The Incubus Archduke Dreams of a Pet Human - Chapter 43

Peeking her head in, Theticia came looking for Asmod.

“Um, may I come in? Ah, someone is here.”

She had opened the door without waiting for an answer anyway, yet the way she still waited politely for permission was amusing. Rumpel flicked his gaze back and forth between Asmod, who let out a small snort of laughter without realizing it, and the human girl.

“To dare set foot in His Grace the Archduke’s room without permission being granted!”

When Rumpel shouted, Theticia shrank back sharply.

“I am sorry, I, I thought only Lord Asmod was here…….”

“If His Grace the Archduke were alone, all the more reason to observe proper decorum! Such insolence!”

“Enough.”

At Asmod’s gesture, Rumpel crumpled and was sucked into the bone urn. The lid of the urn rattled as if in anger, then soon fell silent.

“Come in.”

“Y-Yes.”

Theticia cautiously entered the office.

The way her eyes darted about made her look pitiful, like a drenched kitten. Standing before the desk, Theticia cast a sideways glance at the bone urn.

“Um, the person just now was.”

“That was Rumpel, the head attendant.”

“So he was the head attendant. Was I interrupting your conversation?”

“Do not worry about it. More importantly, what brings you here?”

“I wanted to explain properly and apologize in person. There is something else I wished to say as well.”

A good response. Seeing Theticia bow first put him at ease.

“Go on.”

Feigning a relaxed attitude, Asmod set his glass down. Theticia, who had been fidgeting, took a deep breath and opened her mouth.

“You seemed angry earlier at Moon-Viewing Hill. I stopped by a fabric shop to buy you a handkerchief, and I ended up meeting Lord Levia. That……. I do not know whether it is appropriate for a human to say something like this…….”

Theticia blinked her eyes anxiously. Each time, her thick eyelashes fluttered and swayed.

Asmod’s gaze stuck to her lips as they hesitated and trembled. Looking closely, she had changed out of her grass-stained riding clothes. Through the airy night dress, the curves of her body showed clearly.

“After coming to the Demon Realm, I feel like I became an ordinary person for the first time. I get to see many faces I have never seen before. I can attend a ball like anyone else. I even get escorted.”

As she spoke, Theticia’s cheeks colored demurely.

“I-I……. There were so many fascinating things that I was distracted and forgot to be grateful. Thank you for letting me live in the Demon Realm. For giving me the compendium and the things I wanted as well.”

At the meek words of thanks that finally fell, the corner of Asmod’s mouth curled up softly. He tapped his thigh lightly.

“……Come here.”

Startled, Theticia hurried around the desk and stopped in front of Asmod.

When he caught Theticia’s arm as she hesitated, her fingers wriggling, and sat her on his thigh, the fresh scent of grass she had not quite erased pleasantly tickled his nose.

“Going out today as well……. You took me to show me the Moon Trumpet blooming, timed with the full moon, did you not? Lord Levia told me.”

That gloomy fellow can be of help sometimes, after all.

Beneath the thin silk, her warm, small waist fit in one hand.

“Who told you to dress up so prettily and say things that please me?”

“Jess……. said that if I did this, Your anger would ease.”

He had not asked out of genuine curiosity. Seeing Theticia so tightly wound as she answered honestly, Asmod let out a low chuckle.

“H-However, I mean it. I truly am grateful……!”

Watching Theticia fuss and make excuses, the irritation that had been flaring unevenly soon faded away. With a faint sense of victory, Asmod, grown magnanimous, gently stroked her slender waist.

“So you were told to dress like this and say only pleasant things? There is nothing else?”

“Ah, um. You have not indulged your lust for several days. If I were the one to…… do it, I thought You might…… like it.”

Theticia’s voice dwindled, small as a field mouse hiding in a hole. As she avoided his gaze, her face reddening up to her forehead, Asmod stroked her back as if pressing her on. The silk, heavy with moisture, showed Theticia’s tension.

Thinking he had taken his anger out on something so small and weak for no reason, Asmod felt his heart soften.

“Do as you intended. I will decide whether to ease my anger after seeing how you do it.”

Theticia bit down hard on her parched lips.

‘It seems his anger has eased a little. I am glad I listened to Jess.’

It was somewhat awkward, this pretense, but it was effective. Seeing Asmod so relaxed, Theticia swallowed a sigh of relief as well.

‘There are still so many monsters I have not seen. I cannot leave the Demon Realm like this. I have only just begun to learn about mana.’

Even the Moon Trumpet she saw today had shaken Theticia’s heart entirely. If she could properly study the flora and fauna of the Demon Realm, she would surely find a clue to curing her illness.