Tamed Monster - Chapter 141

He let out a deep sigh, then muttered loudly enough for her to hear that she was a pretty female who simply never listened. Pretending not to hear, Sylvia asked whether he would keep his promise.

“Yeah.”

The reply came back brief and plain. Inside, she released a long breath of relief.

‘Good.’

She would think about the rest later. After she escaped, he destroyed the poison, conquered human lands, and eventually found her. If he then claimed she had broken the promise first and withdrew his own vow to spare certain regions, she would deal with that when the time came.

Right now, what mattered was her freedom.

Even if the war’s momentum shifted toward the monsters, it would still take years—decades, even—for them to utterly overwhelm humanity. During that time, she could live happily with her family. That was enough.

‘Is this really the right thing to do? …No. Don’t think too deeply.’

Suppressing the rising unease, she took his hand.

Even such a trivial touch made him react sharply. The massive monster—with his convincing human face—flinched and lowered his gaze, then looked at her with eyes far sharper than before.

“Keep your promise. If you break it, I’ll never forgive you.”

Though the demand came out abruptly, he swore—at least in words—to honor it. Monsters lied as easily as breathing, but she felt a strange certainty about him. He would not betray her in a way that would cost him her forgiveness.

He nodded vigorously.

“Yeah.”

Again, the curt reply lacked all ceremony, yet she smiled faintly, satisfied. Desire blazed thickly in his darkened eyes. Suddenly he gripped her hand tightly, turned on his heel, and strode straight toward a four-story building crowned with sharp spires.

“….”

She knew exactly what he intended to do once he dragged her to the bedroom, yet she followed without resistance.

For the first time in her life, she learned what it meant to engage in intimacy that both parties desired—not the one-sided, devouring coupling she had always endured.

From that day on, every night, the blue-eyed monster lost himself in decadent indulgence with the violet-eyed woman he had remade. Like a snake coiled in its cave, he showed no inclination to leave the bedroom.

* * *

Her lips moved slightly.

Lowered eyes. Lashes casting deep shadows. A straight nose. Pale crimson lips. His gaze traced them one by one, then he abruptly looked away with a sigh.

Just glancing at her made him unbearably restless.

The black-haired monster, who held her twenty times a night without ever growing tired of her, sat watching his wife eat while clutching his gnawing hunger.

It wasn’t food he wanted, so his hands never touched the fork or knife. Even with a perfectly seared, juice-dripping steak before him, the only thing that stirred his appetite was the pale-faced woman across the table.

He bowed his head and groaned softly, forcing himself to endure.

‘Ghh…’

She glanced at him, then looked away with a faint snort that bordered on mockery. Irritated, Kuinan stomped his foot against the floor in exaggerated protest.

The maids nearby stood stiff with tension. For all their moments of domestic harmony, the ducal couple was notorious for explosive quarrels that shook entire wings of the residence—and lately, even the duchess possessed alarming strength.

“Why are you smirking? That’s irritating.”

A creature that wasn’t human complaining about hurt feelings only deepened her smile.

When her expression blossomed as if she might burst into giggles, the Duke glared fiercely at first—then, before long, forgot his annoyance entirely as he stared, entranced by her smile.

His own face slackened, a foolish grin spreading across it. Still smiling, he spoke to the maids without even looking at them.

“Leave.”

Accustomed to such sudden orders, they departed immediately. Left alone with him, Sylvia watched their retreat with mild confusion before turning her anxious gaze to the ominous monster striding toward her.

She wondered whether he realized that a hall this open could not possibly be soundproof. Facing the towering creature—already visibly aroused—she wanted to ask.

But whether she spoke or not, he would do as he pleased. Trying to stop him would only make things worse. Experience had taught her that much. With quiet resignation, she set down her fork and knife.

She would have dropped them soon anyway.

“…”

“…When did I say I was going to devour you? Why do you look like you’re about to die?”