Chapter 14: Sinking
Nelly’s only skill: a 0.01% chance to deal 150% of the target’s health in damage.
Unfortunately, reality fell within the 99.9%.
But she seemed prepared. Taking advantage of Karsus’s momentary stiffness, she snatched the dagger from his waist and drew it across her own neck.
Better to die than to be entangled like this. Maybe, by some twist of fate, she could go home.
The young man’s cool fingers closed around her wrist with astonishing force. But the sharp blade had already sliced a deep gash in her neck, and blood splattered on his face.
Amidst the sharp pain, Nelly wanted to laugh. At least I spent three months in medical school. I found the carotid artery quite accurately.
Dizziness from blood loss washed over her. The last thing she saw was Karsus’s ruby-like eyes, widened slightly in what looked like alarm.
She thought, His Majesty the psycho Demon King is showing an expression other than a smile or a deadpan for the first time.
※
In a daze, Nelly clearly felt a dull pain in her neck. The pain was strangely warm, coming and going in waves, making her wonder in her confusion why she wasn’t dead yet.
Something was being fed into her mouth. She subconsciously tried to close her lips, but the fingers holding her chin continued their action, refusing to be defied. A warm liquid slid over her tongue, down her throat, and into her stomach.
It was the taste of red tea.
Nelly jolted, as if she had instantly sobered up. She tried her best to open her eyes. Her vision was blurry, but she could still make out the face of the person in front of her—Karsus.
What is he doing?
An unprecedented fear surged up like a high tide during a full moon. Nelly coughed a few times, trying in vain to spit out the red tea. But it was too late. She could feel the tea already taking effect.
First, a warmth that could melt one’s heart spread from her stomach throughout her body, making her feel lazy, unwilling to move. This sensation crept up the tail of her thoughts, and with a brutish tug, her consciousness began to blur. The warmth was like a pair of strong hands, gently stroking her, and all the waves of unwilling resistance were like the wrinkles in a silk garment, smoothed out softly, leaving no trace.
The brown-haired girl blinked, her gaze gradually settling on Karsus. She murmured, “Kal?”
A tender smile played on Karsus’s lips, but the curve didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m here.”
Nelly’s eyes widened, their color as clear as an autumn sky. With a bewildered expression, she stammered, “What… what happened to me?” She struggled to raise her hand to touch her neck, and flinched at the pain from the wound.
“There was an accident. You were injured.” Karsus’s expression didn’t change, but the smooth, blade-like coldness in his eyes gradually softened. He placed one hand on Nelly’s waist, his lips pressing against the wound that had just stopped bleeding. He blew a breath of air on it, then looked up slightly, his words exceptionally ambiguous. “But it’s alright.”
As he spoke, he ran his tongue lightly over the edge of the wound a few times before calmly reciting an incantation. The wound immediately began to heal at a visible rate.
The gash, which had been a bloody mess just a moment ago, was replaced by tender, new pink skin in the blink of an eye.
Nelly was dazed, her breathing slightly ragged, her voice hoarse. “You…”
Karsus lowered his eyes and smiled, speaking softly and lightly, “Well then, let’s take care of the wound here.”
He knelt on one knee, took off Nelly’s shoes and socks, and his cool fingers touched her swollen ankle, pressing gently.
Nelly gasped, her voice soft and muffled. “It hurts…”
The black-haired young man looked up at her from under his bangs. A bewitching smile was in his charming eyes, and his tone was persuasive, but because his words were too restrained, it sounded a little sinister. “Afraid of pain? Then you’re never allowed to leave here again.”
“I… I understand…” Nelly said, frowning, as if she felt something was wrong.
Seeing this, the deep red in Karsus’s eyes swirled more intensely. He lowered his head, his expression hidden, but his fingers began to rub and press her ankle again, while he recited a profound incantation.
Nelly clutched her skirt, staring at the top of Karsus’s head. She bit her lip to suppress a muffled groan, looking utterly helpless.
After a brief, sharp pain, the ache gradually disappeared.
Karsus suddenly stood up, bent down, and swept Nelly up into his arms. Without a word, he turned and walked toward the inner room.
Nelly rested her head on his chest and asked in a small voice, “Is this Kal’s room?”
“Mhm,” Karsus gave a single-syllable reply, glanced at her expressionlessly, and said calmly, “From today on, it’s Nelly’s room too.”
“But… but…” A blush appeared on Nelly’s cheeks, but her words were cut off before she could even begin.
“Nelly must be tired, right?”
Nelly trembled for some reason and snuggled into Karsus’s arms, her voice muffled. “Mhm.”
Karsus lowered his eyes and smiled faintly, looking down at her. His expression was focused and fond, but so intense it was beyond the realm of common sense. It was as if he wanted to use his gaze to draw a line around her, cut her out, and treasure her in his heart, completely preventing anyone else from even touching her with their eyes. He walked to the canopied bed in the inner chamber and carefully set Nelly down.
The girl’s soft brown hair spread out behind her. Her slightly messy bangs half-covered a pair of bewildered blue eyes. She subconsciously went to bite her lip, but Karsus stopped her with the pad of his finger. He then slowly caressed her lips, tracing their outline.
Nelly was so embarrassed she tried to turn her face away, but Karsus held her chin with just the right amount of force and said flatly, “May I kiss you?”
He didn’t wait for her answer before putting his words into action.
First, it was a simple touch of their lips, from light to heavy, from slow to urgent, meticulously sweeping over every inch of her lips, declaring possession in the gentlest way. After a moment of this, Karsus paused, his hands propped on either side of Nelly’s face. He looked down at her, his expression tender, but his deep red eyes held a gleam as dazzling and cold as the back of a blade.
The gaze was cold and sharp, piercing straight into the dazed girl’s heart, making her shrink back and resist in a small voice, “I… I’m tired.”
Karsus’s fingertips sank deep into the soft bedding. He leaned down wordlessly, and this time, it was no longer a gentle caress, but a slightly malicious nibbling of Nelly’s lips.
Before long, Nelly’s lips felt swollen and sore. She opened her mouth, but her words of protest were crushed before they could be formed. The wanton assault sent waves of electric-like tremors through her. She wanted to struggle, but the moment she raised her hands, they were pinned down. As if that wasn’t enough, Karsus’s fingers laced tightly with hers, and as his movements deepened, their palms would sometimes meet, sometimes part. The rhythm was like a dance.
His hands and lips were still cool, but tiny flames sparked wherever they touched.
She turned her head to the side, trying to escape, to get away from the fire that was being forcefully lit from the outside, but there was nowhere to run. He was sealed against her, giving her no room to breathe. In this almost suffocating entanglement, her strength was smothered within her body and burned away along with her consciousness.
The girl’s cheeks were flushed, and she was panting heavily. The collar of her white shirt rose and fell, and her sky-blue necktie was a mess.
The demon king who looked like a young boy lowered his long, feminine lashes, casting a shadow over his eyes, making them look like dark red velvet, smooth and alluring. His eyes reflected a version of her, her blue dress and necktie melting into the red, looking soft and powerless. He leaned in closer, bit by bit, a fire in his eyes. The heat made his usually cool voice a few degrees deeper. He said hoarsely, “Nelly, you are mine.”
Like a seal, he touched her lips, the words he spoke having the cadence of a spell. “Here.”
He brushed aside her bangs and kissed her smooth forehead. “Here.”
He traced the line of the wound the dagger had made, his lips gently brushing against her neck. “Here.”
He followed the curve of her neck downward. His fingers, as white as marble, elegantly untied her necktie, pulling the sky-blue silk ribbon free. The pad of his finger tapped on a button, then deftly released the pearl button from its hole. One, two, three.
He stopped at the hollow of her collarbone, his breath imprinting on her skin. “And here.”
Nelly was a little flustered, stammering, “Kal…”
But at that moment, his other hand slid over her bare foot, following its curve up to her knee. His fingers disappeared into the fluffy, wave-like azure skirt. He raised his eyes slightly, the corners of his eyes tilting up, causing the shimmering, blood-like bright color in them to ripple. The smile on his lips was seductive and coy. “And here.”
“No…”
Resistance was futile.
“Here.”
“Stop… stop…”
Objection was futile.
Karsus’s charming voice sounded low in her ear. “All of it is mine.”
In front of him, everything outside of his will was futile. All Nelly could do was sink with her senses, sink all the way to the very bottom.
It was cold and dark there, but the surface churned endlessly, beating in waves.