Legacy of Hatred

Grace had a problem.

After the scare caused by the Demoness one month ago, Liam’s routine had changed. He still fought in the battle cages early in the day and dealt with concoctions afterward, but sword practice now followed them.

Before Grace knew it, she had developed a new hobby, one she attended religiously every time she could, like it was happening now.

Grace brought a cup to her lips, sipping the excellent booze while her eyes remained glued to the shirtless, sweaty figure in an empty spot further away in the cave.

Liam was swinging the greatsword, not performing any battle stance, but that wasn’t what Grace paid attention to. Her gaze followed the drops of sweat running down his skin, the way his big, defined muscles tensed, the shine his figure gained under the cave’s illumination, and his focused face.

’I’m addicted,’ Grace found herself thinking, self-deprecation in her tone, but she still didn’t look away.

It hadn’t started like that, but Grace now had a whole personal stage arranged. She had pillows, wine, and even a short table to lean over, all to make watching that performance even more enjoyable.

Liam suddenly swung down with one arm, quickly switching hands to perform an upward slash, and Grace gulped, having to take a deep breath to suppress what other sound she might have made otherwise.

That weapon was heavy, over five times Grace’s weight, but Liam could still swing it as if it were weightless. That put into perspective what those muscular arms could do to her, and she couldn’t control what the thought caused in her.

’He is truly quite a specimen,’ Grace mentally praised. ’A very manly specimen.’

Grace didn’t know when, but her cup had become empty. Yet, she was already refilling it, having memorized where she had left the jug, pouring wine without missing a single second of that spectacle.

’He is enjoying it,’ Grace read on Liam’s focused face. ’He finally stopped worrying.’

Liam had shared his reservations about learning the sword and where they came from. Grace had pointed out how his mindset couldn’t be more alchemy-related, reassuring him, and it seemed he had finally made his peace with it.

’Did he get even more handsome?’ Grace wondered while her eyes lingered on Liam’s face, before a helpless sigh resounded in her mind. ’I’m a complete failure of a merchant.’

Liam was already a man. Nothing had changed in him physically, meaning the problem was with Grace’s eyes. Naturally, those biases didn’t match reality and definitely didn’t suit what was supposed to be her calling.

’I’m utterly smitten,’ Grace sighed internally again. ’If only we were just a man and a woman.’

Grace’s brain had somehow concocted a fantasy of a life as mortals in that month, adding spice to that already endearing entertainment.

Liam and Grace would be married, obviously. They would be in a small town, with a shop in their name, living off of what he hunted.

Life would be simple. Liam would leave Grace when they needed more meat, but they would always be together otherwise, selling wares during the day, sharing a slow dinner when the sun set, and making love throughout the night.

Considering Liam’s virility, Grace had no doubt she would be pregnant. Intimacy would be dangerous in that case, but their nights would still have love. He would embrace her from behind, caressing her bloated belly, and she would hold his face on her shoulder, whispering sweet words to each other and their baby.

Of course, reality offered a series of perks. Being able to carry Liam’s warmth without fear of repercussions was a pleasure mortal women couldn’t enjoy unless they were old or suffered from specific conditions.

Moreover, it truly took a cultivator to keep up with Liam. That inborn strength of his carried through. Grace had adjusted to his size by then, and he was always gentle, holding her as if she were the most precious thing in the world, but she feared she might have failed to satisfy him if she were just a mortal.

That thought also had a follow-up, a question Grace asked herself almost every day now.

’How can I please him more?’ Grace pondered.

Grace studied a lot and worked hard. Wits alone were nothing otherwise. It was how she had become the merchant she was today.

The current issue involved Grace’s duties as a woman toward her man, the physical ones. So, she had studied. If Liam were to peer into her ring, he would find plenty of tomes with pictures that had nothing to do with martial arts.

It was a strange predicament. Liam was Grace’s man, and her greed knew no bounds. She wanted to own him thoroughly, have him forever on a leash bound to her hand, making him submit to her in body and soul.

However, Liam was also Grace’s owner. He had bought her, and she took that matter seriously. She belonged to him. She was his possession, so serving him well was her greatest desire, ambition, and sheer driving purpose.

The solution to that conflicting stance was pleasure. Grace could make Liam addicted to her so much so that nothing else in the world could even come close to satisfying him. He had to reach the point of convulsing in her absence.

Grace had to become both the illness and the cure, just like Liam was for her.

’I can’t believe how happy he makes me,’ Grace sighed internally again. ’Why isn’t he embracing me already?’

There was more than happiness and love flooding Grace. Her solution had a second-order effect, and having those muscles glistening in front of her worsened her condition.

A tremor ran inside Grace’s mind, and she absent-mindedly touched the long jade on the table, not diverting her gaze even while the mental message resounded.

’More healing products,’ Grace noted down in her mind, ’But uncertainty toward future trades. That’s the fourth already.’

While Grace was handling countless middlemen, she only had a handful of buyers. Only the border’s greatest forces could afford Liam’s output after all, especially since the business was limited to criminal organizations.

Now, delays and uncertainties were normal. With how the battle cages had structured the business, some trades could take up to a month to complete, and risk was always involved. Such was the price of secrecy and unstable business routes.

However, throughout the last week, four business routes had shown uncertainty. They hadn’t refused Grace. They had simply been unable to clarify their next desired shipment.

That could be reasonable. No force had infinite money or need for alchemical products. After seven months in business, Liam and Grace might have very well filled everyone’s vaults.

That was a normal occurrence, even. The couple had appeased the market’s demand, meaning they had to wait for it to grow hungry again. The vague not-refusals were just ways to ensure that Liam and Grace wouldn’t go looking for different clients.

Yet, something smelled off. Grace’s merchant instincts were tingling. When she went out, everyone paid utmost attention not to make her learn anything about the border’s political situation, but she could make guesses from the requested products.

’Healing products have always been popular,’ Grace recalled, ’But demand increased in the last few months, gradually, as if not wanting to arouse suspicion.’

Even the most inconspicuous action could raise flags if many engaged in it. Grace was only guessing, but she felt as if her clients had made a conscious effort not to make their desires blatant, suggesting a ploy.

’Something might be brewing,’ Grace thought.

That wasn’t necessarily anything. The border’s forces had their missions. The issue might involve another wild rank 3 ingredient or some contest, but Grace kept track of it nonetheless. She and Liam had a cage to escape after all.

"What is it?" Liam suddenly asked, laying the weapon on his shoulder, his dark eyes on Grace.

’He knows me so well now,’ Grace thought, feeling both happy and slightly annoyed. ’Really... Has he no respect for a woman trying to keep her man wrapped around her finger? Does he think I’ll let him escape me?’

"You earned me a debt with the Demoness," Grace teased. "I do enjoy watching you concoct, but this might be your most handsome side yet."

In the past, Liam would have been confused or hesitant, but a smirk broadened on his face now.

’I made him smile,’ Grace cheered internally while maintaining her poker face. ’He didn’t even know how to do that back then. Well? Reward me already.’

The words that escaped Grace’s mouth as Liam put the weapon aside and started approaching her didn’t match her thoughts.

"Master Liam, aren’t you getting too cocky?" Grace scoffed, reaching for Liam’s face as soon as he knelt before her. "I may be your devoted woman, but I still expect to be swooned and spoiled rotten."

Grace’s actions didn’t match her words, either. Liam was sweaty, but she loved his smell. It was so manly, and getting dirty provided an easy excuse for bathing together, which was another one of her favorite hobbies.

Besides, the teasing window was short. For all of Grace’s studies and strategies, she kind of lost it the second Liam embraced her.

Before Grace knew it, she was on Liam’s lap, legs wrapped around him, kissing him while holding his face.

"How can I make you happier?" Liam eventually asked. "How can I be a better man for you?"

’There he goes again,’ Grace cursed internally, an unbecoming sound escaping her lips once they got busy kissing again. ’He gave me what I thought I couldn’t have but is still going about that. I’m falling for him all over again.’

Once again, thoughts didn’t match words.

"Your debt is exorbitant," Grace declared, pulling herself away a bit, running her fingers over Liam’s forehead. "Shouldn’t you brand my name on your face already?"

Liam just chuckled, but Grace feigned seriousness, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I guess I enjoy your face as it is," Grace sighed dramatically, "But I have purchased new robes, hairpins, and paint for my lips. I expect your assistance trying them out."

Grace couldn’t suppress the smile that the intense gaze in her vision caused. That blatant desire was her greatest success as Liam’s possession.

’I want to bear his child,’ Grace thought, already losing it, but not forgetting to press onward, leaning down to whisper in Liam’s ear. "Master, you must remove my clothes and bathe me first. It would be a waste of money to stain my new ones so soon."

Grace threw her head back and clung to Liam’s hair as he buried his face on her chest, reaching her hideous scar in no time. At that point, strategies left Grace’s mind. Her teasing window had closed.

Still, another tremor unfolded in Grace’s mind before she completely lost it. She reached for her jade without stopping Liam, but the message that resounded forced her sanity to return.

As always of late, Liam immediately understood that something was off from Grace’s body language, leaving her partially exposed chest to look up at her serious face.

"It might be time to escape," Grace revealed. The message had shared the previous four’s nature, making it a pattern impossible to ignore.

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