Chapter 199: Remember It

Eventually, the shadow and Elias reached the deepest part of the cave, where the former came to a halt.

Elias waited for it to move, but nothing happened, and as time passed, he gradually lost track of how long he had been standing there.

Seconds turned into minutes, minutes into hours, and hours into days, weeks, months, years, or perhaps even decades. He had no way of knowing, for the only thing he could feel in that place was the biting cold that seeped into his muscles, bones, and tendons, slowly robbing him of the ability to move.

The cold made it increasingly difficult to think, and eventually, even keeping his eyes open became an unbearable struggle. At some point, he closed them, only to discover that he no longer knew how to open them again.

The place was strange, and no matter how much time passed, no one ever came to the cave.

At first, Elias had been terrified because he couldn’t call upon the System, but as time went on, his fear gave way to worry about his wives.

He wondered what would happen to them if he never returned.

However, he eventually reminded himself that this was merely a dream, and since dreams existed beyond the constraints of time, all the years he had spent in that cave might amount to nothing more than a single moment in the physical world.

Even so, doubts crept into his mind from time to time, and he kept them at arm’s length rather than allowing them to consume him.

With nothing else to do, he gradually began thinking about himself, what he wanted to accomplish, and the kind of person he wanted to become.

He had already given up on being acknowledged by the Crimson Ducal Clan, and all he wanted now was to protect his wives and find a way to cure them. However, he couldn’t accomplish either goal by standing still, and the realization weighed on him as he reflected on everything they had endured.

Stella had been living with a broken mind for seven years, Natasha had been powerless for five, and Monica had been paralyzed by her condition for three.

Those periods were far from long enough for anyone to lose all hope and give up on life, yet his wives had continued to endure their suffering without surrendering themselves to despair. Their persistence alone proved how strong they were.

But was he just as strong?

Elias didn’t think so. He approached every step cautiously, always weighing the risks before making a decision, but he had begun to realize that caution could easily become another name for fear. And fear, when allowed to control one’s actions, inevitably gave birth to weakness.

To become truly strong, he needed to become fearless, or rather, he needed to learn how to use his fear to empower himself instead of allowing it to hold him back.

That was the step he needed to take to become a Lord.

He could either let go of his fear or accept it, but the two choices were fundamentally different, and after spending what might have been decades trapped in the cave, Elias had finally come to terms with which path he wanted to follow.

Right then, a familiar voice drifted into his ears.

"I finally found you."

Elias raised his head, but he couldn’t see anything because his eyes remained firmly shut. Nevertheless, he recognized the voice immediately; it belonged to the woman he had met what felt like decades ago, the one who had claimed that he was, had been, or would become a Oneiroi—a spirit of dreams.

"I am going to send you back," she said.

Elias simply nodded, for the cold had stiffened his body to the point that even this small movement required considerable effort.

"And I want you to remember one thing."

The woman approached him, then leaned closer and whispered into his ear, "He is not a ghost."

Confusion swelled within Elias, as he couldn’t understand who she was talking about or why he needed to remember this particular detail. Before he could ask, however, she continued speaking.

"He has existed since the Era of Creation, and He has waited for His revival. He is Sh—"

Before she could finish, the cave walls began shaking violently, sending a deep rumble through the ground beneath their feet. The woman paused and turned her attention toward the darkness surrounding them before mumbling, "It appears the first light has descended."

She then looked back at Elias, whose stiff body now resembled a human-shaped rock more than a living person, and her voice softened as she spoke.

"It was good to see you. I hope we meet again."

Placing a hand on his head, she gently added, "It is time for you to wake up."

She pushed him forward, and Elias’s rigid body toppled toward the ground. Yet, just as he was about to strike the floor, his eyes opened in the real world, and the first sensation he felt was a warm, wet touch on his thumb.

He shifted his gaze slightly to the side and discovered Monica sucking on his thumb with a deeply entranced expression, seemingly unaware that he had awakened.

Elias blinked a few times before musing inwardly, ’I am back...’

He couldn’t describe how happy he felt to see Monica again after what seemed like an eternity. The warmth of her presence and the sight of her familiar face were enough to chase away the lingering cold that had clung to his mind, and he snuggled closer to her, causing her eyes to open.

The moment Monica realized he was awake, her face turned red, and she immediately stopped sucking on his thumb.

Elias smiled gently and planted a soft kiss on her cheek before whispering in her ear, "It is fine."

Monica accepted his reassurance without hesitation and soon returned to one of her new favorite habits, which also involved peeking at him whenever she thought he wasn’t paying attention.

A mischievous thought crossed Elias’s mind, and he leaned closer to whisper, "Do you want to try sucking something else?"

Monica froze, her lips parting slightly as she struggled to process his words before stammering, "Y-You shameless m—"

"I meant my lips," he explained, narrowing his eyes into crescents as he whispered, "What were you thinking about?"

Her neck and ears turned red as she looked away, refusing to meet his gaze.

"S-Shut up," she muttered.

A warm smile spread across Elias’s face, and he gently turned her head toward him before holding the back of her head and kissing her on the lips.

At first, it was nothing more than a simple peck, but he soon deepened the kiss, gently biting and sucking on her small lips until Monica was left breathless and utterly bewildered.

"Haha!" he laughed upon pulling away, amused by the way she stared at him as though she were floating among the clouds, unable to remember where she was or what she had been doing.

After caressing her for a little while longer, Elias finally left her room and returned to his own.

There, he found Natasha, who was usually strict about maintaining her daily routine, still asleep in bed. He approached her quietly and sent a Mental Whisper through their connection.

[Natasha.]

Her eyes trembled before slowly opening, and upon seeing Elias standing beside the bed, she frowned as though something about the situation displeased her.

[What is wrong?] he asked.

Rather than answering, Natasha raised a hand toward him, and Elias took it without hesitation. She then pulled him toward herself, and he willingly followed, allowing himself to fall beside her.

Natasha quickly climbed onto his abdomen and sat there, looking down at him with a displeased expression before muttering, [I could not sleep because you were not here.]

Guilt spread across Elias’s face as he remembered how he had left her the previous night, and he began to apologize.

[I am sor—]

Before he could finish, an orange screen flickered into existence before his eyes.

[Perfect Role]

[The most suitable role for Natasha Sephila has been realized!]

[Does the host want to act like a wanting lover?]

Natasha poked his chest with her index finger and spoke through their connection, [I do not want your apology. I want you.]

[Ding!]

[Perfect Role is in effect!]

[Current Role: Wanting Lover.]

The moment Elias activated the skill, the loneliness he had experienced in the cave surged through him once more, leaving his heart aching with an overwhelming desire for the woman sitting atop him. His eyes grew heavy with longing, and for a moment, he struggled to find the words to express what he felt.

[I also want you,] he barely managed to send the thought.

Natasha smiled and leaned forward into a deep kiss that soon turned into them sucking and biting each other’s lips.

Elias’s hands moved along the smooth curves of her waist and back while she held his face and continued to kiss him.

She pecked him like a hungry bird, and Elias pulled the knot keeping her robe in place, revealing her alluring figure.

The robe slipped down, revealing her curvaceous body. Her large breasts and dark nipples loomed over him, while her lower region remained covered by red lace panties.

He moved a hand behind her back and sat up. Then, he removed the hair bodkin holding her hair in place and allowed it to fall freely down her back.

[Gorgeous,] he mumbled.

Natasha smiled before pushing him down onto the bed and beginning to unbutton his shirt, while he simply stared at his beautiful wife with a wide smile on his face.

After removing his shirt, she moved lower and pulled down his trousers, her mischievous gaze shifting to the bulge in his trunks.

She gently moved her hand along his stiff shaft, feeling its heat and throbbing. [What are you hiding in here? Hmm?]

Elias chuckled slightly, and she continued, [Lord Elias, do you not know that it is disrespectful to enter a lady’s chambers with a weapon?]

He didn’t say anything and simply continued to stare at her with an amused expression.

She lowered her head near his cock, took a sniff, and mumbled, [It even smells dangerous. I wonder what it is.]

She stared at it with a heated gaze, then gripped the edge of his trunks and pulled them down.

Elias’s rigid cock sprang free and stood upright, its head already glistening.

She looked at it and wrapped her delicate fingers around it before bringing her head closer.

[What are you do—]

Before he could finish, Natasha opened her lips and licked the tip of his cock, sending a tremor through him.

He stared in disbelief and pleasure as she continued licking the tip, then circled her tongue around it.

Elias had never experienced anything like this before. Heck, he didn’t even know such a thing existed, and as he thought about it, a dark thought appeared in his mind.

He knew it was disrespectful, but he couldn’t stop himself.

[Have you done this before...?] he asked.

Natasha halted, and the heat in her eyes was replaced with a chilling coldness.

[What?]

He didn’t back down, as he felt he needed to know. [Well, you know about all of this, and you all seem quite experienced, so... I wonder...]

Understanding his worries, Natasha shook her head and said, [I have never done this, and I know about it because of the personal maid I had in the past... She had books about it.]

[Books about sex?] He was surprised, to say the least.

She nodded, and her eyes narrowed dangerously. She tightly gripped his cock and muttered, [How dare you think that I would do all this for just anyone? What do you think I am?]

Elias gulped audibly as she brought her mouth closer to his cock and said, [Hold it in. If you cum before I stop, we will not do it for a month.]