The Incubus Archduke Dreams of a Pet Human - Chapter 5

“I… I don’t quite understand… what you’re saying…?”

“You’re definitely human… but your mana is far too strong.”

A cold sensation seeped in from the hand gripping her throat. Theticia shuddered as a chill spread through her entire body.

“Mana? But I’m not even a mage!”

Each time Theticia asked a dazed question, the man slackened his grip with a deflated expression.

“Ugh…!”

With a strangled cry, Theticia fell back into the bathwater. Above her, the man’s cryptic question poured down.

“You’re neither mage nor demon. So, how can a human like you see my face? And from the way you talk back so precisely, you seem perfectly sane.”

There was a flicker of confusion behind his voice, laced with a dry, incredulous laugh.

“A-anyway, I sincerely apologize for the rudeness! I’m really sorry for touching you without permission!”

Rubbing her sore neck, Theticia glanced at the man’s face again. She couldn’t tell if her chronic illness had suddenly been cured or if it was just his face she could see so clearly.

“But… um… could I… would it be alright if I touched you just once more?”

“…What?”

If she could touch him once more and compare it with what she saw, she could be sure. Even with her life hanging by a thread, she couldn’t hold back her damned curiosity.

At her audacious request, the man’s eyes narrowed lazily.

‘…What a ridiculous little human.’

Yet he didn’t feel displeased. If anything, he was rather pleased.

This little human who had barged into his bath possessed a level of mana on par with his own, one of the three strongest in the Demon Realm. The reason a human, neither mage nor demon, could see his face must have been due to that immense mana.

‘If I can harvest this human’s lust… I won’t have to go through such troublesome rituals to gather mana.’

More than anything, the hand that had touched him had not been unpleasant.

He had never entangled himself with filthy humans before, but the method of drawing out mana was etched into his very blood. Fortunately, his body was already reacting to that innocent-looking face.

Her silver-threaded hair resembled a spider’s web glittering with morning dew, and beneath that delicate curtain, her clear face caught in a dazed expression was surprisingly pretty.

What pleased him most were the soft pale blue eyes, sparkling steadily, even after seeing him.

The man spoke at a leisurely pace.

“Very well. I’ll let you touch me, as you wish. But you’ll have to pay a price.”

His low voice, now stripped of anger, brushed against her ears like a violin bow soaked in resin, smooth and taut. The smile on his face sent chills down her spine.

“Wh-what kind of price? I don’t have anything right now…”

If only she had any money, she would have offered it, but all her belongings had fallen into the forest when she crash-landed. As Theticia asked in confusion, the man suddenly rose to his feet.

His body was so stunning it could have been cast into a sculpture. Even at a glance, his large frame, from the broad shoulders down, was clearly defined without a single part lacking muscle.

The man introduced himself in a gentle voice.

“I am Archduke Asmod.”

…She had never heard that name before.

Theticia’s face turned white as paper. She had not only trespassed into the bath of a man who was apparently an Archduke, but also touched him.

‘What if he demands I pay for my rudeness with my life? Was that what he meant by letting me touch him before he kills me?’

Contrary to Theticia’s fears, the price that arrogantly fell from the man’s lips was something entirely unexpected.

“The only price I will accept is your lust.”

At his words, Theticia’s soft blue eyes widened. She recoiled, stammering in disbelief.

“Y-you mean… to sleep with you? I only meant to touch your face once, not… not go that far…”

Though she had just come of age, Theticia wasn’t so naive that she didn’t understand the meaning of such words.

“You have two choices. Sleep with me or die here.”

To the bewildered Theticia, Asmod laid out her options with stark clarity.

‘…So it really does come down to dying.’

Theticia squeezed her eyes shut. The euphoria of seemingly being cured of her awful illness hadn’t even worn off yet. She had expected harsh punishment for touching an Archduke, but this felt like being driven to the edge of a cliff.

Asmod didn’t wait for her answer. He slowly approached Theticia.

“Is your chastity worth more than your life?”

Theticia swallowed dryly.

Chastity didn’t matter. In fact, the first thing she had planned to do upon reaching Kraven was to sleep with a man.

Kraven was a place that gathered not only rare plants and creatures but also people. If she let her guard down, she could be dragged back to the Viscount’s Estate at any time.

Even if that happened, she had already thought of a way to prevent an unwanted marriage.

To sleep with another man, that was the plan.

Farsha wasn’t bold enough to offer a stepdaughter who had lost her chastity to the Imperial Family.

But now that the opportunity was right in front of her, she couldn’t bring herself to decide.