Barmas, who had promised to acknowledge the hard work of his familiar, hesitated briefly before asking Romei:

“By the way… are you okay with this?”

“With what?”

“Thanks to you I’ve overcome a major crisis, but I haven’t stopped being a devil, and the fact remains that I need to consume life energy regularly.”

“…”

“You probably already know this, but there’s a limit to the life energy my familiars can bring. And I have no desire to consume life energy from humans other than you. So…”

From his continuing words, Romei understood what Barmas was hesitating about and what he wanted to ask.

Through the efforts of the familiars and Romei, Barmas had regained his health, and his chronic life energy deficiency had been resolved.

However, this didn’t mean the fundamental problem had been solved.

He was still a devil, a being who fed on life energy and souls. His statement that he had no interest in consuming others’ life energy meant that Romei would need to supply the life energy he required.

And life energy could be obtained through s*xual intercourse.

Though he broached the subject quite carefully, the summary was simple.

“…You’re asking if it’s okay to share bodies with me every day, right?”

Barmas looked at Romei with disbelief at her direct statement that hit his eardrum squarely.

“How can you say it so bluntly? What about all my effort trying to phrase it nicely?”

“But… you used to say such things without hesitation before. You said much worse things than what I just said.”

“Sigh…”

Whenever Romei brought up the past, Barmas found himself speechless, even if he had ten mouths to speak with.

All he could do was close his mouth with nothing to say, furrowing his brow with a face deeply shadowed by embarrassment, reflecting once again on his past actions.

While Barmas was having this moment of self-reflection, Romei smiled and comforted him.

“It’s okay. I wasn’t trying to blame you. I just found it curious that someone who used to speak so crudely suddenly became careful with his words. It makes me realize anew how much you’ve changed.”

“…”

“Besides, you used to enjoy tormenting me with all sorts of lewd methods before. Now that you can do it again, aren’t you happy?”

Barmas’s s*xual preferences were, just as Romei said, sadistic and rough.

This was evident from the various instruments he had purchased to torment Romei in lewd ways, and it was true that he had become excited and enjoyed himself whenever Romei cried from pleasure.

However, at present, Barmas didn’t want to embrace Romei that way, at least. It wasn’t that he lacked such desires, but rather that he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“You don’t want it.”

The things Romei didn’t want.

“I know that embracing you like before won’t bring you pleasure or enjoyment.”

“…”

“I don’t want to do that anymore. Romei, I don’t want to embrace you while violating you in such ways.”

Romei, who had been quietly gazing into his serious red eyes, seemed to realize something and asked carefully:

“Is that why you endured until the end, refusing to ask me for life energy even if it meant deceiving me?”

“…Yes.”

Barmas hesitated momentarily before answering honestly. There was no point in hiding anything further when everything had already been exposed.

“That’s part of it, and also because you’ve only just started living like a normal person. How could I ask someone like that to give me life energy?”

“…”

“Moreover, I almost lost you because of those actions, and I didn’t want to make the same mistake again. I’d rather die than risk that.”

“…”

“So I tried to endure until you opened your heart to me, but it ended up like this.”

Barmas said with a self-deprecating smile.

It was unclear whether he was mocking his own inadequacy for being unable to keep his secret until the end, or if he found it ironic that in trying to protect Romei, he had instead ended up owing her his life.

However, Romei didn’t care what his smile meant. What mattered was the sincerity Barmas had shown her and the feelings she harbored for him.

That alone was important to Romei.

“…As I said earlier.”

Romei began. Barmas’s gaze naturally turned toward her.

She blinked her clear, refreshing blue eyes slowly—eyes that purely reflected her emotions—and continued speaking.

“I enjoyed being with you yesterday. So I don’t mind doing it every day.”

“…”

“Of course, I don’t like being taken until I pass out or being insulted like before, but yesterday there was a slight misunderstanding. I trust you’ll control yourself better.”

“…Are you serious?”

Barmas asked, unable to believe what Romei was saying.

For yesterday, making a huge concession, one could attribute her undressing and sharing life energy once to some change of heart to save his life.

However, the statement that she would continue to share life energy with him daily from now on seemed unbelievable no matter how he thought about it.

“Didn’t you hate giving me life energy? You must have found it horrible…”

“I told you. I made up my mind.”

Romei smiled gently, seemingly trying to reassure the confused Barmas. It was a soft smile that tickled the bottom of his heart just by looking at it.

Then she added:

“Perhaps I’ve been unknowingly infected with your wicked tastes. Maybe I’ve become corrupted, just like you intended when you brought me here.”

At those words, Barmas peered into Romei’s soul, but she hadn’t been corrupted at all—she remained pure like her eyes, radiating a beautiful light.

“However, even if we do it every day, my stamina isn’t what it used to be, so I can’t do it too much. I think once a day is possible. We’ll have to gradually increase the frequency.”

“Ah…”

“Are you disappointed? Because you can’t torment me like before?”

Romei asked, taking his hand.

Barmas, seemingly unable to adjust to this change in Romei, stared blankly at her face before coming to his senses and answering:

“How could I be disappointed? I just… can’t believe it.”

“…”

“I was certain you’d hate being embraced by me. It would be natural for you to dislike it after I behaved so despicably. So, so…”

“You’re surprised.”

Romei completed the sentence he was about to say, and Barmas nodded and squeezed her hand in return.

“Yes. I’m so surprised that this doesn’t feel real.”

In Barmas’s voice, an indistinguishable emotion flowed—whether it was relief, joy, or bewilderment, it was hard to tell.

But the gaze with which he looked at her was warm, and Romei, thinking that her choice had indeed been correct, carefully opened the conversation. It was time to discuss what she had postponed earlier.

“Barmas.”

“…Hmm?”

“Do you remember what you said to me when I woke up that night?”

Romei didn’t specify exactly when that night was, which night she was talking about, or which conversation she meant, but Barmas instinctively knew.

It was the night when Romei, who had been lying in bed sleeping for months, suddenly woke up, and he had begged for her forgiveness.

And that night, Barmas had confessed his love. A love that the person he loved didn’t believe.

“…I remember.”

Barmas answered in a strained voice, feeling the emotions he had felt then rising numbly along with the painful memories he had buried.

Then Romei asked:

“Is what you said then still valid?”

Though he couldn’t tell what answer she wanted from him or why she was asking this question, Barmas answered truthfully.

“…Yes.”

“…”

“I love you, Romei.”

At Barmas’s confession, Romei took a deep breath. It was to calm her racing heart and excited emotions upon receiving a confession for the second time in her life.

Romei breathed slowly and blinked languidly. Sweat was flowing on the hand that was holding Barmas’s.

But instead of letting go of his hand, she gripped it more firmly. Like someone making a very important decision.

And through that hand, Barmas sensed what Romei was about to tell him, why she had asked the earlier question.

She was now going to tell him why she had decided to save his life.

In the quiet silence, the tense atmosphere continued. Every small breath, every tiny movement flowing through their fingertips, every scent brushing their noses—all felt incredibly slow, vivid, and distinct.

And finally, Romei spoke.

“You’ve always been a concern for me. While I felt that what you did to me was cowardly, base, and humiliating, I never actually thought about how I felt about you.”

“…”

“At first, I didn’t believe you when you said you loved me, but the moment I thought it might be sincere, I felt I needed to make up my mind. I didn’t want to treat someone’s sincerity carelessly, even if that person was a devil as wicked as they come. But in the end, I couldn’t decide.”

“…I see.”

Barmas nodded in agreement, but he was anxious because he couldn’t grasp what answer Romei would give him. His mouth went dry, and he unconsciously swallowed.

Meanwhile, Romei continued:

“To be honest, even now I’m still not sure what love is, whether I love you, or if I don’t love you, whether I can love you, and before that, whether I can forgive what you did to me.”

“…”

Barmas squeezed his eyes shut. He was preparing himself mentally to endure the moment and not be disappointed by whatever Romei might say to him.

But what flowed from Romei’s lips was a sentence completely different from what he had expected.

“I’m not sure, but I’ll stay by your side until I want to kill you.”

At that moment, Barmas’s eyes, which had been tightly shut to endure the pain, flew open.

Barmas stared at Romei’s face, quietly mulling over the meaning of her words, and as soon as he understood, he embraced her, unable to contain his overwhelming emotions.

“Romei…”

She could feel hot breath and warm tears flowing over her shoulder.

His arms embracing Romei were firmly tensed, seemingly vowing never to lose her again.

Looking at his back as he cried silently, Romei eventually raised her arms and embraced his back. Then she closed her eyes gently.

Their hearts were beating at the same pace, without any discord.

As the sound of their heartbeats spread quietly, clear and fresh sunlight streaming through the large window illuminated where the two sat.

It was a happy morning.

fin.

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