Noah’s voice seemed to possess an enchanting magic, echoing endlessly in Su Yaoyao’s ears.

Her consciousness was caught in a fierce collision between reason and desire, a war raging within her.

She wanted to resist, but her body was far more honest. The craving surging from the depths of her heart was like a ferocious tide, crashing against the dam of her sanity again and again.

Noah’s kisses grew more feverish, trailing down from the pale tips of her breasts, leaving a searing path along her delicate skin.

Su Yaoyao squeezed her eyes shut, her hands subconsciously clutching the bedsheets, her knuckles turning white from the force.

Her breathing grew more and more ragged.

"My love..." Noah whispered.

His tentacles moved like nimble dancers, gliding wantonly over Su Yaoyao’s body, exploring her every inch.

It sent a wave of exquisite, numbing pleasure through her, making Su Yaoyao tremble uncontrollably as a series of soft moans escaped her lips.

"Don’t..." Su Yaoyao’s refusal was faint and weak, sounding more like a coy enticement than a rejection.

At this moment, she had fallen completely into the vortex of passion Noah had woven, her reason slowly dissolving in the torrential waves of emotion.

Noah seemed emboldened by her weak resistance.

He lifted his head slightly, gazing at Su Yaoyao’s flushed cheeks. Her eyes were hazy with desire, her lips were slightly parted, and she panted heavily. This alluring sight made him lose all control.

He kissed her lips again, his tongue forcefully invading her mouth, tangling with hers and plundering its sweetness.

Su Yaoyao felt as if she were in a scorching ocean, drowned by endless desire.

At some point, her hands had found their way around Noah’s neck, her fingers unconsciously tangling in his hair.

In their passionate entanglement, she completely lost herself, her mind filled with nothing but the image of Noah and the intoxicating sensations.

Su Yaoyao felt as if she were being brought to the very brink of a climax. Every cell in her body cheered, and every nerve was set ablaze.

She clung to Noah tightly, her nails leaving faint scratches on his back as she cried out his name again and again.

A long while later, all the strength seemed to drain from her body in an instant. She collapsed limply onto the bed and fell asleep.

Noah slowly raised his head and looked at the woman in his arms, his heart filled with love and tenderness.

He gently brushed aside the strands of hair plastered to her forehead with sweat and placed a gentle kiss there.

"Yaoyao, I love you," Noah said softly, his voice still thick with lingering desire.

...

The next morning, Su Yaoyao slowly drifted awake, her head still a bit groggy. She subconsciously glanced around, but the bed was neat and there was no sign of Noah.

She rubbed her temples, her eyes filled with confusion and a sense of daze. ’Were those erotic images and the intense rush of emotions from last night real, or was it just a ridiculously vivid dream?’

She lifted the covers and saw she was still in her pajamas, with nothing seemingly out of place. Yet, the lingering tingling in her body and the indescribable feeling in her heart made her feel that things weren’t that simple.

’That kid Noah probably didn’t drug me with something weird again, did he? That’s entirely possible.’

She bit her lip, her mind a tangled mess she couldn’t sort out.

"Forget it. I’m not going to think about it," Su Yaoyao murmured to herself, temporarily pushing aside the chaotic thoughts.

She suddenly remembered her promise to Lucia to raise the ransom money. Time was short, leaving her no room to dwell on her confusion.

’The most pressing matter is to borrow money from His Majesty.’

Su Yaoyao quickly got up, washed up, and changed into a proper set of clothes.

She straightened her appearance in the mirror. Seeing that her face was still slightly flushed, she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

Then, she hurried toward Augustine’s study.

Her heart grew more and more anxious along the way.

After all, asking His Majesty for such a large sum of money was no small matter, and she wasn’t sure if Augustine would agree.

But for Lucia’s sake, she had to bite the bullet and try.

Arriving at the study, Su Yaoyao knocked softly. Augustine’s deep voice came from inside: "Come in." She took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

Augustine was at his desk handling state affairs. When he saw Su Yaoyao enter, he raised an eyebrow slightly, a flash of confusion in his eyes. "Yaoyao, what brings you here?"

Su Yaoyao walked to the desk, hesitated for a moment, then mustered her courage. "Your Majesty, I... I’d like to borrow some money from you. Ten billion Star Coins."

Augustine put down his pen and leaned back in his chair, looking at her with great interest. "Borrow money? What do you need so much money for?"

Su Yaoyao bit her lip, debating whether to tell him the truth about Lucia.

She knew that if she tried to hide it and was found out, Augustine would likely be even angrier. But if she told the truth, she feared he would get jealous, as he had clearly been displeased with Lucia before.

After a moment of thought, Su Yaoyao decided to be honest. "Your Majesty, it’s like this... Lucia was tricked by a shady agency and signed an indenture contract. He desperately needs money to buy his freedom, or else he’ll be sent to sleep with Count Doris." As she spoke, Su Yaoyao’s voice grew softer, and she unconsciously lowered her head, not daring to look Augustine in the eye.

Augustine’s expression darkened upon hearing this. ’I can’t believe this has something to do with Doris again,’ he thought.

In the past, he had considered that Doris was a female. In this interstellar society, females were already scarce, so he had turned a blind eye to her arrogant and domineering behavior.

Recently, however, he had secretly begun investigating the vile incidents of male abuse. As the investigation deepened, he was shocked to find that the clues in multiple cases all pointed to Doris.

’It seems I’ve been too indulgent with her. I must make her pay the price for her actions.’

But toward Su Yaoyao, he was simply angry. "You’re coming to me to borrow money for another man?" A hint of displeasure flashed in Augustine’s eyes.

Su Yaoyao’s heart leaped into her throat, and she hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, he’s just... he’s in a truly pitiful situation, and I already promised him..." She raised her head, her eyes pleading for Augustine’s understanding.

Seeing Su Yaoyao’s pitiable and endearing expression, Augustine’s anger subsided slightly. He sighed helplessly, "Yaoyao, you’re just too kind."

A flicker of joy lit up in Su Yaoyao’s heart. "I knew Your Majesty was magnanimous enough to agree!"

Augustine looked at her eager face and chuckled helplessly. ’I haven’t even agreed yet,’ he thought. ’But since she’s put it like that, wouldn’t I seem petty if I refused?’

He stood up, walked over to Su Yaoyao, and gently patted her head. "This is no small sum of money. How do you plan to pay me back?"

Su Yaoyao froze, then fell into thought. A moment later, her eyes lit up. "How about I work it off? I can help you organize your room, clean up, things like that."

"Pay me back with physical labor?" A faint smile played on Augustine’s lips, and a glint of hidden meaning flashed in his eyes.

Su Yaoyao, focused solely on repaying the debt, completely missed the look in Augustine’s eyes. She nodded vigorously. "Yes! That way, I can pay you back and help lighten Your Majesty’s burdens at the same time."

"Alright," Augustine’s lips curled into a barely perceptible smirk. His gaze on Su Yaoyao turned dark and inscrutable, filled with the desire to devour her completely.