Chapter 31: The Final Target
During the lunch break, Tessa lay sprawled across her tiny bed, completely drained.
Her eyes were closed, but her mind kept replaying the two absurdly disastrous uses of [Eyes of Enchantment] from that morning.
First, she had somehow “enchanted” Riley Summers, that iron-walled ice queen, into a berserk beast pumped full of adrenaline. Riley had nearly trained her into an early grave.
Then she had enchanted sweet, gentle Molly Sweet into an explosion of maternal affection, triggering an unbearably embarrassing hands-on feeding session.
The process had been ridiculous, but at least both attempts had succeeded.
“One more... I just need one more...” Tessa mumbled weakly.
“My poor little darling. Which girl worked you over this badly? Look at you, all limp and lifeless.”
A lazy, teasing voice drifted over from beside her.
Tessa did not even need to look. It was Vanessa.
She had changed into a silk nightdress and was now leaning over the bed, her beautiful face hovering close to Tessa’s. With a wicked smile, she extended one slender finger and lightly tapped the tip of Tessa’s nose.
“Come on, tell me. Did our stern and honorable Captain Riley finally lose control today and give you some... private instruction on the field?”
“Vanessa! What are you even saying?!”
Tessa’s face turned bright red, whether from embarrassment or anger, even she could not tell. She grabbed her pillow and tried to throw it, only to discover that she barely had enough strength to lift her arm.
While she was still lying there in misery, her phone lit up with a soft chime.
A new message had arrived from the name that always made her heart race while filling her with instinctive dread.
Seraphina.
[Seraphina: Tessa, do you have any classes this afternoon? If you’re free, would you like to go to the library together? I can help you review some of the more difficult material from your recent courses.]
The message was as gentle and considerate as ever, and every word seemed to carry a strange power that made refusal impossible.
Tessa’s heart skipped a beat.
Should she go or not?
She still had plenty of time left on the twenty-four-hour deadline, but every remaining candidate was nightmare difficulty.
She was not fully confident that the skill would work on any of her roommates. Logic also warned her that using it on Seraphina would be unbelievably dangerous.
Seraphina’s terrifying talent for overinterpreting everything, combined with a weapon like [Eyes of Enchantment], could create a reaction too horrifying to imagine.
But the skill description had also said that the effect depended partly on the target’s existing affection.
And Seraphina’s affection for her was undoubtedly the highest of them all.
That meant the risk of things getting out of hand was also the highest, but so was the probability of success.
Rather than gambling on her uncertain chances with the others, perhaps it would be better to take the dangerous route and challenge the final boss directly.
It was a high-risk, high-reward gamble.
If she won, she was free.
If she lost... well, the worst that could happen was getting dealt with on the spot by Seraphina.
That was still better than carrying rotten leaves around in her mouth and pretending to be a grateful cat.
Having made up her mind, Tessa took a deep breath and replied.
[Okay, Seraphina. I’m free this afternoon!]
At two o’clock, Tessa entered the Seabrook University Library with a heart full of dread.
She immediately spotted Seraphina sitting quietly in a secluded corner beside the windows.
Today, Seraphina wore a beautifully tailored white blouse. Its close fit outlined her graceful curves while giving her an elegant, intellectual air. A simple cream-colored A-line skirt fell below her knees, and her smooth black hair rested over her shoulders.
She looked both restrained and gentle, an almost contradictory combination that made her even more captivating.
Afternoon sunlight poured through the enormous windows, bathing her in a soft glow. The light framed her already flawless profile and made her look almost unreal.
“Tessa, over here.”
The moment Seraphina saw her, warmth entered her cool eyes. She raised one hand and beckoned gently.
Tessa’s heart began racing again.
She walked over slowly and sat across from Seraphina.
“Was training difficult this morning?” Seraphina pushed a cup of warm lemon water toward her. A trace of concern hid beneath her gentle voice. “You don’t look very well.”
“I-It’s okay. I’m getting used to it.”
“I see.”
Seraphina nodded and did not press the subject. Instead, she moved directly to the reason for their meeting. She pulled Tessa’s textbook and notes closer and began explaining the more difficult parts of her coursework with endless patience.
She sat close enough that her cool gardenia fragrance mingled with the scent of ink and paper. The two aromas wrapped around Tessa like invisible vines, teasing her senses and making concentration almost impossible.
Whenever Seraphina wrote in the book, the cuff of her blouse slid up slightly, revealing a pale, delicate wrist. Her long, elegant fingers moved around the fountain pen with effortless grace, drawing Tessa’s gaze again and again like a magnet.
“This concept is important. Do you understand it?”
When she reached a key section, Seraphina leaned forward so Tessa could see the notes more clearly.
A loose strand of hair slipped from behind Seraphina’s ear and brushed lightly against Tessa’s cheek. The faint tickle came with a stronger wave of shampoo and gardenia, surrounding her completely.
The distance was deadly.
The fragrance was even worse.
Tessa’s heart missed an entire beat.
Then she realized that this was the perfect opportunity.
Just once! One look! The second the system confirms her heart rate increased, I’ll turn it off. Nothing will happen. Absolutely nothing!
She drew a deep breath while Seraphina lowered her gaze to organize the notes.
[Eyes of Enchantment, activate!]
In an instant, an unprecedented surge of brilliant pink magic burst from the depths of Tessa’s eyes.
She poured every bit of hope, fear, and desire she felt toward the woman in front of her into that one fatal look.
As though she had sensed something, Seraphina finished straightening the notes and slowly raised her head.
Their eyes met.
Seraphina’s entire world stopped.
What kind of eyes were those?
Tessa’s already luminous amber gaze now seemed to contain an entire galaxy. Her eyes were bright, wet, and painfully expressive.
They held pure admiration and dependence, the helpless trust of a small creature seeking comfort, and beneath it all, a trace of temptation so subtle and devastating that Tessa herself did not even realize it was there.
Seraphina’s heart slammed against her ribs.
The instant those eyes settled on her, a surge of heat and longing shattered every layer of restraint she possessed.
Her imagination exploded into chaos.
Tessa’s looking at me like that... Is she telling me she admires me? That she needs me?
She looks so fragile. So soft. Like a kitten caught in the rain, trembling as it waits for someone to take it home.
Her lips look so soft...
What would they taste like?
Sweet. They would have to be sweet.
Protectiveness, possessiveness, and a powerful unfamiliar desire overwhelmed every coherent thought in Seraphina’s mind.
She wanted to move closer.
She wanted to touch Tessa.
She wanted to pull this sweet, peach-scented girl into her arms and hold her so tightly that there would be no space left between them.
She wanted to leave something behind, a mark that belonged to her alone.
Driven by an impulse far stronger than reason, Seraphina’s body moved before her mind could stop it.
Slowly, helplessly, she leaned toward Tessa.
Her movements were almost painfully careful, like a close-up from a film, filled with tenderness and fascination.
Tessa froze in terror.
She forgot how to breathe.
All she could do was watch as Seraphina’s impossibly beautiful face came closer and closer, filling her entire vision.
For one suspended moment, the world lost all sound and color.
Only the violent pounding of their hearts remained.
Seraphina’s lips touched Tessa’s forehead.
They stayed there for three full seconds.
When Seraphina finally pulled away, the cool air met the warmth left behind on Tessa’s skin.
That tiny sensation shattered the haze in Seraphina’s mind.
She came back to herself with a jolt.
Then she saw Tessa’s wide amber eyes, shining with shock and misted with disbelief.
And Seraphina understood exactly what she had done.
Humiliation and panic overwhelmed her.
Her cheeks, neck, and even the tips of her ears turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye. She jerked backward as though she had been shocked.
“Tessa... I... There was something on your forehead. Something was... on your forehead.”
She stumbled through an excuse so terrible that even a three-year-old would not have believed it.
Her gaze darted everywhere except toward Tessa.
At the same time, the system’s shamelessly suggestive voice rang out inside Tessa’s head.
[Beep! Target Seraphina’s heart rate surged to 180 beats per minute! Adrenaline, dopamine, norepinephrine, and multiple other hormone levels have risen explosively!]
[Skill Test Result: Exceptional Success!]
[Beep! Congratulations, little mistress. You have completed the Trial of the Newly Awakened Gaze!]
Tessa heard none of it.
Her mind had already shut down.
She raised one hand and gently touched her forehead, where Seraphina’s lips seemed to have left behind their softness, warmth, and intoxicating gardenia scent.
Tessa stared blankly at the woman before her.
Seraphina’s face was crimson, her composure completely gone, and not a trace remained of the calm, untouchable campus goddess she usually appeared to be.
Tessa had completely lost the ability to think.