Chapter 6: A Sudden Bond

“Although I am the daughter of the Demon King, in reality, my father has countless children. I am merely the daughter of a succubus, and succubi are considered lowly among the intelligent demon species. Therefore, no one cares about us. Later, my mother passed away, and I was confined in the castle. I dared not go out. My brothers and sisters, vying for the Demon King’s position, would mercilessly kill each other. I was no exception, lacking any combat ability, and so I was terrified. No one cared for me or protected me. Until my father was killed, I was always alone.”

The curtains that could block the light could not stop the cold seeping from the ground. At the coldest part of the night, the chill that had been trapped in the earth for who knows how long slowly seeped out, making our small prison cell unbearably cold. We had no warm clothes or blankets, so I could only hold her tightly in my arms, using my body heat to keep her from freezing.

I was shivering from the cold, but her warmth spread from my chest. This little demon girl seemed to have a higher body temperature than a normal person. They say a daughter is her father’s little blanket, and now I understand why. Of course, I am not her father, but at this moment, it’s almost the same.

We stayed close, and the girl in my arms whispered about her past. To my surprise, this daughter of the Demon King received little love from her father, and was more like an abandoned child. Her experiences in the Demon King’s castle and here were similar, both marked by discrimination and abuse.

Looking at the small, tightly curled form in my arms, I couldn’t help but hold her tighter. She sobbed softly, then hugged my waist even more tightly. ‘No one has ever protected me… No one has ever cared about me… Not even spoken to me… I spent every day in that palace, watching the birds, longing for the day I could leave…’ The girl leaned her head on my chest, sighing contentedly, her hands wrapping around my back with some effort. She closed her eyes peacefully, murmuring, ‘You… You are just like my father… Like the father of my dreams… Protecting me, taking care of me, letting me depend on you… Your chest is so warm, so warm. No matter how frightening the outside world is, it doesn’t matter here. If I can, can I call you father?’

I held the girl in front of me, my throat tightening. Although I knew she was serious, this sudden title caught me off guard. I had never even had a girlfriend, and suddenly having a daughter seemed too much. I hadn’t even had a chance to respond when the girl in my arms suddenly climbed up, smiling slightly as she kissed my forehead. ‘I am a succubus, after all, so… This is inevitable. Father, no matter what you think, I have nowhere else to go. Please let me stay by your side… Father… My name is Lia. In the future, please let me call you father…’

I didn’t respond directly, just patted her head. She understood, and a happy smile spread across her face. She took hold of my clothes with her hand, then slowly closed her eyes. I patted her head and softly said in her ear, ‘Sleep, Lia.’

‘Mmm…’ Lia responded like a cat, and I stroked her head. For a girl, today had been too much, too cruel. She still had bruises on her body. I didn’t understand. Why would Vilya or Queen Sisi be so cruel to such a harmless little girl? Was it because of her birth that she had to face such harsh punishment?

No matter the race, people should be punished for their actions, not for their lineage. I believe that. Now, humans are doing what they once despised the most. Today, it wasn’t just Lia in my arms. I, too, had been through a lot. Just arriving here, I was dragged away as spoils of war, thrown to the ground three times, then treated like a dog, almost losing even the basic dignity of a human. Then I was thrown in here. I never thought my modern body could endure such punishment. I feel like I can handle anything now.

I can’t get sick. If I do, no one will take care of me, and I might die. Plus, I need to take care of my newfound daughter. Now, we must support each other, because we are a family.

I’ve never been a father, and I don’t know if I can do it, but I want to try.

In a daze, I gradually fell into a dream. Truthfully, I didn’t sleep deeply, often waking up, then falling back asleep. I don’t know how long it was when I felt something heavy on me, and it was very hot. Normally, I shouldn’t feel so warm in that icy cell, and even with Lia in my arms, she was just a little girl, how could she be so heavy?

And I felt like I was being suffocated, like something was blocking my nose, and each breath was blocked. What was this thing?

I opened my eyes, but everything was dark. No, not dark, but something was covering my eyes. I could vaguely see a body outline… My heart sank. This couldn’t be, could it? The girl in my arms was definitely my daughter, right? My daughter was only about nine years old in human terms, not developed at all, so who was on my face?

Suddenly, I heard a gasping sound from above my head, the sound echoing in my ear. My body trembled, and I realized something was wrong. No, this was too intense a reaction, what was going on? Was this a form of mental control?

She seemed uncomfortable, and her enlarged body was too constrained in my embrace. She kicked me away, or rather, tried to move closer to me, writhing her body. I didn’t want to do anything, but our bodies still touched.

At that moment, the voice from above my head sounded again, and my body froze. I stared at the beautiful woman in front of me, my desire vanishing instantly. I grabbed her shoulders and sat up, the woman in front of me rubbing her eyes in confusion. Her silver short hair had a few strands stuck to her face, and her body, though naked, glowed faintly. My handprints were on her body, and instead of a navel, there was a heart-shaped black mark, like a tattoo, extending to her waist, wrapping around once.

‘Dad, what’s wrong?’

The woman in front of me rubbed her eyes, asking in a tired, confused voice. I stared at her, shocked and unable to speak. She tilted her head, then reached out, lazily hugging my head, her body pressing down again. Her breasts buried my head, and she closed her eyes, satisfied. ‘If there’s nothing wrong, I want to sleep more… Dad’s body is so warm and fragrant… I want to sleep more… But Dad, could you not squeeze so hard? Lia feels a bit hot…’

Oh… Lia… How do I say… She is a succubus after all. According to what I know, succubi usually enchant human males to get what they need. But I think Lia is different. Lia hasn’t directly done anything. Is it because she knows I am her father? Or maybe she hasn’t fully awakened as a succubus? Her actions now are just instincts, but she doesn’t know what to do.

Do succubi transform at night? But I feel like I’m going crazy. This is a girl calling me dad! No matter what, she’s still a child, a nine-year-old girl! Even if I’m a beast, I can’t do anything to a girl, especially one who calls me dad! That’s the line! I tightly closed my eyes, but the intense sensation wouldn’t go away. I clenched my fists, hitting the ground to feel the pain, telling myself to hold back. But with every breath, I was filled with Lia’s enchanting scent. Every breath from Lia, her sharp tips brushing my cheek, the real sensation almost drove me mad. I really, really wanted to do something, but I couldn’t!

I sat up again, shaking the Lia in front of me. This time, Lia looked at me angrily. I looked at Lia’s face and said seriously, ‘Listen, Lia, I don’t know if you’re aware, but for you and me, I think we can’t sleep like this. So, you sleep over there, and I’ll sleep over here.’

‘Dad, did Lia do something wrong?’

Lia’s mouth turned down, tears in her voice as she tightly clutched my chest, trembling, ‘Dad, please don’t abandon Lia… Please don’t reject Lia… Lia won’t bother Dad… Please don’t send Lia away…’

‘Ah… I didn’t mean that… Um… Okay… Let’s change positions…’

I couldn’t bear my daughter’s tears. I didn’t know if it was because of my overflowing paternal love or the succubus’s enchanting power, but I couldn’t resist her tears. I lay down on my side, pulling Lia to lie down beside me, pressing her head to my chest, and hugging her. This way, there wouldn’t be any inappropriate actions…

Well, Lia immediately wrapped her legs and arms around me tightly. In this position, Lia seemed very happy, giggling and rubbing her head against my chest. She softly said, ‘Why is Dad’s embrace so warm? Even though it’s our first meeting, I feel so at ease in Dad’s presence… I feel like nothing can scare me…’

‘Maybe it’s because we were destined to be father and daughter…’

I patted her head, my restless heart calming a bit. Patting her head was much better than** at calming me down. I couldn’t do that, absolutely not. No matter what, this girl had called me dad, and I couldn’t do that!

In a daze, I fell asleep again. Maybe because there was a familiar warmth in my arms, this time, I slept especially soundly…