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Join the ServerConfronted by the sudden, bewildering sight, Qiaolun instinctively reached out, attempting to cradle the small feet in his hands.
“Help me, please, help me.”
‘Why did that voice sound so strangely familiar?’
They were clearly a girl’s feet; surely she hadn’t accidentally tumbled down. The occupant of the room directly above him was…
The person’s height prevented them from standing securely on the railing, yet directly grabbing her calves felt unduly impolite.
Left with no other recourse, Qiaolun extended both hands, positioning them beneath her soles, ready to offer support.
Only after cautiously testing the man’s palms with her feet did she release her grip, her slender form swaying gently in the evening breeze.
“Careful!”
Despite her seemingly light weight, Qiaolun remained deeply concerned she might lose her footing and plunge downwards, especially considering they were over a hundred meters above the ground.
“Hm? Black nails?”
In the faint candlelight of the balcony, Qiaolun discerned the peculiar dark hue of the soft, small feet, a color that instantly brought to mind a particular individual—or rather, a certain demon.
Qiaolun lifted his gaze, and there, bathed in the moonlight, was the subtly shimmering expanse of pink hair.
“Yunajin?” Qiaolun uttered her name, almost an unconscious reflex.
“Eh?!”
A flicker of surprise crossed the young woman’s face.
“What did you just call me?”
To Yunajin’s recollection, this marked the first time Qiaolun had ever addressed her by her given name.
“…Get off my hands, now!”
“Oh.”
Yunajin gracefully leaped onto the railing, her delicate silhouette, clad in a sheer black nightgown, momentarily eclipsing the moonlight before them, casting a fleeting shadow on the ground.
“What are you doing here?” Qiaolun inquired, shifting his feet to intentionally obscure the packed luggage inside the room, his gaze fixed on Yunajin’s face.
“Mmm…”
‘Why is he blushing?’
Sensing Qiaolun’s unwavering stare, Yunajin naturally felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. She decided to lean forward and sit on the railing, granting her a clearer view of his expression.
“I was worried about you,” Yunajin whispered, her voice barely audible, like the faint hum of a mosquito.
“Huh?”
For a moment, Qiaolun failed to grasp the meaning of her words.
“Are… are you feeling unwell too?”
“What are you talking about? I’m perfectly fine!”
“Then why didn’t you eat dinner?”
“I…”
Observing Qiaolun’s sudden silence, Yunajin pressed on, “Is it a physical discomfort, or did the meal simply not suit your palate?”
“Enough!”
Qiaolun sharply cut her off.
“Demon Lord, what exactly am I in your eyes?” Qiaolun demanded, his tone grave.
“Wh-why ask such a question so suddenly? Of…of course…my…” Yunajin’s cheeks flushed a vibrant crimson, resembling a perfectly ripe apple, exuding an irresistible charm that made one long to take a bite.
‘Damn it, that feeling again.’
An inexplicable stir arose within Qiaolun, reminiscent of their very first encounter. From the outset, the Demon Lord had been enveloped in an alluring aura, one he had only just begun to grow accustomed to after many days. Now, her bashful demeanor threatened to unravel his composure entirely.
Yunajin had already exerted immense effort to suppress her inherent succubus talent. She harbored no desire to influence Qiaolun with an uncontrollable charm; instead, she wished to win him over through her own personality, not through innate abilities.
Even the nightgown she wore tonight was a deliberately conservative choice, far from the backless styles that would have conveniently accommodated her tail or revealed a large expanse of skin.
“Didn’t I tell you? I…I like you.”
“Stop joking!” Qiaolun exclaimed, unable to trust his own ears. Even hearing it a second time, the words seemed impossible.
“You are a demon, and I am human!”
“I never intended to harm you humans; all those initial boasts were merely jests.”
Yunajin vividly recalled their first meeting, when she had playfully declared to Qiaolun, “I’ll wipe out all humans, leaving only you.”
While it might have sounded somewhat possessive, she knew deep down that she was not that kind of girl.
“You disseminated numerous rumors throughout the human realm, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Simply to lure me here?”
“Yes.”
“And all the other heroes? You just abandoned them?”
“Yes,” Yunajin affirmed with a nod.
“Stop with the ‘yes, yes, yes’! Answer me seriously!”
‘What was there to care about, anyway? The Eight Demon Generals, tasked with overseeing the demon borders, would simply send all the humans back. I had even specifically instructed them not to cause any unnecessary casualties.’
“Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they’ve all been sent home by now. Besides, not many of you actually participated in the expedition, did you?”
Yunajin’s words, piercing straight to his core, struck Qiaolun with devastating accuracy. Just as she had stated, the entire Lord Hero’s army numbered only a few thousand, and even fewer when dispersed. Initially, they had attempted covert infiltration, but the demon territories were almost entirely open grassland. Now, in the depths of autumn, there wasn’t even a single bush substantial enough to offer concealment.
The Centaur tribes patrolling the region were unmatched in speed across the vast grasslands. It was utterly impossible to reach the demon heartland without traversing the perilous snow-capped mountains of the far north.
Qiaolun’s spirited resolve instantly withered. He felt as though he had been duped by some fraudulent conscription, having even paid over a dozen Gold Glauds to enlist.
He had been so terribly naive back then, utterly foolish, driven to madness by the desire to be a hero.
*Grrrrowl—*
Having skipped dinner, Qiaolun’s stomach now vociferously protested.
“Heh…” Yunajin let out a sly chuckle.
“What are you laughing at?” Qiaolun retorted, consciously attempting to mask his mortified expression. He had, after all, trained his endurance against hunger; it was simply his uncooperative stomach betraying him, not a true inability to withstand a single missed meal.
Yunajin regarded him with a doting gaze, much like one would an obstinate child refusing their meal.
She hopped off the railing, her hand disappearing beneath her skirt as she seemed to fumble for something.
“What are you doing?”
“Just a moment… I’ve got it!”
With that, Yunajin produced a small, bulging parcel from beneath her gown.
“These are my usual after-dinner treats: some cake, chocolates, and even fruit.”
“What in the world? Where did you pull that out from?” Qiaolun demanded, paying no mind to Yunajin’s sweet smile. His mind was solely occupied with how she had managed to produce such a package from beneath her flimsy nightgown.
‘Was it from her backside?’
Qiaolun’s mind raced with the crude conjecture, and though unspoken, the utter shock emblazoned across his face was anything but concealed.
“Don’t think such strange things! I carried it by wrapping it with my tail,” Yunajin confessed, her cheeks flushing.
“I was terrified, thinking you had some ailment that had stolen your appetite.”
Qiaolun crossed his arms, responding with a hint of exasperation, “How very kind of the Demon Lord to concern herself! I am perfectly fine.”
“Then eat all of these.”
Yunajin untied the parcel, withdrew an apple, and offered it to Qiaolun, water droplets still clinging to its skin.
The man glanced at her, his outstretched hand hovering in the air for a moment before he finally accepted the fruit.
After all, she was the mistress of this place, and Qiaolun no longer considered her an adversary. Given that she had personally offered him food, to refuse now would be uncivil.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Qiaolun asked tentatively.
“Oh, I’ve already eaten.”
“Yet I heard from your maid that your appetite hasn’t been particularly robust lately.”
‘It seems Lord Hero is still well within my grasp.’
Vivi’s many clones were ubiquitous throughout the Demon Lord’s ancient castle. While tidying Qiaolun’s room, Vivi had frequently shared details about her Demon Lord, Yunajin, with the newcomer.
Indeed, understanding a person through the eyes of others could often be far more convincing than merely observing their own presented demeanor.
“Dinner was quite a while ago. I imagine you must be hungry.”
Qiaolun, still clutching the apple, extended his hand towards Yunajin, his expression clearly betraying suspicion, as if questioning whether the food might be tainted.
‘What? I didn’t poison it.’
Observing Qiaolun’s unspoken plea for her to taste it first, Yunajin’s lips curved into a mischievous smile as an idea struck her.
“I’ll take a bite—”
In the next instant, she took a direct bite from the apple still clutched in Qiaolun’s hand.
“Ah! What on earth are you doing?!”
Qiaolun had not anticipated her actually biting the apple while it was still in his grasp.
‘Doesn’t this imply I’m feeding her?’
‘Doesn’t this imply he’s feeding me?’
“Didn’t you tell me to eat first? I never realized Lord Hero was such a gentleman…”
Yunajin maintained her innocent expression, yet inwardly, she was positively beaming.
‘What a pity, Lord Hero. It seems I still hold the upper hand.’
Upholding his principle of never wasting food—either not touching it at all or consuming every last bite—Qiaolun, despite not having eaten the apple himself, suppressed the urge to discard it and, with a sigh, handed it back to Yunajin.
“In that case, I won’t stand on ceremony,” Qiaolun conceded, his tone tinged with resignation.
He and Yunajin settled at the small table on the balcony, sharing expensive chocolates, a luxury only human nobles could typically afford.
They also enjoyed cake slathered with honey and cream, along with several oranges and apples.
The portions were modest, yet their high caloric content proved remarkably effective at staving off hunger.
“You often eat these things after dinner,” Qiaolun remarked, peeling an orange with his head bowed.
“Indeed, it’s merely to satisfy my cravings.”
“Oh…” Qiaolun replied, then muttered under his breath, “No wonder you’re gaining weight, mmmph—”
Before he could finish, his mouth was forcibly stuffed with a segment of sweet-and-sour orange.
“I heard that,” Yunajin declared, a hint of her superior status in her voice. “This is a gift from your King.”
‘Confound it.’
His male pride refused to let a girl who appeared younger than himself walk all over him; the title of Demon Lord no longer mattered!
“I am truly overwhelmed with dread!”
“Ugh—”
Qiaolun, with a mischievous grin, shoved a piece of cake into her mouth, splattering cream across Yunajin’s face.
“Hahahaha!”
“H-how dare you!”
Since they had abandoned all pretense, Yunajin naturally returned the favor, allowing Qiaolun to fully immerse himself in the delicious honey cake.
Thus, the two engaged in a brief yet spirited exchange of feeding each other. Qiaolun, at least, felt utterly satiated, though whether Yunajin still had an appetite remained uncertain.
Their hands reached for the last piece of chocolate almost simultaneously.
The warmth from the man’s broad palm was distinctly palpable, while the girl’s hand appeared remarkably small and delicate.
Then, as if jolted by electricity, both instantly recoiled.
They sat facing each other, each shyly averting their gaze.
Both the Demon Lord and the Lord Hero maintained a profound silence, not daring to even glance at one another, their playful antics of moments before having vanished entirely.
“I…I’m full.”
After an indeterminate stretch of time, Yunajin was the first to speak, her eyes drifting towards Qiaolun, who sat opposite her.
*Hmph—*
The man rested peacefully in his chair, a gentle snore escaping him.
“Heh heh…”
Yunajin chuckled softly. She tiptoed around, tidying up the remnants of their meal, then pushed open the room door, preparing to escort Qiaolun back to his own quarters.
As the moonlight streamed in, she spotted the neatly packed luggage tucked away in a corner.
Yunajin’s lips trembled slightly, and she stood still, like a statue, rooted to the spot.
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, Crow's Golden Fragment is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : Crow's Golden Fragment
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