Chapter 12
What a joke—class observation? He glares every time Herace so much as brushes against me!
“Get out!”
“Siena, if Herace tries anything weird with you…”
“Please, just shut up and get out!”
After shoving Noah out the door, I roughly yanked away the strands of hair sticking to my cheek.
“Herace, wait a sec.”
I loosened my messy hair and tried to smooth it down with my hands.
“Take your time. It’s not like we’ll be able to continue easily with the little duke interrupting all the time.”
“Sorry…”
“I’ll let it slide today. But if the little duke interrupts class again, I’m tossing him to the borderlands.”
Even Herace couldn’t hold back anymore—his face was full of irritation.
But only for a moment. Watching me struggle with my hair, he shook his head.
“At this rate, the century will pass.”
Herace gently took my hair in his hand, his eyes going wide.
“Wow… your hair is… incredible. Looks like a total bird’s nest.”
“That is extremely rude, you know?”
First he touches my hair without permission, then insults my biggest insecurity?
“You looking for a fight?”
“I was joking. Our young lady’s hair is as soft as silk.”
“Too late to smooth things over now.”
I waved my ringed finger at him threateningly, and Herace raised both hands in surrender.
“Easy, easy. About that ring—can’t you move it to a prettier spot?”
“Nope, I like it right here.”
Meeting Herace’s gaze in the mirror, I wiggled my middle finger with gusto.
Wiggle—wiggle—
Herace shook his head with an exasperated smile.
“You really are a wild one.”
“What was that?”
“Where on earth did you learn such bad manners?”
He sighed dramatically, like a teacher mourning his wayward student.
Oh, right. I forgot—this guy is over 500 years old.
“Kids these days pick up swearing way too easily. It’s a problem.”
The lecture, harsher than any I’d ever gotten from my dad, made my head spin.
“Well, I guess that’s part of your charm.”
“Make up your mind—is that a compliment or an insult?”
Feigning innocence, he said his piece and began gently combing out my tangled hair.
He worked through the knots so carefully it didn’t even hurt.
‘…Wow, he’s good at this.’
Surprised by his unexpected skill, I stared at the mirror.
“Should I leave it down, tie it, or braid it?”
“You can braid hair too?”
“There’s nothing I can’t do.”
To prove his point, his hands moved smoothly, braiding my hair with practiced ease.
“You mentioned a younger sibling before, right? A little sister?”
“How did you know?”
“Noah’s the same—he can’t do anything else, but he’s great at doing hair.”
So even the infamous Herace, known as a fiend, was just a normal big brother at home.
He finished by tying my twin braids with blue ribbons.
“Does my lady approve?”
“Well… it’s not bad.”
“You like it, but you can’t admit it. My lady really can’t be honest.”
As always, he teased me with that sly smile.
That’s when—
“My lady! My lady, it’s me, Oliver!”
“Oliver? Come in.”
“S-something terrible happened!”
Oliver stumbled in, panting heavily, his feet tapping in agitation.
“What is it? Did something happen with the millennium herb?”
“I-it’s the field…!”
He looked like he might collapse any second.
“What about the field?”
“Something strange was caught in a trap!”
I blinked at the black creature caught in the snare.
“Kyaaaaaaak!”
“Herace… is that a mole?”
It looked like a mole, but its cry was bizarre.
“Siena, no way a mole could be that ugly.”
“Who are you calling ugly?!”
A furious voice shouted from inside the trap.
“…The mole can talk?”
“I’m not a mole, damn it!”
Clang! Clang! The trap rattled violently as it thrashed around.
“When I found it, it was talking nonstop. Could it be possessed by an evil spirit?”
Oliver clung to my back, trembling.
“How dare you utter such vile words to me—the great and terrible demon! Human, I’ll make you pay!”
What the… demon? That tiny thing?
Pfft. I burst out laughing, wiping tears as I pounded Herace’s shoulder.
“Oh wow, that’s hilarious. A demon looking like a mole?”
“It really is a demon.”
“…What?”
“The demon I made a contract with.”
My body went rigid.
“The demon… you told me about back then?”
But one look at the tiny, pitiful mole, and all my tension evaporated.
Totally different from what I imagined.
I thought demons were supposed to be either cool and charismatic, or so stunningly beautiful they could bewitch anyone, or at least terrifying enough to make you cry at first sight. But this…
“What a letdown.”
Thud.
“Huh? Oliver?”
“He fainted.”
“…Erase his memory.”
Seriously? Even I’m standing here fine, and he faints?
I was starting to wonder if making Oliver the field caretaker was a huge mistake.
“He fainted because he was overwhelmed by my terrifying presence.”
The mole puffed out its chest, hands on its hips.
“Hey, are you a… mole demon or something?”
“…A mole demon? Does that even sound real to you, human?!”
“Then why do you look like that?”
Round body, huge front paws, pointy snout—it was undeniably a mole.
“Damn it! The first thing I saw when I woke up was that filthy beast, so I had no choice!”
Its pitch-black nose twitched as it huffed furiously.
“Stop calling me a mole, you pathetic human!”
The so-called demon went berserk. The racket of its screeching and the cage clanging made my ears ache.
“Ugh, so noisy.”
I muttered in disgust—
Crash! The demon vanished from sight with a loud bang.
“Aaaaargh!”
The trap rolled and slammed into a tree with a thud.
“She said you’re noisy. Shut up.”
Herace smiled coldly as he kicked the cage.
All this… for my sake?!
“Herace…!”
“That frail body of hers could faint from your screeching alone.”
You bastard—I almost got emotional for a second there.
The trap broke when it hit the tree, and the demon staggered out.
“You bastards! I’ll never forgive—bleeeeurgh!”
“Ugh, gross…”
I instinctively stepped back. Not out of fear—just disgust.
It’s human instinct to avoid filth, right?
Especially since my fragile body is vulnerable to germs.
‘Demon or not, dirty things are a big no.’
After retching its guts out, the demon suddenly charged straight at me. Panicking, I ducked behind Herace like he was my shield.
“Siena?”
“It’s filthy! What if I get sick? Protect me!”
Herace, who had been laughing at my cuteness, froze for a beat.
“…So it’s okay if I get sick instead?”
“It’s coming, it’s coming!”
I smacked his shoulder in urgency.
Thankfully, the demon’s real target wasn’t me, but Herace.
“Herace! You bastard! How could you kick me like that?!”
“Don’t act like we had some kind of special bond. We just lived together because I had no choice.”
“How could you?! Do you know how long we’ve been together…?”
“Didn’t think you were the sentimental type.”
“But we woke up together every day! Slept side by side! Talked so much!”
“Stop being pathetic. It’s gross.”
Okay… this is getting weird.
It was like watching a trashy soap opera unfold before my eyes—the demon as the abandoned heroine, Herace as the heartless bastard ex.
‘If only I had popcorn right now.’
I watched the drama like a curious bystander—until the demon suddenly snapped its head toward me and glared.
‘Wait—don’t tell me I’m the villainess here?!’
The cunning, wicked woman who stole the male lead…?!
“You! You’re that cursed Agave’s descendant, aren’t you?!”
The mole—er, demon—stood on two legs and charged, kicking my knees with its stubby legs.
“Finally! I’ve found you, Agave’s bloodline! My mortal enemy! I’ll kill you right here!”
Kill me? Please. That doesn’t even hurt.
Those feeble little kicks couldn’t harm a jellyfish, let alone me.
‘Pathetic.’
So pathetic, it had zero demonic dignity.
After exhausting itself with its futile assault, the demon turned back to Herace, charging again.
“Herace! Don’t tell me you’ve been taken in by her too?! Is that it?!”
“Taken in? Please.”
“You can’t deny it! You smeared your mana all over her and hid her away! If that’s not being bewitched, then what is?!”
He hid me? Startled, I looked at Herace, who just dragged his hand down his tired face.
“I only hid her so you wouldn’t cause trouble like this.”
“I knew it! Hah! Fine! Where’s the Ruby Orb? Hand it over! I’ll destroy that cursed thing right now!”
“Here.”
I bent down to meet the demon’s eye level and held out my hand. The crimson gem wrapped around my index finger glimmered in the light.
“Wh-why is it… on you?! Take it off! Give it to me!”
The demon clung to my wrist, struggling desperately to yank the ring off—but its strength failed, and it fell flat on its back.
Flailing, it glared up at Herace with a scream.
“It’s already bonded!!!”
