Legacy of Hatred-Chapter 159: Duty

There was no denying it anymore. Melissa had previously limited herself to a half-confession, but there had been nothing partial now.

Melissa might not have said those exact words, but she had vowed herself to Liam. She was only his to touch. She belonged to him, his palm proving that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Initially, Melissa could have justified it with annoyance toward Liam’s disregard for the problematic beauty that had afflicted her all her life.

Then, Melissa could have hidden behind the surprising shamelessness her trust in Liam had revealed. She could have merely been an impure woman who had met a man who made her comfortable enough to explore that part of herself.

Yet, Melissa’s feelings were undeniable now. It wasn’t a crush. It wasn’t even mere romantic interest. Liam was the only one for her.

Melissa recalled how Liam had tended to her injured ankle, how he had pressed her against a wall to shield her from the fearsome level three snake.

Even after learning about Simon, Liam had let Melissa be selfish with him. He had repaid her impure gestures with promises of helping her cultivation.

Lastly, despite injuries, probable exhaustion, and the clearer threat, Liam had hugged Melissa, pushing her away only when he felt his own desires might cause problems for her.

And what a hug that had been. Melissa almost couldn’t believe how good it had felt. It had melted all her worries, instead urging her to get even closer.

That lustless touch was the safest place in the world, making Melissa feel fulfilled and protected more than her strength had ever achieved. She had the instinctive urge to cling to it and let it take care of her whole life.

It was a desire for careless abandonment, of giving everything to someone else, knowing that it was safe in those hands.

Because Melissa sensed the difference. Men viewed her as something to use, while Liam wanted to treasure her. She was more than her beauty with him. He even made her glad that her off-putting sweat granted her a scent he could recognize.

Still, now that the floodgates were open, Melissa had no way of holding back anymore. She had fallen hard and undeniably, and accepting that suppressed any hesitation or decorum.

Liam had already given Melissa so much, so she wanted to share whatever she could, not as a cultivator but as a woman. She wanted him to be happy that she belonged to him. Melissa wanted to earn that place, and much more.

It turned out Melissa truly was an impure woman. Her possessiveness flared once her walls crumbled. Those desires Liam was still able to oppose simply wouldn’t cut it.

Melissa wanted Liam to crave her more, properly and undeniably. She desired to be the only one in his eyes to the point where all he could think about was her.

Melissa wanted Liam to be so crazy about her that he would never consider pushing her away or holding back ever again.

It was almost contradictory how what had made Melissa wary of men was exactly what she wanted so desperately from Liam. Yet, clearly, the desire itself had never been the issue. Love was.

As for Liam, he experienced a far simpler version of the storm in Melissa’s mind. Something warm expanded from his chest to fill the entirety of his being, removing useless, complicated thoughts.

Liam merely looked at the face nestling in his palm, somehow finding it even more beautiful. It was as if something had infected his vision, highlighting all of Melissa’s details, brightening them.

That mutual touch felt incredible in a profound manner, like a calm explosion, as if that made any sense. Liam only knew that all his anxieties and worries were no more, transformed into pure joy at Melissa’s acceptance.

That was an illness. Liam was certain of that now. Nothing healthy could take his feelings to such a wild ride. His entire emotional spectrum had escaped his control, ending in Melissa’s hands.

Nevertheless, even if that was indeed an illness, Liam didn’t want to heal. It was a terrible blessing, but a blessing nonetheless, reaching deep into the core of human nature.

Liam even wanted those symptoms to worsen. Actually, he was too simple to dwell on thoughts he couldn’t understand. Melissa wanted and liked his touch, giving him permission, so he indulged in it.

While Melissa was still plotting how to mark that man as hers, Liam pulled her back into a hug, this time tighter, more of his instincts leaking into his actions.

There was something improper about Liam’s touch now. He smelled his own primal intentions even if he couldn’t name them, triggering guilt that almost made him reverse his actions.

Yet, all that melted when Melissa’s hands went to Liam’s broad back, clinging to him. The event could be wrong, impure, and dirty, but everything felt right when they did it together.

It seemed the cure for that illness was to catch it together.

And, as Liam’s bandaged fingers dived into Melissa’s hair, following the urge to experience its texture, the scorching desire he hadn’t felt with the butcher returned.

Melissa had been so lost in the admission of her feelings that she had forgotten about Simon. Yet, Liam hadn’t. There was a whole layer of the matter he still didn’t understand, but one thing was clear.

Simon had threatened Melissa by using Liam. Simon had made her feel guilty to the point that her hands had shaken, which became the most unforgivable sin in the world now that Liam held her.

’You don’t have to say it,’ Liam thought, talking to the hiss in his ears. ’I will kill him, but I have to be smart. I must hunt him properly.’

Surprisingly, that idea already felt much better than the revenge against a powerless mortal. Besides, if Melissa was only for Liam to touch, it was only right that he would protect her with everything he had.

Liam would have already done that, but something had changed now. It was deeper, more personal, and primal, like an animal instinct that carried emotions Liam couldn’t name.

Yet, the hug lasted longer than the time it took Liam to make that decision. Melissa was still between his arms, her compelling figure gradually prompting him to do more.

But a familiar voice resounded inside the cave before Liam could explore the full extent of his desires.

"Disciple!" The Alchemy Elder’s shout invaded the cave. "Notifying your Master is your first duty after returning from a mission!"

’Was that a duty?’ Liam calmly wondered, certain his lessons and studies hadn’t featured anything of the sort.

The shout startled Melissa, hurrying her out of the hug. She was quite dutiful when it came to the Sect’s hierarchy, so she kept her head down as she retrieved her tablet, worried about how red her face was and whether her priorities would change if she looked at Liam.

However, since Liam took the interruption calmly, his gaze remained on Melissa, recalling something else she had done.

’Does touching apply to that, too?’ Liam considered. Melissa had authorized him, and she seemed to know more about the matter, so he defaulted to imitation.

Before Melissa could wave the tablet at the entrance, Liam reached her, making her freeze on the spot, only for something even more shocking to follow.

Liam leaned down, carefully reaching for Melissa’s cheek, leaving a quick kiss on it, before pulling back to ask a genuine question. "Do you like this, too?"

Melissa didn’t know how she managed to nod while all she could think about was Liam’s retreating lips. Luckily for her, Liam had his priorities straight, so he turned toward the boulder as soon as he received his answer.

’So, that’s fine,’ Liam concluded in his mind. ’But why do I still feel unsatisfied?’

The boulder began to move at that point, opening a path that Liam didn’t hesitate to cross. However, Liam’s doubts didn’t vanish once he stepped outside, so he turned to voice them.

Nevertheless, the boulder was already closing again, and Melissa peeked from behind it, the stark redness on her emotionless face creating a curious conflict.

"D-don’t do it w-with anyone else!" Melissa declared. "O-o-only with me!"

Once the boulder closed, Melissa’s legs gave in, and she didn’t stop there. She lay on the floor, hugging herself and closing her eyes, unable to stop smiling as the memory of Liam’s torso rushed through her.

Yet, Melissa’s eyes suddenly went wide when another realization hit her. She now knew what Liam’s lips felt like. Nothing would ever be able to stop her imagination anymore.