"Shall your love prove true. You’ll be reunited with your other comrades. If not... you’ll never leave this place, and no one shall come to your rescue."

Aenyra pondered the instructions over and over again. She attempted to make head and tail of it and find a loophole that they could exploit to break the illusion and free themselves.

She pressed her lips thin. Deep in thought, pulling apart the instructions given.

’How can we fall in love just because you tell us too?’

Frustration built inside her. The conditions of freedom were ridiculous. Prove their love is true? What kind of love? And why?

She thought of Sheana and, in the utmost what she felt was pure annoyance. The scheming seductress wasn’t her friend or an acquitance, a co-worker at best, but nothing further than that. And she didn’t think that they could ever be more than that since she can’t stand Sheana’s lively nature.

Sheana, unaware of Aenyra’s internal thoughts, tucked a smile at the corner of her lips. It felt the universe was on her side and supported her feelings for Aenyra.

She felt like taking advantage of the opportunity and coffess her feelings. The idea of which blurred her thoughts and muddled her brain.

"I won’t hesitate," a laughter burst from her plump lips as her evil plan formulated in her mind. ’How to tame her icy dragon’ was the title of her plan, and she was determined to see it through to the bitter end.

She looked at her ice beauty, her eyes lowering to Aenyra’s seductive lips as desire coiled inside her. The need to know what those icy cold lips tasted like drummed against her ribs.

"I can use the task as an excuse," she said, bitting her lip hungrily.

Like a predator ready to pounce on her prey, she approached Aenyra slowly. Her eyes focused solely on those lips that lured out the beast within her.

When the distance between them was bridged, she leaned down, unable to resist it anymore, and kissed those lips, her hands wrapping lovingly around Aenyra’s neck, bringing her face close. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Aenyra’s eyes went wide. A million thoughts ran across her mind as her fingers tighteningly clasped on her dress.

Sheana’s plump lips pressed down with weight, reinforcing the kiss. He licked and bit down at the sexy icy lips, eating them up to her hearts content.

The taste of her dragoness felt so good. Too good. She didn’t want to pull away and hoped to stay glued to Aenyra’s lips forever. Endless happiness spread through her.

One, two... Aenyra started regaining het senses. Three, she snapped back and shoved Sheana away with immense force.

Sheana, unprepared, fell hard to the ground. "Owww!" She cried out as she stared at her bruised wrist and elbow. "Are you crazy?"

"Crazy?" Aenyra asked. Her cold eyes became even colder. She stared down at Sheana, fuming mad. There was a limit to the seductress’ jokes she was willing to take.

No matter how flirty Sheana was and how easy such actions came for her, it didn’t mean that she was allowed to take liberties with her.

"Yes, crazy!" Sheana rose to her feet. Her eyes met with Aenyra cold eyes and burnt even brightly that usual. "Why are you acting like a child. All I did was put the instructions into play. What sin have I committed for you to behave so rudely with me?" She questioned, acting more aggrieved than Aenyra whom she had just taken advantage of.

Aenyra sneered. Her body trembled with rage. If her beady wasn’t suppressed by the illusion, her dragon would have set off and burnt the shrewd phoenix’s feathers to a crisp.

"How dare you use this trap as an excuse, Sheana? Do you think me a fool?"

"No, I don’t think that you are a fool, Aenyra. I think that you don’t want to get out of here but I do and I am willing to do whatever it takes to be free," she argued, justifying her actions which went contrary to her true feelings.

"Is it?"

"Yes, I want to return to the mission and to my sister."

"You do?"

"Yes, don’t you?"

She raised the question to Aenyra, acting all righteous. Her acting was so good that even she herself was fooled by the words and emotions that she expresses during their back and fourth argument.

"The mission might not be important to you..."

"Shut up!" Aenyra raised her hand to silence her, her voice roaring so high that it seemed to nearly bring the sky falling down on them.

She wiped her lips. She was disgusted by the lingering feeling of Sheana’s lips on hers. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to calm herself and regain her indifferent composure.

"I, too, want to return to the mission. But that doesn’t mean that I am willing to compromise on my dignity," she said coldly. Her cold tone sent a terrifying shudder down Sheana’s spine. "I don’t know what games the one who set this trap is playing with us, but I for one won’t allow myself to be manipulated. Don’t disgust me by doing something like this again."

Disgust... Sheana’s body stilled. A kiss that felt close to heaven for her was disgusting to Aenyra? Her mind nearly broke.

"I am warning you, Sheana, remain within your boundaries!" Aenyra pointed a stern finger at Sheana. "Otherwise, your identity as the Emperor’s daughter won’t protect you from my wrath! So don’t test me!" She threatened.

Sheana covered up her pain with a smile. Her eyes curved up, making her beautiful face appear more appealing.

"It’s just a means to an end. Why are you overreacting?"

Aenyra’s eyes snapped at her coldly. Her brain captured Sheana’s beauty, and the demons awake in her wanted nothing more than to tear that beauty apart until Sheana couldn’t afford to smile at her like they were close.

"So serious," she played with her hair, twirling it between her hair as she put on her mask of a seductress.

The mask, her shield, keeps her true feelings at bay and doesn’t expose her to others. It’s always kept her safe.

"Can’t you take a meaningless necessary evil?"

Every word she uttered cut through her throat. It was hard to let out because they pierced through her heart and the truth she desired.

"Necessary evil?" Aenyra asked, "Phew," she spat on the ground. "More like a detestable indulgence!"

Detestable... the word stung more than Sheana would ever admit. Like Aenyra was twisting a knife in her heart and coldly cutting it to tiny pieces.

She turned around, moisture filling her eyes. She stared into the distance, distracting herself with the fake scenery to keep from feeling the ghastly reaction Aenyra had to her kiss.

Sheana wanted out, out of the enclosed space that held her and Aenyra alone, out of the illusion, out of the mission and back to the palace, his father’s cruelty suddenly felt comfortable compared to rhe rejection from Aenyra.

"Then, why don’t you come up with a plan to exit this place. I’ve had right about enough of it," she whispered, pain seeping out in her words before her feet carried her into the hut.