Dagger to the Heart

On our wedding night, I happily drank the wine Cain Liebert offered me and felt my strength leave me in an instant.As I collapsed limply on the bed, Cain remained expressionless. He put down his glass and reached for my clothes.The tips of his fingers were icy, leaving me shuddering.Presuming this was the consummation rule, I did not resist, even giggling, "Do you have to be so impatient? I'm finally marrying you…"Cain glanced at me but quickly looked away in guilt as he tore my clothes open.I couldn't help flushing as I felt the coolness of my chest.Before embarrassment sank in, however, I watched as he drew out a small dagger.The pheromones in the air seemed to vaporize as my smile stiffened, and sweat started trickling down my brow.I was all too familiar with that dagger—it pierced my chest nine times before, extracting my precious heartblood.I grabbed Cain's hand and tried to push myself up right then, but couldn't find the strength.All I could do was exclaim in

Cain had stolen my ten drops of heartblood and given them to Yvette.In other words, I had saved Yvette's life ten times without even knowing what she looked like.Descending upon the mortal realm, I found the cottage that Cain had once described to me.That was the first time I saw her—a woman in her forties, taking out the laundry. She had wrinkles lining the corner of her eyes, dressed in tweed clothes. She looked ordinary.However, she was also brimming with vigor, and there was no hint that death was looming for her—my heartblood must have worked wonders.I stood outside, watching for a long while until I saw Cain stepping out of the cottage.Dressed in all-white, there was a smile on his picturesquely handsome face as he dropped to a crouch, taking the laundry from her as he spoke gently, "I'll do it. You get some rest."Yvette caught his hand, speaking in a melodious voice despite her age, "No, you don't know this stuff. You rest. I'll cook after I'm done here."Cain sig

Once Xerxes took me to the demonic realm, the demon lord restored me to my consciousness with just a wave of his hand.It was only then that I was told that when Xerxes meant he would save me, he also meant another century's worth of servitude to the demon lord.I also learned that he was a demihuman in the first place, and had no place in the world.It was the demon lord who had changed the very essence of Xerxes' being, and he became a cultist who served as his sword for three centuries.According to Xerxes, the demon lord didn't lack followers—but loyal followers like Xerxes were rare.It hadn't been easy to serve the demon lord for three centuries, but he had the misfortune to run into me, and now had to serve another century for no good reason.I watched as the demon lord's myriad colors banner flap violently overhead, a sight that left me restless right away.On the other hand, the demon lord merely glanced at me and knew. "She needs a new heart, or there's no saving her."

Moments later, Cain kissed me on the lips, leaving a sweet taste before aiming his dagger squarely on my chest.I thought the sweet taste was yet another mystic item, but it was just plain honey.His hands were shaking as he was afraid to look me in the eye, the bloody cavity on his chest heaving as he rasped feebly, "Just hold on, Crystal…"I had been stabbed in the chest ten times, and I was used to it this time. Cain moved quickly and steadily cut through my chest despite his shaking hands, not leaving much flesh or blood.Soon, he chanted an incantation which protected both hearts, and swapped their places.When his heart entered my chest, my whole body shuddered, and my head suddenly felt clear.As my chest rapidly closed itself, I suddenly realized that things I didn't understand before were abruptly clear.Beside me, Cain put my Bleeding Heart that was beating relatively slowly into his chest.With that done, he dropped limply to the floor, not having even the strength