When the full twenty carriage-loads of gifts arrived at the Duke of White Wolf’s mansion, Joen was still fast asleep.
Liya, who had transformed from a jelly into a milk-filled jelly, put on the airs of the “Mansion Hostess,” took the liberty of accepting these gifts on Joen’s behalf, and ordered the maids to carry them into the empty treasury.
A great house like this couldn’t function without someone managing the accounts.
Otherwise, within three days, the bolder maids would have emptied the treasury.
Liya didn’t want to deal with these trivial matters… but there was no helping it.
Joen had a weak foundation in the Empire Capital and had no trustworthy talent he could rely on, so she had to reluctantly take over for the time being.
As for Joen himself—he was even worse, an “illiterate” when it came to numbers.
He probably couldn’t even match an elementary school student from Earth; at least those kids could solve a simple system of equations.
Liya had been in the smuggling business in the Demon Realm for years, honing her keen eyes.
The Second Prince’s gifts were actually quite valuable after she inspected them one by one.
Except for a few beast-eared maids whose purpose was unclear.
For some reason, Liya found herself inexplicably displeased with them, feeling restless and irritable.
Even these maids, too—strangely, from this morning on, she couldn’t help but feel anger toward any woman who came near Joen.
“Send all these beast-kin back to me. What is this? Testing the Hero with these? Which Hero can withstand such a test?”
Liya shouted at the steward in charge of delivering the gifts, venting for half a day.
The steward could only smile wryly and pull those innocent and beautiful beast-eared maids back to the Second Prince’s mansion.
After dealing with the trivial matters, Liya hopped and skipped back to the bedroom that had “transformed” her last night.
The closer she got, the gentler and lighter her steps became.
‘Something feels off… is it just my imagination?’
Liya felt a flicker of doubt, but it quickly dissipated.
After the repeated battles last night, having endured unimaginable intimate contact and magical power infusion, the effects of “Forbidden Fruit Dew” had already taken deep root in her heart, silently influencing her.
She slipped under the covers, took Joen’s hand of her own accord, and made him hold her body.
Some instinct awakened; for the first time in her life, Liya felt as if her delicate body was melting, wrapping tightly around Joen’s hand, entwining in every gap between his fingers.
‘I want to become armor… and be worn by him every single day.’
This thought stirred a strange pleasure within Liya.
Her face flushed red.
One strange and bold idea after another popped up.
She was excited, yet also confused.
‘How strange, what’s wrong with me? Is this a side effect from the Pleasure Mark taking effect?’
‘Pfft… armor is a bit exaggerated.’
‘But Joen… he’s really handsome…’
Liya’s face was full of rosy glow.
Her small body clung to Joen’s thumb with affection, like tree roots digging into soil, wrapping tighter and tighter, gradually becoming greedy for that warmth.
‘No, I have to kiss him. He’s too “sexy,” such a manly face, such beautiful muscles, these hands that I couldn’t train to look like this in two lifetimes. He’s the perfect man, the man I admire~’
Liya’s heartbeat inexplicably quickened.
She gradually became mesmerized.
Without realizing it, she had crawled to Joen’s lips, overcome by heart-throbbing heat, and leaned her head forward.
Joen seemed to feel an itch at his lips, subconsciously opened his mouth, and lightly sucked, drawing Liya, who was at the corner of his mouth, inside.
“Wah?”
Most of her body was wrapped in Joen’s warm mouth.
The sensation of his tongue made Liya feel like a female adventurer being swallowed by a dark trap.
Darkness surged and pressed in from all directions.
Liya let out a startled, blushing cry, but then fell silent.
Her calves, exposed outside the “door,” shrank back and stopped kicking.
Unconsciously, her body was drawn deeper.
But Liya felt not a trace of fear.
Instead, a strange and mad emotion surged from the depths of her heart—yes, she was willing to be “eaten” by Joen, willing to sacrifice herself like a moth diving into a flame, even… her life.
‘No!! Something’s wrong!!!’
Reason screamed in alarm.
But emotion wallowed in this warmth, dizzy and hot, unable to extricate itself.
‘”Love”… is that what it feels like? Suppressing the terrible thoughts deep inside, wanting to spend a lifetime together, feeling boneless and numb just thinking of the other’s happiness, willing to give everything precious. Unable to bear a single day without seeing them, willing to do anything for them…’
‘I… I… I’ve been cursed after all…’
Liya blushed bright red, trembling all over.
‘Two curses… There were actually two curses… The second is infinitely more terrifying than the first!’
After all, “lust” was a hunger that urgently needed to be satisfied, while “love” was a bone-deep happiness that could entertain and comfort itself.
Once you fell into it, there was no escape.
‘Damn… accursed elves… I will never let you off!’
Even though most of Liya’s body was in Joen’s mouth, she still clenched her small fist and gritted her teeth, throwing harsh words at the elves.
The situation was clear—Liya now fully understood that she was under two curses.
The first, the “Curse of Lust,” the Pleasure Mark, had been temporarily satisfied and calmed by her intimacy with Joen last night.
But the second, the “Curse of Love,” had just begun.
And the latter was ten thousand times more terrible and stubborn than the former.
After all, the emotion of “love” was essentially happy, at least for now.
As long as this feeling didn’t fade, Liya would feel wonderful and sweet, and had no desire to see it disappear.
But her powerful rationality and remaining kingly instincts drove her to think of ways to break the curse.
Otherwise, if she let her guard down, she might completely give up resistance, letting the “love” for Joen run wild, leaving nothing but this man in her eyes and heart.
At that moment, Joen woke up from the strange, cool, and soft sensation in his mouth.
He opened his eyes dazedly, blankly staring for several seconds, before suddenly realizing that Liya was in his mouth.
“Mmph—”
He quickly opened his mouth and let Liya out.
His voice was full of concern and worry as he called out, “Lily? Lily? Are you okay? Did I bite you?”
“Nu-no, not at all.”
Liya clumsily sat up.
Just hearing Joen’s voice made her feel numb all over, down to her feet.
She wished she could turn into a soft blob and burrow into his arms, demanding all his warmth.
She could only hold back.
Her cheeks burned, blush spreading across her skin.
‘So happy… but the curse is too scary. I have to deal with it quickly.’
“You scared me.”
Joen sighed in relief and gently rubbed Liya’s little head.
Little did he know, this simple action triggered a tsunami of pink bubbles in Liya’s heart.
Her body trembled slightly.
‘Mm… he touched me… I’m being encouraged… that’s wonderful… why do I feel so motivated…’
‘Maybe I shouldn’t break it? Just let the curse stay. I’m so happy, inexplicably happy. So this is what it means to be alive—so joyful, so happy.’
Liya once wanted to succumb, to fall completely into the abyss of love.
But just half a second later, her reason and dignity began to struggle.
‘No…’
‘How can I be controlled by this… good curse… bad… rotten curse… This happiness is fake… I don’t want this kind of false happiness…’
But then, Liya’s heart collapsed again:
‘Wah… so cruel… why do I have to choose like this? Lose myself… or lose happiness… what can I do…’
But the instinct developed over two lifetimes still drove her, gradually leaning toward the path of “breaking the curse.”