Chapter 4

Through a haze, I heard Lucien's voice.

"I thought she approached me with ulterior motives," he said hoarsely. "I never imagined she was sincere enough to take an arrow for me."

There was so much guilt in his voice that I almost felt embarrassed.

The truth was far less noble. I had moved on instinct to protect my newly acquired meal. If Lucien died, I would starve all over again.

Unfortunately, the arrow from the holy orders carried a vicious poison. Several times I tried to wake, but my body would not obey.

Lucien was close. His curse was close. If he had only touched me, even a little, I might have recovered faster.

Yet he refused to come near, probably afraid of harming me.

I had no choice but to endure the hunger and sink back into darkness.

When I woke again, it was because of pain.

Something sharp stabbed into me again and again.

I forced my eyes open and heard Elodie's voice, low and furious.

"I tried three times and failed every time. Why did you get his favor the moment you arrived? I refuse to believe it. You must be hiding something from me. We were supposed to be best friends. How could you keep this from me?"

I stared in disbelief.

Elodie was stabbing needles into me.

The pain, oddly enough, cleared the poison fog in my head. I sat up and seized her wrist just as the door opened.

Lucien stepped in.

"What is happening?"

Elodie's face changed. Seeing she had been exposed, she shouted, "She is pretending! She approached you on purpose. Do not believe her!"

Lucien looked at her. "Then will you replace her and solve my curse?"

He took a single step toward Elodie. She immediately trembled, blood rising in her throat. She could not withstand even his nearness.

Yet she turned to me, eyes full of tears. "Camille, I am doing this for you. I am risking my life to warn you. No ordinary woman can survive him."

I calmly pulled the needles out of my skin and ignored her performance.

Lucien came closer. His eyes softened. "You saved me. What reward do you want?"

A huge smile spread across my face.

"I want Your Majesty to ravish me until I forget my own name."

Even the Demon King, who had ruled the dark court for years, was silenced by that.

Then he laughed.

"You truly like me?"

"Of course."

He was poison to others and nourishment to me. How could I not like him?

"Fine," he said. "I grant it."

Elodie suddenly lunged forward.

"Your Majesty, I am the one who truly loves you. I can endure your curse for you."

But the moment her fingers brushed Lucien's sleeve, she shook as if she had touched lightning.

Lucien flicked her away with disgust.

"You would betray your friend just to compete with her. Why should I believe you?"

Elodie collapsed.

I, meanwhile, was already counting down the minutes until night.

When Lucien left, I called after him, "Can I come early?"

This time he laughed softly, finally believing I was truly interested in him.

"Of course. Come find me."

With those words, I waited until he had gone and slipped over early.

The moment I pushed open the door, I saw him behind a thin curtain, the full force of his demonic true form barely concealed.

His dragon body was powerful, marked with black scales.

I stared with my mouth open.

His pupils narrowed.

"What?" he said. "Now that you have seen my true form, you cannot keep pretending? It is too late to regret coming here."