Forcibly Kissing Cantarella

At the Montelli Family's main residence, Carlotta stared at the communicator after the call ended, falling into a stunned silence for a full three seconds.

"Kexi is... in her hands?"

Carlotta's imagination reached its peak at that moment. The business rivalry between the Feysac Family and the Montelli Family in Ragunna had long since reached a fever pitch. She had heard of Cantarella: beneath that woman's elegant exterior lay a ruthlessness capable of squeezing even a Tacet Discord's bones dry.

"Kidnapping? Extortion? Or... has that poisonous jellyfish finally had enough of Kexi pestering her and decided to slice him up and feed him to the Tacet Discords in the Tacet Field?"

Carlotta slammed the table and sprang to her feet. Because she had used too much force, she had to jump up to get enough leverage to reach the edge of the table: "Zani! Gather all the guards, and bring that newly developed gravity suppression cannon too!"

Zani came running when she heard Carlotta call her. After hearing what she had to say, she looked completely bewildered. "Second Miss, are we going to flatten the Fisalia Family?"

"Flatten what? We're going to get him back!" Carlotta said through gritted teeth. "I warned that idiot long ago to stay away from that poisonous jellyfish. He's driving me mad!"

Porto-Vino Castle.

At that moment, Kexi was suspended in midair in an utterly humiliating position.

Cantarella was clearly skilled in some special restraint technique. The water-element chains formed from resonance energy were not only tough, but also carried a bone-deep chill. Worst of all, the white stocking that had started this whole disaster was now laid neatly on the tea table in front of her.

"Ding! Reward loading progress: 99.9%..."

Fucking move already! Kexi roared inwardly. Did you eat that last 0.1%? If I don't awaken soon, Carlotta's going to bring a demolition crew over to see me looking like this!

"Kexi, what are you still waiting for?" Cantarella sat in an armchair nearby, legs crossed, swirling the glass of red wine in her hand. "Waiting for Carlotta to bring people to rescue you? When she sees the evidence that you stole an elder's intimate apparel, do you think she'll rescue you first, or personally stuff you into a gravity suppression cannon and fire you out of it?"

"An elder... Sister Can, you're only a few years older than me at most. Don't make yourself sound like some ancient ancestor," Kexi retorted stubbornly.

"Still trying to flirt with me when death is at your door?" Cantarella narrowed her beautiful eyes and flicked a slender finger.

Smack!

A whip of water struck the floor precisely beside Kexi, bursting into a flower of ice.

"Admit it. Who put you up to this?" Cantarella's voice carried a certain ceremonial air of judgment.

Kexi's face turned deathly pale. "If I say it's because my love runs deep, you won't believe me..."

Boom!!!

Just then, the gates of Porto-Vino Castle let out an overburdened groan.

With a rumble of heavy machinery, the entire set of gates was violently blasted away.

"Cantarella! Get your filthy hands off my brother!"

Carlotta stormed in carrying her new weapon, a crystal cannon, accompanied by dozens of fully armed Montelli elites, all brimming with murderous intent.

For a moment, the scene was extremely awkward.

Carlotta had expected a bloody interrogation scene, or a heart-stopping hostage standoff.

Instead, she saw Kexi hanging in the air like a hog awaiting slaughter, while Cantarella sat opposite him, elegantly drinking wine, with a... stocking on the table?

"Second Sister... help..." Kexi called weakly.

"Shut up!" Carlotta keenly sensed that something was wrong with the atmosphere. She stared at the stocking, then looked at Cantarella. "Cantarella, you kidnapped my brother for this kind of... special fetish?"

"Kidnapped?" Cantarella chuckled and rose to her feet, pointing a slender finger at the stocking. "Carlotta, you'd better get your facts straight. Your brother trespassed, sneaked into my bedroom, and did improper things with my personal belongings."

The Montelli elites, who had entered so aggressively, all sucked in a cold breath and turned their gazes away in unison.

Zani sucked in a cold breath. "Young Master... you're playing that hard?"

Carlotta's face turned red.

With anger.

"Ke. Xi!!!"

"What were you doing?! You've completely disgraced the Montelli Family!!"

"I didn't! That's not it! Listen to me!" Kexi was so frantic that sweat covered his forehead.

[Ding! Reward loading complete!]

[Congratulations, host. You have awakened the resonance ability: King's Plunder]

[Ability description: As a future sovereign, what's wrong with taking a little of someone else's power? Continuously suction the other person's Tacet Mark with your mouth for more than 10 seconds to forcibly enter the Resonance Synchronization state, borrowing 100% of their resonance ability. Duration depends on the host's stamina.]

[Note: This ability does not require the other party's permission and does not create romantic entanglements (probably), but it is extremely likely to cause legal entanglements. Host, please use it wisely.]

Holy crap, this ability is that awesome?

Forcibly borrow power?

All I have to do is suction their Tacet Mark for ten seconds?

With my mouth?

What is this? That's way too easy, hahaha.

Wait.

Never mind Changli, Juno, and the others for now.

Cantarella's Tacet Mark is on her tongue.

Damn system, you're forcing me to commit a crime.

The flame of hope that had just ignited in Kexi was instantly extinguished. He even wanted to spiral straight into heaven on the spot.

Suction a Tacet Mark... for 10 seconds?

Is this ability even decent? What the fuck am I, a vampire or a pervert who goes around forcing kisses on people?

I'm hanging in midair, with a ring of Montelli elites and two women who want to chop me to death below me, and you want me to suction her Tacet Mark? Do I want to die faster and have "sex-starved fiend" carved on my tombstone?

As always, the system played dead, as if it had not written that cheeky message just now.

The standoff continued.

The crystal cannon in Carlotta's hands crackled as it charged. Her face was flushed bright red, and the shame of having such a disgrace in the family made her want to blast Kexi and the stocking out of existence with a single shot.

"Cantarella, put him down. We'll take him back and deal with him ourselves." Carlotta ground out every word through her teeth.

"Deal with him yourselves? That won't do." Cantarella leisurely swirled her wineglass. The water-element chains tightened slightly, swinging Kexi back and forth in midair until he faced the Montelli Family members.

Her lips curled into a devilish smile. "Since the Montelli Family's young master has such a special collecting fetish, I'm sure he'd love to share his thoughts with everyone. Kexi, come on, tell your second sister what you were thinking while you held my things just now."

She wasn't content with killing him; she had to destroy his spirit too!

She wanted Kexi to admit he was a pervert in front of the Montelli Family members, and even leave him unable to hold his head high in Rinascita for the rest of his life.

"I... I..." Kexi spoke, his voice hoarse.

He looked at Cantarella in front of him. She wore a teasing expression and had even parted her red lips slightly, ready to mock him.

"Kexi, did a Tacet Discord run off with your tongue? Why have you gone quiet?"

Damn system, what sin did I commit in my last life to end up with you...

Kexi let out a wail in his heart.

The next second, his gaze sharpened with the madness of someone who had given up all hope.

"Cantarella, didn't you ask me what I wanted to do?"

Kexi jerked his head up, an astonishingly oppressive aura bursting from him at that moment.

"I want... to shut you up for good!"

Amid Carlotta's scream and under Saibas's horrified gaze, Kexi lunged forward.

"Mmph?!"

Cantarella's pupils instantly shrank to pinpricks.

[Suction begun: 1 second, 2 seconds...]

The entire room fell deathly silent.

Butler Saibas's teacup shattered again. This time, it was reduced to powder.

Zani covered her mouth, pressing so hard she nearly strangled herself.

The crystal cannon in Carlotta's hands gave a muffled sputter as it misfired. She froze on the spot, her brain crashing.

"Mmmph..." Kexi sucked desperately.

Cantarella went rigid from head to toe, as if struck by lightning. In her decades of life, she had killed Tacet Discords and toyed with political enemies, but she had never imagined that someone would dare forcibly kiss her in broad daylight, in full view of everyone.

And with such astonishing force!

In the hall of Porto-Vino Castle, the dozens of elite Montelli Family guards seemed to have been struck by a freezing spell. Their weapons all clattered to the floor.

Zani had begun to question her life. Trembling, she took out a notebook and instinctively wrote, "The young master forcibly kissed the head of the Fisalia Family in full view of everyone... and his posture was extremely aggressive." She even took a photo.

"Let... let go... mmph..."

Cantarella went mad. The string called "reason" in her mind snapped completely. No one had ever dared offend her like this, much less with such near-bestial plundering.

[5 seconds, 6 seconds...]

Carlotta's crystal cannon fell with a clang onto the top of her foot, but she forgot even to cry out in pain. She simply stared blankly at her brother, who was still able to force himself on someone while hanging in midair.

"That's... my brother?"

"That's the pervert who only knows how to write love letters?"

"This is the fucking god of war reincarnated!"

[8 seconds, 9 seconds...]

Kexi felt as if his very soul were about to be torn apart by that overbearing water-element energy.

[10 seconds! Suction successful!]

[Resonance Synchronization: Cantarella]

Boom!!!

A deep-blue shock wave exploded outward from the two of them. The water-element chains binding Kexi were instantly brought under opposing control and snapped apart inch by inch!

Kexi abruptly released her and leaped backward, landing steadily on the floor.

He panted heavily, but his eyes were brighter than ever before-with the confidence of a powerful person, and... profound despair.

"Kexi... I'm going to chop you up and feed you to the fish..."

Cantarella collapsed into the armchair. Her pretty face, once cold and aloof as frost, was now so red it looked ready to drip blood. Her voice trembled uncontrollably, whether from anger or embarrassment.

"Second Sister, help!"

Feeling the water-element energy surging through his body, Kexi turned to the still-dazed Carlotta and shouted in grief and indignation:

"Even though I've awakened and gotten stronger, I feel like there's no place left for me in Ragunna!"

"You awakened a resonance ability? No... you just... kissed her, and for that long?" Carlotta stiffly turned her head, her tone faint.

"That was casting a skill! It was a necessary awakening ritual!" Kexi explained, on the verge of a breakdown.

"The Montelli Family's ancestral graves... are probably about to catch fire," Zani added faintly from the side, twisting the knife. "Young Master, that kind of awakening is one of a kind in Rinascita."