‘That’s why habits can be so frightening…’

Her vision blurred and her strength slowly drained from her body. She began to shake uncontrollably, the shaking almost beyond her control, as a cold sensation enveloped her entire being, as if the blood in her veins was slowly draining away. 

A horrible feeling, like a familiar nightmare, came over her, like a black wave swallowing her entire existence. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end with the chilling fear. 

Rose knew this feeling. 

It was a fear she could never get used to, no matter how many times she experienced it. A terrifying energy of death, reminiscent of the warm yet terrifying touch of her former husband, whom she deeply despised. 

Rose froze in fear, barely able to move. Her breathing stopped. Her arms and legs, stretched out like branches, trembled slightly. As always, her panic gradually subsided, followed by a sense of insignificance, as if her very existence no longer mattered. 

Her eyelids grew heavy. 

In her hazy and confused thoughts, she reflected faintly: 

“I wasted my time. I should have washed up quickly, gone out and apologised to him… but…” 

“But with this, Lucian will probably forgive me.”

Rose thought as her consciousness continued to fade and she closed her eyes.

* * *

When Lucian finished his bath and stepped out of the bathroom, the clothes he had taken off earlier were still lying there, soaked, just outside the bathroom. 

Knowing that she had prepared a fresh set of clothes for him at the very moment they had been submerged in the water, Lucian scanned his surroundings with a mixture of disbelief and annoyance. He hastily wrapped himself in a sheet and returned to the bedroom. 

“Excuse me, Your Majesty.”

He stepped further into the room, but the Demon Queen was nowhere to be seen. 

“Your Majesty?”

Even when he raised his voice to call out, there was no response. Narrowing his eyes, Lucian glanced at the crack in the bathroom door where light was streaming in. 

So this is what you’re up to? 

His long legs strode purposefully across the room. 

“Let’s stop playing games and come out.”

“……” 

“You should at least hand me my clothes, don’t you think?” 

Even when he snapped at the bathroom door, there was still no response. The sound of water continued from inside, as if she was deliberately pretending not to hear him. 

Lucian, now dressed in the uniform he had left unworn earlier, stood at the bathroom door again. 

Knock, knock.

Even at the sound of his knock, there was no answer. His fist, hovering in front of the door, tightened as the veins on the back of his hand bulged, dark blue and prominent. 

“So you really are waiting for me to open this door myself, aren’t you?” 

His patience, slowly wearing thin since the morning, had finally reached its limit. He’d been played with all day, and even now it hadn’t stopped – she was still trying to deceive him. 

“How foolish of me.” 

It was a mistake to think he could have a proper conversation with a demon. 

This creature had been trying to attack him in his sleep since early morning. When that failed, it used magic to control his consciousness and tried again. When that didn’t work either, she used the ridiculous excuse of her “ex-husband’s vines” as an excuse to sit in the water all day, burdening him with unnecessary guilt. 

But even after all that, she wasn’t done. She continued with her petty tricks, still trying to toy with him. 

“Even after I was angry earlier, you still…” 

When Lucian fully realised that he had been played with all day, it felt as if his blood had gone cold. It was as if he had been doused with ice-cold water and his mind had become as cold as ice. 

This could not go on. To be dragged along by such evil intentions, even when he knew the true purpose, was tantamount to defying the will of God. 

A cold light appeared in the his eyes. 

‘I’ll just kill her.’

If I open the bathroom door and go in, the demon queen will surely try to attack me again. So I’ll pretend to give in to temptation and accept her, but the moment she lets her guard down, I’ll strike. 

After what happened this morning, the Demon Queen will probably take the hit to provoke my guilt. 

If I take advantage of that moment and aim for one of her weak points, even if I cannot kill her, I can at least inflict severe pain on her. 

And that would be enough. 

Lucian picked up the candlestick from the table. Then he knocked on the bathroom door. 

Knock, knock 

There was still no answer from the demon king. Lucian grabbed the door handle. 

He had only one chance. 

Crack.

Cautiously, Lucian opened the bathroom door. Contrary to his expectation that it would jump at him the moment he stepped inside, it didn’t move. 

In the silence, only the sound of running water filled the air. 

Through the thick steam, Lucian slowly lowered his eyes. There, on the bathroom floor, lay the Demon Queen, face down, still in her wet clothes. 

He wondered if she was faking another collapse to avoid the situation. 

But when he saw how calmly she lay there, even after sensing his presence, his will to attack faded. But that didn’t mean his anger had subsided. 

Lucian put down the candlestick he was holding and knelt down. He looked at the demon queen with cold eyes and spoke. 

“Demon Queen” 

“……” 

“I think it’s time for you to get up.” 

Despite his cold tone, there was no response from the Demon Queen. He reached out his hand and tapped her lightly on the shoulder, but she still showed no reaction. 

How long will she continue this senseless act? 

Finally, Lucian grabbed the Demon Queen’s shoulder, turned her body over and, as he had done this morning, lifted her upper body to support her. 

“I know you’re awake.” 

As Lucian looked down at her closed eyelids, his cold expression grew sharper and more frigid. But the demon queen didn’t move – not even the slightest reaction. 

The man sighed as he shook the woman’s shoulder lightly as he held her in his arms. 

“I told you to wake up.” 

“……” 

“If you don’t wake up now, I’ll leave you here.” 

Shake, shake. 

“Demon Queen.” 

At that moment, her head, which had been resting on his arm, suddenly fell backwards. 

The sensation of her wet hair brushing against his arm sent a shiver down Lucian’s spine and he froze as he looked down at the Demon Queen, her head thrown back limply. 

Her body, hanging lifelessly like a blade of grass, showed no sign of movement. It didn’t feel like a convincing act – her head actually seemed to have fallen off, unable to support its own weight.

A sudden shiver ran down his spine. Something felt wrong. 

When he’d picked her up this morning, she hadn’t felt this heavy… 

“…Demon Queen?” 

Even when he called out to her, there was no response. Like a stopped clock, his hands froze for a moment before finally moving to touch her cheek. 

Her face was burning hot, like a fiery ember. 

She wasn’t playing tricks. She really had lost consciousness. 

* * * 

Whenever Rose was ill, she always had dreams.    

The husband, deeply devoted to his love, wanted to be with his wife even in her dreams when she collapsed from exhaustion, to be with her at all times. Pluto took possession not only of Rose’s unconscious body but also of her subconscious mind – he never left her side, not even for a moment.

Whenever Rose could not move, she found no peace, not even in her sleep. It was as if the relentless waves of her husband’s endless love were washing over her, tormenting her throughout the night. Awakening from her dreams was impossible without Pluto’s consent. Even when she grew tired of the overwhelming affection Pluto showered on her in these dreams, she had no choice but to endure it. 

When Rose finally surrendered completely, Pluto summoned the Incubi. 

So jealous that he would gouge out the eyes of any demon who dared to look at Rose’s face, Pluto secretly harboured a completely contradictory desire. 

Pluto couldn’t bring himself to share his wife with anyone in reality, so he began to fulfil his desires in her dreams. Upon waking, everything that happened in these dreams would disappear as if it had never happened. 

In her dreams, Rose became a victim of the Incubi while her husband watched. 

Pluto confessed that he took pleasure in seeing his once submissive wife become defiant again, screaming in agony. As Rose, trapped by the Incubi, desperately cried out to her husband for help, Pluto simply watched, enjoying the scene.