Evelyn saw that Ryan didn't respond and didn't press further, yet the doubt in her eyes did not fade.

  Had he truly lost his mind from trauma?

  After hesitating for a moment, Evelyn slowly raised her pale, delicate hand and reached for Ryan's jaw, intending to straighten his turned face.

  The instant her fingertips touched his warm cheek, she felt its delicate texture, and her movement involuntarily paused.

  In that moment, countless images flashed through her mind, and her cheeks reddened slightly without her control.

  Just as she finally managed to set Ryan's face properly, his body seemed to act on its own. He suddenly stretched out his arms and precisely wrapped them around her leaning waist.

  Then, with a firm pull, Evelyn, caught completely off guard by such an action from the supposedly dazed Ryan, was forcefully brought toward the bed.

  Her head was instantly buried in Ryan's embrace, and he followed through by lifting his legs and positioning them firmly against her back, forming a secure hold.

  Evelyn felt a sinking sensation in her chest. Unsurprisingly, she had once again been locked by this guy in the same way.

  Once in the South Territory, once in the Central Continent, and now, in the Northern Border Icefield, this was the third time!

  Being pinned to Ryan, Evelyn did not hesitate to release the full power of her Ninth-tier Journeyman Mage magic, trying to break free.

  But Ryan was now a Senior Mage, a full rank above her in magical level.

  Though the actual combat difference might be only a small rank, the suppression was real. On top of that, Ryan's chaotic berserker body was inherently strong in both strength and defense, how could she possibly escape easily?

  Not to mention, being held this tightly, there was no opening to summon her ultimate ice sword.

  As for using the Frozen Crown Staff, the thought that came to her mind again was clear: his life was not worth her risking serious injury.

  Locked tightly against Ryan, she tried every common escape technique, but all in vain.

  After struggling for a while, Evelyn gave up. Perhaps from too many repetitions, she had gradually grown accustomed to this posture.

  Yet this time, there lingered an inexplicable discomfort in her heart.

  Being held in the arms of someone who had deceived her all along, hiding countless secrets, anyone would feel uneasy.

  "Lost your mind and yet still this restless?" Evelyn frowned, her voice tinged with hesitation."Or were you lying to me from the very beginning?"

  Pressing against Ryan's chest, she could clearly feel his steady heartbeat but made no further attempt to struggle.

  She knew all too well that any resistance would be futile and would only tire herself.

  Inside the room, aside from Evelyn's muttering, there was only the sound of their breathing and the faint roar of wind and snow outside the window.

  Doubt surged in Evelyn's heart once again. Since meeting Ryan, she had become increasingly suspicious, and even the smallest movement of his made her feel as if he were putting on a facade.

  Though she had probed his mind twice and only seen fragments of disjointed images, something always felt off, yet she could never find a flaw.

  Was this an instinctive habit of his body?

  Or did he behave this way with anyone who got close?

  Evelyn stared at the nape of Ryan's neck, her mind filled with questions.

  But when Evelyn reconsidered, she realized that when Ryan was in the village, he had never behaved so forwardly. What could be the reason this time?

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  Had he truly lost his mind and his soul, or had he been pretending all along?

  As Evelyn pondered, Ryan, whose face was pressed against the side of hers, had his eyes twitch rapidly for a moment before quickly returning to calm.

  I just took a nap. Why is Evelyn in my arms again?

  Ryan exclaimed in his mind. The faint scent lingering around Evelyn's neck and the warm touch of their skin against each other made his blood race uncontrollably.

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  【Host, don't panic! You often did this when in a lost-soul state before. Just lock her in place and never let go. If you release, she will most likely split you in half on the spot!】

  Grimoire's voice sounded just in time in his mind.

  Ryan thought for a moment and suddenly understood. So those previous mysterious moments when Evelyn appeared in his arms were just instinctive actions he didn't realize?

  Ryan said,"When I held her before, were my movements big, or was the range large?"

  【Generally large.】

  Hearing"generally large," a mischievous smile appeared in Ryan's mind.

  He carefully felt Evelyn lying on him, eyes closed, already circulating magic and practicing, and with a slight force in his arms, he suddenly flipped her over.

  The posture, previously pressed face-to-face, instantly became a side embrace.

  Startled by the sudden movement, Evelyn's eyes flew open. By the time she realized what had happened, she was still tightly held by Ryan, but at least she was no longer pressed on top of him, and the discomfort in her heart eased slightly.

  Now, Evelyn leaned against the inner side of the bed while Ryan lay on the outer side, their bodies tightly pressed together.

  More precisely, Evelyn's body was firmly locked in Ryan's arms, unable to move even slightly.

  Their faces were very close, each able to clearly sense the other's breathing. The warm air brushing against their skin carried an indescribable hint of intimacy.

  Evelyn rested her right cheek on the plush pillow and side-eyed Ryan for a long while, only to see that his eyes remained tightly shut, his expression blank, as if the previous flip had been nothing more than an instinctive action.

  But to confirm her own judgment, Evelyn once again sent her consciousness into Ryan's mental sea, hoping to verify the doubts in her mind.

  She only briefly scanned the shattered mental sea filled with countless tiny sparks of magic before immediately retracting her consciousness.

  It was as if she feared staying too long might further damage his already fragile soul.

  Ryan looked at the panel in his mind showing the deduction of one thousand Origin Value and thought: This consumption isn't much. I'll have Evelyn make it up later, maybe by giving me more magical resources.

  At this moment, Evelyn still found no flaw after her probing.

  She thought to herself that perhaps this really was his instinctive consciousness acting, since he had made similar flipping movements before.

  Seeing no abnormality, Evelyn could only helplessly close her eyes and refocus on circulating her magic.

  Actually, Ryan had just wanted to flip her over and pin her beneath him, but he reconsidered. Such a large movement would probably arouse strong suspicion in her, so he restrained himself for the time being.

  For the rest of the time, except for that one flip, the room fell into silence again. How long this quiet lasted, no one could tell.

  As expected, he had to proceed gradually, Ryan thought with a sly inner smile, his chuckle only echoing silently in his mind.

  But he dared not make any large movements. Grimoire had long warned him never to do anything outrageous like ripping her clothes.

  Based on Ryan's understanding of Evelyn, if he dared to behave so forwardly while she was fully conscious, he could guarantee he would never see the sun rise again.

  Most likely, she would freeze him into an ice sculpture on the spot with her magic.

  So Ryan could only slowly, gently, and silently press his face closer to Evelyn.

  At this moment, Evelyn was completely focused on circulating the Codex of the Primeval Frost, guiding the magic through her meridians, oblivious to the subtle movement beside her.

  Suddenly, a warm sensation brushed across the center of her brow and the tip of her nose, followed by a gentle breath of heat slowly drifting across her cheek.

  This light, warm air seemed infused with magic, making Evelyn shiver slightly as if struck by electricity. Even the circulation of magic in the Codex of the Primeval Frost momentarily froze.

  Evelyn quickly pursed her lips and instinctively tensed her cheeks, as if bracing for something to touch her lips at any moment.

  Coming back to her senses, she immediately regulated the chaotic magic in her body, focusing her mind to reorient the circulation of the Codex of the Primeval Frost.

  She had no time to pay attention to the strange, burning sensation on her face.

  Such a strong reaction? Ryan was stunned. He had only lightly pressed against her, yet Evelyn's response was so intense.

  Should he pull away now? The thought barely arose before he crushed it. Retreating now would be no different from admitting he had been faking his lost-soul act.

  A man must be firm, and besides, Evelyn hadn't resisted, had she? Ryan cheered himself on internally.

  Meanwhile, Evelyn struggled in her heart: Should I try resisting again?

  Sure enough, she didn't really mind. Ryan took her brief pause as consent, secretly delighted.

  And so, Ryan comfortably pressed against Evelyn and slept that night. This was the closest, longest he had ever been physically near Evelyn since crossing nine lifetimes.

  He knew very well that such close skin-to-skin contact was the best way to build intimacy, and her lack of resistance was enough to prove that she did not dislike him.

  Ryan grasped this fact, which gave him the courage to press close so boldly.

  What he did not know was that Evelyn had already tried to resist before he woke up, but all her struggles were in vain; she could not break free from his chaotic berserker body restraint.

  In the middle of the night, Ryan often felt a cold gaze on his face. Without looking, he knew it was Evelyn, yet he pretended to be unaware, not even twitching his eyelids, he certainly didn't dare meet her eyes.

  Ryan instinctively inhaled, his nose filled with her unique scent, and he felt increasingly certain that he had won this round of the gamble.