Chapter 4: The Soft, Sweet Saintess

As the Saintess, Cecilia had always been spoken of by humans as the purest and most sacred existence.

So pure she was like a flawless white lily, incapable of tolerating even the slightest blemish.

Yet, this very flower, pure in everyone’s eyes, was now in the room of a succubus, quietly enduring the other’s touch.

“What’s wrong, my sweet Cecilia? Don’t you enjoy this?”

Facing this soft, tender Saintess, Via found herself unusually interested.

Since becoming a demon, she had been suppressing her nature, never once allowing herself to loosen up.

But now, it seemed the time had come to release some of her own desires.

The succubus’s way of feeding was both simple and difficult.

Simple because it was all instinctual; difficult because getting someone to let down their guard and yield to their instincts was no easy feat.

But the Saintess before her was an existence that required no such consideration.

She teased the Saintess’s heart, feeling the fragile, boneless body and its faint warmth beneath her fingers.

She could clearly sense how Cecilia was gradually slipping under her control into a strange state.

“Wait… you shouldn’t be doing this…”

“This is the price you promised me, isn’t it? Besides, I’m only taking some of the scraps you give off. For you, that’s already a pretty good deal.”

Via’s smile carried a hint of triumph.

Her palms wandered over the Saintess’s body.

Just as she said, what she was drawing from Cecilia was merely scraps.

Between them, nothing serious or crossing boundaries had happened yet.

But precisely because of this, it felt all the more terrifying to the Saintess.

Via’s hands slid over parts Cecilia rarely even touched herself.

The succubus’s slender, nimble fingers played a silent melody on the delicate, tender flesh—so soft it seemed ready to break at the slightest touch.

Speaking of which, in her human days, Via was indeed recorded in biographies to have loved music.

But young Cecilia, reading that biography, never imagined that one day those same hands, which once caressed expensive ivory piano keys, would use her body as a silent instrument.

An “instrument” should be silent, but under Via’s playing, the Saintess was already struggling to hold back.

Her teeth gently bit the golden strands of hair falling over her shoulder, eyes half-closed, softly humming a faint song.

The rain nourished the muddy earth, the melody of spring showers responding to the performer’s deft and gentle fingers.

Pink peach blossoms bloomed faintly amid the song of spring.

In her mind, Cecilia vaguely recalled the tune “Spring’s Warmth,” once played by the one she admired, after a battle among the ruins—a song that soothed those who had lost their homes.

And now her body gave back its own warmth in response.

Suddenly, everything stopped abruptly, like a jarring dissonant rest in the music, announcing its end.

“…Why… did you stop?”

The Saintess instinctively asked, but as soon as the words left her mouth, realizing what they had just been doing, Cecilia felt how foolish and undignified her question was.

Though she was the one forced to pay the price, the moment she asked that, it felt as if she were actively seeking more.

Via clearly heard her and gave a wicked, teasing smile.

“Oh? I thought our Saintess would never yield, yet you’re surprisingly honest in matters like these, huh?”

“…I’m not.”

Cecilia bit back the last shred of dignity and refused to admit it.

She knew her situation well, but to admit to having strange feelings just now was as terrifying as denying everything she had always upheld.

“All right, that’s enough.”

Unexpectedly, Via didn’t press further after Cecilia’s stubbornness.

Instead, she suddenly withdrew, carefully wiping her fingers.

“Huh?”

The sudden action left the Saintess bewildered.

She had no idea why the succubus would stop like this.

The conversation had started with such suggestive undertones, and now it abruptly ended.

“I told you from the start—I need you to provide me with sustenance. Your desire alone is already a fine delicacy for me,” Via smiled, “As for the deeper stuff… don’t worry, you’ll come to offer it willingly one day. I’m not in a rush. Besides, even your mere lust is enough to satisfy me for now.”

This was a lie.

In truth, the taste of the Saintess’s desire was indeed deeply satisfying to her.

But greed was endless—even for Via.

Deep down, she craved a richer source of nourishment.

Yet reason told her she couldn’t use ordinary methods with this Saintess.

She needed a fascinating toy, not a servant who simply provided food.

“Your nature is truly cruel.”

The Saintess whispered.

“Thank you for the compliment. For us demons, that’s quite a high praise,” Via lifted a finger lightly, waving it teasingly before Cecilia’s eyes.

“Or perhaps, in your heart, you really want to continue this with me?”

Via had a very unique way of cultivating her food.

Her feeding was only of desire.

But a person’s desire was often limited—usually not very high.

That’s why most succubi still chose to feed directly on life force on the physical level.

In terms of efficiency and essence, the latter was far superior.

But she discovered a problem.

When a person’s desire was strong, their food naturally became more delicious.

So how could she obtain the most delicious food, gaining the greatest enhancement?

Via immediately came up with a plan.

If she could tease the other’s desire but prevent them from fulfilling it at the critical moment, the taste would be extraordinarily rich.

Via clapped her hands lightly as two demon women entered the room from the doorway.

At the sight of the demons, Cecilia immediately became alert.

But Via clearly didn’t care about her reaction and placed the pristine white clothing they carried before the Saintess.

Cecilia cautiously unfolded the garment, then fell silent.

It was the Saintess’s ceremonial dress.

Obviously, the demons had crafted a nearly identical copy of the original Saintess robe…

What was this succubus’s intention?

Before she could react, Via grabbed her hand.

“Wait… what are you doing…?”

Cecilia was startled by the sudden move, instinctively trying to pull back her hand.

But Via tightened her grip on her wrist, then dragged her all the way to the balcony.

There, on the balcony, Via suddenly used force to pin Cecilia’s hands behind her back, while her other hand restlessly caressed the Saintess’s cheek from behind.

The provocative expression on the succubus’s face was unmistakable, utterly indifferent to the Church’s surveillance spells that had somehow seeped in unnoticed along with Cecilia.

She gently stroked the Saintess’s cheek.

At this moment, the Saintess in her eyes was nothing more than a delicate, exquisite toy.