‘Demon bastard.’

She believed so.

After using magic to sort out the woman, Tanner quickly left the room.

In other words, only Charlie, sprawled on the floor, and Hector, calmly looking down at her, remained in the room.

‘I should have just collided and died.’

Even without looking, Charlie could clearly feel Hector’s gaze treating her like a curious animal.

This was not a guess.

Hector definitely looked at her and let out a mocking ‘hmph.’

‘…Damn it.’

Charlie was overwhelmed with indescribable shame and self-loathing.

The old saying about wanting to die with your nose in a plate or hide in a rat hole was no exaggeration.

She wanted to do exactly that right now.

‘No, life is precious. I can’t die over something like this.’

Yes, to live.

She was in her second life, after all. What mattered was survival, not shame.

Resolving herself, Charlie sprang up.

“…?”

She felt Hector’s gaze on her, but she didn’t turn around.

She just walked straight ahead, focusing on the light seeping through the crack in the door as if it was her salvation.

“Wait.”

Ah, this is seriously bad.

Charlie’s body froze on the spot.

It wasn’t that she stopped voluntarily. Bound by darkness, she couldn’t move a finger as if she was paralyzed.

Using his ability in such a trivial situation.

No, wasn’t this supposed to be top secret?

Just as she was thinking that, a powerful scent overwhelmed her.

“…!”

It was Hector releasing his pheromones.

‘Demon bastard, you didn’t teach me how to defend against pheromones!’

Instead of air, the intoxicating and dense scent filled Charlie’s lungs, making her dizzy.

Following that, a seductive and sensual scent surged in.

Charlie breathed heavily through her mouth, as if she were underwater, feeling suffocated.

“Haa… Haa…”

But instead of oxygen, only a thicker scent filled her mouth, drying it out.

Soon, Charlie realized that she was releasing pheromones.

The feeling she had at the training ground of something draining away was unmistakable.

It felt as if every bit of pheromone in her body was being gathered and expelled.

Unlike Leon, Hector’s pheromones vibrated through Charlie’s entire body.

It wasn’t just a pleasant feeling from smelling a perfume.

Could you believe that a scent could be so sexy it made your heart race?

It was overwhelmingly dominant.

Moreover, there was a reason Tanner had mentioned her groin throbbing and such nonsense.

Just inhaling the scent made all her nerves stand on end and become hypersensitive.

Hector’s scent flowed through her senses, invading and occupying her mind.

This was on a different level from mere physical excitement or reactions.

It was as if it seduced and tormented her with sensuality, making her crave the ensuing pleasure.

It was then she understood why the woman who had been dragged out had fainted.

She, too, felt a burning thirst as if she were in a desert.

If just feeling the pheromones was this good, how amazing would a kiss be?

If they actually had s*x…

‘No, get a grip!’

Charlie focused all her mental energy on not wanting Hector.

She had to erase the image of Hector and all the fantasies from her mind.

Otherwise, she might go mad like the woman earlier.

‘Find your calm. Calm…!’

Then, a sudden thought flashed through Charlie’s mind.

If she had to get intoxicated, wouldn’t it be better with national pride than Hector? Moreover, this was a powerful K-spell stronger than any magic.

‘Until the East Sea’s waters and Baekdu Mountain wear away…’¹the first lyrics of Korea’s national anthem

Soon, a chilling sound like a beast’s roar came from behind her.

“Hm.”

Hector took a deep breath, paused for a moment, then exhaled slowly.

Charlie felt as if she were being devoured by his blood-red eyes. Her eyelids fluttered weakly, like prey before a predator.

How much time passed like that?

Hector’s lips curled slightly. His tongue licked his lips as if savoring the taste.

Then, his low, deep voice dragged Charlie’s heart into an abyss.

“Sweet.”

Damn it… You said pheromones were disgusting.

* * *

“I believed you…”

In Charlie’s room in the annex.

Her eyes, full of betrayal, glared at Tanner.

Tanner sat awkwardly beside the bed, while Charlie iced her swollen cheek where the woman had hit her.

“I was trying to help…”

More shocking than being slapped and having her hair pulled, more than anything she had experienced since falling into this world, was Hector calling her sweet.

Of course, Hector had left the room after dropping that disastrous comment, brushing past her without a second glance.

But this wasn’t something she could just let go.

“You abandoned me…”

“…”

Tanner couldn’t understand why he, a Master, was being scrutinized by a Zero.

But he felt guilty, so he kept quiet.

He couldn’t deny that he fled.

The woman had broken the contract and attempted to perform f*llatio on Hector. Thus, Hector had gone berserk.

Tanner hadn’t expected Charlie to be able to stop the woman. He just wanted to buy some time to calm Hector down and handle the situation.

But he hadn’t anticipated things would turn out this way.

Still, in the end, hadn’t Hector’s rampage been quickly curtailed?

“A thousand.”

Tanner tilted his head at the sudden remark.

“A thousand what?”

“I almost lost my head, so you should give me a thousand trangs. Honestly, considering this, I’m being very generous.”

“…”

Charlie spoke in a tone suggesting she was doing him a favor. Her turned head clearly showed she was very angry.

If she were to clearly lay out who were at fault, she was also to blame for losing her temper.

But was this a common situation? Saying her pheromones were sweet.

If not for the magical contract, she would have demanded substantial compensation for emotional damage and run off in the night.

“When you hit someone, you have to pay compensation.”

“I didn’t hit you, did I?”

“You abandoned me. If you think about it, you’re the one who caused this.”

Charlie continued, raising her nose in the air.

“And this happened during working hours, due to work-related reasons, so it’s a work-related accident.”

Tanner bit his lip to suppress the laughter trying to escape.

Did she realize what she was saying?

[Interesting.]

It was only a moment, but Hector was definitely smiling. As if he were enjoying himself.

Tanner had served Hector since he was born.

Even he could count on one hand the number of times he had seen Hector smile.

Hector never found joy in anything, nor did he show any interest. It was as if he had no emotions other than anger.

Yet, the word ‘interesting’ came from his lord’s mouth.

And it was directed at a person.

Tanner looked quietly at Charlie.

Honestly, he hadn’t brought Charlie here expecting this situation.

He felt a surge of anxiety, unsure of what would happen next.

But one thing was certain: this was the best course of action.

“Let’s do that.”

Charlie looked at Tanner in surprise at the easy agreement.

Damn, if I had known it would be this easy, I would have asked for more.

Charlie clicked her tongue inwardly and rubbed her sore cheek.

“And there’s something I have to say.”

“What, what is it?”

A chill ran down her spine. No way, I just high-fived the King of the Underworld, have some mercy.

Charlie shook her head slightly, as if to say this wasn’t right.

But he still said it.

“Congratulations on becoming His Grace’s attendant maid.”

What did you just say?

Tanner gave Charlie a familiar smile.

“This was also specified in the contract. Didn’t you see it?”

You bastard,

You’ll always be a demon.

* * *

The next day. A corner of the central garden.

“Pluck. Pluck. Pluck…”

Charlie, squatting, was picking leaves off a branch.

Originally, it was supposed to be flower petals for fortune-telling.

But perhaps because it resembled its owner, this grand duke’s mansion was full of weeds and not a single flower.

“Pluck. Pluck. Pluck…”

“Ahem.”

Leon approached Charlie, making his presence known. But the leaves falling to the ground didn’t stop.

“Haa…”

“…”

The sigh she let out was deep enough to sink the earth. Her surroundings were gloomy, as if she was under a rain cloud.

Leon’s eyes narrowed at the bleak pheromones wafting from her.

He tried to diffuse it with his own pheromones, but the dampness wouldn’t go away.

Finally, Leon squatted next to Charlie and asked.

“Miss Charlie, what are you doing?”

“Fortune-telling where I’ll be cut first.”

Cut?

Leon looked into Charlie’s face. Her unfocused eyes stared endlessly at the fresh leaves.

“Where does His Grace usually like to cut first?”

Leon’s lips curved into a smile.

“Does he start with the head? Or does he start with the arm?”

In this damned hierarchical society, who would blink an eye if a Zero died?

No, leaving that aside, what is this character breakdown?

Where did the pheromone rejecter who said it smelled like rotting corpses go, calling it sweet now?

What kind of Hector was the madman who said he hated women to the bone?

“Hmm… Usually, he starts with the fingers.”

The branch Charlie was holding fell to the ground at Leon’s sincere answer.

I believed you too, but even you…

“Still, don’t worry too much, Miss Charlie. If you talk well, he might start with your neck.”

“…”

“And since you’re so small and cute, you’ll die quickly and suffer less.”

This bastard or that bastard. There’s no sane person here.

* * *