Grace was far better when she awakened again. She wasn’t well by any means, but she possessed far more autonomy, dealing with matters she deemed pressing.

The room transformed into a spacious and furnished hall. Grace also addressed her appearance, hiding inside a tent to wash up and change while Liam smoked on a series of pillows.

Then, the problems began.

Grace hadn’t done anything special. She had merely cleaned herself, keeping her hair down, wearing a simple, comfortable dark robe.

However, the world in Liam’s vision lit up and gained new colors when he saw Grace leaving the tent. His mouth remained open, still releasing black smoke, his gaze glued to her figure, updating him on an unforeseen issue.

Liam had become aware of the matter only after leaving Melissa. With Grace, he had held back because he had to sort his mind, but none of those hindrances existed now. They were a couple, reminding him of what they could do.

The situation was also perfect. The two had privacy and time to kill, and it was with some shame that Liam realized that he craved nothing more. Grace was just too appealing for him to resist, and he technically had no reason to oppose those desires.

The only real hindrance was Grace’s condition. She was still weak, so Liam shouldn’t push her, but she didn’t make things easy for him.

A pleased smile broadened on Grace’s face when she noticed the way Liam looked at her. She calmly made her way toward him, as if wanting him to savor her approach, showing no hesitation when settling between his legs.

Things hadn’t changed just for Liam. While some inexperience-induced shyness still afflicted Grace, she was deeply aware of their new relationship. She had wanted nothing more for a while, and a lot of her mindset had adjusted to it.

Grace was first and foremost greedy, and Liam was her man now. She could take liberties she had been unable to take before, either by choice or due to what was proper. A switch had been flicked, enabling behaviors she now considered to be her right.

After sitting, Grace didn’t keep to herself. She snuggled close, reaching for Liam’s face, bringing it down so that she could lay her head on it. Of course, there was business to be done, so she also summoned something.

Liam had been busy keeping the fuming pipe away and resisting that assault on his sanity when twelve roses materialized a meter ahead. He had never seen them in real life, but he instantly understood what they were.

Truth be told, Liam hadn’t thought about the rank 3 ingredients anymore, but here they were. To his surprise and disbelief, Grace had actually secured that resource.

"How?" Liam gasped.

"You should have learned by now that I’m quite attached to money," Grace casually stated, pretending not to take any pride in the achievement. "I used the disposable cloaking item to uproot them while no one was watching."

Against all predictions, the mission had been a success, and Liam even added something to the loot with a wave of his hand.

A huge figure appeared next to the Rainbow Roses. The corpse of the level three bear filled Grace’s vision, making it her turn to be shocked. She could even spot the sets of five cuts, connecting them to Liam’s Phantom Talons. He had actually killed that beast.

Liam studied the carcass for another reason. Magical beasts were basically bundles of valuable materials. Their cores were their most precious aspect, but everything about a level three creature had to be worth a lot.

The bones, the hide, and probably even the raw tissues could become rank 3 materials that inscription masters would pay a fortune for. Grace and Liam also had the Suron family as a suitable connection. Liam could even skin the creature himself, saving commission expenses.

What the couple could get back from those gains was still inferior to the rank 3 healing pill Liam had used to save Grace. Yet, Liam could make it worth it if it helped pave the way to the branching stage. It was an investment for the future, basically.

"I know your view on these things," Grace sighed, one hand still on Liam’s face while the other began rubbing his thigh. "You should know that Lucas and Troy helped greatly. They attacked Lady Jessica when she targeted me."

’Lady Jessica,’ Liam burned that name in his mind while asking a different question. "Have you heard from them?"

"They are in hiding for now," Grace revealed. "Apparently, Lady Jessica is flying across the border to find clues about us, and the Heavenly Sword Cult won’t protect them if they don’t bring something back."

’Good, she is away,’ Liam thought as pieces joined his plan. "We’ll split the loot, but tell them to wait a bit longer."

Liam half-expected Grace to question his intentions. He didn’t really want to reveal his plan until it had come to fruition, but Grace disregarded the vague answer entirely.

With Liam’s value on full display, Grace couldn’t quite control her reactions. She wanted to own him more, leave her mark on her personal fiend, so she tilted her head and kissed his cheek.

The event surprised Liam, but a second kiss landed on his cheek before he could turn. Once he did, he found Grace looking at him with a hint of timid desire, the hand on his face rising to cling to his hair.

Liam’s mind went blank on the spot. He found himself kissing Grace sweetly, storing his pipe to hold her from behind, and she responded in kind.

Things gradually grew more passionate. Liam didn’t want to overdo it, but it was impossible to hold back when there was no reason to, and Grace matched his heat.

At some point, Liam left Grace’s lips, kissing her cheek, jaw, and ultimately neck. His superhuman senses overwhelmed him. His mouth felt so much about her skin, and he loved every moment of it. It was almost tasty.

Liam would have stopped there due to Grace’s condition, but a deep breath that almost sounded like a moan entered his ears, rekindling his desires beyond what his self-control could manage.

Grace clawed her hand to the back of Liam’s head as he burrowed himself into her neck, pushing away her robe when he explored her shoulder, opening it enough to reveal something that stopped him.

The partial parting of Grace’s robe exposed her cleavage, as well as the spot of patchworked skin on her chest. Liam’s mouth remained on her shoulder while he stared at the scar, his hand leaving her waist to reach for it.

Despite the intimate spot, Grace only looked down with a bitter smile as Liam carefully traced the many jagged edges with a finger, careful not to apply any real pressure.

In the end, the rank 3 healing pill had never fixed that scar. It was as if the injury caused by a branching expert had hurt Grace’s very existence, forcing her to bear that mark forever.

Objectively speaking, the scar was truly hideous. Grace saw as much. It was a patch of pieces of skin oddly sewn together, adding a disgusting detail to what should have been one of her most appealing parts.

However, Liam’s question involved something entirely different.

"Does it hurt?" Liam wondered, his finger still tracing Grace’s scar.

"Not at all," Grace reassured, a vulnerable tinge joining her following words. "I don’t really feel much there."

"I see," Liam sighed, a hiss resounding in his ears nonstop.

"Does it disgust you?" Grace wondered, feigning detachment.

"I can’t imagine being disgusted by you," Liam admitted, his blinding honesty tugging at Grace’s heartstrings. "I’m just furious. I should have protected you better."

"Then, it’s fine," Grace shook her head, pressing Liam’s hand to her chest. "I can still feel you like this, and I’m glad. Now I also have a scar."

To explain that point, Grace let go of Liam’s hair and reached for the arm still on her waist, pulling up its sleeve, uncovering the dragon-shaped burn.

Grace’s heart resounded in Liam’s ears as his hand kept pressing on her chest, almost infecting him. He watched Grace reserve the same treatment for his burn, which somehow didn’t itch.

’When was the last time I scratched it?’ Liam wondered, failing to find an answer.

"One heart..." Grace half-scoffed, half-chuckled. "I would have given away one hundred to get this."

Grace wrapped her hand around Liam’s scar before looking at her shoulder, meeting his gaze, and soon welcoming his lips.

Despite the temptation, Liam held back. He didn’t undress Grace, and the same applied to the following days. They spent their time in each other’s arms, occasionally making out, but mostly resting and recovering. Grace also slept a lot, and he joined her often, this time willingly, without her having to sneak into his embrace.

Still, Grace was too smart not to notice that something was brewing in Liam’s mind, and he addressed it once the two had completed an additional week of recovery.

Grace and Liam were sleeping on a mat, the former curled on his chest, held tightly in his arms, when he woke up, his face turning feral when he heard nothing but silence from his body.

No sharp, widespread pain afflicted Liam anymore. His meridians had finally healed. Actually, he had even developed another minor root, bringing their total number to fifty-four.

Grace was also far better, enough not to need Liam’s supervision anymore, so he slipped out of the embrace and stood up, summoning a green jade to check a certain route.

Naturally, Grace woke up, and something in Liam’s aura told her that the elephant in the room had manifested itself. She could even somewhat understand what it was about.

After all, there was no hiding Liam’s killing intent, and Grace was the mind of the business. Only one reason could explain Liam’s request to delay outside contact.

"Liam," Grace called, worried, sitting up and about to get to her feet, when Liam crouched in front of her and kept her down.

"I need to be alone to do this," Liam explained, lovingly holding Grace’s face. "Don’t make me order you."

Grace giggled before sighing in surrender. Liam wasn’t her knight in shining armor. He was a fiend. His fiendish things were part of the package.

"I will scold you once you come back," Grace warned. "So, you have to come back. Deal?"

"Deal," Liam instantly agreed, leaning forward to kiss Grace briefly.

Liam stood up afterward, diverting his gaze in thought, hesitating for a second before summoning a long black cape, the proper attire of a poison master.

The fan came next, and Liam didn’t give it time to engage in any shenanigans since he immediately uttered an order. "Never let her out of your sight."

In the past, the fan had responded with scoff-like clangs to such orders, but it hovered straight now, as if performing a serious salute, before shooting into Grace’s arms and whining to get spoiled.

Liam smiled under the large hood, and Grace soon looked back at him, something in the scene almost heartwarming enough to change his mind.

Yet, Liam didn’t. Being a protector was the core of his being, and it was time to bring it to the next level. He nodded, and Grace opened the hall, watching him leave to unleash death and destruction.