12. I’ll Show You More of What You Want
The one who had taken control of Elise’s mind slowly rose and sat on the bed. Sitting there, she looked like the Elise Demon knew—but her eye color was different. With black eyes, she was still incredibly beautiful. Compared to her golden eyes, her gaze somehow felt more alluring. Instead of the pure expression she usually had, her face—smiling faintly with a seductive eye-smile—was lethal.
The master of the curse seemed very satisfied, wearing a pleased expression. Her moist, glistening red lips parted. Through Elise’s mouth, the master of the curse was attempting to speak. Demon clenched his teeth tightly and glared at her.
“Ahh! As expected, this body is truly beautiful.”
She ran Elise’s eyes over her own body, and with Elise’s hands, she traced the curves of her figure.
“Stop. Who do you think you’re touching?”
Demon growled like an enraged beast.
“What? I’m just touching my own body with my own hands.”
She spoke with Elise’s face and voice, but everything about her—except her appearance—was not Elise.
“Ah! Don’t tell me… you were expecting these hands to touch you instead of me?”
“Hahaha.” She threw her head back and laughed brightly. Her long, pale neck was fully exposed.
“Right. A man wouldn’t be able to resist this body.”
That’s how beautiful Elise was. She rose from the bed and approached Demon. Her gaze settled around his chest area. Then she looked up at him from a slight angle and said,
“Move.”
“You cannot leave this room.”
“Is that so?”
She lifted her long, slender fingers and adjusted the buttons on Demon’s shirt.
“Then I’ll have to defeat you to get out.”
Words that did not belong to Elise flowed from her mouth. Soon, Elise’s hands began unbuttoning Demon’s shirt one by one. His eyebrows twitched.
“Don’t do something you’ll regret.”
“Regret? Not in the slightest.”
The one who had taken over Elise’s mind was stripping Demon’s clothes. Her soft, white hands pushed open his collar and slipped inside, tracing over his firm, sculpted shoulders and chest.
For the usual Elise, this would have been completely unthinkable. Her small white hands slid downward, brushing past his broad chest and then across his defined abdomen with her palm. Just as her hand was about to move lower—
Snap! Demon grabbed both of Elise’s hands and slammed her body onto the bed.
“I did warn you.”
Demon spoke to the being beyond her eyes. Elise’s black eyes curved seductively.
Roan abruptly stood up. A message delivered from one of his subordinates stationed at the Grand Duke’s estate was clutched in his hand. Although night was falling, he had to head there immediately.
“Your Majesty? Where are you going at this hour?”
He ran into Psyche, who had just entered his office with tea.
“I must go to the Grand Duke’s residence.”
“At this hour? By the time you arrive, it will be late at night…”
Interrupting the Empress, Roan said,
“It doesn’t matter. I must go now. Step aside.”
His face was flushed with overwhelming anger, his body trembling.
“What has happened to make you so emotional? Please calm yourself first.”
“Elise may be in danger. Do not stop me, Empress.”
“….”
Roan brushed past Psyche and headed for the door.
“Your Majesty, you must not go.”
Psyche hurriedly grabbed his arm.
“Let go!”
“Your Majesty, is Elise perhaps under black magic?”
Those words made Roan freeze. How did she know that?
“Only Demon and I should know that!”
“How do you know that?”
Roan’s blue eyes glared at her fiercely.
“If you go, you will only interfere.”
Black magic is a technique that takes control of the victim’s mind. If the mind is already fully dominated, the only way to expel the caster is to subject the body to pain and force the caster out.
“If it’s Demon, he could use his magic to break the spell or drive the black mage out—but could you, in your fragile state, bear to watch Elise suffer?”
He could not.
“Would it not be fortunate if you didn’t end up stopping Demon from harming Elise out of shock?”
Psyche knew better than anyone how Roan felt about Elise.
“Do you have the confidence to watch Elise suffer in pain?”
“….”
As she expected, Roan could not answer. He should not go to the Grand Duke’s estate now. Even setting aside her personal feelings, as his wife, she did not want her husband to go.
But she spoke not as a woman trying to keep her husband from a rival, but as the Empress.
“If you wish to save Elise from the curse, you must endure and wait for now.”
That was her nature.
“….”
Roan knew Psyche was right, but he felt as though his blood was flowing backward. Whether Elise was suffering in pain or being mentally shaken by a kiss with Demon—he hated all of it. Every time he received reports of what happened to Elise, it felt like his heart was being torn apart.
His face twisted grotesquely with pain and rage.
“Your Majesty, do you remember the day Elise collapsed?”
Psyche’s sudden question made Roan’s eyes widen as he regained his composure.
“Are you about to confess that was your doing?”
“What are you saying?”
“…Too much.”
“I was not originally going to tell you this now, but since you are so worried, I thought it might help.”
“What do you mean? Explain.”
“On the day Elise collapsed, did you not ask me whether I knew the reason?”
That was true. When he rushed to Elise that day, he had asked Psyche if she had any involvement.
“You also said you wanted to explain yourself after seeking my permission regarding why Elise collapsed, correct?”
“Yes. I remember.”
Could she be saying she now knows the reason Elise collapsed that day?
“Do you know why?”
Could she have discovered that there was a spy within the palace?
“I know who the spy in the palace is.”
“What!”
Not only did she know there was a spy—she had found the one even Roan could not locate. He was stunned.
“Who is it? Tell me immediately!”
Looking at his burning blue eyes, Psyche spoke.
“That person is currently at the Grand Duke’s residence.”
“…What?”
At that moment, Roan realized he had himself sent both Elise and the spy to the Grand Duke’s estate. The one who had cast the curse on Elise and intended to harm her was now beside her.
“You need not worry too much.”
“Is that supposed to reassure me? That this is helpful?”
Roan was dumbfounded.
“It seems the Grand Duke of Cremian has already noticed.”
“…!”
Roan was at a loss for words.
Demon looked down at Elise beneath him. With black eyes, she lay there calmly, both hands held by Demon, gazing up at him. His black hair fell forward, obscuring his red eyes, but the crimson glow in them could not be hidden.
Seeing that, Elise with black eyes smiled knowingly.
“Hm~ You look just like a starving beast.”
If it were the usual Demon, he would have had no hesitation in using his magic to break the spell, as he had no personal feelings toward Elise. She was merely the Emperor’s concubine, and he wouldn’t care at all about the pain she might endure. But now, Demon had developed different feelings toward Elise—and the one controlling her body could clearly see that.
The black mage who had cast the spell knew exactly what Demon felt toward Elise. And because of that, Demon could not bring himself to attack her.
“Poor Demon.”
Elise with black eyes spoke teasingly.
“Why don’t you just take this body as you please and then let me go? Wouldn’t that benefit both sides?”
She was openly revealing her intentions. Demon desired Elise. No man could resist such beauty. Therefore, Demon would eventually do as she wished.
“After all, Elise can never truly be yours, can she?”
She belongs to Roan. So work with me—indulge in her as much as you want, and afterward, I will take her. Her thoughts were almost audible without being spoken.
“That’s nonsense.”
Demon’s expression and tone did not change.
“Ah! So that’s still not enough?”
Elise with black eyes slowly bent one leg upward. As she moved, her clothing rode up, exposing her long, pale leg.
“You want this, don’t you, Demon Cremian? Just be honest and do as you wish.”
Don’t hold back. Go on—
“….”
Seeing that Demon remained silent, she used both of Elise’s restrained hands to begin undoing the front of her clothing.
“Let go of these hands. I’ll show you more of what you want.”
Ha… he had been trying to endure, but… Demon finally spoke.
“I can’t stand by any longer. I already warned you.”
At that moment, powerful magic flowed through Demon’s hands into Elise’s body.
ZZZZT!
“Aaaah!!”
A flash of light and a piercing scream erupted from Elise’s body. Demon intensified the flow of his magic.
“H-how are you doing this! Kyaaah!!”
Under the continued assault, Elise began to struggle.
“Stop! Please stop!”
Demon’s brow furrowed as he continued releasing his power.
“How can this be…? Didn’t you… take a liking to this body?”
Kyaaah! Demon’s red eyes burned even brighter. He had already unleashed a significant amount of magic. Any more might seriously damage Elise’s body.
‘Please! Hang in there, Elise!’
As Elise beneath him writhed in pain, Demon’s expression twisted harshly.
At that moment—
“D-Demon…”
Elise’s tear-streaked eyes suddenly turned golden again.
“!”
Demon’s red eyes widened. Those were Elise’s true eyes.
“Kiss… me.”
A cunning and vicious opponent. One who ruthlessly exploited the weakest points of others. Demon stared at the being behind Elise’s eyes with a cold, terrifying gaze. Then he unleashed his magic once more with greater force.
“AAAAAAAH!”
Overwhelmed by the pain, Elise’s body arched upward like a bow before collapsing limply beneath Demon, unconscious. At last, the black mage was expelled from her body.
