Bound sovereign: Reincarnated with the lust system

*COMING LATE ?

The door creaked as Eran pushed it open, the heavy light from the hall spilling into the classroom.

Every head turned.

For a heartbeat, silence clung to the room, then came the ripple.

Jeers. Snickers. Whispers that hissed like arrows.

"A commoner, late again?"

"He doesn't even know how to respect time."

"Does he think Professor Selene will protect him?"

The words were sharp, cruel, but they rolled over Eran like mist. His stride was unhurried, deliberate. His boots tapped against the polished floor, each step echoing far louder than the jeers around him.

And then his eyes found hers.

Selene.

She stood at the front, robes coiled around her frame like flowing ice, her emerald gaze steady, unreadable. For a moment longer than anyone else would notice, her stare locked with his. His chest tightened at the memory of that same body trembling beneath him just hours ago, her voice gasping Beloved against his ear.

The corner of his lips tugged, a smile too faint for anyone but her to see.

Selene's own breath hitched, so small it vanished into silence. She parted her lips, as if to speak something unspeakable. But then, with a soft sigh, she turned back to the class.

"Eran," her voice cut through the whispers, calm and commanding, "go and sit."

The chamber erupted.

"What? She let him stand there that long?"

"No punishment?"

"She favors him!"

The noise swelled like a storm breaking. Some nobles sneered openly, others whispered with narrowed eyes, suspicion dripping from every word.

But Eran didn't flinch. He inclined his head slightly, the smirk still curving faintly on his lips, then turned and walked down the aisle. Each step felt heavier under the weight of dozens of stares. His calm presence only made the whispers burn hotter.

And yet—one pair of eyes seared him deeper than all the rest.

Miyu.

She sat upright, her back regal, her chin lifted just so. Those dark, sharp eyes followed him with the intensity of a blade resting against his throat. No smile. No sneer. Just a silent, unrelenting stare, as if trying to peel his layers away and see what no one else could.

Eran met her gaze for half a second as he passed. His smirk widened, subtle, defiant.

And though Miyu's expression didn't shift, the faintest flicker in her eyes betrayed it, a ripple of something she didn't intend to show.

The chamber's noise drowned on, but for Eran, the moment was already carved. Selene's sigh. His smirk. Miyu's stare.

Selene raised a single hand, and the chamber silenced as if ice had spread through the air.

Her robe swayed with the faintest movement as she turned, emerald eyes sweeping across her students with a quiet dominance that none dared challenge. When she finally spoke, her voice was even, resonant, cold as crystal, yet carrying weight that pressed down on every chest.

"Today," she said, "you will move beyond this Grade D chamber. You've lingered long enough in safety. Progress requires pressure. Your training will be held in the Grade C Resonance Field."

A ripple of murmurs cut through the students, excitement and fear blending in equal measure.

"The flow of mana there is harsher. Denser. You will feel it crush your lungs, pound against your bones, flood your cores until you think they'll burst." Selene's gaze drifted across them, pausing deliberately on Eran for a fraction of a breath—long enough to make his smirk twitch. Then she moved on. "But if you endure, your capacity will grow."

A hush. The weight of her words sank in.

"You will work in pairs," she continued, tone sharp as steel. "Two by two. Each will be responsible for their partner's survival. If one fails, both are cast out."

Gasps. A noble in the back muttered, "That's cruel…" but hushed instantly when Selene's eyes swept his way.

"Cruel?" Selene's voice cut the air. "No. This is reality. Mana does not coddle the weak. It consumes them. Consider this your trial.. survive together, or collapse together. There will be no exceptions."

The chamber quieted again, a nervous tension settling into the bones of every student.

And still, through it all, Eran sat silent at his desk. The faint smirk lingered on his lips, hidden beneath lowered lashes. He already knew what this meant: an opening. A chance.

Selene's eyes flickered to him again, a barely-there pause before she dismissed the class. No one else noticed, but he caught it the smallest spark, their secret coil of last night pressing into today's lesson.

And across the chamber, Miyu leaned back in her seat, her sharp gaze narrowing on him.

Selene let the silence linger for a breath too long, until the nobles began shifting nervously in their seats. Then she turned, robe trailing like the tail of a serpent, and unrolled a scroll onto the desk.

Her voice, sharp and unwavering, cut through the hall.

"Pairings for the Grade C Resonance Field will be as follows."

The room stiffened.. names meant survival, alliances, humiliation, or glory.

Selene's eyes lowered to the parchment. "Renswald and Kael.

Dyras and Vennor.

Lyra and Haldric…"

Each name was met with shuffling feet, sighs of relief, or groans of frustration. Eran sat unmoved, hands folded, watching her lips shape every syllable like he was the only one she was speaking to.

Then it came.

"Miyu of House Velmeirion… and Eran."

The chamber broke.

Gasps, whispers, muffled laughs all rising at once.

"What?!"

"A commoner with her?"

"She'll crush him before the mana does!"

Miyu's crimson eyes widened in disbelief, pride flaring as she shot to her feet. Her long hair spilled over her shoulders like fire as she glared at Selene.

"Professor, surely this is a mistake. Pairing me " she gestured sharply toward Eran "—with someone who can barely form a spark?"

Eran didn't move. He only lifted his eyes, the faintest curl tugging at his lips. Not a smirk for her, but a smile to himself, deep and knowing.

Selene's gaze slid to Miyu, unblinking. The hall froze.

"Are you questioning my judgment, Miyu ?"

Her jaw tightened. A ripple of unease went through the nobles, few dared challenge the Ice Serpent openly.

Miyu swallowed, then lowered her chin just enough to concede. "…No, Professor."

Selene's eyes lingered, cold and final, before returning to the scroll. "Good. Then it is settled."

The whispers continued to hiss across the chamber, but no one dared raise their voice under Selene's shadow.

Eran leaned back slowly, enjoying the chaos. His thoughts curled dark and amused.

Now you're caught, Miyu. Pride won't save you from this.

Her glare snapped toward him across the room, cheeks flushed crimson not from shame but from insult. He met her stare without flinching, and for a heartbeat, the silence between them burned hotter than any words.

Then Selene's voice cut through again, reading the next names like nothing had happened. The weight of her presence pressed the chamber back into uneasy order.

When at last the final name was called, Selene dismissed them with a wave of her hand. "Wait outside the chamber doors. Training begins shortly." her robe swept the ground as she exited, the sound of her heels sharp against the stone. The whole room exhaled, the tension she carried leaving a vacuum behind.

But Miyu didn't leave with the rest.

Her crimson eyes burned holes into Eran's back as the nobles shuffled out. When the last group slipped through the door, she stepped forward, hips swaying with that sharp pride only a noble-born carried. Her boots clicked, her shadow stretching until it touched his.

"You." Her voice cut like glass. "Do you think this is funny? Sitting there, smirking as if pairing with me is some victory?"

Eran turned slowly, calm, lips curling in that faint, unreadable smirk. "Victory? No. Fate has its way of being… entertaining."

Her eyes narrowed, fists clenching at her sides. "Entertaining? To have a commoner drag down my training? To have you someone with no mana bound to me in front of the entire class? Don't mistake my silence for acceptance. I'll humiliate you the moment we step into that chamber."

Her words dripped venom, but the flush on her cheeks betrayed the sting of his composure.

Eran chuckled low, tilting his head, the sound cutting into her anger like a blade.

And then...

SYSTEM UPDATE!

[ Whisper of Suggestion — Activated. ]

His words slid out smooth, threaded with invisible hooks. "You can glare at me all you want, Miyu. You can tell yourself you'll break me in front of everyone. But…" His eyes locked onto hers, voice dropping to a dark whisper that licked against her pride. "Deep down, you're curious. About me. About why Selene chose me. About why you felt that spark against your crest when no commoner should've been able to."

Miyu's breath hitched before she caught herself, biting her lip hard. "Tch.. nonsense."

SYSTEM NOTICE!!

[ Target — Miyu ]

[ + 50 Charm points ]

[ Quest Progress: 40%...]

[ Pride resistance engaged ]

[Countermeasure applied ]

Eran stepped closer, his presence pressing into her space without touching. His smile sharpened. "You can call it nonsense… but your body already betrayed you once. Didn't it?"

Her cheeks burned scarlet, caught between outrage and a heat she couldn't name. "Y-you…" she stammered, teeth grinding, "Don't think a few words will rattle me. I'll crush you in that chamber, commoner."

But her voice cracked at the end, pride and blush warring on her face.

Eran only smirked, leaning back like he hadn't said anything at all. "Then I'll be waiting… partner."

The system purred again within his mind.

[ Suggestion seed implanted. ]

[ Countdown to First Breakthrough Initiated.]

Her glare lingered a second longer before she spun sharply, robe flaring, boots striking like thunder as she stormed toward the door.

But he saw it, the way her hands trembled faintly, the way her pace was a little too fast, and the way her pride was already cracking...