The crystalline lake glittered under the sunlight, its surface sparsely covered with petals of roses and lotus.
In the center, Sophia was submerged in the water till her chin. Her seductive curves were covered by her soft hands, while her exquisite thighs were tightly closed.
The beauty of the lake, enhanced by petals and sunlight, paled in front of Sophia. She was a work of gods, resplendent like a blooming flower.
Beads of water ran down her face like pearls while she stared at the shirtless Kiba some distance away from her.
He was similarly submerged in water till his chin. The transparent water revealed his muscular chest, abs and a giant bulge resting in the pants.
"This is the sincerest form of flattery."
Sophia repeated the words, unable to believe she has heard it right. She has only turned eighteen a few months ago, and she lacked any experience with the opposite sex.
While many youngsters have tried to court her in her family estate, none of them have ever used foul language or implied any innuendo. They always praised her beauty with flowery words, comparing her to the splendid moon.
Today though, she got a compliment in a way she never thought was possible.
Her young age, along with the rich and royal lifestyle she has lived so far, made her enter a trance after she received this compliment. She didn’t know how to respond to this type of ’honest and natural flattery.’
"Mom said the only man who can ever see me without any clothes is my husband!"
It took Sophia a long while to clear her mind, but when she did, she was fuming with anger as she recalled her mother’s teachings.
She believed she was being taken advantage of by the scoundrel in front of her!
Kiba noticed the changes in her facial expression and he inwardly complained of hardship.
"She is Level VI or higher," Kiba thought in disappointment.
The level was referring to the difficulty of seducing a maiden. The difficulty depended on the upbringing, moral views, religious sentiments, background and so on.
It was only an initial assessment which he made it based on what he has observed so far.
"Even in the best case scenario, I would need at least 4-5 months," Kiba shook his head.
He felt the gods were intentionally making his life difficult.
At most, he will be spending two months in the forest. In the two months, he also has to complete his original mission of finding a way to neutralize the damage done by nanites, so the real time he has to fool around was far too low.
Of course, there were methods by which he can greatly reduce the time required for seduction. But he wouldn’t use them for Sophia.
Those methods were only reserved for females who have offended him.
Like in the case of Sarah when he used underhanded tricks to get her in bed so that he could punish her and her husband. Or in Ruby’s case when he turned the situation around by using the sedatives in the milk in order to make love with her. The same also applied to Lisa Rey when she tried to hypnotize him.
Except for such rare cases, he would never cross the boundary he has set for himself. This was the limitation he has established when he began his journey as Kiba years ago.
And he strictly enforced this limitation in his life, especially in the present times when there was a chance of him going berserk to fulfill his primal desires of blood and lust.
After all, if he didn’t adhere to the limitations he has set for himself, he believed he would be no longer the man he was. He would become someone he never wanted to be...
"You are a pervert!" Sophia shouted, awakening Kiba from his thoughts.
After deep contemplation, she was sure he was a debauchee. The type of man her mother has frequently warned her about.
"I’m the pervert?" Kiba said with a teasing smile. "You are the one who is fully naked and not me."
Sophia’s face instantly turned red.
"I...I thought I was the only one here so..." Sophia stammered as she tried to explain.
She wanted to take a long and relaxing bath while she swam, just like she used to have in her family estate. She felt her loyal servants would ensure no one barges in while she relaxed in the lake.
The thoughts of meeting someone in the lake, and that too a male, never crossed her mind. This was why she took off her clothes entirely and swam without any worries.
Kiba wanted to laugh after seeing her reactions. Her face was flushed while her sweet voice was filled with nervousness.
He controlled himself and didn’t laugh. He believed she deserved some teasing before he left for being such a difficult woman.
"I also have similar reasoning but I didn’t enter fully naked since it is basic human decency," Kiba said in a serious tone. "Not to mention, I didn’t call you a pervert despite your lack of clothes. Yet, you called me one just for being honest with you."
"......" Sophia was left speechless, her mouth wide open.
No matter how she thought, she felt she was in the wrong and not the man in front of her.
"No! Mom said a debauchee is like a wolf in sheep’s clothing!" Sophia once again remembered her mother’s teaching. "They are good in fooling others with their false demeanor!"
In her life, she rarely followed other’s advice, but if she did follow, then that advice was always from her mother.
"You are trying to trick me but I know for sure you are a pervert!" Sophia retorted back. She has already made a decision to punish him for playing with her.
"Really? Why would you think so?" Kiba was hurt by her response.
"My mom taught me!" Sophia proudly said.
"Your mom? I see," Kiba nodded in understanding while he made a mental note about her mother...