The Sword and The Shadow

Brani's Temptation

"So? What's this all about?" Marolyt asked solemnly.

"I'm not too sure about why this happened. The one who helped me get into contact with that elf was Linq." She shrugged and poured herself a cup of red tea before sipping it elegantly.

"Who's Linq?" he asked.

"One of my subordinates," she said before she paused and shook her head. "That doesn't quite describe him well. He's a really opined male dark elf that is currently in my service. It was he who brought Wayerliss to me. That elf promised me that if I follow his plans, I would become matriarch.

"So you agreed?"

"I had no way of refusing at all," Brani said with a look of slight horror, "That elf is far scarier than Leguna. I didn't dare go against his will!"

Marolyt gave it some thought and asked, "Then what happened later? Did he fulfil his promise?"

"Yes," she admitted, "As you can see, I'm now the matriarch of House Elvin. While there are still quite a lot of problems I have to deal with, Wayerliss still more or less fulfilled his promise. Linq wasn't lying."

"Linq… Linq… Can you get him to see me?" Marolyt toned down a little, seeing as Brani was being so cooperative.

"I'm sorry, but that can't be done. Linq's currently dealing with the aftermath of House Andalir's mithril mines and my elder sister's matter. He isn't in Darklight at all. I'm afraid you'll have to wait long for him to come back."

Marolyt continued to mull in deep thought in his seat.

"Aren't you going to drink a little?" Brani stretched her thin body lazily and stood up. "I heard humans like to drink something called… tea… I happened to buy some from the black market. Want to try?"

Marolyt didn't say a word and his eyes were twitching. He was sifting through the things he had heard and seen and trying to get his train of thought in order.

Brani didn't mind and shrugged. She then went to the side of the room to make tea. Other male dark elves would feel utterly spoiled to drink the matriarch's handmade tea.

But it was quite obvious Marolyt couldn't care less. When Brani served it up to him with her slender hands, he glared at her coldly. "Trying to poison me?"

"Hearing you say that makes me sad," she said with a troubled look. Being beautiful as she was, her pitiful expression would inspire many a man to come to her protection whether she was acting it out or not.

Yet, the old thug of Melindor didn't seem the slightest bit moved. He didn't refuse her and only pointed on the table, motioning for her to put the tea on it.

Brani pouted and took a sip out of the tea she made, as if she was trying to get payback, before putting it on the table.

"Ack…" The hot water burned her tongue slightly. She sat down and turned her face away, seeming rather childish.

Marolyt was impressed by her acting skills. Despite being the matriarch of one of the seven great houses, she was willing to humble herself and be of service to him. Even after being refused, her dissatisfied expression and reaction were spot on. Though he could be reasonably certain she was just acting, her skit still softened him up considerably.

"How similar…" Marolyt thought about Annelotte's mother at the sight of Brani's pouting.

He didn't mean that she looked the same as Annelotte's mother did. However, her pouty lips and beautiful eyes made him feel rather nostalgic.

Two decades ago… If only she didn't leave him out of anger… If only…

His heart skipped a beat. He sighed deeply and said, "I'm sorry, Miss Brani. It wasn't my intent to offend you."

"Hmph!" She turned away once more.

Marolyt's heart skipped another beat.

It was far too similar! How did she learn to do that move?

Feeling a little confused, he breathed in and calmed himself, then lifted the cup. "Promise me you'll no longer be angry after I drink this?"

"Hmph!"

"I'll drink it all up." Since Brani dared to drink from his cup, it meant that it wasn't poisoned. At least, he had never heard of any poison that worked on humans, but not elves. Not to mention, normal poisons wouldn't do much to stop a saint like him anyway.

Brani gingerly lowered her head and looked through the corner of her eyes, as if she was trying to see whether he meant it. But the moment she saw his complex gaze, she immediately turned away again.

"Look." He pushed the cup to her and smiled. "I drank it all. Can you stop being mad now?"

She humphed again, but she didn't turn away. She looked at his complicated expression.

The two fell silent for a moment, before Brani broke the ice with some frustration. "So, you get it now, right?"

"Yes. I need to look for Linq. Can you tell me where the mines are?" Marolyt asked in a passive tone.

Brani hesitated for a moment, before she said, "If you're looking for that elf, Wayerliss, you don't need to look for Linq!"

"What do you mean?"

"You can go straight to him. He gave me an address when we first met. He asked me to send someone to him there if I need to contact him."

"Why would you tell me this? Aren't you afraid of him?"

"I can seek your protection, can't I? The two of you are both saints, and elves are dark elves' natural enemy. I believe you'll make a more reliable ally than Wayerliss. Not to mention, I heard Wayerliss is an old acquaintance of yours, not an enemy. Since that's the case, I'm more than willing to do you a favor."

Marolyt was a little surprised to find that the illusion of that woman on Brani had vanished. She had returned to her former, cunning look. She didn't even try to hide her scheming face. Marolyt wondered which Brani was the real one.

Seeing that Marolyt wasn't in a rush, she went to the desk and took out a piece of paper from a hidden drawer.

"Here's the address. Take it if you need it. I've remembered it anyway." She kissed the note mischievously and put it on the table.

Marolyt looked at it hesitantly.

Brani didn't mind. She undid the ribbons on her gown. The loose cloth draped over her body only served to accentuate her alluringness.

As a desire-filled dark elf, she knew well how to rile up the wants of men. She didn't take her dress off entirely and let the cloth cover her three crucial parts. She then went behind Marolyt with her clothes hanging on.

"Alright…" She breathed beside Marolyt's ear and whispered, "Even though I don't know what you're paying attention to now, since you can afford to spend so much time thinking about it, that means you're not in a rush, right? Why don't we relax and deal with the rest together?"

Her gentle voice was both magnetic and erotically hoarse. It would inspire all sorts of thoughts in a normal male's mind. More crucially, she had her two soft peaks pressed against his back. They were the finest the world had to offer in terms of size, shape and bounciness.

"Do you--" Brani licked Marolyt's ear lobe like a naughty kitten. "--want to do it with me?"

Marolyt gulped audibly. Even a saint like him felt his rationality on the brink of collapse when faced with the seduction of a woman of her caliber.