Limitless Evolution Through Conquering Primal Beauties-Chapter 28 - Sleepless Night

Leonard wondered how he could have let those words slip out. How could he make such a huge mistake? Idiot! Why did he rush to confess his feelings when they had only met yesterday?

Even though the system showed that Borami liked him and that her affection and trust levels were fairly high, they were still basically strangers. Any woman who heard a confession like that would probably think he was weird—or in the worst case, feel disgusted by him. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

He watched Borami’s expression anxiously. The woman was truly shocked. Her eyes were wide, her lips slightly parted, and her entire body had frozen like a statue. Her face, which had already been flushed earlier, was now even redder, the color spreading down to her neck.

And suddenly, the system screen appeared.

[ Borami’s Affection: 79% ]

[ Borami’s Lust: 35% ]

Leonard blinked. It increased? Affection went up by four percent? Lust went up by two percent?

Does this mean... I actually did the right thing?

Now he was completely confused. Just moments ago he had been panicking, thinking he had made a fatal mistake. But the evidence right in front of him suggested the opposite.

Borami, on the other hand, wondered if something was wrong with her ears. Maybe she had misheard. But one thing was certain—her heart was beating incredibly fast. It pounded so hard it felt like it might burst out of her chest. She could feel blood rushing to her face, making it burn.

Leonard actually wanted to take his words back. He wanted to say, ’Just kidding,’ or ’Forget it.’ But seeing Borami’s Affection increase instead made him hesitate.

Should he continue? Or should he retreat for now? He truly didn’t know what to do. His romantic experience was absolutely zero. He had no reference for a situation like this.

Borami finally spoke, her voice trembling.

"C-Can you... say that again?"

Leonard took a deep breath. Seeing the green light from the system, he decided to move forward. He tried to put on the same firm expression he had used when he first convinced Borami about the curse.

"I’ve fallen in love with you, Rami."

Borami stared at him with wide eyes. Her face flushed even deeper. But unfortunately, her Affection didn’t move at all.

"You... you must be joking," she said in disbelief.

Leonard shook his head. "Do I look like I’m joking?"

Borami was completely confused. Her hands nervously gripped the edge of her skirt.

"B-but... how is that possible? You’re from the ape tribe, and I’m from the cow tribe. We only met yesterday. How could you fall in love with me?"

Inside her heart, she wondered, And why do I feel happy? Why is my heart beating so fast like this?

Leonard tried to find an answer. Honestly, he wasn’t sure himself. But he tried to put it into words.

"I fell in love because... because you’re beautiful. Very beautiful. But it’s not just that. It’s because of your kindness. The way you took care of me, the way you cared about me even though I was a stranger. Honestly, I’m also very confused right now."

Borami shook her head, still unconvinced.

"There must be something wrong with your head! We’re from different tribes. That doesn’t make sense. There has never been any history of a man and woman from different tribes being attracted to each other and falling in love like that."

Leonard sighed. He knew this was the moment to reveal the truth.

"Rami, listen. I’m actually not from the Ape Tribe."

Borami blinked. "What?"

"I’m originally a human. Just a normal human." Leonard looked at her seriously. "Not a beastkin. I’m different from the others. That’s why I can be attracted to you. And maybe because I’m not bound by your rules."

Borami still didn’t understand.

"No... that’s impossible. You must be lying."

Leonard sighed again. He could see the doubt in her eyes. She truly didn’t believe him.

"Then..." Leonard hesitated, but forced himself to continue, "Are you really not interested in me at all?"

Borami flinched. Her already red face turned even redder. She lowered her head, her fingers gripping her skirt tighter.

"I... I’m interested, but..." she bit her lip, "but not in a romantic way."

Leonard looked at her doubtfully. "Really?"

Borami sighed, trying to explain with logic even though her heart was still racing.

"Listen, Leo. Maybe you don’t know because you lost your memory. But this is how it works—if a man and a woman from the same tribe fall in love, they can have children. But if they’re from different tribes, their bodies simply won’t react to each other. There won’t be that kind of attraction. That’s our natural law."

Leonard listened carefully. Then suddenly, something surfaced in his memory.

"In that case," he said quietly, "you think I’m lying?"

Borami nodded slightly.

Leonard gave a faint smile. Not a happy one, more like a bitter smile.

"Rami, haven’t you already seen the proof yourself?"

Borami blinked. "Proof of what?"

Leonard looked straight at her.

"That time. When I was first at your house. I... reacted. Do you remember?"

[ Borami’s Lust: 37% ]

Borami immediately remembered.

Her face burned intensely. She remembered it clearly—when she pulled down his pants to check the discomfort he had complained about. She remembered seeing... something. Something big and stiff. And she remembered how her heart had pounded at that moment.

"T-that must have been an accident!" she said quickly, trying to defend herself. "That’s normal! Men can get hard after waking up!"

Leonard slowly shook his head. Without thinking, he reached for Borami’s hand. His large, warm hand tightly held hers.

"Then do you want to prove it?" His voice was quiet, but challenging. "You said I can’t react because we’re from different tribes. Do you want to see it yourself?"

[ Borami’s Lust: 41% ]

Borami could no longer hold back her embarrassment.

Her face turned completely red, from head to toe—or at least that’s how it felt. Her heart pounded so violently she feared she might faint. And deep inside her chest, there was a strange feeling she couldn’t explain. A feeling that made her want to... accept the challenge.

But her embarrassment was stronger.

SLAP!

Her hand swung on its own, striking Leonard’s cheek hard. The hand Leonard had been holding was released instantly. Leonard staggered slightly, holding his reddened cheek.

"You pervert!" Borami shouted, her voice high. Without waiting for his reaction, she turned around and ran out of the room.

Leonard sat down on the bed, his hand still holding his burning cheek.

That slap... snapped him back to reality.

He suddenly remembered everything he had just said. His confession. His challenge. The way he grabbed Borami’s hand. The words he had spoken.

And an overwhelming wave of embarrassment began to crawl from his feet to the top of his head.

How... how could I say all that?

His face burned from the slap mixed with shame. Immense shame. He had just realized he had completely lost control. He spoke without any filter, without thinking. As if something had released the brakes in his brain.

Idiot! Do I really have such terrible self-control?!

He collapsed onto the bed, covering his face with both hands. His cheek still stung from the slap, but it was nothing compared to the burning embarrassment consuming him from the inside.

Every word he had said echoed in his mind, making him want to bury himself underground. He groaned softly, rolling over and burying his face into the animal-smelling leather pillow. But the shame refused to fade.

"Just kill me," he muttered weakly. "Kill me."

Meanwhile, in the next room.

Borami entered her room in a hurry. She immediately lay down on her bed and pulled the fur blanket over her entire body, including her head.

Her heart was beating incredibly fast. Thumping like a war drum. She could feel it in her chest, her throat, her head.

Her hands clutched her chest, trying to calm the raging heartbeat.

Calm down... calm down...

But her mind refused to settle. Leonard’s words kept echoing.

"I’ve fallen in love with you."

"Because you’re beautiful."

"Because of your kindness."

"Do you want to prove it?"

And the most embarrassing part—she remembered her own body’s reaction when Leonard grabbed her hand. Her racing heart. The strange feeling in her lower stomach. The urge to... no, she must not think about that.

"You’re already so old, Borami," she whispered to herself beneath the blanket. "How can you feel these things toward that young man? He’s from the ape tribe. Maybe you’re the strange woman here. Get a hold of yourself."

But her heart protested.

She shook her head hard, trying to push the thought away.

No, no, no. This isn’t right. It shouldn’t be like this.

She thought about her age. Her aging body. Her womb that could no longer carry a child. Two failed marriages. The label of "cursed woman" was attached to her.

And that man... Leo.

’He’s too good for me,’ she thought. ’He’ll leave once he learns more about me. They all leave in the end.’

But deep in the corner of her heart, something whispered. Something that hoped.

Borami hugged herself beneath the blanket. That night, she couldn’t sleep. Her eyes remained open, staring at the ceiling as she thought about Leonard, about his words, and about the uncertain future ahead.

Her heart kept beating fast until dawn.