Under normal circumstances, Eros might have found this temptation difficult to resist. Unfortunately for the girls, he was currently in a state of total emotional detachment—devoid of desire or craving.
With a firm shrug, Eros dislodged the two girls clinging to him. Without a moment's hesitation, he pulled The Brilliant Sun from his pocket and began purging the Lust contamination from Undine and the others.
Minutes later, as clarity returned to Undine’s eyes, she recalled her behavior just moments ago. Her face flushed a deep, burning crimson, and she began to stammer, unable to form a coherent sentence. Beside her, Joanie looked as though she wanted to bury her head into her own chest, far too ashamed to look up.
Syphreya’s expression, however, remained unchanged. Since she hadn't been able to squeeze into the fray earlier, no particularly "scandalous" scene had involved her. Besides, given her history with Eros, there was no need for bashfulness even if something had happened; after all, they had already done everything there was to do.
Seeing that the contamination in all three girls had been expelled, Eros put away the artifact and walked to the door of the inner room. He pushed it open to check on Ayesha’s condition.
The sight inside caught him off guard. Ayesha had actually dropped her disguise, revealing her true appearance.
Eros quickly formulated a theory. It seemed that tonight’s specific contamination was different, causing Ayesha’s mental fortitude to waver and leading her to unconsciously deactivate her illusion spell. Realizing this, Eros slipped through the gap in the door and shut it behind him instantly. Simultaneously, he inscribed a Spiritual Wall on the floor to soundproof the room.
Outside, Undine glanced at herself and then at Joanie. The sheer humiliation of acting that way in front of Joanie and Syphreya overwhelmed her again. Joanie kept her head low, not daring to utter a word. A bizarre silence settled over the outer room.
Once the Spiritual Wall was set, Eros didn't wait for Ayesha’s internal divine power to trigger. Instead, he activated The Brilliant Sun directly.
Stolen novel; please report.
Minutes later, a fully conscious Ayesha realized that her disguise had somehow vanished. Panic flashed across her face as she hurriedly reapplied the illusion, stammering, "Y-you... you saw everything?"
Eros wore a deadpan expression, his tone remarkably sincere. "I saw it. And I saw it very clearly. I didn't miss a single detail. If you don't believe me, I can describe it back to you."
Ayesha looked at the playful glint in Eros’s eyes and took a deep breath, suppressing her intense shyness. "You saw nothing!"
"No! I definitely saw it!"
The thought that her true face had been seen by this insufferable man sent another wave of bashfulness over her. Seeing this, Eros shifted his weight and sat down beside her, patting her shoulder and whispering, "There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s not like Ayesha is ugly. On the contrary... little Ayesha is quite cute~"
Hearing him call her cute, Ayesha’s face instantly turned a deep shade of red, extending all the way to her earlobes. Her slender, jade-like fingers toyed nervously with her clothes, and her beautiful eyes no longer dared to meet his.
Looking at the shy and alluring girl before him, Eros let out a soft laugh. He took Ayesha’s delicate chin in his hand, lifting her reddened face upward. Then, while Ayesha was still in a daze and before she could react, he lowered his head and kissed her lips.
It was a mere touch—a fleeting contact.
Watching the stunned Ayesha, Eros released his hold and said with a smile in his voice, "I liked Ayesha quite a bit before, but after seeing your true face, I like you even more. So, I’m marking you first."
Eros walked to the door, ready to leave. He paused, a smirk playing on his lips. "Don't worry. This is a secret between the two of us. I won't tell a soul."
With that, he stepped out of the inner room without looking back.
It was only long after the door had closed that Ayesha snapped out of her trance. She touched her soft lips, then her burning cheeks.
"He... he... he actually kissed me! And he said he likes me even more!"
"Ugh..." Ayesha covered her face, which was now red enough to bleed, and let out a muffled, embarrassed whimper.
In the outer room, Undine looked at the emerging Eros with a hint of suspicion. "Why did that take so long?"
She knew Ayesha was a girl, so she suspected this "dog-thing" of a brother might have taken advantage of her while she was contaminated.
Eros replied with a straight face, "Her resistance lasted longer than yours, so her condition was more complex."
And it wasn't even that long! he grumbled internally.
Undine nodded, not pressing further, and the room fell back into silence.