough?"
"I believe it is," Kaiser smiled, deliberately biting the hook.
"Make yourself handsome ~" She just smiled and walked away.
Kaiser watched her leave, understanding that she was testing to see if he still had feelings for her... He also knew she was a manipulator just like him, and that if he lowered his guard he would get fleeced, but despite all that, it remained complicated.
’She’s my type and she knows it...’ he sighed.
