Chapter 9

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Chapter 9

The contract with the devil she encountered in the book was usually made with life as collateral.

Azela frowned when asked, and he burst out laughing. The laughter was so loud that she was worried that someone else in the mansion might have heard it and came running.

“What else can you do other than die? You are already dying.”

After a long laugh, he wiped the tears from his eyes and spoke in a humorous tone. He was right. She forgot that the pain had disappeared for a moment, though she was now dying from poison.

Realizing that, she gently closed her trembling eyelashes.

Thinking about it, she had a vain idea of ​​what all of this was. It didn’t matter if this man was a devil or just an assassin who came to kill her.

“What you want, I’ll give it to you. Whatever it is.”

Azela’s blood boiled at the words he had just uttered earlier. Could he listen to anything…?

At that, she opened her eyes again as he had closed them and stared at him. The ‘devil’ still had a seductive smile as though he knew what she was feeling.

“Is it possible to kill people?”

It was a dangerous question, but he said it. Because there was no way she would have any regrets in this life. After leaving the words behind, she closed her mouth.

The man smirked.

“Yes, anything.”

“Is it possible to mess up someone’s life?”

“Since you met me… Nothing is impossible for what you want.”

It really was a sweet whisper like a ‘devil.’ For a moment, the whisper was so sweet that she almost answered, ‘Then kill me and them all.’ Unknowingly, at the terrible thought that came to her, Azela groaned and frowned.

The thoughts that she just came up with would eventually make her the same, just like them.

‘…They did it, too, so why can’t I?’

She wanted to change, but in the end, people couldn’t change all at once.

When Azela didn’t ask any more questions, he stopped as well. After thinking for a while, she turned her eyes. All she could see was him with his chin clenched, stroking his fingers lightly and looking down at her.

Then, she asked in a low voice as if she felt displeased with the gaze that peered through her outrageous anxieties.

“Why do you look like that?”

“Because you didn’t answer.”

“What answer do you want from me?”

“I asked you to make a contract, so I want an answer.”

The story kept repeating itself over and over again.

Contract… He said he could give her anything she wanted. There was no way that he could have a story with such good conditions.

Azela gave a suspicious look.

“What happens when you sign a contract?”

“There is nothing special about your life. I’ll have to save you so you don’t die, and you just have to live with my favor.”

He replied in a playful voice, flicking his fingers lightly.

…Save her? And, can she live? At his words, Azela frowned. He appeared in front of her as she was dying and was saying that he would save her.

“…Why are you trying to save me?”

She questioned back in a quiet voice. His purple eyes gleamed and gleamed in response to her question. He replied with a smirk on his face as if he had waited for the question.

“If I had to give a reason… There are two reasons.”

Saying so, he spread his index and middle fingers and spoke in a playful tone. Azela, who was looking at his long fingers, turned her gaze to look into the deep purple eyes.

“First, in order for the devil to live with humans, they need to receive human energy at regular intervals.”

“…Human energy?”

“Yes. Perhaps, it’s a nutrient that only humans who walk through life have it. Of course, you can only get that energy from the person who made the contract.”

He resumed as he walked back and forth from side to side.

As she tilted her head to one side, unable to understand the meaning of what he was saying, he continued his words again with a look of frustration.

“I have to sleep with a human at regular intervals.”

“….!”

Azela, whose face was red again at the sight of him speaking so casually, turned her gaze away. How could someone talk like this so casually? Was it wrong to be shy…? At that, she took a deep breath and said in a trembling voice.

“The, the second reason?”

“The second reason is that you are greedy.”

“…Yes?”

“You don’t know… You are very greedy.”

“What?”

“Ah, of course, you’re a little upset now.”

…Greedy? Feeling a little bit upset now? It was just a list of words that were completely incomprehensible.

Could he be a spy sent by Daniel? She thought like that. There was no such thing as a ‘devil’ in the world, and she doubted that he must be trying to fool her with these stories. Whether he knew her heart or not, he added.

“Those who have no regrets in life, no matter how good their souls are, are not properly worth it. So, you are a little bit astringent now. If I eat you…”

He stuck out his tongue and frowned as though he ate a bitter fruit. After shaking his head violently, he persisted in his speech again with a frozen, cold expression on his face.

“But, the moment you start to feel sorry for life, a good soul tastes better than you can imagine.”

“….”

“Give me that moment, that sweet moment. Those are the two things I want from you.”

At his words, Azela furrowed her eyebrows.

To summarize what he said, first, he wanted to sleep with her because he needed human energy on a regular basis. Second, he was asking for a soul the moment they felt sorry for life… In the end, it was like handing over everything, body and soul, to the devil.

The story of the devil looking for a soul and eating it has also been read in books.

‘It was a story that actually existed.’

Since she didn’t want to live anyway, it didn’t matter whether he took her body or her soul and roasted or boiled it.

“Even if the first is true, the second reason you said… what if I continue to have no regrets in my life after the contract?”

“Then, it is your victory. Simple. You’ll be the winner, I’ll be the loser, I’ll never taste your sweet soul, and you will live a life without regrets.”

“What do you gain from doing that?”

“This. Humans always distinguish between ‘benefits’ and ‘disadvantages.’ There is no such thing. It’s just kind of…”

He paused, wondering if he couldn’t remember the right word, and glanced up.

Frowning eyebrows and tilting head seemed to recall several words from moment to moment. Soon, he nodded with a brighter expression on his face as if he had come up with the right word.

“Yes, it’s just kind of ‘fun’.”

“…Fun?”

“What if what you have is a ‘disadvantage’ after all? It’s amusing that it’s a contract that you can’t see one inch ahead. By the way, for us, ‘fun’ is the most important thing. If there is no fun, there is no reason to live.”

After completing all explanations, he clenched his chin and sighed.

“What do you think? If that’s the case, I don’t think it’s bad for you to sign a contract with me. By human standards, you have nothing to lose.”

Uttering so, he flicked his fingers gently in rhythm. He seemed to be waiting for Azela’s answer. Still, he was right. She was going to die, anyway, so she had nothing to lose if he took her body and soul.

However, Azela was confounded and her rough lips dried. She couldn’t answer easily.

‘Revenge’

The fiery word kept flashing in Azela’s mind.

She wanted to get Irene’s revenge on them. If the word ‘devil’ was true, using him to get revenge would be nothing. Nonetheless, the last remaining humanity Azela had continued to hold her ankle.

Moreover, the fear that she did not want to be thrown into this pain of being left alone again also played a part.

‘Irene…’

Her wide-smiled handmaiden, who was like a sister, glimmered in front of her. Azela didn’t want to be hurt anymore, and she didn’t want anyone to die because of her. Because of that, she’d rather end her life like this…

…Irene, thinking of that child, it was unfair to end it like this.

As if he had read her heart, he opened his mouth first.

“The orange-haired maid you loved.”

“….!”

“Was her name ‘Irene’?”

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