So, I’d started the curse-removal rite, and everything was going along fine so far… except that I couldn’t focus. Why, you ask? Because I was a healthy young man, of course.
I was sorely disappointed that my wife and I were unable to go on our date, though of course I couldn’t simply say no to my wife’s friend and send her packing. And thus there she and I were, while Olivia waited outside of the room.
Diane lay in the bed, lit only by candlelight in the otherwise-dark room.
This was all for the sake of lifting her curse, of course, but given the two of us were alone together, my eyes hardly knew where it was safe to look.
I began by mixing medicinal herbs in water, then using that water to cleanse myself. Because Diane wore only clothing submerged in that same cleansing water, her curves were clearly visible as she lay asleep on the bed.
If pressed to explain how clearly visible, I could perhaps mention the obvious protrusions poking out of the mountains of her chest.
And Diane’s magnificent bosom was only the beginning. The erotic line traced from hips to buttocks captured my eye. Hers was a beauty distinct from Olivia’s. During our first meeting, I couldn’t suppress a shiver every time her alluring eyes narrowed when she laughed.
Had that been all, I could have simply clamped my eyes shut and carried on with the rite. However, when I attempted that, her scent disrupted my concentration. It wasn’t overpowering, by any means; I only caught the faintest whiff whenever I passed by her. But as I tried to focus in my chamber, it prodded at me tantalizingly. Put bluntly, she smelled so wonderful that every time her aroma wafted by, my heart pounded harder.
That the herb-infused water hadn’t washed it away meant that it must have
been a high-quality perfume. The joys of being rich, I supposed.
Cut it out, you! You have a wife, and her name is Olivia. Giving in to lust for her friend would be outrageous! I was loath to take such an extreme step, but I had no choice but to seal my own emotions away with dark magic.
Dark magic mainly dealt in curses, but to be more precise, it essentially encompassed all magic that manipulated the mind. That sort of thing tended not to go over well with the general populace, so wizards like me were often looked down on. I still owed that old man a punch or two in the face for making me learn it without even explaining the downsides to me.
At any rate, for now, I had to focus on dealing with her curse. The rest, I could worry about later.
★ Olivia ★
How long had it been since Diane and my husband entered that room with naught but a bed in it? Outside, it had already grown dark. Alas, I did not have the aptitude for magic that my husband did, so all I could do was pray for my friend’s safety from nearby.
Normally, by this time of night, my husband would be furiously making love to me, and then we’d both fall asleep, pleasantly exhausted. This was my first night without my husband since the day we’d met, and it left my thoughts wandering to darker, more unpleasant times.
I remembered the long-gone days of my childhood. My father would lock me away in a dark room, hiding me away from all the people who cared for me: my doting mother and grandmother, and even the maids.
Ka-chunk.
The door opened and all but dispelled my dreary thoughts. My husband emerged alone, obviously very tired.
“Olivia, Diane’s curse is gone. She should be waking up soon.”
“Goodness! Thank you so much, dearest!”
He embraced me and gave me a light kiss on the lips, then told me to stay by Diane’s side in case she awoke feeling uneasy. He then left me there and headed to our bedchamber.
How exhausted he must have been! It was the first night ever when my husband did not lust for me.