The instant Lance heard Irene's voice from the washroom, his mind went blank.
The unnatural heat that had been tormenting him surged out of control.
His first instinct was to shut Fox down.
With his eyes bloodshot, Lance grabbed the white towel from the table and walked toward the washroom.
The closer he came, the more the lingering steam and familiar scent in the air seemed to worsen the effect of the substance in his blood.
"Brother Lance, can you pass me the towel?" Irene called from inside. Her voice carried a teasing note. "And don't peek like you did last time."
Lance gave a stiff answer and stopped in front of the door.
"I'm opening it a little."
The door cracked open, and Irene reached one hand through.
Lance placed the towel in her hand.
Then the last of his restraint snapped.
He pushed the door open.
Irene stared at him in shock.
Everything happened too quickly for her to understand what was wrong. Lance stepped toward her, caught hold of her, and kissed her despite her startled resistance.
For several moments, Irene struggled.
Lance's body was feverishly hot, his thoughts almost completely overwhelmed by the side effect of the murloc blood. He clung to her with a strength that frightened her.
The confused struggle gradually changed. Irene had long carried complicated feelings for Lance, and with both of them overwhelmed by the moment, she stopped resisting as firmly as before.
Their judgment deteriorated rapidly.
The encounter was on the verge of going much further when a voice suddenly rang out from the bedroom.
"Young Master Lance! I brought the murloc blood you asked for!"
A scream followed.
Lance jerked as though struck by lightning.
For an instant, his mind cleared.
The washroom door stood wide open. Bonnie was frozen near the entrance to the bedroom, struggling to hold a small bucket of fresh murloc blood. She stared at Lance and Irene in stunned disbelief.
Irene's face went crimson.
The shock finally broke through the confusion clouding her mind. She pushed Lance away, hurriedly covered herself, and fled from the room without raising her head.
...
Lance remained where he was, dazed.
'What had just happened?'
His memories of the previous few minutes were already blurred.
Worse, the burning sensation in his blood was rising again.
"Young Master Lance... I-I'm sorry."
"I didn't mean to see anything."
"Really, I'm sorry..."
Bonnie set the bucket on the floor and turned as if she wanted to escape.
Lance moved before she could reach the door.
He shut it and locked it.
Bonnie's face went pale.
"Young Master Lance, I won't tell the First Madam what I saw..."
She backed away, frightened by the state he was in.
Lance did not answer.
His reason collapsed again under the effect of the substance in his blood.
He seized Bonnie.
What followed was not something she had chosen. Overwhelmed by the murloc blood's side effect and no longer acting rationally, Lance forced himself on her.
...
An hour later, Irene sat blankly on the edge of her bed.
She was dressed again, but her thoughts were still in turmoil.
'Brother Lance... why did he suddenly become like that?'
Worry filled her eyes.
'Or... has he always liked me?'
Irene frowned and reached automatically for the silver bracelet she normally wore around her wrist.
Her hand closed on empty air.
"Oh!"
She suddenly remembered.
The bracelet was still in Lance's washroom.
It was the only keepsake her birth parents had left her when she was very young. She had always taken great care of it. Only the confusion of tonight had made her forget it.
After hesitating for a while, Irene stood and returned to Lance's room.
'He shouldn't act like that again... right?'
Even Irene could not make sense of her own feelings.
She reached for the door.
It was locked.
"Hm?"
Surprised, she leaned closer.
A faint, broken voice came from inside.
"Young Master Lance..."
It was Bonnie.
Irene's face drained of color.
She stood outside the door for a while.
Then, looking hurt and disappointed, she quietly walked away.
...
By the time Lance dressed again, it was already close to midnight.
Bonnie remained on the bed, unable to completely stop crying.
Lance had finally regained full control of himself.
He restarted Fox.
Fox reported: [Body scan complete. Your current physical condition is healthy. The unknown substance has now been completely metabolized. You should not experience another episode from the dose already present in your body.]
Fox continued.
[The scan also shows that your Constitution has increased by 0.1. This appears to be another effect of the murloc blood. The increase occurred together with the side effect and was not included in my earlier estimate.]
[Physical Attributes]
Constitution: 0.6
Strength: 0.7
Agility: 0.5
Lance looked toward Bonnie.
Now that his mind was clear, there was no way for him to dismiss what he had done as something trivial.
The murloc blood had given him another physical improvement, but Bonnie had paid the price for it.
She had come from Quiet Valley as an ordinary shepherd's daughter. Whatever harsh expectations this world's servant system placed upon a personal maid, she had plainly been frightened and unprepared for what happened. Her position had left her feeling that she had no right to resist her master.
The cruelty of that reality weighed heavily on Lance.
"Bonnie..."
He tried to make his voice gentler, but even to his own ears it sounded stiff.
Her sobbing quieted slightly.
"Bonnie. I didn't expect any of this to happen tonight," Lance said. "That may sound like I'm trying to escape responsibility, but I truly wasn't in control of myself."
"You don't have to explain, Young Master. Really... it's all right."
Bonnie spoke haltingly without raising her head. Her voice still trembled.
"The day before Father sent me to the castle, Mother talked to me about what being a personal maid could mean. Aunt Xili told me the same thing after I arrived."
She wiped at her tears.
"So... it's all right."
"I'm just... hurting a little. That's all."
Her tears fell again.
After a while, Bonnie forced herself to stand.
"I'm your maid. This is something people like me are expected to accept. I probably don't even have the right to be upset."
She tried to smile.
The effort only made Lance feel worse.
"I'll go get you some more candles. You're almost out."
Lance caught her arm before she could leave.
"Wait."
Bonnie immediately stiffened.
Lance shook his head.
"You may not understand yet, but after what happened tonight, I think you need to make a choice."
"A choice?"
Bonnie looked lost.
"There are three periods every week when you're away from my side," Lance said quietly. "That's when you report my activities to Nancy, isn't it?"
Bonnie went completely pale.
"I know you don't have the power to refuse the First Madam's orders," Lance continued. "But you also need to understand something."
"If I say a single word, you will no longer be my personal maid."
"Nancy won't care what happens to you after that. She'll simply find someone else to watch me. As for what becomes of you afterward, I think you understand your position better than I do."
Bonnie stared at him, frightened.
Lance's voice softened.
"Before tonight, I might have ignored all of this."
"But now I don't want you to suffer any more because you're trapped between Nancy and me."
He met her eyes.
"Listen to me instead."
"I will keep you safe."
"And I will keep your family safe as well."
"I promise."
Bonnie looked into Lance's eyes for a long time.
At last, still hesitant, she slowly nodded.