Flora stared at He Xi for a few seconds.
Her deep eyes revealed no emotion, only a scrutiny that seemed to see straight through him. He Xi couldn't help feeling his heart sink.
Just as he was about to run out of ways to keep up the act, the corner of Flora's mouth suddenly curled up.
"Don't remember?" she asked softly. "What a shame. You were so enthusiastic just now."
He Xi's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't tell whether she believed him or not.
"Tell me, what's your connection to the demon?"
He Xi knew that pretending to be clueless about his loss of control earlier might have worked, but continuing to hide things from a legendary figure who had just protected him would be extremely foolish.
So he told her everything he could: how the family of the body's original owner had made a Bloodline Contract with a demon, how he somehow hadn't had his bloodline extracted on his coming-of-age day, and how the demon named Salamachis seemed to have fixated on him afterward.
He blamed it all on the ancient contract and the demon's harassment.
Flora listened quietly without interrupting.
"Salamachis..." she repeated the name. "I see. I'll settle this score with her."
She looked at He Xi, her gaze softening again. "Still, if she can affect you from so far away, that means the mark she left on you is deeper than we thought. Your own willpower is what matters most."
"For now, let's see how today's lesson went. Keep your emotions under control. Next time, there might not be anyone there to cut off that influence for you."
She sat up straight again and looked directly at He Xi.
"Use me as your target."
He Xi nodded, took a deep breath, and cleared his mind.