“What?!
What are you talking about?!” Finn shouted in surprise.
Argen knew full well she was being unreasonable.
But now that she’d finally reached a point where she could sit side by side with No Name at the same table for breakfast, calmly sharing each other’s painful pasts, she didn’t want to reverse this progress back to how things were before.
She enjoyed discovering the tenderness in No Name’s personality.
She could feel the walls of No Name’s once-fortified heart crumbling away with every passing moment.
Of course, expressing her one-sided interest and affection had never felt like a burden before.
But now, faced with the prospect of No Name looking at her again with that cold, hostile gaze from before, the overwhelming feeling of being unable to bear it surged up first.
She didn’t want to be in a position where she had to beg for lingering affection from someone whose heart had already left.
Imagining his well-like dark emotions and sharp aura directed at her gave her a headache and sent chills down her spine like being doused with cold water.
She knew covering up and avoiding the problem isn’t the right answer.
She also knew it will come out someday, but now wasn’t the time.
Not yet…
Rarely did resolve fill Argen’s eyes.
She was serious, without a trace of playfulness, but the three Elders gasped at her shocking statement.
“Lord Argen.
You cannot suddenly become a succubus with a single word.”
“Why not?
Come to think of it, I’ve often felt like I had a heart-shaped tail on my butt since I was a child.”
“Don’t lie!”
“While other demons were obsessed with magic studies, I wanted to hone the art of enchanting others.”
“You never lost the top spot in magic studies.
Don’t let that bastard brainwash you too, Lord Argen!”
Beads of sweat formed on Argen’s forehead.
Truthfully, she was more confused than anyone else by this unexpected predicament, having completely lost her composure.
“No matter what anyone says, I am a succubus.
This body is merely a shell imprisoning the soul and spirit of a succubus.”
“What on earth have you been reading now…….”
Nadol pressed one hand to his forehead while scribbling something frantically with the other.
[Check Argen’s Book Loan History]
His resolve to immediately designate any suspicious books as banned and burn them was palpable.
Meanwhile, Finn began pleading with Argen in a supplicating voice.
“I understand your feelings completely, Argen.
But what demon would look at you and think you’re a succubus?”
Suddenly, Argen lifted her blouse high enough to expose her white belly.
The Elders gasped in shock and rushed to her seat.
Finn hurriedly pulled down the hem of her blouse.
“What if you get a stomachache?!”
“I must get a tattoo.
It seems No Name saw my belly and grew suspicious.
Bring me someone skilled with needles.”
“Sigh… You can’t become a succubus just because you got a tattoo.”
She didn’t want to admit it, but the Elders were all right.
The one spouting foolish nonsense was Argen herself.
But her desperation ran that deep.
It wasn’t about hiding it forever.
Deceiving No Name was uncomfortable and difficult for Argen too.
She just wanted to keep it secret until No Name returned to the human realm.
Just until then.
“Let’s say, for the sake of argument that, that ignorant demon-ignorant No Name keeps believing Lord Argen is a succubus.
But we… we agreed to go to the Fireworks Festival, right?”
The whirlwind of thoughts in her head froze for an instant.
Argen’s eyes widened as if she’d seen a ghost, then blinked slowly.
“…Remove every statue of me.”
The heavy soles of his shoes echoed on the floor.
Valen leaned back on the sofa, staring intently at Argen.
Why is she acting like that?
His thickly arched eyebrows tilted askew.
Argen couldn’t stay still for a moment, pacing around the bedroom like a restless puppy.
And that wasn’t all.
Every time her gaze met Valen’s, she awkwardly busied himself with something else, desperately avoiding his attention.
It wasn’t that she was ignoring Valen.
If anything, she seemed more conscious of him than usual.
Seeing her so restless was a first, and while it was novel, it made him curious.
When Valen finally couldn’t hold back and rose, Argen flinched violently, dropping the pillow she held.
He paused, surprised by the intensity of her reaction, but moved before the frozen Argen could react.
Valen stretched out his long legs and strode purposefully toward her.
Standing directly before her feet, his long shadow fell across Argen’s face, replacing the golden lamplight.
Her tension was palpable.
The fine hairs on the back of her stiff neck stood on end.
Valen bent down and picked up the pillow.
“If you have something to say, say it.” He spoke low, his face expressionless.
Argen slowly shook her head.
“You seem a bit tired today.”
“And.”
“It’d be best to turn off the lights early.” Argen turned abruptly.
He watched her retreating figure walk awkwardly toward her destination.
Outsiders might think Argen was like a wax figure—indifferent, devoid of emotion—but to Valen, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Among all the people who had crossed Valen’s path, none had been as honest as Argen.
She revealed her feelings transparently, without meticulous calculation or mental gymnastics.
Whenever Valen casually offered a kind word, she genuinely delighted in it.
But what about now?
She seemed burdened by Valen’s attention.
No, it wasn’t just now.
Over the past few days, she had been strangely avoiding him, lost in other thoughts.
Unconcealed discontent was etched between his deeply furrowed brows.
He turned off the light before Argen did.
The moment the bedroom filled with darkness, he scooped her up.
He felt her small body squirm in his arms.
“H-hold on a moment…”
His heart twisted uglier still at the push of her hand.
Though feeble, it felt sharper than a sword piercing his skin.
Valen placed a pillow over her chest and laid her on the bed.
Even in the darkness, her eyes, trembling with panic, were crystal clear.
Valen pressed down on Argen’s body and kissed her without warning.
His hungry mouth invaded hers, where a startled moan flowed.
He licked and sucked every inch of her damp mouth, biting her lips until they hurt.
Throughout the fierce kiss, she clutched the pillow between them tightly.
“Huh, um… I… can’t… breathe, tongue.”
Every time Argen turned her head, Valen relentlessly followed, biting her lips.
Hard, as if demanding she not escape.
He swallowed even her gasping breaths whole.
Valen grabbed the pillow wedged between her breasts and flung it aside, then pinned her empty hands down beside her face.
Now, he was the only one she could cling to.
The relentless kisses continued endlessly.
The quiet darkness filled with the sound of wet flesh rubbing, Argen’s moans, and the sound of her small heels pushing the blanket away, seemingly unable to bear it.
When her moans were drenched in a damp aura, and only Valen remained in her mind crowded with thoughts, he released her lips.
A long strand of sticky saliva stretched between their lips.
Valen stared down at Argen without a trace of excitement.
His dark pupils were densely packed with meticulous obsession.
“Haah, haa, haa…”
Argen gasped, opening her mouth to struggle for the breath she lacked.
Her slender torso convulsed desperately, as if fighting to stay alive.
Valen knew Argen writhed in discomfort each time she took him.
Even as she was pushed to her limits by his fierce strength, he felt a base pleasure in her refusal to push him away.
Though he deserved a slap right then, Argen never treated him harshly.
Not even now.
He slid two fingers into her mouth.
Slowly rubbing them back and forth against her soft tongue, he said.
“It’s useless to regret it now.”
“……”
“You chose me.
Even if you grow tired of my body, endure it.
If you’ve shoved me into this place, take responsibility to the end.
I have no intention of becoming just one of your countless men.”