Chapter 2

Austin's hair was soaked with sweat. His eyes were tightly shut, his brow furrowed with visible strain.

I couldn't help but crouch beside the bed and reach out to touch his feverish forehead.

The moment my hand made contact, the tension in his face seemed to ease. The dark, scale-like patterns that had flushed across his skin began to fade, melting back into his usual cool, pale complexion—somehow both distant and unfairly sensual.

Once recovered, Austin shot me a fierce glare. "What are you doing in my bed?"

Curious, I asked, "Why do you keep getting these fevers?"

"Iris," he snapped, his voice sharp with irritation, "do not enter my room without permission."

I was about to climb off the bed when I suddenly caught his inner thoughts.

'Don't ask me why I keep getting fevers! Why is Iris so cute?!'

I was stunned speechless.

Outwardly, Austin's expression remained icy. But on the inside, he sounded like a whimpering puppy.

'It's bad enough I'm in my sensitive phase while sharing a house with her… and she keeps accidentally triggering my heat! Stop fantasizing. A goddess like her is only here for the money. There's no way she actually likes me! …Hehe, but Iris touched me. Get a grip, Austin! You're only going to get hurt! …Still… her hand smells so good… my sweet, sweet wife…'

I was shocked.

…

I tried to reason with him calmly. "Do you need my help?"

When Austin spoke, his tone was still glacial. "No."

I glanced down at his tail, which was coiled tightly around my thigh. "But your body seems to disagree."

Outwardly, he stayed stubborn. "It's just a biological response. It doesn't mean anything!"

Internally, he was a storm of despair.

'Damn this tail! I'm going to chop you off! Mince you and feed you to the dogs! I've worked so hard to act like I hate her… so why won't my body listen?! Are incubi just destined to be toys for humans?! I will never be a slave! …Waaah, incubi tails are so ugly. Will Iris think I'm disgusting…?'

I was once again, struck speechless. Who said it was disgusting? I actually found it quite adorable.

"Look," I said gently. "Your little tail won't let go of me."

To prove the point, I gave it a soft stroke. "And the heart-shaped tip is perfectly formed. Look how it sways—so lively."

Austin looked composed on the surface, but on the inside, he'd short-circuited.

'Ahhh, who's the real succubus here?! Honey, stop seducing me! …Vision blurring… consciousness fading…'

…

Who would've thought a top-tier incubus could be this pure and easily flustered?

I quickly moved to jump off the bed—forgetting my leg was still tangled in his tail.

With one sharp tug, I tumbled straight into his arms. My lips brushed against his Adam's apple just as his hand landed squarely on my breast.

Austin's heartbeat roared in my ears:

'What a masterful move! Who could resist a beauty throwing herself at them? Wait—why can't I cover it with one hand?!'

I shoved him away hard. "Pervert!"

I was cursing his thoughts, but Austin misunderstood.

He straightened up, expression stern. "Iris, drop the clumsy tricks."

I was confused. "What?"

"I said I won't touch you, and I meant it. Stop wasting your effort. Get out."

Furious, I scrambled off the bed, slammed the door behind me, and stormed out without looking back.

'Stubborn, self-righteous jerk. Go explode on your own,' I fumed.

…

I didn't know how Austin finally dealt with it, but at least he made it to breakfast.

Over the table, I couldn't help asking, "If your heat cycle is this painful… why not just get neutered?"

Austin was in the middle of cutting into a completely raw steak. The moment he heard me, his knife shrieked against the plate. He looked up, his face dark. "Iris… what's your level of education?"

I didn't realize this sharp-tongued bastard was mocking me, so I answered honestly, "I couldn't afford tuition. I only made it halfway through freshman year before taking leave."

"Which university?"

I told him.

Austin's mind experienced a magnitude-ten earthquake.

'Axie University?! Iris is my alumna?! With that background, she still got into Axie University? Then what does that make me? I barely scraped in with endless private tutors!

So he put on his elitist act again. "High society values academic credentials. You haven't studied enough."

My heart sank. He wouldn't… be thinking of returning me, would he?