Chapter 8 - Reaching the Loyalty Threshold

For the following minutes, I sat close to Elena; however, I made sure to keep a reasonable distance. I didn't want her to think that I was some kind of pervert. I just wanted her to slowly trust me.

"I know you might have heard rumors about me—about how I'm a playboy and don't take anything seriously—but I swear those are only rumors. I've never done anything like that, and I'll take my role very seriously."

Elena only nodded carelessly.

"You trust me, right?" I asked as I grabbed her chin and turned it so she would face me. I wanted her to hold eye contact with me.

She gulped, and even I could hear it going down her throat.

However, she didn't shout or call for help. After all, at any given time, she could have done so. There were multiple royal guards all around the carousel outside. With one command, I could be killed on the spot. But it seemed that I had made the right decision, as she stayed silent, her cheeks flushing once more.

"I-I… trust you."

It was obvious that she had a crush on me, and I was using that to my advantage without the slightest mercy. However, it was only the start of it, especially with the notification from the system that appeared before me.

[Elena's Loyalty has increased: 49 -> 51.]

She had finally crossed the threshold, which meant that I could try to use Hypnosis on her. Obviously, there was still Aria inside the carousel with us, which is why I decided to hypnotize the two of them to see if it would work.

'Aria, hypnotize. Elena, hypnotize.'

I called out both of their names inside my mind as both of their gazes suddenly became empty, almost doll-like, which meant that the hypnosis had worked.

I smirked to myself, as I could now control two women in whatever way I wished.

I was lucky that the hypnosis on Elena had worked since her Hypnosis Resistance was so low. However, now that she was hypnotized, it meant that I could ask her almost anything, and she would do it.

This time, I decided to have a bit more fun with my skill. I had restrained myself with Aria, but I wanted to see the effects of hypnosis and how it would impact the person once the skill was gone. I wanted to see if they sensed a difference internally, for example… if Elena and I kissed.

Would she feel closer to me as a result?

I wanted to try some things since the Royal Kingdom was still quite far away.

I closed the carousel's curtains to give us some privacy, and immediately one of the Royal Guards asked what was happening inside with quite the aggressive tone.

"Princess, are you fine?" the man immediately asked as he had noticed how much closer we had gotten in such a short time.

I leaned closer to Elena and whispered in her ear, "Tell her that you're fine and that the sun is too hot."

Elena repeated the sentence in her tone of voice, acting perfectly.

"Alright then, don't hesitate to ask us for help," the guard replied, as he didn't sense the slightest distress in her voice.

I smirked because of how docile she was, and I decided to try some things out since it was as good a time as any.

I continued to whisper in her ear. "Come sit closer to me."

She moved closer to me as a blush found its way to her face, even while hypnotized. Our thighs now touched, but it wasn't enough. I wanted to see just how far I could take this.

"Sit on my lap," I whispered in her ear, and Elena immediately stood up, wrapped her legs around my waist, and looked directly into my eyes.

I could feel her body's heat against mine, and the tension between the two of us was definitely rising, even if she was under the Hypnosis Skill. I could see in her eyes how flustered she was. It was clear that because she was only at 51 Loyalty, the Hypnosis Skill was only influencing her mind greatly. She still had a volition of her own, which meant that deep down she also wanted this.

I didn't shy away from touching her as I wrapped my hands around her thighs and suddenly grabbed her, making her jump slightly onto my lap.

I could feel my cock becoming harder as the seconds passed, pressing against the lower part of her body.

Aria, who was on the other side, looked at this without much thought since she was still under the control of the hypnosis.

'Let's see what happens if I wake her up after telling her to get off. Would she feel any different?' I thought in the back of my mind as I quickly told Aria to move from my lap and sit next to me.

I removed the hypnosis from both of them as they both rubbed their foreheads for a quick moment.

***

[Elena's POV]

I'm not sure why… but ever since a few minutes ago, every time I look in Jake's direction, I can feel my heart racing as if I want more from him.

I-It's so strange, yet I can feel my body wanting more from him.

But I can't do that. I'm a princess; this marriage was only a ploy by my father. I'm not supposed to fall in love with him.

No, I can't fall in love with him.

I need to resist him.

But why does it feel so hard every time I can feel his eyes on my body?

I bit my lower lip as a strange itchy feeling began coming from between my legs.

It almost felt like I was about to pee.

Suddenly, I felt a muscular arm wrap around my neck, pulling me closer.

It was Jake's, and for some reason, I really didn't want to push him away. I wanted to snuggle my way closer to him.

Ahh… why does it feel like I'm falling in love with him!