🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 10
How Far Am I Supposed to Let Him Win?
How do you even lose on purpose?
How far am I supposed to let him win?
I know nothing about this kind of thing.
Lilith’s expression became complicated.
Even now, his aura spread around her like a net. Her face felt hot, her heart beat fast, and even the blood flowing through her body felt sweet and thick like syrup.
Even so, she didn’t lose her reason.
She was holding on much more easily than she had expected.
Lilith made up her mind.
She slowly opened both arms and gently wrapped them around Adrian’s neck, pulling him closer.
His expression immediately changed.
‘Is this really right?’
She carefully looked at his face.
But Adrian’s eyes remained calm.
His crimson eyes, which had once shone like the midday sun, were now as quiet as the evening sunset.
‘If this were the old Lilith… should I be more forward?’
Lilith hugged him even tighter.
Adrian was holding her waist, while she had both arms around his strong neck.
Their bodies were completely pressed together.
She found it strange that she could clearly hear the Demon King’s heartbeat.
His body was much warmer than she had expected.
His embrace…
Even his breathing.
‘His heartbeat feels fast…’
Lilith suddenly became nervous.
He wasn’t someone who would stop doubting her so easily.
He might even crush her body without hesitation.
She couldn’t sense any killing intent within his seductive aura, but hiding murderous intent inside a place overflowing with magical power would be easy for someone like him.
So she hurriedly played with the black hair resting against his neck.
His beautiful black hair looked soft, but it slipped smoothly through her fingers.
Since he didn’t react at all, her hands became even bolder.
She slowly stroked the back of his neck before gently cupping one side of his face.
She had expected his skin to be cold.
Instead…
His cheek was warm.
When she was little, she had believed the Demon King’s entire body had to be as cold as ice or solid stone.
She had no improper intentions.
Part of it was simply instinct.
She found it fascinating that she could actually feel his body heat.
She lifted one finger again and slowly traced across his collarbone.
Just as she noticed his breathing becoming slightly uneven—
“Ah!”
Adrian suddenly let go of her waist.
He quickly grabbed her wrist again, but it was already too late.
Lilith slipped away from him.
Splash!
She was thrown straight into the black lake.
✦ ✦ ✦
“You didn’t have to throw me like that all of a sudden.”
“I didn’t mean to. That’s why I tried to catch you again.”
“You call that catching me?”
After changing into the fresh clothes the maid had brought, Lilith straightened them herself before turning around.
Adrian, who seemed to have already forgotten that he had nearly thrown an innocent person into the Black Lake, was sitting proudly with one leg crossed.
He calmly sipped his whiskey while watching her.
The beautiful face she had seen earlier…
The rare look of surprise…
It was all gone as if it had never happened.
Seeing the unreadable look in his eyes, Lilith gave up trying to guess what he was thinking.
Instead, she slowly looked around the Demon King’s room.
‘So the rumors about him loving luxury were false too?’
She had expected everything to be covered in gold.
Instead…
The room was surprisingly simple.
It wasn’t filled with expensive decorations.
Nor was it covered in black from top to bottom.
The gray wallpaper had no patterns, giving the room a clean and peaceful feeling.
A large fireplace burned quietly on one side.
Several magical lamps with heating stones were lined up above it.
Across from it stood a huge bookshelf beside a desk covered with scattered parchment.
His room perfectly matched Lilith’s taste.
The warm atmosphere made her lower her guard.
Then…
A glass suddenly appeared in front of her.
“Drink it.”
“It’ll warm you up.”
Lilith accepted it and drank everything.
The moment she put the glass down…
Adrian silently filled it again.
“You’re better at drinking now.”
“You used to say you couldn’t even drink one sip.”
“Ah… well…”
“Maybe I got better over the years.”
“Really?”
“You said you never even looked for me.”
“During all that time… maybe I drank a lot.”
“I suppose.”
Adrian didn’t question her any further.
“You’re the first person to enter my room through the Black Lake.”
“Really?”
“That’s wonderful.”
“What an honor.”
Adrian let out a quiet laugh.
“You don’t have to force yourself to lie.”
Lilith’s cheeks turned slightly red.
Feeling embarrassed, she took another drink.
The liquor was strong.
As it burned down her throat, warmth slowly spread through her body.
“Ah!”
Lilith had been absentmindedly staring into the fireplace.
She jumped when Adrian suddenly moved close to her.
He placed the half-empty whiskey bottle onto the table with a soft thud, then impatiently brushed back his hair.
“W-What?”
She could see both the fire burning in the fireplace—
Changing from yellow…
To orange…
Then deep red…
And Adrian’s crimson eyes at the same time.
Even in Heaven…
She had never seen eyes that reminded her of the sun.
His eyes seemed even more beautiful than an Archangel’s.
‘What am I thinking?’
Lilith quickly looked away.
“How did you tame the Sylph?”
She immediately looked back at him.
“They’re spiritual beasts.”
“Temporary power from magical potions or magic stones can’t fool them.”
Lilith bit her lip.
It seemed he had been secretly watching her for quite a while.
“Why do you think you’re the only one who’s ever crossed the Black Lake and entered my room?”
“W-Well…”
“Because of the barrier you placed?”
She wasn’t wrong.
The barrier between the beach and Adrian’s room was stronger than any barrier she had ever seen.
It even reminded her of the Holy Barrier she had once created herself.
“That’s part of the answer.”
“But everyone else was eaten by the Sylphs before they could even reach the beach.”
“That’s… not a pleasant story.”
“Simple threats don’t work on them.”
“Trying to persuade them is even more impossible.”
“Well…”
“Sometimes…”
“There are unusual ones.”
“The Sylph you met is the most violent one living in the Black Lake.”
A heavy silence filled the room.
For a moment, it even felt as though the flames behind Adrian suddenly burned higher before calming again.
“Lilith.”
Now, every time he called her name…
She flinched without thinking.
It almost sounded like a sigh.
“A demon who never awakened her demonic power.”
A small ripple appeared in Lilith’s eyes.
He wasn’t wrong.
But it still hurt.
Even if it’s true…
You’re my husband.
You shouldn’t be the one saying it.
“So how did someone like you…”
“…tame a Sylph?”
“I can understand the language of animals and birds.”
It wasn’t an impulsive confession.
Compared to telling him that the soul inside this body belonged to Ariella—a Celestial warrior who once stood on Heaven’s front lines—
This was a much safer choice.
‘If I weigh the risks… this is the better truth to reveal.’
Adrian lazily brushed back his hair again.
“Like you said…”
“I didn’t borrow power from potions or magic stones.”
“You know I don’t even have the money to buy things like that for my residence.”
“And yes…”
“I’ve never awakened my demonic power.”
Thankfully…
No one found it strange that she couldn’t use demonic magic.
“Maybe because of the poison…”
“I simply gained a new ability.”
Lilith spoke as calmly as she could.
“If you want, you can test me.”
“There are crows and hawks living in the botanical garden.”
“I can show you myself talking to—”
“Then what about your familiar?”
Lilith’s eyes widened slightly.
‘Familiar?’
Did Lilith have a contracted beast too?
Seeing her only blink in confusion, Adrian continued.
“Your silver wolf has been unusually quiet.”
“If what you’re saying is true…”
“Then tame that arrogant beast.”
Adrian took another drink from the whiskey resting on the table before casually sitting back in his chair.
He returned to his usual arrogant posture.
Then he lazily looked at her.
“Bring that wolf to the banquet after you’ve tamed it.”
“If what you said is true…”
“Handling a familiar should be easy.”
Lilith quietly swallowed.
“How hard could that be?”
“When is the banquet?”
“Two weeks from now.”
Those words sounded less like an answer…
And more like a two-week deadline.
“If you succeed…”
“I’ll reward you.”
I have no choice.
I’ll have to make it work somehow.
Her violet eyes, dark as the night, shone with determination.
✦ ✦ ✦
“How are things with Wing these days?”
“They haven’t started any riots, and they’ve been quiet during the meetings.”
“But we’ve confirmed that there’s still a spy inside the Demon King’s Castle.”
“A spy…”
Adrian leaned against the balcony, quietly watching the giant sphere glowing in the sky.
Standing behind him, his aide Agatha wore a serious expression.
“Wing” referred to the former opposition faction that Adrian had completely crushed after unifying Gehenna.
“The false information you ordered us to spread…”
“You told us to say that we’d enter Heaven through the Styx River instead of the Hell Gate.”
“Was there an ambush?”
“Yes.”
“An armed force.”
Adrian, once Gehenna’s Supreme General, had earned the throne by tearing out the previous Demon King’s heart.
He slaughtered everyone who resisted him.
Their souls were completely destroyed.
Only those who surrendered were allowed to live.
Many of them were old noble families.
Showing mercy to those who surrendered had been the fastest way to establish his authority.
But decades later…
Their movements had started becoming suspicious.
The Demon King’s throne had always been a place where death waited nearby.
But after learning that the assassin he had recently killed belonged to Wing…
Adrian could no longer ignore the situation.
“Could they have secretly joined hands with Heaven?”
“The size of the army they gathered is unsettling.”
“Though… that shouldn’t be possible, right?”
Agatha adjusted her glasses and wet her dry lips.
“After all, Your Majesty…”
“Heaven has always been our greatest enemy.”
“I wonder.”
Adrian quietly chuckled.
“Do those kinds of boundaries really matter here?”
He laughed softly.
“Interesting…”
“A spy…”
A faint killing intent appeared behind his amused smile.
“Inside my Demon King’s Castle…”
