The Fate Bond

As Ludwig finished treating my wounds, he took a seat beside me, his presence both comforting and disconcerting. I struggled to find my voice, wanting to address the events of the previous night, but finding my tongue hesitant to speak.

" If you just hurt yourself in this work, it might be better for you to stop," Ludwig suggested.

"I don't want to," I responded softly, my voice barely above a whisper, a hint of stubbornness in my tone.

Ludwig's expression darkened, frustration evident in his features as he voiced his incomprehension of my actions. With a forceful gesture, he punctuated his words by ramming his fingers onto the table, causing it to shake slightly.

"Don't come back here to the Greenhouse ever again," he commanded, his voice firm and unwavering. "Just stay in your room. Forget about the plants. I'll have others take care of them—"

"No," I asserted firmly, shaking my head with resolve, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. "I don't want to do nothing. I want to stay here. I want to take care of the plants. I refuse to sit idly by because it would feel like I'm acknowledging that you own me. You bought me, and I refuse to feel indebted to you. If I stop working, it's like admitting defeat and accepting that I owe you something."

Ludwig seemed to sense the desperation in my words, his expression softening slightly as he let out a heavy sigh.

"Fine," he relented, his tone conceding to my plea. "I'll allow you to continue. Do whatever brings you peace of mind. But..." he paused, his gaze searching mine with intensity. "Promise me you won't hurt yourself again."

I nodded fervently, feeling the weight of his concern pressing down on me as the heaviness in my chest intensified.

As Ludwig drew nearer, his eyes narrowed with concern. "What's wrong?" he asked, noting my paleness and the distress evident in my features.

As Ludwig drew closer, the electric sensations that had previously tingled across my body began to fade, replaced by an overwhelming heaviness in my chest. Despite the haziness that clouded my mind, I felt an inexplicable pull towards him, as if some unseen force was urging me to close the distance between us.

"Can you hear me… Louise?"

In a daze, I struggled to focus on Ludwig's words as they grew fainter, his lips moving in a blur before me. The world around me seemed to spin, everything feeling surreal and unfamiliar, yet strangely comforting in its strangeness.

Suddenly, I felt Ludwig cradle me in his arms, his touch bringing an unexpected sense of relief and freedom. It was as if I had been released from a long-held captivity, my spirit soaring like a bird finally set free from its cage, my heart lightened by the newfound sense of liberation.

As the electric sensations ceased upon our contact, a profound sense of ease washed over me, yet the magnetic pull towards Ludwig intensified with a relentless force.

In an instant, Ludwig transported us to my room, his actions swift and decisive. Lost in the whirlwind of emotions and sensations, I struggled to grasp the reality of what was happening around me, my mind consumed with the urgent need to find inner calm.

Through the haze that clouded my vision, I felt a growing heat coursing through my body, igniting a desperate yearning for relief. Without conscious thought, I began to squirm in Ludwig's arms, driven by an instinctual need to break free from the overwhelming turmoil consuming me.

"Louise," Ludwig's voice called out, his tone laced with concern.

As my body threatened to give way beneath me, Ludwig acted swiftly, catching me before I could hit the ground with a forceful grip.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ludwig's voice rang out, sharp with a mixture of anger and concern, his breath coming in hurried pants. I could sense his frustration and annoyance, but beneath it all, there was a flicker of worry.

With a furrowed brow, Ludwig reached out to check my forehead, his expression darkening as he cursed loudly. "You're burning."

The absence of his comforting presence sent panic coursing through me, and the pain that had momentarily subsided surged back with even greater intensity, overwhelming me in its wake.

As Ludwig's hands tenderly stroked my back, I let out a groan of discomfort, the pain and confusion swirling within me. "What's happening?" he asked. "Why are you burning?" His voice, laced with panic, pierced through the haze clouding my senses.

"L-Ludwig..." I managed to rasp out, my voice barely recognizable to my own ears, hoarse and filled with need.

Struggling to focus through the blur of my vision, I couldn't make out Ludwig's face, but his concern was palpable in every word he spoke.

"Louise..." His voice trembled with worry, igniting a surge of emotion within me that I couldn't quite name.

The burning sensation enveloped me, searing through every fiber of my being until I was left panting, the intensity of the experience leaving me shaken and disoriented.

As Ludwig's soothing touch continued to offer relief, each stroke felt like a balm, extinguishing the flames that raged within my body. Yet, despite the momentary respite, a deep-seated thirst remained unquenched, gnawing at me from within.

In a horrifying turn of events, my body seemed to move of its own accord, pulling Ludwig closer to me until I found myself climbing onto his physique, driven by a force I couldn't comprehend.

"Louise!" Ludwig's voice rang out in alarm, his shock evident in the urgency of his tone.

With a sense of mortification washing over me, I wrapped my legs around his hips, my arms encircling his shoulders as I drew him closer, my lips seeking his in an act of desperation and confusion.

As our lips met, a wave of relief washed over me, momentarily numbing the pain and turmoil that had consumed me. Yet, in its wake, a different sensation emerged—a primal craving that pulsed through my veins, igniting a fierce desire within me.