<CHAPTER 03>
The Face’s Likelihood
“Mo, a muzzle? What are you talking about!”
Ehilie flinched and recoiled in shock.
“Then, how should I reassure you?”
“……Ah, well……”
As she hesitated, his red eyes darkened.
He lowered his long eyelashes, casting a deep shadow, and his voice came out low and melancholy.
“Understood.”
Understood? What?
Before she could ask again, the man rose to his feet.
He took a few steps, then staggered and collapsed to the floor.
Ehilie, stunned, rushed to him.
“Are you okay?”
The pale man parted his red lips.
“I suddenly felt dizzy… I’m sorry.”
“Then why did you get up all of a sudden?”
“I thought you seemed uneasy because of me, so I wanted to step outside.”
His long eyelashes trembled slightly.
How can someone be so beautiful and noble, yet give off such a cold-blooded aura?
It was hard to judge him objectively—his face was exactly Ehilie’s type.
She agreed with the saying she had read in countless romance novels: ‘faces carry plausibility.’
His face was incredibly persuasive.
Wow, really……
“He’s incredibly handsome…….”
“Pardon? What did you just say?”
“Uh?”
Ehilie froze in shock.
I can’t believe what popped into my head just came out loud.
“Did you say ‘handsome’?”
His ruby-red eyes stared at her.
“No, that’s not it……! I didn’t mean… ah, I was thinking wrong!”
Ehilie hurriedly explained.
“I thought you might be dangerous, but I guess I was wrong.”
“Oh, is that so?”
He nodded, a slightly regretful expression on his face.
Ehilie swallowed her sigh of relief and sorted her thoughts.
Right. Just because someone is handsome doesn’t mean they’re the protagonist. Not all black-haired red-eyed people are villains. And he’s sick, anyway.
If he really were dangerous, wouldn’t he have revealed it the moment he entered the house?
Her guilt over suspecting a sick person outweighed her anxiety.
“I’m fine, so just relax.”
“May I?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
A soft smile appeared on his lips.
“If it’s alright, may I ask your name? You are my savior, so I’d like to know your name.”
“Ah, I’m Ehilie.”
“Ehilie. Do you have a surname?”
In the Ludmekian Empire, most commoners had no surname. Could it be that he, as an outsider, didn’t know this?
Putting the thought aside, she answered calmly.
“No, and you?”
“Re……”
“Re?”
His neat eyebrows furrowed slightly before he continued.
“Redemberg Lu Edeltein.”
Ehilie immediately noticed.
That name seems hastily made up.
There was no need to pause when giving a real name, so ‘Redemberg Lu Edeltein’ was likely fabricated quickly.
Suspicious, as expected.
Just as suspicion rose in her mind,
“Hhh—”
Redemberg suddenly let out a low groan.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“……Yes, I’m fine.”
His voice cracked as if it were strained.
Not fine at all.
Why now? Has his condition worsened again?
Redemberg looked at Ehilie with a sorrowful face.
“Could I have a glass of water… please?”
The desperation in his voice, as if he hadn’t drunk in ages, made her nod quickly.
The faint spark of suspicion died out in the face of his fragile appearance.
Ehilie hurriedly brought water.
“Here.”
“Thank you.”
Redemberg politely accepted the cup and took a sip.
His brows briefly twisted in discomfort.
“Cough! Cough!”
Through his large fingers, a hint of red could be seen.
That is……
It was definitely blood.
* * *
She suspects me,
Redemberg knew Ehilie was suspicious of him.
He also knew that pretending to be weak softened her heart.
Demons were naturally cunning.
Among demons, Redemberg was the most demonic and skillfully exploited human weaknesses.
He acted fragile so that Ehilie wouldn’t suspect him.
So far, his act had worked perfectly.
However, vomiting blood was not part of his plan.
This is……
The moment he drank the water, his insides burned as if on fire.
Poisoned, perhaps?
Feeling his stomach burning, he realized.
Did she notice my true identity and try to kill me?
Holy water was like poison for demons.
Especially for a pure-blood like Redemberg, it was deadly.
Fortunately, having been exposed to holy water since childhood, he could neutralize it with magic.
It was painful, but survivable.
Considering the reason,
Redemberg, known as the ruthless Demon King, could not afford mercy toward a human who tried to harm him.
“Redemberg……!”
Ehilie’s wide blue eyes expanded.
She looked like a frightened rabbit.
No, she’s cuter than a rabbit.
Her white hair swayed down to her waist, tempting his hand.
Redemberg restrained himself with tremendous willpower.
He was the Demon King—he could not lose control of his hand.
“Are you okay?”
Like a perfectly tuned instrument, her lovely voice made his mind waver.
“Why are you suddenly holding my hand……?”
Hand?
Redemberg looked in surprise and saw her fingers interlaced with his.
When did I grab her hand?
After a moment of shock, he focused on the soft texture.
The hand in his was small and delicate.
Are all human girls’ hands this small and soft?
Focusing on the sensation, his hand grew hot.
The divine energy on her skin burned like fire.
Redemberg didn’t mind. The sensation was trivial.
His red eyes darkened with desire as he held the white, delicate hand.
Having neutralized the holy water, his stomach felt hotter than before.
I want to devour it……
Though he had never felt desire for humans before, with Ehilie it surged uncontrollably.
It was different from hunger.
I want to devour it—but not literally in my mouth. Or maybe, I do?
He felt a compulsive urge to touch her pulse-quick neck with his lips.
If he wanted, he could act on it.
Strangely, he could not.
“Ehilie, holding your hand makes me feel a little better. Could you stay like this a bit longer?”
Redemberg suppressed his true nature and continued the act of frailty.
So that she would willingly stay close.
* * *
“Um…… Redemberg. Will I really feel better if we stay like this?”
Ehilie asked cautiously.
Reclining lazily on the bed, Redemberg answered in a languid voice.
“Yes.”
“Then why does your hand feel hotter and hotter?”
Being a demon in contact with a human holding divine power would naturally feel hot.
The skin in contact burned as if on fire.
Still, Redemberg didn’t mind.
He even felt satisfied.
I want to press my whole body against hers, not just my hand.
“It’s fine.”
“Are you really sure?”
“Yes. My hands are naturally a bit warm.”
“Even so…….”
Sensing her doubt, Redemberg smoothly changed the topic.
“Ehilie, how is your family?”
Her family didn’t matter much, but he needed to know just in case.
If her parents had been killed by demons, he could be in trouble later.
“My parents…….”
Her blue eyes blinked slowly.
She hesitated briefly before answering.
“I’m alone. My parents died when I was little, and I have no siblings.”
“How did your parents die?”
“An accident.”
“That’s fortunate.”
“……Yes.”
