I was speechless at the sight of Lucifer continuously pointing to the space beside him.

I had suspected this from the moment he bluntly asked if I was prepared. But I didn’t expect it to happen so soon.

“Not before you take me to Solanie Village.”

At my refusal, the smile disappeared from Lucifer’s face.

“Was your promise to do anything a lie?”

His face, devoid of even cynicism, was somewhat frightening.

“You said you’d take me to the empire for a purification ritual.”

Watching his twitching eyebrow, I made my position clear. I couldn’t back down here.

“Would a knight entrusted with the Holy Empire’s holy war try to embrace a woman who might be tainted by darkness without purifying her first?”

“What?”

“Besides, I haven’t bathed, and my arms are still bound in shackles, so I really can’t serve you at night. I’d need at least my wrists free to do anything.”

This was the first time I had spoken so much since becoming Leitria in the duchy. But I had no idea what I was babbling about.

I had said I would do anything, but I wasn’t prepared yet. The fate of a female slave with a vigorous knight was predetermined, and I had somewhat prepared myself, but…

I still didn’t want it.

Especially being forcibly taken by this man who resembled Carden would only leave me with pain and regret.

“How amusing.”

With Lucifer’s sneer, my body was helplessly pulled onto the bed.

He lifted me with strong force and laid me down on the bed. Then he trapped me with both arms.

The shadow created by the flickering light in the tent completely covered me. The colorless eyes looking down at me remained cold and indifferent.

“Night service? When did I ask for night service?”

I tried to block the man who was slightly approaching me with both hands. Unfortunately, my hands touched the bare skin between his loosened front.

“You told me to lie beside you…”

“I meant sleep in the bed instead of on the cold floor. Why did you misunderstand? I was just thinking we could sleep back to back.”

My face burned hot at his explanation that it was a misunderstanding. I had jumped to conclusions.

“Ah, not a misunderstanding… perhaps you were expressing your true feelings?”

He spoke while glancing at my hands pushing against his bare chest. I hastily removed them.

“N-no, that’s not it. I know I’m a slave now so I thought I needed to provide that kind of service, but even so, not right away…”

“I don’t care about purification rituals and such things.”

His face slowly descended toward mine after finishing his words. He raised his hand to grab my chin.

The previously indifferent gray eyes gradually filled with an unidentifiable desire. So much that I couldn’t breathe…

“If you mean to become a slave who offers her body to me, I’ll gladly accept. Of course, such actions can be done without removing your shackles.”

Just when I was about to blurt out an excuse, his lips sealed mine. And something soft was sucked into my parted mouth.

Lucifer’s hot tongue roughly entwined with mine. Surprised by the strong suction, I tried to close my mouth. But Lucifer’s hand holding my chin prevented that attempt.

“Mmph!”

The more I tried to speak, the more his tongue entangled with mine, making it impossible to gather my thoughts.

The sensation was too strange. It felt like a snake crawling inside my mouth.

Frightened, I squeezed my eyes shut.

The more I did so, the deeper Lucifer invaded my mouth. Sweeping the roof, touching the tender flesh inside, then wrapping around my tongue again.

It was suffocating and unbearable. Should I bite his tongue? Would he give up then?

I put strength into my restrained jaw. Trying to bite down somehow.

“Ungh!”

But the strange sensation on my chest made me open my mouth wider.

Lucifer had slipped his hand into the top of my clothes. He grabbed my br*ast and kneaded it. When he gently rubbed the tip with his fingers then suddenly squeezed it, an uncharacteristically frivolous moan escaped my lips.

Then Lucifer pulled his lips away. Was it over? As I tried to catch my breath, I shuddered again at another unfamiliar sensation.

“P-please, s-stop.”

There was a sound of clothes tearing. Then my chest was exposed to the slightly cold air. The tips of my br*asts stood up from the cold.

Lucifer grabbed one br*ast in his hand and kneaded it again. Then he brought his lips to the other one.

“Unnngh!”

My waist arched at the feeling of him strongly sucking my br*ast. My toes curled at the sensation of his tongue licking my chest. My lower abdomen squirmed, and my lower region felt strangely itchy.

The moment he lightly bit it… I felt like all the blood in my body was boiling. I couldn’t breathe, my skin grew hot, my mind hazy.

Heat rose through my entire body, momentarily reminding me of the silver liquid. But unlike the silver liquid, it wasn’t painful at all. Even though I knew it was completely different, I was scared. Afraid that this boiling blood would lead to that pain consuming me again.

I tried to push him away with my bound arms. But there was no way I could push away the body of a sturdy knight.

“N-no… hic.”

Finally, tears burst forth. Lucifer’s movements stopped.

He pulled away from my body. Then he threw the blanket from the bed over me.

Lucifer got off the bed and turned his back.

“That’s why you shouldn’t try clumsy seduction. Unlike those filthy dark creatures, I’m not a man who treats you differently because you offer your body to me. I have no intention of embracing someone like you.”

“I never…”

“What? Do you want to pretend to be noble? Or… do you want to say His Majesty lied to me?”

What kind of misunderstanding did he have about me? He probably thought I was a filthy being who had offered my soul to the dark clan. That might actually be fortunate. At least he wouldn’t touch me.

After spitting venomous words at me, Lucifer strode toward the entrance, seemingly intending to leave the tent. Pausing his steps briefly, he made a sound barely audible to me.

“What first love for a slave.”

He left just like that.

I gathered my torn clothes while sobbing with sorrow. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t cover my exposed chest.

Seeing this, tears poured down. This treatment was normal for a slave…

“Hic, I’m really such a fool.”

I hated myself for being so weak. Of course, I was also scared about nearly being taken by him.

Was the only gain his declaration that he wouldn’t embrace me?

I curled up, hugging my knees to my chest and wrapping around them.

“Don’t cry, Lea. It’s okay.”

This life is better than the worst life of being a living sacrifice. Don’t cry.

I tried to comfort myself as much as possible, but the tears wouldn’t stop easily. Only after crying deep into the night did the tears finally subside.

And until I fell asleep curled up from crying exhaustion, Lucifer didn’t return to the tent.

* * *

[Leitria, my sacrifice.]

My eyes opened wide at the voice calling me. But nothing was visible.

Where am I?

[Do you dare to leave me?]

I turned my head toward the source of the voice. What I saw was rippling water.

I hated the vivid sensation of water all over my body. The water wasn’t smooth but sticky, trying to cling to my skin.

Now it became difficult to breathe as water pushed into my nose and mouth.

This feeling was all too familiar to me. The silver liquid, my whole body burned hot like I had drunk it. And I felt pain like someone was stabbing my body with thousands of needles.

[Leitria, how preciously I have trained you, yet you try to abandon me?]

Nonsense. You call that treating me preciously?

While bringing back the pain of the past 10 years to me even now! The pain hidden deep in my skin screamed for me to save it.

But perhaps because I had never begged to be saved before? My voice wouldn’t come out.

[You alone on this continent received my selection.]

I could only laugh bitterly at the words uttered by the invisible being.

I never wanted to be chosen by him. If that was the meaning of adoption, I would never have become the princess of Belial.

I put all my strength into my hands. And twisted my whole body to resist the cold water.

“No. I won’t walk to you on my own!”

Finally, my voice broke through. The surrounding water rippled, transmitting vibrations.

[Fine, Leitria. If you abandon me, I will also abandon this land.]

The anger of the enraged lake monster was fully conveyed through the water.

I was trapped in pouring silver liquid, suffocating. My whole body grew hot, like blood boiling. So hot that my thoughts stopped, leaving me dazed and blank.

As always, it stole my vitality, leaving emptiness. And that void was filled with stabbing pains. The pain made me helpless.

My former self would have resigned. But for the first time, I struggled. I wanted to live, to be happy, even if just for one year.

—Lea, are you having a nightmare? Oh… let me hold your hand.—

Carden’s warm voice came from somewhere. That voice gradually pushed away the darkness surrounding me.

—I told you. When you have a bad dream, come to me, I’ll help you sleep. I’m the one who will protect you.—

Was that what I heard when I was six? Childhood memories made me smile. And the smile that spread across my lips pushed away even the silver liquid that bound me.

The young boy who always told me it would be okay, that he would protect me, that I should only trust him, was always by my side. Always in my heart.

“Carden…”

I called his name aloud. Then warmth spread from my fingertips.

But that warmth soon tried to leave me.

“Don’t go… don’t go, Carden. I’m sorry. It’s all my fault!”

I opened my eyes wide and grabbed the departing warmth.

But what I caught wasn’t warmth. It was Lucifer’s cold sneer looking down at me coolly.

“Princess. I said that, yet you still haven’t come to your senses?”

“What do you mean?”

The thoroughly displeased Lucifer raised his hand. Something not his own came with it.

A chain and a slender arm.

“Didn’t I tell you not to try your clumsy seduction?”

He slightly shook his hand with his fingers spread. My hand was desperately entangled between his fingers, refusing to let go. Gripping his hand tightly, like I wouldn’t let it escape.