The devil's lips were scorchingly hot, feeling as if a coin heated by fire was pressing against her skin. In her dazed mind, Lillian thought it was as if he was branding her.
It wasn't a wrong guess. Indeed, Salreos was imprinting a soul mark on his contractor. A red mark settled behind Lillian’s pale earlobe, resembling a small rose at a glance. The moment it took its place behind her ear, Lillian slowly felt her consciousness fading.
‘Ah… I can't hold on any longer.’
Her exhausted body pleaded for rest as she drifted into sleep. It had certainly been an extraordinary day. She had killed her father, Herbert, summoned a devil using his corpse, and then engaged in an intensely beautiful yet draining encounter with a man.
All of this accumulated in Lillian’s body, in Chae Soyeon’s soul, as a crippling fatigue. She breathed deeply and fell asleep.
“Hey. You're not falling asleep, are you?”
Somewhere a husky voice filled with desire seemed to call out to her. However, Lillian paid no heed and willingly sank into a swamp of sleep.
Her first night after committing murder was tumultuous. Herbert’s dead spirit seemed to clutch at her ankles and wail. Or at least, he tried to. But with his skull crushed, his mouth couldn’t form the words, not even his habitual cursing.
Lillian clenched her legs and struggled to shake off the bleeding Herbert. But her body wouldn’t move as she willed. Losing her balance, she fell to the ground. Then, Herbert, with his stiff limbs, climbed on top of her and began to strangle her.
“No...! Let go… ah…!!”
Lillian flailed desperately to throw him off. Through her blurry vision, she also saw Enrique’s face, looking stern with his arms crossed.
“What a disappointment, Knight Lillian! To think you were a murderer of your own father!”
No, it was an accident! Lillian reached out toward Enrique. She wanted to ask for help, but couldn’t speak as she was being strangled. Only a wheezing sound escaped her slightly parted lips.
It was at this moment of agony in her nightmare that her body suddenly felt lifted, and her breath cleared.
“Ha, hah! Huuh…”
Tears streamed down as she gasped for air. Someone was patting her back and holding her flailing hands. Their hand was slightly warmer than normal body temperature, bringing her back to reality.
Only then did Lillian realize she had awoken from the nightmare and looked at the owner of the hand. Expecting Salreos, she was surprised to see Enrique instead.
“Commander Enrique Evans?”
Still dazed and affected by the nightmare, Lillian looked up at his shining silver hair and asked. Enrique leaned down and tenderly kissed her eyelid.
“Yes, Soyeon. It’s me. Relax. You just had a bad dream.”
Enrique spoke with a concerned expression as he comforted her. Still half asleep, Lillian stared at him in a daze. Unlike the figure who had scorned her in her dream, he was exceedingly gentle.
‘What’s he doing here?’
Was this another dream? Lillian couldn’t make sense of it all. Her gaze sharpened after a moment of confusion. Narrowing her eyes, she scrutinized Enrique and blurted out.
“Are you… not Salreos?”
“Oh. Caught on, have you?”
A crooked smile suddenly spread across Enrique's proper face. Simultaneously, his lustrous silver hair turned into a fiery red, and his refined features morphed into a seductive form. Finally, his purple eyes swiftly changed into a captivating golden hue. With a flirtatious glint in his eyes, Salreos asked.
“How did you know? My transformation was perfect.”
Drained of any further surprise, Lillian just looked at him with a weary eye.
“You called me Soyeon. Only Salreos knows my real name here.”
It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t entirely the truth either. Soyeon knew that devils had the ability to shape-shift. In the original story, the devil Iphos who contracted with Aleina had transformed several times. Therefore, it was reasonable to assume that Salreos, being a devil of the same kind, could do so as well.
Iphos, proud of his beauty, seldom used his shape-shifting ability, being a devil utterly wrapped in narcissism. Fortunately, Salreos didn’t seem to be that type.
“Ah, indeed… the name of this body was ‘Lillian Rosetti’, wasn’t it?”
Muttering, Salreos pulled her close and buried his face in her nape. The warmth of his breath made the fine hairs on her neck stand on end. Pressing his lips against that soft fuzz, Salreos murmured.
“Was the memory of your first murder intense? I still smell the fear and guilt on you. It’s something I quite enjoy.”
Of course, you would. Lillian internally scoffed, feeling a strong urge to push him away, but she still found him somewhat frightening. After all, Salreos was capricious and cruel, typical of devilkind. While he might not kill his contractor on a whim, his mood could change unpredictably.
To ease the tension, Lillian deliberately threw a light question.
“So, how do you know about Enrique, and why did you transform into him?”
“His name is Enrique? I saw his face in your mind; he’s quite handsome. Do you like him?”
Ignoring his absurd question, Lillian noticed something odd in Salreos’s words.
“…Did you rummage through my memories while I was asleep?”
A chill ran down Lillian’s spine. If that were true, Salreos might have discovered that this world was from a novel. What then? Could it cause a collapse of the universe?
Just then, Salreos looked up from her nape. His golden eyes, framed by red lashes, were chillingly beautiful. Fortunately, his response was quite reassuring.
“No. I merely peeked into your dreams. Unless a contractor permits, I cannot rummage through memories on my own.”
“Oh. Okay.”
That was somewhat relieving. But to think he watched her nightmare and then played a trick by transforming into Enrique! What a perverse hobby. Suddenly disinclined to continue talking, Lillian responded tersely.
Salreos chuckled at her chilly profile and spoke leisurely.
“While you were asleep last night, I took care of the body. I assure you, even if a god manifested, he wouldn’t find even a fingernail of that fellow.”
Only then did Lillian remember Herbert’s corpse and winced. She had momentarily forgotten about the aftermath of the murder, surprised at her own carelessness. Reflecting on this unfamiliar aspect of herself, Lillian muttered.
“I don’t understand what’s happening to me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just, I feel strange about myself. Ever since I came here, I… haven’t been like before. Sometimes, I feel as if I’ve become someone else. And then yesterday, I even killed a person.”
As Lillian spoke, distressed, she clasped her head. Salreos watched her struggle with curiosity and said.
“It’s not strange. It’s because of the remnants of sentiment in that body.”
“What do you mean?”
“The original owner of that body, didn’t she lead a rather difficult life? The body is filled with negative energy. Traces of a soul that endured pain. Perfectly aged prey for a devil.”
Lillian gaped at his unexpected explanation. Indeed, as Salreos said, the original Lillian had been responsible for her father’s messes and effectively ran the Rosetti household. Her diligent nature prevented her from abandoning her responsibilities and running away. She steadfastly held her ground, served as a knight, and was exploited until she was meant to die as a mere side character for the heroine.
And to think that Lillian’s sentiments were still lingering in the body. It made sense why she had felt an urge to flee upon seeing Herbert for the first time. Maybe even this emotion was a dark intent originally harbored by Lillian.
Salreos’s explanation supported her suspicion.
“Well, as you see, that body seems quite fond of you. It’s thrilled that you’ve committed acts it never could. It’s a good match, so to speak.”
Lillian looked at his smiling face with mixed feelings, confused whether this was a good development. When she killed Herbert, had the real Lillian’s spirit been watching and rejoicing somewhere? The thought made her feel odd.
At least it was fortunate that Salreos had handled the body properly. But there were still several nagging doubts. Frowning and deep in thought, Lillian asked.
“Salreos, can you also transform into my father’s appearance?”
“Of course.”
Lying on the sheet, he propped his chin and smiled brilliantly. Transformed into a human, he seemed to smile more often. Grateful that her eyes weren’t dazzled before she could look away from his face, Lillian spoke.
“Then, could you… if it’s not too much to ask, could you wander around the village as my father in a few days?”
Lillian planned to use his shape-shifting ability to create a sort of alibi. Her father, having had a severe argument with his daughter, suddenly goes missing. To anyone, it would seem Lillian was the culprit!
Feeling the need to manipulate the timing of her father’s disappearance in case of suspicion, Lillian thought it necessary. However, Salreos didn’t respond to her request.