Chapter 3 : Assistant Professor (1)

Lying side-by-side in bed, Ziek and Lilia both struggled to sleep for about an hour, unaccustomed to sharing a bed with someone. Eventually, Ziek succumbed to drowsiness and fell asleep first.

“Snore…”

Ziek fell into a deep sleep, emitting soft snores. Lilia, lying beside him, quietly observed him.

“…He’s really asleep?”

She hadn’t expected him to actually fall asleep. Lilia held a finger under Ziek’s nose to check if he was truly asleep, but no matter how many times she checked, it was clear he was out.

“I thought he had some ulterior motive when he suggested we sleep together, but I was needlessly nervous if he’s sleeping this soundly.”

When Ziek first suggested they sleep together, Lilia thought, Here it comes. Taking in Lilia, who was being hunted by the ducal families, wasn’t an easy decision.

Therefore, Lilia assumed he had an ulterior motive. And it was highly likely that motive was sexual.

Lilia was a high-ranking succubus, and Ziek was a young man in his prime. If he wanted something from her, it would undoubtedly be s*x.

“So I was tense, wondering when he would make a move…”

However, contrary to her expectations, Ziek didn’t touch her. He fell into a deep sleep, making her wonder if she had been needlessly nervous for hours.

“Am I that unattractive?”

Lilia muttered to herself, then shook her head.

Was she unattractive? Impossible.

There was no such thing as an ugly succubus in this world. Succubi were the embodiment of lust and desire. A beautiful appearance was essential to arouse those desires.

Moreover, Lilia was the only daughter of Asmodeus, a succubus among succubi. Her beauty was unparalleled. Being showered with confessions and love letters had been a daily occurrence since childhood. One of her family’s enemies even offered to spare her parents if she became his concubine.

“If it’s not my looks, then it must be my personality he doesn’t like…”

It was hard to assess her own personality objectively, but Lilia didn’t think she was particularly difficult to get along with. Besides, Ziek had a justification.

“Being pregnant is practically the same as being engaged.”

Lilia had gotten pregnant with his child on her own accord, and Ziek had taken her in. They had no shared memories or wedding rings, but now they had a strong connection through their child, making them a couple who could get married at any time.

Or rather, it would be strange not to get married.

At least, that’s what Lilia thought.

“I-I can’t refuse my husband if he wants to… you know.”

Even if Ziek had accepted her, she wasn’t sure if he’d thought that far ahead, but Lilia had already made up her mind. She would comply with Ziek’s… desires.

After all, she had initiated their first encounter. It would be strange to refuse now.

But Ziek simply closed his eyes, telling her to sleep well. Even though she had sensed his arousal three times during the hour they lay awake, he remained still until he fell asleep. As a succubus, she could clearly sense such emotions.

It wasn’t that Ziek was uninterested. No, in this case, it was more accurate to say he wasn’t willing.

“…What on earth is he thinking?”

Frustrated, Lilia slowly got out of bed. She looked down at Ziek, illuminated by the moonlight filtering through the curtains.

A young man with black hair and handsome features befitting his physique. He had a face that could capture a woman’s heart, but Lilia had seen countless more handsome faces. Even the noble renowned as the most handsome in the Empire had flirted with her.

However, Lilia had never shown interest in them, no matter how handsome they were. Her own beauty far surpassed theirs. A man’s appearance wasn’t important to Lilia. She wasn’t interested in the first place.

But…

“Why does my chest feel tight when I look at you?”

She had felt the same way the first day she met him. Originally, she had intended to absorb his yang energy without even touching him, using energy drain.

However, perhaps due to the pure yang energy emanating from Ziek, Lilia made the choice to… lower her skirt.

She didn’t know why her chest felt tight, but she knew one thing for sure.

Lilia had been a fool that night, forgetting to even use contraception.

“I don’t understand what you’re thinking. If you’re not going to touch me, why did you take me in?”

If he had forced himself on her, everything would have been clear. The reason he took her in, the fluttering in her chest… she wouldn’t be spending the night lost in thought like this.

“…If I secretly peek into his mind…”

Perhaps then she could find the answers to her questions.

Lilia was a Dream Demon, a demon that could enter human dreams. Other succubi survived by absorbing yang energy through dreams, but a succubus of Lilia’s caliber didn’t need to.

Therefore, entering another person’s dream had a different meaning for Lilia. It was a way to peek into their deepest thoughts, the secrets they wanted to keep hidden. Lilia could grasp a person’s underlying psychology through their dreams. It was easy for her to discern how others perceived her.

“He sleeps so unguardedly with a succubus right next to him.”

Did he fall asleep knowing what she could do if she had ill intentions? Despite these thoughts, she didn’t actually want to pry into Ziek’s mind. It would be a betrayal of her benefactor, who had taken her in despite the risk of being killed by the dukes if they discovered her hiding place.

“…I’m so tired.”

Tired of suspecting everyone. A year had passed since the fall of the Asmodeus family. During that time, Lilia had encountered all kinds of repulsive individuals. Many were so vile that she wouldn’t have noticed their hidden malice without reading their minds.

“…”

Lilia watched Ziek until the moonlight filtering through the curtains changed to sunlight. When Ziek stirred, it was 6 a.m. She finally lay down on the bed, controlling her breathing and closing her eyes, as if she had been sleeping there all along.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Soon, the loud alarm woke Ziek. He turned it off with a tired expression, as if accustomed to the routine.

As he was about to get up, he flinched, noticing Lilia beside him.

“Wh-What?”

Perhaps he thought meeting Lilia and taking her in last night was a dream? Maybe his feelings towards her had changed while he slept.

All sorts of thoughts filled Lilia’s mind as she pretended to be asleep.

“…”

Ziek stared at Lilia with a surprised expression. Frozen for a moment, he nodded and approached her.

Lilia maintained her pretense, even though she sensed his approach. As his hand reached out, she felt a sense of relief. If he touched her while she pretended to sleep, she would get the answers to the questions that had plagued her all night.

Ziek stood before Lilia, who flawlessly feigned sleep, worthy of the name Dream Demon.

He…

“Why are you only half covered by the blanket? You’ll catch a cold.”

He pulled the blanket up to Lilia’s chest, as she had only been half-covered when she hurriedly went to bed. Then, he stroked her hair gently as if telling her to sleep well and checked the time.

That was the extent of his contact.

“I’ll be going to the academy. Sleep well.”

With those words, Ziek began preparing for work. Lilia watched him silently from the bed.

“Have you organized the materials I gave you yesterday? I need them for today’s lecture.”
“Where’s the student roster for our department? I heard the class assignments were finalized last night.”
“Professor, here it is. But there are hardly any applicants for the Magic Studies Department. At this rate, we’ll only have the students left over from the other departments. How are we supposed to manage them…”
“Shh! Don’t say that. He’s right there.”
“Gasp!”

The faculty office bustled with assistant professors and assistants.

I instinctively glanced at the clock.

7:20 a.m. I was 20 minutes later than usual.

‘Normally, I’d be here before they arrived. I lost an hour of sleep last night, which delayed my morning training.’

I hurried to my seat and organized the documents on my desk. I picked up my pen, intending to work faster to make up for lost time, but I couldn’t focus. I lifted my head.

“He’s a bit late today. He’s not exactly late, but for someone who’s been here for a year to arrive later than us… It seems he’s getting comfortable.”
“What do you expect from someone who bought his position?”
“Hah, I don’t know why Professor Olivier gave that nobody an assistant professor position.”

I noticed the assistants whispering about me. It seemed like most of the people in the faculty office were looking at me. No, it was everyone.

‘The moment I arrived, all eyes were on me.’

I felt like an animal in a zoo. Hah… This was why I wanted to come early.

I sighed, averted my gaze, and focused on my work.

I prioritized the urgent documents, and soon it was time for my lecture.

Time to head to the classroom. I still had more than 10 minutes before class, but as an assistant professor, I needed to arrive a few minutes early to assist the professor and review the lecture material.

That’s what I should have been doing.

“Hmm? What’s this? This is Professor Olivier’s seal.”

If it weren’t for the single document on my desk.

What was this? The professor wouldn’t send me a document without saying anything. It even had his seal.

With a sense of unease, I read the document. I closed my eyes tightly, as if I had misread something.

“Ah…”

[Professor Proxy Signature Form]
[Sorry. I suddenly had a great idea, so I’ll be holed up in my lab. You can take over my lectures for a while. About a year, perhaps? You can do that, right? Thanks in advance! Good Luck!]

I wished I hadn’t read it.