HP: It's a snake, not a badger.

Chapter 195 I Feel You

Altar in the center of the forest

"Severus, I'll have to trouble you to braid my hair again later." Emeric took off the hair tie and put it into the ring, revealing the horns on his head. Two vines grew from the roots and hung down on both sides of his head, with colorful flowers blooming along the vines.

"It was me every time."

"I knew Severus was the best." He took off all his jewelry and placed it in Severus's hands to prevent anything from breaking it later.

Four enormous stone pillars stood on the ground, with no trees around to block the sunlight, and an empty small altar appeared before them.

Severus stood at the bottom, watching Emeric's retreating figure, memories from many years ago flooding back. Back then, he had done the same, watching Emeric head towards his fate, never imagining he would be entangled with this man until now.

Hearing someone calling him in a daze, Severus looked up at the altar at the top of the steps. Emeric's clothes had changed; they were now the white robe he had seen among the unicorn herd, making the scarlet wound on his wrist even more noticeable.

His once rosy complexion turned pale, his heart skipped a beat, and the smell of blood in the air grew stronger. Severus said nothing, but silently walked to Emeric's side, took out a bottle of white essence and poured it on him, his movements gentle and careful as if afraid of hurting the little rascal.

"I'm fine. Quickly put your arm in, it might hurt a little." Emeric reached out and lifted the man's sleeve, gently making a cut, then placed his arm in the blood and released magic towards the altar.

The black mark slowly faded, and Severus felt another heartbeat appear within his body. Gradually, this new heartbeat merged with his own, and he sensed Emeric's presence.

The blood faded, and the ink stains on her arm also faded, until only her fair arm and the crystal-clear water remained. Suddenly, a light rain fell from the sky, the pale green raindrops landing on the ground. Plants began to grow wildly, and soon the ground was covered with flowers.

"We're free now." Emeric took out a handkerchief, gently dried the water stains on the man's arm, applied a recovery potion, and then kissed his face.

"I can feel you."

"What?"

Severus placed his hand on his chest, letting him feel his heartbeat. "I can feel you," he repeated, his heart pounding strongly.

Emeric pulled the man into his arms, his long flaxen hair falling onto the man's face. "Yes, the partnership ceremony is complete. From now on, no one can separate us."

Previously, it was a one-sided contract, so only he could sense Severus, unilaterally transfer damage, and ultimately exchange lives. Now, there are no secrets between them, and Severus can also sense himself and transfer damage through the contract.

The two returned to the altar, and Severus took out a comb to braid Emeric's hair. The full style would have to wait until they got back; for now, it would be a giant braid. He also picked quite a few colorful little flowers. Emeric, indulging him, pretended not to notice and used magic to create even more flowers.

What should we have for lunch?

"I don't know, you decide." Severus shook his head, unable to think of anything to eat. He was busy fiddling with Emeric's hair and couldn't think of anything else.

After some effort, he finally managed to fix Emerick's hair to a length that wouldn't hinder his movements. The slightly messy hair, paired with his face, gave him an undeniably alluring look.

As if bewitched, the man reached out and touched Emeric's face, letting himself be kissed. Severus felt his nostrils fill with the scent of herbs and trees, the same scent he had smelled in the aphrodisiac. At this moment, he understood why Emeric had liked to follow him around and smell it.

"Thank you, Severus, for braiding my hair so beautifully," Emeric released the person in his arms, took his hand, and went to find food together, just to clear his head. Even if they couldn't find anything they wanted to eat, it didn't matter; he had plenty of food in his ring.

Severus was heavily influenced by the contract; he couldn't control himself and would frequently glance at Emeric, becoming uneasy if he didn't see him for an hour. Emeric indulged him, taking him everywhere and often giving him a hug to soothe his emotions.

night

Severus returned to bed first, listening to the sound of water running in the bathroom as Emeric showered, a half-read book of love poems in his hand. Soon, a scent of herbs and the steam enveloped him, and Severus nestled into Emeric's arms.

"Shall we go south tomorrow? I remember there are delicious river shrimp there." Emeric flipped through his old notes, which were full of information on the distribution of various local products.

I want to eat fried food.

"Okay, how about we peel some more shrimp and make shrimp dumplings?"

"Can."

Severus, feeling a bit sleepy from the delicate scent of herbs, let Emeric hold him and became languid. "When are we going back?" he suddenly asked.

"Either is fine. I have enough stuff to last another month." Emeric roughly calculated and conservatively estimated that he could live comfortably for another month.

"Then let's go next week." Severus made the decision. His current state was not suitable for seeing other people, which was also a result of his self-indulgence.

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Emeric stood in the water with a net in his hand, while Severus sat in the shade of a tree eating freshly baked cookies, accompanied by refreshing black tea and various small fruits.

"I caught a bucketful, that should be enough for us, right?" Emeric returned carrying a bucket full of jumping shrimp that looked incredibly tender and juicy.

"should?"

"If it's not enough, I'll go catch more," Emeric changed his clothes, sat down next to the man, and started peeling shrimp. He had already set aside the small shrimp suitable for frying, which he would use to make shrimp dumplings. "Let's eat here. If we still have room after we finish eating, I'll catch some more to make grilled shrimp."

"It's up to you to decide."

"Then I want a kiss," Emerick said, bringing his face close to the man's, taking advantage of his kindness. "Or I can kiss you."

"Get lost, I'm hungry, hurry up and make it." Severus rolled his eyes and pushed Emeric's face away. His adverse reaction seemed to have lessened considerably; he wasn't going to give in to the little brat's wishes.

The shrimp dumplings, each containing five whole shrimp, were enormous, and Severus ate three and was quite satisfied. The fried river shrimp were also delicious; he ate them one after another like snacks, even saving some room for the grilled shrimp.

After finishing their meal, the two of them took a walk in the forest to digest their food, occasionally petting the small animals that followed them and picking some special herbs.