It felt like only the stimulated areas had been scorched. My body stiffened, then went limp. I came again.

“Ha, ugh…”

As I reached climax repeatedly at the peak, my mind grew dizzy. It was as if he was trying to make up for all the times I’d tormented him; his penis began to move roughly again.

“You, you actually really wanted it, didn’t you?”

“……”

My voice was hoarse from crying so much. It was the first time I had ever begged to rest first. Seeing him sitting down with his face buried in his hands made me let out a hollow laugh.

Because he usually lived such an abstinent life, the effect of the charm was too strong. That’s why people need to learn to follow their instincts sometimes.

“Until now, I was the only one jumping you even when you didn’t want it, but today it was the opposite.”

“……”

“What’s with you? I liked it though. Still, next time, let’s tone it down a little.”

I could endure physical exhaustion, but mental fatigue was another matter. If my personality changed, I’d be drowning in self-loathing, which made it even worse.

“It’s not even a day off today. If I collapse from overwork, you’ll have to take responsibility and carry me to the infirmary.”

Even as I grumbled with my face buried in the nicely scented pillow, he still said nothing.

I lifted my head, ready to make a snarky remark, only to see Odile staring this way with a terrifying expression. Then, in that instant, I remembered what I had just said.

“…What did you just say?”

“Uh…”

“No way, no way, you…!”

What do I do? My brain must have melted for a second. I might’ve been able to deny it if it were now… no, I probably couldn’t. His face turned pale as his lips parted slightly.

I smiled awkwardly and carefully got off the bed. To the man who stood up, reaching his hand out as if to grab me, I said in a rather cheerful voice, “That’s it for today. See you next time.”

“Wait!”

Ignoring his shocked voice, I dove into the mirror.

“I’m so screwed.”

Back in the room filled with a chill, I blinked blankly. I had made a stupid mistake. Odile wasn’t particularly quick on the uptake, but the real problem was other people. And more than that, the biggest problem was me.

If it were just about being found out as a succubus, quitting as a maid and going back home would’ve been fine. But trying to live like before, abstaining alone or running away in embarrassment and mixing with some shady guys who didn’t even have good energy—none of that was a good option.

Until now, I thought my rational self, Lily, was too naive and dumb, but now it felt like the roles had reversed. The outside was getting brighter. It was almost time to wake up. As always, I lay on the bed and pulled at my lips.

Well, what’s done is done. After all, we’re the same person, just with different values and personalities. She’ll take care of the aftermath. I closed my eyes.

“…Take care of what!”

Then, when consciousness returned, I snapped open the eyes I had just closed and sat up with tears in my eyes.

I had made an unbelievable mistake. Compared to the crazy thing I had said, spending the night with Sir Odile was nothing. What was I supposed to do now?

Tears trickled down. What if Sir Odile found me? What if Sir Endymion found out I was a succubus…?

In a castle this big, it was practically impossible to find me without any clues. But what I was worried about was saying something stupid again the next time I went to absorb energy. And I had already had some connection with Sir Endymion, so even a tiny incident could expose me.

With all the commanders involved, there was no way Sir Odile wouldn’t say anything to the other two. What do I do now, seriously?

I buried my face in my hands and curled up. I really felt like dying—or rather, I wanted to kill Lilith.

***

The woman, who had suddenly appeared and shaken up his life, vanished just as suddenly.

He hadn’t misheard. There was no mistake.

“…Was she hiding in the castle?”

He had been entangled with that woman for three years after she stormed in like a whirlwind. Searching every corner of the continent for a ring that might not even exist wasn’t enough, but he even slept with her whenever she wanted.

By force, pinned down, against his will—he couldn’t count how many times he’d felt humiliated. And yet, he had gone along with it, partly due to her absurd threats and partly because he couldn’t shake the image of her tearfully begging when they first met.

“Damn it.”

It was truly a sickening thought. Even when he was furious and couldn’t stand being deceived, her sorrowful, smiling face always came to mind, leaving him powerless.

He entered the bathroom, doused himself from head to toe with cold water, and cooled off.

He had a vague suspicion. Until a year ago, the woman had clung to him day and night to drain his energy, but at some point, she stopped appearing in the mornings. Coincidentally, that was around the same time the castle held a large-scale recruitment. At first, he thought she had broken their promise and was seducing other men, but there had been no signs of that.

It was only today that suspicion turned into certainty. Feeling oddly irritated, Odile bit his swollen lip.

With nervous hands, he adjusted his uniform and loosened the tight tie around his neck as he headed to the conference room. As usual, he was the first to arrive. Sitting in a chair with his arms crossed and eyes closed, he waited.

If she really was in the castle—if he could find her—what would he do? The unfiltered thoughts came to a halt and began to nag at him again. Just then, Ares and Endymion entered.

“Odile.”

“Good morning.”

Watching the two take their seats, he frowned. Trying to organize his chaotic thoughts felt like trying to smooth out a crumpled piece of paper. Regulus, who was probably still sleeping in, hadn’t arrived yet, but what they were about to discuss wasn’t something he should hear.

“That demon is in the castle.”

It wasn’t like Odile to get straight to the point, but Ares and Endymion immediately understood who he meant.

“You mean the succubus?”

“What? R-Really?”

“It’s certain. Looks like she slipped in during the large recruitment a year ago. …She blurted it out at dawn and then panicked and ran off.”

“Ran off? That girl?”

Hearing that the shameless, brazen woman had panicked, the two looked surprised. Endymion quickly furrowed his brows.

“That’s strange. If it was just about being found in the castle, her reaction was too extreme…”

“…Exactly. Even if we searched every corner of the castle, we couldn’t possibly check every person. It’s something even a fool would realize.”

“So you’re saying she might be observing us from closer than we think, or even that she’s someone we’ve already met, or are still meeting.”

“…Gasp!”

Ares sucked in a breath. Though Odile continued talking to Endymion, he still felt that nagging sensation. It was frustrating and irritating. Then, at some point, he realized what it was and cursed again.

Find her. Figure out who she is. But then what? There was no clear answer. He just wanted to know. It bothered him that the woman who had turned his life upside down was living normally, so he wanted to see how she was living now.

Though Endymion spoke calmly, his mouth had gone dry. He thought, “No way,” but sometimes he recalled her smiling like a girl at others.

With a troubled look, he asked, “Odile, what will you do when you find the succubus?”

Odile frowned like someone struck at their weak point. There was no way he could just say, “I want to see her.”

Seeing Odile, who uncharacteristically hesitated, Endymion tilted his head, then smiled faintly. He had been worried that Odile might say he’d kill her on sight, but now it didn’t seem necessary to stop him.

“Sorry, I’m late!”

As everyone was lost in thought, Regulus burst into the conference room with a loud voice. His misbuttoned uniform and messy blond hair made Odile sigh.

Nothing had been resolved, but judging from Ares and Endymion’s reactions, they too wanted to know who she was. One way or another, that demon would show up—today, tomorrow, soon.

Odile felt ashamed of his failure to resist temptation, yet he was slowly figuring out how to deal with the succubus.

***

“Wow, seriously? Unbelievable. All that effort for nothing.”

Three months after leaving Ciel, Damien had reached the Kingdom of Evan in the southernmost part of the continent. As he read the letter delivered by a dove made of divine power, he ground his teeth and crumpled it.

Why was she there, of all places, after all that searching?

And the news that came with the letter threw Damien into deeper confusion.

Just moments ago, he had been in a great mood, full from a delicious meal and enjoying kind hospitality. But now, the fact that three years of hardship had ended so pointlessly made it impossible to celebrate.