Chapter 80: The Weight of ‘Like’

The phrase ‘I like’ felt too fleeting, too weightless. No, to be precise, the four words ‘I like you’ were uttered with far too much casualness.

It was as effortless as yawning in a half-sleep, or asking, ‘What should we eat for breakfast today?’

“…………Like me?”

“Yes, I like you.”

What he saw was Lamia’s smile. With her pristine face and delicate features, Lamia’s smile seemed meticulously practiced, as if she had mastered the art of appearing even more charming.

It was beautiful, so beautiful it made one inhale sharply.

Though Wade was aware of their unique identities and differing stances, he was, after all, an adult male with a normal orientation. Confronted with a charming girl smiling at him, it was inevitable his heart would stir.

Indeed, a soft *thump*—as if a mischievous finger had playfully flicked his heart.

But then what?

That hand then seized his heart tightly, clenching it with a fierce grip.

‘This isn’t right, Lamia.’

‘Such a “like” shouldn’t be uttered so casually.’

Wade knew her objective, just as he had his own. They had met, each aiming to ‘immerse the other in happiness,’ yet… something felt off.

Awkward. Strange. Unspeakably so.

He should have been happy, even proud, to hear such words from his wife, his damned rival. He should have exclaimed, ‘See? I knew she was falling for me!’

Why couldn’t he?

He couldn’t do it. Couldn’t say it. He felt neither joy nor pride.

Lamia was smiling, professing her ‘like,’ yet she didn’t even grasp the meaning of the word.

It was merely a hollow, emotionless lie, spoken for the sake of some supposed objective.

Was he angry?

No, Wade wasn’t angry. While it was indeed a lie, their entire ‘family’ during this period had been built on falsehoods. He wasn’t enraged by the deception itself.

He was merely… mournful?

Mournful that Lamia, a being who had lived for hundreds of years, didn’t even know what ‘like’ truly meant.

****

Wade looked at Lamia, her beautiful smile momentarily captivating him.

However, once that moment of admiration passed, it was replaced by a stark contrast.

Lilith caught the changing expressions on Wade’s face, and her mischievous heart grew even more excited.

‘Teaching demons about emotions?’

‘Oh, yes, yes.’

‘All those terrible ideas I proposed were for this very moment!’

Lilith was overjoyed; she felt she had placed her bet wisely.

Her initial plan, ‘simply use emotions to weaken the White Knight,’ had always been leading to this moment!

Extracting demonic power from human essence? No, no, no. That was a tactic for the lowest, most useless succubi. For a Great Succubus like Lilith, mere ’emotions’ were more than enough.

She could sense the subtle emotional fluctuations in the air, transforming them into the most delectable sustenance. This was how a succubus of Lilith’s caliber acquired her power.

And the romance between the Demon King and the White Knight… oh, how utterly delicious it was! Those who didn’t understand simply lacked taste.

Lilith couldn’t care less about the state of demons, humans, or what the Great General was up to today. She was a succubus; such matters held no relevance for her.

All she needed was to happily draw demonic energy from their emotions, for succubi were inherently chaotic, capricious, and selfish demons.

‘Phew… this coffee shop was definitely the right choice. They really need to come here often~’

Lilith watched the ‘love story’ unfold, her eyes gleaming, while Wade seemed oblivious to the expressions on Lilith’s or Kaze’s faces.

His gaze was fixed intently on Lamia, trying to discern something in her smile, to hear something within her heart.

[How’s that? Speechless from my sweet answer, aren’t you? Hehe… humans are truly so fragile~]

Lamia, still brimming with pride over her ‘perfect’ answer, paid no heed whatsoever to the complex expression on Wade’s face.

Wade smiled, returning Lamia’s ‘like’ with a polite grin. Yet, his eyebrows didn’t lift; instead, they settled into a subtly downturned angle.

Sometimes, Lamia had to concede that, at least in terms of appearance, Wade was quite handsome. Perhaps because he possessed stronger demonic energy than a normal human, he always appeared remarkably clean.

It was as if his self-maintaining demonic power meticulously regulated his body’s hormones and endocrine system. Compared to the knights who often sweated profusely on the training grounds, Wade looked exceptionally pristine, almost ‘fresh.’

Coupled with his casual attire, his smile was, in fact, quite captivating.

However, the three individuals around him were all demons. They likely needed a thorough education on human society and a cultivation of corresponding aesthetics.

Otherwise, for them, the strongest and most physically imposing would always be considered the best.

“Lamia, is the coffee good?”

Wade sighed inwardly with a hint of helplessness, then watched as Lamia, once again, gulped down her coffee in two sips, as if it were mere water.

“Of course.”

Hearing him, Lamia licked the corner of her lips again. Such an action might be out of place in front of an audience, but alas, Lamia wasn’t one to care.

The fact that she didn’t simply wipe her mouth with her sleeve was already a show of considerable politeness.

“Kaze’s coffee is quite good. You should try it.”

It was an invitation brimming with goodwill. Lamia even nudged the coffee in front of Wade towards him, as if waiting for him to also acknowledge her personal guard.

To Lamia, Kaze was like her younger brother, a little sibling she had raised for over a hundred years. She remembered every time he had stood up for her, so sometimes, she liked to have others praise him, to make him happy.

And it worked. Kaze, listening to Lamia’s words, smiled broadly, and then looked at Wade expectantly.

‘Expectation? For my judgment?’

Wade still didn’t quite understand why Kaze’s attitude towards him had suddenly taken such a sharp turn. Had Lamia done some ‘ideological work’ on him?

No, never mind. Since he was here, there was no need to cause offense.

Wade glanced at the latte art on the coffee, politely remarked, ‘It looks lovely,’ and then, unlike Lamia, took a small, deliberate sip.

It was indeed good.

Wade was no genuine noble scion, incapable of writing a two-thousand-word review after a single cup like some socialite. He could only blink and offer Kaze an acknowledging smile.

“It’s very good coffee, delicious.”

Just those few words were enough.

Kaze’s face broke into a satisfied smile, and Lamia beside him also chuckled along.

However, Wade seemed to have further intentions for the coffee. He turned to Lamia and spoke.

“This coffee, it’s delicious.”

He looked at Lamia, uttering these somewhat stiff words.

“Hmm… really?”

“It’s good, so—” Wade glanced at the coffee Lamia had drunk — “I *like* this coffee. *Like*, do you understand?”

Wade deliberately emphasized the word ‘like,’ as if guiding Lamia toward the true meaning of the emotion. For instance, liking a cup of coffee, appreciating its taste.

However, Lamia froze for a moment.

[What… you like coffee more than me?]