Eros was intrigued. If these people were truly planning to kidnap him, what kind of scheme would they use? A "honey trap"?

  If that were the case, he was in trouble! As a man of integrity, he would absolutely never skip a trap set by a beautiful woman—let alone two. Double the happiness~

  He looked down at the group with anticipation, waiting for them to propose their "meat bun hitting a dog" strategy (a plan doomed to backfire).

  Natalia looked at Onigo in silence for a long while before speaking, her voice tinged with exasperation. "Ayesha said before that the Duke’s son is already a Sequence 7, and he has the boost of a high-level bloodline."

  "And us? Three Sequence 8s and one Sequence 9. Unless we report this and request reinforcements from the organization, I think this kidnapping attempt is basically suicide."

  The others nodded in agreement, but Onigo remained stubborn. "It’s a sneak attack, not a head-on battle! We just need to strike from behind, knock him out, and tie him up. Isn't that simple?"

  Ricci, the gaunt man, rubbed his chin. "A sneak attack might work, but how do we lure him out?" As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward Ayesha. Onigo followed suit, and finally, even Natalia—feeling the plan might actually have some merit—turned her eyes toward her daughter.

  Stared at by the three of them, Ayesha’s petite body trembled, her face a mask of conflict. "The student I’m playing is just a commoner’s son. He’s the heir to a Grand Duke. I don't have anything that could possibly lure him out."

  Perhaps because she was constantly bullied by him, she had developed a strange sense of... attachment? Regardless, Ayesha felt a deep resistance to the plan. She deliberately made the task sound impossible, hoping her mother and the others would give up.

  Silence fell over the group again. Natalia sighed. "Just do your best. This is at least easier than stealing a Sealed Artifact from the academy’s containment room. As for whether it succeeds..." She didn't finish her sentence. Instead, she traced a circle over her chest and whispered, "May the Goddess protect us."

  The other three followed suit. "May the Goddess protect us!"

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Seeing no way out, Ayesha murmured, "I’ll try my best, Mother."

  "Perhaps we really should apply for reinforcements," Ricci added thoughtfully.

  Up on the branch, Eros raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at his lips. A conspiracy to my face? How interesting! Caught up in the moment, he chimed in right after Ricci finished:

  "Say, can I join in on this activity?"

  The moment his voice fell, the group below whipped their heads toward his position, shouting: "Who’s there?!"

  Simultaneously, they didn't hesitate to act, launching several spells toward the large tree. Eros’s lip twitched. Are these guys always this reckless? Did they learn nothing from last time?

  He casually banished the spells into the void, then reached out and caught Natalia’s fist as she lunged at him. With a swift pull and a twist, he hauled her into his embrace. In the next second, several tentacles as dark as the night itself sprouted from Eros’s shadow, binding Natalia so tightly she couldn't move.

  Eros glanced at Natalia in his arms and clicked his tongue. Truth be told, this "tentacle bondage" pose was... quite suggestive. He snapped his fingers, summoning two patches of shadow to blindfold the two men below, who were also pinned down by shadow tentacles. He couldn't have them watching such a "spicy" scene, could he?

  Noticing how the tentacles accentuated her curvaceous figure, Natalia’s face flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment. Suppressing her shame, she glared at the man who had neutralized them all.

  With a single look, she froze. Despite the man being shrouded in shadows, she recognized him. "It’s you! What do you want?"

  She remembered him—the "Remnant of the Night" who had let them go last time because his "neighbor’s wife was about to give birth."

  Eros chuckled, hooking a finger under Natalia’s exquisite chin. His tone was playful. "Madam, I see you still possess quite the... lingering charm~"

  Natalia’s heart tightened as a bad premonition flooded her mind. Her voice faltered. "W-what... what do you want to do?"

  Has this villain finally revealed his evil nature? Is he going to make a move on me? As expected of a descendant of a Dark God. In her mind, his previous mercy was likely just a whim of a twisted mind.

  Eros’s gaze was drawn to the pale, smooth skin revealed by the pressure of the shadow tentacles. Seeing his reaction, the indignant Natalia felt her suspicions confirmed.

  Eros snorted and continued in that same ambiguous, playful tone, "Doesn't the Madam already know what I want to do?"

  Natalia sighed inwardly, realizing there was no escape. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her voice had regained a cold composure. "Fine. If you release them, I will agree to your... demands."

  Eros raised an eyebrow, his sense of mischief peaking. "Even if I don't release them, you have no way to resist, do you?"

  Natalia bit her lip. "If you release them, I will cooperate with you actively. I will let you experience the ultimate pleasure—rather than being like a dead fish at your mercy. I imagine if I act like a dead fish, you’ll lose interest very quickly, won't you?"