Chapter 7
“Do you know what this is, Adelina?”
Inside the small glass vial, barely two finger-joints tall, a red liquid sloshed. ‘What is that?’
“…Wine?”
As if expecting that answer, Seikan chuckled softly.
“Adelina, this is the blood of a succubus.”
“What?”
“You know what kind of monster a succubus is, don’t you?”
“Yes. But why would you have something so dangerous…?”
“Thanks to you memorizing books about monsters since you were a child and telling us about the effects of all sorts of monster blood, we’ve become quite knowledgeable on the subject.”
“….”
“For example, if you drink the blood of a Monster King, you become unable to suppress the urge to kill.”
My lips sealed shut as if glued. Seikan, with a deep gaze, continued, watching me.
“If you touch the blood of a Terrinel, poison spreads throughout your body, and you die. If you drink the blood of a Hulrat, your flesh turns to ash and crumbles.”
“….”
“And if you drink the blood of a succubus…”
Pop.
The cork stopper was pulled from the vial, and a clear sound, incongruous with such a fearsome substance, echoed through the room.
I swallowed hard. I was so tense that even the simple act of swallowing was difficult.
“Unless you engage in… intimacy… before the night is over, your mind will shatter.”
With a hint of amusement in his voice, Seikan lifted the vial to his lips.
“Hey!”
Ignoring my horrified scream, Seikan smoothly poured the ruby-red liquid into his mouth.
I rushed over and snatched the vial from Seikan’s hand. But the liquid was already gone, swallowed down. Seikan’s Adam’s apple bobbed once, prominently.
“Y-You! What have you done?! Are you crazy?!”
I pounded on his chest, demanding to know if he was sane, but Seikan didn’t flinch. My hand only ached from hitting his chest, solid as a wall.
“Hmm, I’m not crazy. Not yet. But I will be soon.”
‘If you doing something like this and laughing about it doesn’t make you crazy, then what does?!’
Seikan tilted his head slightly and smiled. Even in this situation, it was a truly relaxed and charming smile.
“I’ll go crazy if you don’t accept me. Probably.”
“…What?”
A chill ran down my spine. As I looked up, Seikan, with an alluring smile, casually shrugged off the shirt he was already wearing loosely.
“Although it’s said to be a night, based on various texts, it seems the… intimacy… needs to occur within roughly three hours.”
“…Th-…”
Kiss.
He lifted my hand and pressed a lingering kiss to it.
“Lina. My Adelina.”
“….”
“My light. The guiding star of my life.”
“S-Seikan.”
“I would never want to force you to do anything you don’t want to do. So…”
Having said that, Seikan released my hand without hesitation and walked over to the sofa, plopping down.
His bare torso was a captivating display of well-defined muscles.
“If you don’t want to accept me, then don’t. I’ll just go mad and die.”
The sudden dizziness I felt couldn’t be just my imagination.
‘Three hours.’
‘A luxurious room, a beautiful, half-nak*d man.’
His body, already beginning to flush, was undeniably enticing.
‘But…’
“S-Seikan. I-I… I’ve never… done this before… Maybe calling someone else would be…”
“I’m honored to be your first. Of course, only if you allow it. Oh, and for the record, I’m a v*rgin too.”
His voice, now laced with a ragged breath, cut off my suggestion to call someone else.
His firm words carried the implication that he would rather die than be with anyone else. Without realizing it, I clutched at my hair.
‘Oh, damn it! Why me?!’
‘What am I supposed to do, d*mmit?!’
“I said I wouldn’t force you. You don’t have to look like you’re about to die.”
“Are you kidding me?!”
My outburst echoed through the drawing-room.
‘You won’t force me? Are you kidding me?’
‘Not only did you cast a barrier that no one else can penetrate, but you also deliberately drank a potion that will drive you mad unless we… and now you’re telling me you’ll go crazy if I don’t comply! Is that something someone who doesn’t want to force me would do?!’
Steam practically poured from my ears, but Seikan just smiled and patted the space beside him.
“Want to calm down and sit?”
“How can I possibly calm down?!”
“Hmm… You can’t.”
“You know that, and yet…!”
“But if I were you, since I can’t leave anyway, I’d at least hear me out.” He said, giving me a crooked smile.
“…”
His soul-snatching smile sealed my lips.
‘What is this guy so relaxed about after drinking a potion that’s about to drive him insane? Why?’
‘Why me?’
Pushing aside the countless question marks swarming above my head, I reluctantly sat down. Of course, not next to him where he’d gestured, but opposite him.
As I sat, cautiously guarding myself, Seikan chuckled and nodded, as if he’d expected me not to sit beside him.
“You have a lot of questions for me, don’t you?”
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