The Incubus Archduke Dreams of a Pet Human - Chapter 65

“Speak if you wish for your soul to be extinguished. I can grant that wish even here, in this very spot. I would rather turn you into a doll than watch you serve another master.”

Her heart froze at his voice, which felt like a layer of biting frost.

The pleasant times they had shared until now felt like a dream. As if popping a soap bubble filled with happiness, her heart plummeted.

Theticia squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.

“Ah, no. ……I do not want to die!”

“And yet, why do you wander about causing such trouble? I cannot see how I could possibly allow you to step outside under these circumstances.”

Within her arms, Glacia looked back and forth between Theticia and Asmod while letting out small whimpers of distress.

“Archdukie. This time is my fault. Tishia is…….”

“I shall decide your punishment in due time. If you wish to remain among the living, vanish this instant.”

At those words, Glacia’s body gave a sharp, hiccupping jolt as she slipped out of Theticia’s embrace. Once she landed on the floor, she hurriedly began to roll her own body into her massive mouth.

As Glacia vanished in an instant, only Theticia and Asmod remained in the room.

“…….”

With Glacia, her only source of comfort, gone, Theticia’s fingers restlessly kneaded the hem of her indoor dress instead of soft, fluffy fur. It was a new garment Jess had provided after the previous one was reduced to rags, yet the fabric was already damp with cold sweat.

“Je……. Jess was sent away like that too, right? She has not disappeared, has she?”

“Haa.”

Asmod exhaled a sigh laden with weary frustration. Even at the moment he was threatening to extinguish her soul, she was worrying about another. Her attitude, so utterly oblivious to her own situation, caused his resolve to slacken.

“I have merely sent Jess out for a moment. This matter is not her fault.”

Theticia sank to the floor as the weight of the air suddenly lightened. Even Asmod’s answer, which showed his clear sense of justice, sounded to her like a confirmation that the responsibility lay solely with her.

What was the point of being cured of her illness? She had ended up disappointing the one person she could finally look at. The fact that the once gentle Asmod had spat such cruel words was surely due to her own failings.

— “You, who do not even know your place. How dare a traitor’s daughter pretend to be a real daughter.”

Theticia bit the inside of her cheek as Farsha’s scolding suddenly echoed in her mind.

‘I wonder what I should do. I must find a way to soothe Lord Asmod’s anger.’

Her mind went blank, and she could not think of a single solution. The words she had heard from Rumpel after the Coming-of-Age Ceremony also resurfaced to plague her heart.

— “How dare a mere pet human play a part in the Archduke’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony!”

It was purely due to Asmod’s generosity that he had indulged her misunderstanding regarding the ceremony preparations. He had treated her with a kindness far beyond what was appropriate for a demon, yet it seemed her excited self had overstepped her bounds without knowing her place.

‘I want to die of embarrassment!’

Droplets of tears, saturated with shame, gathered at the corners of her tightly shut eyes. Theticia let out a small sniffle and looked up at Asmod.

“I am sorry, Lord Asmod. I did not mean anything by it……. I simply did not know any better.”

Asmod, who had been scowling deeply, widened his eyes at the sight of Theticia apologizing in such a dejected voice.

‘……Is she crying? After what she did?’

It was not the first time he had seen her cry. Just the other day, he had watched her weep while she panted breathlessly in his arms.

‘She was acting charming last time, and now she uses tears as a weapon?’

Asmod’s chest, which had been seething with rage, faltered under the ripple caused by a single teardrop.

“I never intended to betray you, Lord Asmod. I truly…… meant it.”

Theticia murmured as she rubbed her eyes vigorously with her tiny hands. It was clear she was struggling to suppress her uncontrollable emotions.

Asmod, who had not flinched even against Levia’s onslaught of vines, gave a slight start and withdrew. He bit his back teeth, causing the muscles of his jaw to strain.

He had been furious the moment he realized Theticia was gone. His anger had only flared higher at the fact that she had not only touched an unknown object and been dragged away, but had also given a name to Glacia.

A human who had only recently arrived in the Demon Realm could not possibly know the importance of a name. Even though he was aware of this, he could not suppress the rage bubbling within him.

He had intended to scold her severely to ensure this never happened again and to make her remain vigilant…….

But the sight of the wound on the hand she used to wipe her tears bothered him to the point of being unbearable.

“……!”

Theticia flinched like a cornered mouse at the touch of Asmod’s hand descending upon her wrist.