Chapter 22: Vampire Incident ( Part 5)

Lumani’s hand tightened.

At the same time, the hand gripping my chin began to grip my chin more deeply and strongly.

I could feel her fingers intertwining on my chin through my skin.

My body automatically flinched at the feeling of a cooler body temperature than that of an ordinary human or demon.

Cold sweat flowed from my forehead.

As the sweat dripped down my cheek, Lumani smiled at it.

It was truly like a cat in front of mouse.

As I kept flinching, Lumani, still holding my chin, smiled seductively.

It was a beautiful smile that would captivate both men and women, but to me, it looked like nothing more than a snake that had spotted its prey.

“How can I not be interested when the sage of the hero’s party has personally made a contract with a mixed-blood demon, and that demon is a vampire?”

In the current situation, it was impossible to know when the spark of war spread throughout the world. Mixed-bloods between demons and humans were considered heretical.

Beings treated worse than slaves, beings who could never receive good treatment from either humans or demons.

That was the mixed-blood of humans and demons.

It’s understandable that she would react like that, given that a sage who had experienced such a war firsthand had made a contract with a demon, and a mixed-blood at that. Didn’t Leo also look at me with a disapproving expression at first?

Of course, he still disapproves of me now.

If possible, I hoped that the vampire queen, Lumani Tepes, would not be interested in me.

But looking at her reaction now, it would be impossible.

Anyone could see that she was interested.

Frankly, it was unpleasant.

Who would be happy to have their chin suddenly grabbed by a woman they didn’t even know?

I frowned.

I reflexively pulled my head back, but to no avail.

It didn’t budge.

I couldn’t get away.

I hate to admit it, but just like with Leo earlier, it seemed that the difference in power between her and me was extreme, it’s no wonder that she’s an apostle.

This is ridiculous, I’m not a neighborhood punching bag.

It was shameful and unbelievable that I, who was once a member of the hero’s party, couldn’t even resist every time someone touched my body.

If it were the old days, I could have easily brushed off this restraint that wasn’t even a restraint…!

“Hmm.”

“Ugh…”

“I won’t do anything bad, so raise your head.”

The lines sound like something a third-rate villain would say before attacking the heroine.

But apart from the words, at the coercive voice with a sense of intimidation, I gritted my teeth and let out a short breath, and inevitably slowly raised my head, and she pulled it even harder, as if she didn’t want to miss it.

Thanks to that, the distance between Lumani and me became closer, and I opened my eyes wide in surprise, and Lumani’s red eyes narrowed.

“Your eyes are gray? You’re hiding your vampiric nature with a human appearance, but conversely, it seems that you don’t suck blood often, seeing that your eyes aren’t red.“

“…Whether I suck blood or not is none of your business.”

“Yes, it’s none of my business.It’s only painful for you. But a vampire not sucking blood is like a human suppressing their sexual desire.”

“So what?”

Lumani smiled mischievously at my harsh tone.

“It’s better not to restrain yourself from sucking blood too much. If the urge comes all at once, it will be difficult to handle.”

Whether she couldn’t see Leticia’s frighteningly stiff expression, who was holding my shoulder tightly from the side, or whether she could see it but didn’t care.

Lumani, calmly holding my chin, turned my face this way and that and examined it, then whispered in a gentle voice that didn’t match the fierce atmosphere.

“Hmm, I won’t do anything, so stay still.”

“What?”

“Stay still. I just want to check something for a moment, so I won’t harm you.”

If you do anything to me in a situation where the hero and the sage are watching, that would be a problem.

Lumani said.

“The peace between humans and demons is the wish of His Majesty the Demon King. If possible, I don’t want to be hated by the human hero and sage.…Ah, is that not the case? Maybe I’m already hated.”

Laughing with an amused expression, Lumani raised her finger and lifted my chin.

“Hoo.”

My chin was pulled up, and I was forced to raise my head, and I faced Lumani at a distance where our breaths could touch.

When I met her strangely shining red eyes, my body stiffened without me realizing it.

I frowned at the unpleasant feeling of being examined all over my body, and Lumani smiled.

“It seems that you have a stronger bloodline of demons than humans.It’s normal for an ordinary mixed-blood demon to not have the horns and wings that are symbols of demons, but are you hiding them with magic?”

“…”

“It’s a considerable level of disguise. Unless I looked closely, even I would think you were a human, not a demon.”

“That’s quite an honor.”

It didn’t seem like a sarcastic remark, but it was difficult to take it as a compliment.

Lumani, who answered with an interested expression, just like when she first saw me, raised the corners of her mouth.

I, who had been closing my eyes halfway to avoid meeting her eyes, opened my eyes slightly, looked at Lumani, and then lowered my gaze again.

Lumani let out a small laugh, as if my reaction was funny.

“Even if you’re a mixed-blood, if you have vampire blood, it’s normal to be under my control. Could it be that you’re higher in rank than me?
Kihit(giggle) , things are getting interesting. What exactly is your identity?”

“…I don’t think I have an obligation to tell you. As you said, I’m just an insignificant vampire half-blood.”

“I never said you were insignificant, and I’m not interested. But what I’m curious about is that you’ve escaped my control.”

Be that as it may, I, who was caught off guard and had my chin grabbed, frowned and glared at Lumani with an expression asking what she was doing, but Lumani’s expression was too calm. Rather, when I glared at her, Lumani snorted as if my gaze was ridiculous.

As I said before, from Lumani’s point of view, my actions were simply like a mouse threatening a cat, so it’s understandable that she would find it funny.

‘She’s openly ignoring me.’

Maybe it’s because I’m between Leo and Leticia that I seem like the easiest target.

It’s true that I’m weaker than those two, so I have nothing to refute, but I absolutely refused this kind of treatment.

So, as a slight rebellion, I glared at her, but Lumani’s reaction was lukewarm.

Tap tap.

With her eyes lowered, Lumani touched the black collar around my neck with her long fingers and asked playfully.

“Is this a collar? You have a unique taste. Is it your taste? Or is it the sage’s taste? You’re completely treating the demon like a pet.”

Lumani, touching the collar around my neck with her hand and smiling mysteriously.

When she asked if it was my taste, I let out a hollow laugh and shook my head slightly, and Leticia, who had been silently listening to Lumani’s words, pulled me towards her.

“?!”

I opened my eyes wide in surprise at the sudden feeling of my waist being pulled.

I had been relaxing my body, but I didn’t expect to be able to escape Lumani’s grasp so easily.

It became a ridiculous situation where I was embraced in Leticia’s arms.

Momentarily flustered, I blinked a few times and then calmly accepted the current situation.

This time, it’s Leticia, not Lumani.

Apart from the familiar warm feeling that made me feel comfortable, I felt strange.

I used to be the one hugging Leticia, but I never thought it would be the other way around.

It was possible because this body was slightly shorter than hers.

With me in her arms like I was an attachment doll, Leticia’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Lumani.

It seemed that she didn’t like this situation at all.

“That’s enough. If you’re going to keep picking a fight, you should go back. As Leo said, if it spreads that you’re here, things will get troublesome.”

Especially if the emperor or other nobles notice, the peace agreement with the demons may become difficult.

Leticia looked at Lumani with lifeless eyes, deliberately speaking in an extreme way.

Somehow, I ended up being held in Leticia’s arms like a doll, and I looked up at Leticia blankly.

Blink blink.

As I was slowly looking at Leticia’s face, Leticia, who made eye contact with me, hugged me even tighter.

Gasp.

I screamed inwardly.

I was on the verge of tears at Leticia’s touch, pulling my waist too strongly.

As I looked at Leticia with tears welling up in my eyes, Leticia was glaring at Lumani with burning eyes.

I had roughly guessed it before, but this confirmed it.

I didn’t know if the feelings Leticia had for me were possessiveness or affection, but it was definitely one of the two.

‘This is awkward.’

What should I do?

From the moment I was first summoned, Leticia’s actions were full of things I couldn’t understand.

From the attitude of revealing her desire towards me to the strangely obsessive appearance, I couldn’t help but have doubts.

But, right now, it was more important to appease Leticia’s mood.

“Leticia.”

“…Charlotte? Did you just call my name…?”

“Calm down. Let me down.”

Even though I said that my feet were touching the ground but it was very uncomfortable, Leticia, without any sign of being upset, wriggled the corners of her mouth as if she was satisfied with being called by her name, and released me from her arms.

“…Sigh.”

Leo, who was preparing to intervene in the uncomfortable staring contest between Lumani and Leticia, sighed,  looking back and forth between me and Leticia as if he was disgusted by something.

Still, I thought the situation would be resolved well with this, but there was one variable.

Smooch-.

I opened my eyes wide at the cold but warm feeling on my cheek and turned my head.

It was a surprise kiss.

I blankly put my hand on my cheek at the sight of Lumani licking her lips with a seductive smile.