***
***
Adelaide nodded her head. As soon as Caladium’s complexion brightened noticeably at her consent, her ignorant voice continued.
“Yes, I need to prepare my heart.”
“If I don’t plan out what to say to Lupinus in advance, I may not be able to say anything when I meet him.” Adelaide added in a serious voice.
Caladium bit his lip in frustration. He gave up and opened his mouth again.
“No, not that… Something else.”
“Huh?”
Caladium glanced at her then raised and lowered his eyebrows, hinting at what he was thinking about. But Adelaide only tilted her head because she still couldn’t understand. He was annoyed as he didn’t know why she was so clueless at times like this.
“Something else?” Adelaide asked and Lisianthus just stood still.
Caladium surrendered and started talking.
“Don’t you think it’s time for your regular feeding?”
“Cause you know, it’s best that you’re strong when you meet him.” He added lamely.
Somehow, he felt a sense of shame about himself.
‘I’m not even a dog in heat, was I too explicit in broad daylight?’
Caladium feared for a moment that she might see him as a beast. But what could he do? It was true.
Although tightly locked in his pants, just being beside Adelaide inflated his appendage’s size from excitement. The pants were wide and the material was quite thick, but if it wasn’t, he would have been treated as a pervert.
Fortunately, Adelaide did not notice his urgent situation. Following Caladium’s advice, she carefully observed her condition. It’s been a while since she had properly absorbed energy, and she even passed out, so the energy level must have gone down exponentially just like he said.
“What.”
Adelaide rolled her eyes and murmured.
‘There is quite a bit more left than I thought.’
Contrary to the expectation that the energy would be on the verge of running out, a moderate amount of energy remained in her body. Adelaide blinked her eyes, wondering if she had ever absorbed energy separately. Then the reason came to mind.
– “What, did you forget me?”
The man’s voice full of hatred and resentment lingered in her ears like a constant ringing, and the rough touch of his kiss that seemed to be nothing more than hunting came to mind.
The situation was so tense that she didn’t notice at the time, but Lupinus’ energy was transmitted through that crude kiss. Since she didn’t decide to absorb it, the absorption rate would have been greatly reduced, but seeing that this much energy still came in, his energy was just as great as Caladium or Lisianthus.
For a moment, her stomach churned. As soon as she became aware of Lupinus’ energy flowing through her body, she remembered when she mistakenly thought she had eaten him. Adelaide pondered as she frowned slightly.
‘Why did you kiss me?’
She could understand why Lupinus hated her, but she couldn’t figure out the reason for the kiss.
She felt guilty, like she had committed an immoral thing by kissing the cute boy. She tried to think on her own, but she couldn’t find an answer. Once they meet again and talk, she would find out.
Adelaide, who concluded this, answered with an awkward smile.
“Yes. It’s time to eat.”
There was still some energy left, but it would run out in no time. It would be best to eat in advance to prevent unexpected hunger.
Perhaps it was because she had vividly faced the memories of her past, she was no longer very reluctant to absorb energy today. In fact, now, she hated getting an empty stomach even more.
“It’s my turn today.”
Caladium spoke as soon as Adelaide had finished speaking.
“Right?”
He looked at her impatiently and rushed to answer her. And before Adelaide could answer, Lisianthus, who had stood ever so gracefully, interrupted in a calm voice.
“What turn? Master can just eat who she wants to eat.”
Caladium’s face contorted. Lisianthus continued with a brazen attitude.
“Of course, it would be better for Master to eat mine rather than the energy of such a rough and crude b*stard.”
“This as**ole…!”
Caladium closed his mouth and looked away. No matter how st*pid he was, he knew that Lisianthus was taunting him on purpose. It also won’t be good for him if he loses his temper. So he clenched his molars and suppressed his anger. He had to use a different strategy to get what he wanted.
“Um, then…”
“Adela.”
Caladium cut her off.
“Do it with me, huh?”
In front of Adelaide, he placed his arm on the table, cupped his face with his hand and tilted his head at an angle. Between the messy red hair, his slyly curved eyes were revealed. Cuteness and sexiness oozed from him as he tied it all up with a smile.
“I’ll do my best.”
“He’s busy today because he has to make furniture and find a place to stay for the demons.” He whispered in a charming voice.
Caladium was showing a lot of aegyo*.
[T/N: Refers to a cute display of affection often expressed through a cute voice, changes to speech, facial expressions, or gestures.]
Oh, the things he does to impress someone. If the Caladium before he met Adelaide saw him right now, he’d probably think of him as an id*ot. But now, as long as he liked Adelaide, there was nothing he couldn’t do, even if it’s aegyo. If he had a tail like Bell, he would have waved and swung it around until it fell off. That was how sincere he was.
“Ehem, hem.”
Adelaide rarely blushed. His trembling face attacked her heart, causing a cough to come out of her mouth.
‘Child, you’re pretty darn good at what you do.’ She admired it in her heart.
It was wonderful to have both beauty and cuteness. Although he didn’t have a very nice personality, this was a different kind of charm.
“Okay, Caladi. Then, after the kids go, please do me the favor.”
Finally! Caladium won Adelaide’s skinship in exchange for flirting with her and throwing away all his pride. Acting cute also worked thanks to Lisianthus’ provoking him. Caladium smiled triumphantly toward Lisianthus. Lisianthus’ pretty face twisted in an instant.
Lisianthus pondered for a while whether to convince her again like Caladium did, but soon accepted the result neatly. Because he knew that Adelaide wouldn’t change her mind. He also felt that, as a dignified intellect, he didn’t want to follow such a frivolous strategy. Because he had his own strategy.
***
That afternoon, after having dinner while sitting on the ground, Adelaide suggested that her demons leave Greenville for a while. The location was a small F-Class dungeon within the Sarman region, which Adelaide had purchased for the purpose of a safe house as per Lisianthus’s advice.
It cost a whopping 10 Almas, but they were already put in danger once so Adelaide paid without hesitation. The Safe House was also essential for the future management of the dungeon.
After a moment’s hesitation, her demons nodded their heads. Their desire to stay in Greenville and help Adelaide was strong, but they did not force it, knowing that they could become an obstacle in the fight against the warrior if they remained.
However, there was one demon who did not accept this and resisted, it was Bell.
“No! I will stay with Adela too!”
Saying this, Bell clung to Adelaide and refused to let go. Adelaide kindly persuaded him, but it didn’t break his stubbornness. Then Caladium came out.
“If you don’t go now, that man will never serve you meat again. You’ll have to live only on vegetables for the rest of your life!”
He pointed to Lisianthus and threatened.
Bell’s face turned white at the thought of not eating meat for the rest of his life. There was no other threat more effective than this for monsters who had been starving for years wandering the streets, and who achieved humanization through passion for meat.
In the end, Bell let go of Adelaide and grabbed a Skeleton’s bony hand.
‘The desire to eat meat is greater than the desire to be with me.’
[T/N: Bell’s status right now: #MeatisLife]
Adelaide stared at the boy who had left her with empty eyes. Bell pretended not to know and avoided her gaze.
After Bell’s change of heart, the time for parting came.
“I’ll call you back soon. Just wait a little while.”
“Yes, we’ll be waiting.”
Adelaide hugged her demons one by one as they left Greenville. The feeling of the Skeleton’s hard bones stabbing her skin hurt a little, but she didn’t care.
“Then, I will be back.”
Lisianthus, who was in charge of leading the way, bowed his head lightly and said farewell. He smiled at Adelaide, turned his head, and gave Caladium a bitter look. He was warning him to do it in moderation.
Caladium skillfully shrugged his shoulders. ‘I’ll do what I want’. He raised his eyebrows and replied in his mind.
The Greenville dungeon, where everyone left, was quiet and empty. Adelaide stared at the portal where they disappeared with a sad expression on her face. She already missed them.
“Adela. Come, let’s go to the room.”
“Yeah, we should…”
As she replied, she couldn’t take her eyes off them. If she was left alone like that, she would have stayed staring all night long. Caladium let out a short sigh, then lifted her up.
“Kyaa!”
“If my Master finds it difficult to walk, I will take you there myself.”
Caladium spoke slyly as if it were a game. Adelaide did not rebel, she closed her eyes and left her body in his hands. She herself knew that staying in the living room meant nothing.
Caladium entered Adelaide’s room and laid her down on her bed without turning the lights on. Adelaide only opened her eyes after she felt the touch of a soft pillow behind her head.
She could feel his gaze in the still darkness. His face was not far away.
“… You’re not turning the lights on?”
“Do you like the lights on?”
[T/N: Kyaa! What are you asking! *slaps Caladium’s back two times]
Caladium asked with a smile. His expression was playful, but the lust within his silver-gray eyes was clearly visible. Adelaide did not ask what he was doing. Even an ignorant woman like her knew what he was talking about.
“… Can I do it?”
He asked, firmly positioned on top of Adelaide. It was very sensual to see him skillfully untying the straps of his shirt with one hand. Adelaide reflexively swallowed her saliva, checking his muscles that were nicely revealed through the gap in his open shirt. She slowly nodded her head. With her fingers, she gently touched his forearm. It meant permission.
That small gesture was insanely stimulating for Caladium. He bit his molars tightly, suppressing his impatience. Then he slowly lowered his head.
Tok. Their lips touched very carefully.
‘F*ck…’
Caladium spat out a curse in his mind. He was already going crazy just from their lips touching. Her body, which came into his hand, was so soft that it was doubtful that it was the same demon. The scent that lingered on the tip of his nose was er*tic and enchanting. He wanted to be as gentle as possible, but this was too intense for that.
In the end, unable to overcome the temptation, he desperately pursued his desire.