Chapter 4 - One Step on the Way to Becoming an Adult

The morning sun was bright. And then I felt sore somewhere I shall not say. My eyelids were heavy and I didn’t have the energy to eat breakfast.

“There’s something strange about him today.”

“He’s got traces of tears in the corners of his eyes.”

“Per-Perhaps…!”

The Demon King and the incubus were whispering to each other, with their faces close together. But I was too occupied to pay them any attention.

I didn’t think it would hurt so much…!

I had become an adult, but the pain still lingered. When I recalled what happened, tears welled up in my eyes once again.

When I clenched my teeth, the male Vampire, who stood upright and immovable next to the Demon King, lowered his eyebrows in worries, “I was trying to be gentle, but… I’m really sorry that it hurt you so much that you cried.”

“No, no… I just didn’t expect it to hurt so much either… Before the pain, it felt so good, enough to melt me, but the sudden pain simply came as a shock… I’m really sorry to have bothered you…!”

“You were no bother. You were so cute, crying in my arms… So I couldn’t just stop in the middle of it…”

The man ¹ sighed with his eyebrows down; the Demon King next to him widened his eyes, “D-don’t, don’t tell me, Blood and the Prince already…!”

“No, Demon King. The Prince is fine today, and still reeks like a virgin!”

“Then what the hell was that conversation about!”

“I can only infer that he must’ve been somehow eaten by Blood-sama without losing his virginity…”

“Hey, is this some kind of new play…?”

“You’ll have to ask him about that.”

The Demon Lord and the incubus were at it again with their faces close together and whispering to each other. The man gulped and coughed deliberately.

“Even if you are the Demon King, I can’t tell you about the unseemly state of my lovely prince.”

“Unseemly…! Wh-what kind of secret method did you use…! Blood is awesome…!”

“That’s why it’s a secret. But just you know, the Prince is one step closer to becoming an adult.”

The man gave me a wink and I almost melted. He was just too dashing. After that shameful display yesterday, instead of being disgusted or dismissive towards me, the man gave me a very kind smile and frequently called me cute.

That’s right. Yesterday, I finally became an adult. I asked the man to pull off my foreskin. At first he started out with a gentle touch. But my skin was too obstinate. In the end, he pulled it with one strong tug.

I was in so much pain and shock that I screamed and cried.

Blood tried his best to calm me down; he apologized, and let his lips fall on my forehead and eyelids. The soft touches pretty much absorbed my shock and I managed to get back on my feet somehow. Even now, I still felt a stinging pain.

Afterwards, the man said, “The pain would subside to a degree if it is licked.” He then really did lick that place, and I received another type of shock.

That’s no place to eat. It’s a place that’s painted black in the secret book, you know.

Even when I made a mess in the man’s mouth, he smiled and said, “Thanks for the food,” which lessened my shock from having dirtied someone else’s mouth. He was so kind.

As I was looking at the man’s kind face in an attempt to forget that stinging pain, there was a knock on the door of the office; with the Demon King’s reply, a wolf-faced person nipped in.

“A letter has arrived from the Human race, Demon King.”

“Oh, thank you. Ugh, it’s a reminder to have the marriage sooner. Damn it. It’s normal for us to take a long time from the time we get engaged to the time we get married, but do humans get married so easily?”

When the Demon King glanced at me, I used all the knowledge I had to tell him.

“I was told that my father and mother got married in a span of one day. She said… she was pulled by the arm, rolled over, then was shoved in and out. I was only two years old when my mother told me this, so I didn’t understand what she meant, but I guess marriage generally happens among humans when they have sexual intercourse.”

At my words, everyone’s jaws dropped except for the man.

Apparently, they were stupefied. I guess it was different over here. But when the man asked me to marry him, there wasn’t even any sexual intercourse; so maybe the procedure and the way of doing things was different here.

I was having such thoughts when the Demon King’s face turned grim as he uttered, “…That means my sister was eaten by someone the moment she crossed over.”

‘ We don’t have a habit of eating demons’ , but the atmosphere was so tense I couldn’t say that out loud.

“Somehow, even though I was prepared to marry off my sister… I still don’t want to hear that kind of thing. Can someone go look around and see if my sister is being bullied by the humans? It’s dreadful to think that someone would just have sex with her, and then once the contract turns valid, she would just be thrown away. Oi, Phantom, I entrust you with this task.”

“I understand, My Lord.”

When the Demon King called out into the air, there was a reply, and something fluffy and white reflected in the corner of my eyes.

‘I hope she isn’t… bullied. The royal castle is much more of a rogue’s den compared to the Demon King’s castle.’ I prayed from inside the birdcage, and the man’s mouth lifted up; he looked very gentle.

The office at night had become such an exciting place that it seemed a shame to go to sleep. Today as well, the man stopped his work and entered my cage.

“I just received a report from Phantom. I heard that our princess is spending her time very comfortably in the Royal Castle of the Human race. She is married to the third prince, who is your brother. Both of them fell in love at first sight the moment they met, and the princess was the one who aggressively pushed him down. If you’re a demon, you’ll know right away, but it seems that the princess already conceived a child.”

“So aggressive…! She’s even with child…! I see. I’m relieved… If she was unlucky, she might not be noticed by anyone, or even be forgotten… If she is happy, there’s nothing better than that.”

“Like, how you were, before?” His word by word whisper made me pause my movement.

My gaze naturally drifted downward.

I wondered if they knew that fact but still welcomed me. While perfectly knowing that the contract would never be unfulfilled.

My heart jumped with a throbbing, uneasy feeling. I couldn’t look up. I couldn’t look at him in the eyes. If I got kicked out of here, I would have nowhere else to go.

“Look at me.”

“I can’t…”

I bit my lip hard and then I felt a hand on my chin. I was forced to look up and was caught by the red eyes that stared at me so intensely, I thought they would shoot through me.

“Won’t you leave this cage already?”

“I won’t go out. It’s very comfortable here. Because there’s always someone nearby, I can feel when someone is present, and there’s also someone who cares about me… It’s only a bit troublesome having too much free time on my hands.”

But this is my place, the place you prepared for me. A place to let people know that I’m here. I’m sure I’ll be forgotten If I was guided to an empty room.

“I will never forget you. How could I forget such a lovely person? So, it’s time for you to get out of the cage and come into my arms. I will make sure that the contract is fulfilled.”

“But I’m not an important person, even if I’m related by blood…”

“Oh, don’t you know?”

As he chuckled, the man moved his white, cold hands from my chin to my cheeks and sandwiched my face between his two palms. Something in his gentle touch made me feel a surge of excitement.

“The contract said ‘ someone the royal family cares about’ . That means it doesn’t have to be human royalty. Right now, I’m completely crazy about you. You’re so important to me. Maybe it was impossible to fulfill the contract when you had just arrived, but the situation has changed. The contract will definitely be fulfilled. Don’t worry.”

The cold hands slowly stroked my cheeks to reassure me. I looked up and saw warm, red eyes watching me in fascination.

“On top of that,” The man added as he smiled.

“We, the Demon race, are currently suffering from a declining population. Whenever a child is born in any race, we all raise the child without further ado. A child is a treasure. Consequently, a very important one. From the moment you step on this land, that rule applies to you. You were born, and you grew up. For that alone, you are precious. Thank you for coming.”

“I’ve never been told that before…”

“I see. Then I will say it again and again from now on. You are my treasure.”

His lips gently descended.

I waited for it, staring at his eyes, and his eyes squinted. Our lips were pressed together and something soft entered my mouth. I was surprised that while his skin was cold, his tongue was actually warm and then my body softly went up into the air. The man lifted my body lightly and spun beautiful words like a flowing melody.

A soft sensation enveloped me, and the next thing I knew, I was out of the cage. I was not in the office, but in a very large, sophisticated and elegant room.

I was dropped onto fluffy bedding, and I heaved a breath of relief.

“Will you marry me?” The man whispered to me as he climbed up on the bed to lean over me.

“Why?”

I wish I could say yes honestly. But I don’t know. Is there even any advantage in getting married to someone like me?

“Someone like me-.”

I tried to open my mouth to say, “Why would you want it?” but my mouth was covered with the palm of his hand.

The man slowly shook his head and the corners of his mouth turned up in amusement.

“You’re not simply anybody. From the very first moment you were born on this earth, you were so pure. The soul in you was so clean. I was amazed that until now, you as a human could stay that pure and innocent. I’ve always thought that the Human race was full of people with the same inclination as the Prime Minister and the King. I also was a bit suspicious that the contract actually had some catch to it. If so, I was even thinking of using that as a reason to conclude a ceasefire agreement to be in our favor, with another country as a mediator. But the one who came here was you.”

“Yes. I’m sorry to disappoint you.”

“No, I knew from my preliminary research that you were not in the King’s sights. That is precisely why you have such a beautiful soul. Surely the blood that flowed in you would be nothing but sweetness. And yet, your actions were fun and surprising everyday. Thank you for crawling into my bed from day one. You were very lovely. But I didn’t know much about you at that time, so I ended up stopping your attempts. But why did you choose me?”

When the man asked me, I stammered for a moment. I felt like I shouldn’t have said that it was because he had a very handsome appearance. But it’s too late now, I thought to myself.

“Your red eyes, your beautiful hair, your nose, and your eyes, they were very pleasing to my eyes.”

“So you like the way I look.”

“That’s a bit of a stretch, but, uh, you’re right.”

“That’s… fufu, I have to say, I’m glad I have this face. The three days of your night crawling were very thrilling and enjoyable. You’re also very good at concealing your presence.”

“I had to, because nothing good ever came from asserting my existence.”

“You have a lot of great skills.”

When I replied to the man “You’re the only one who said that”, he hugged me tightly.

“I’m really glad that it was you who was sent here. If it had been another Prince who came with the intention of setting us up, I’m sure he would have been torn to pieces immediately by the Demon King. Despite looking like that, he actually has a pure heart, he hates unclean souls very much.”

“I’m still a virgin, so does that make me clean?”

“No,” the man interrupted me with a straight face.

I think I know a lot about physical relationships from reading various secret books, could I still be called pure? If my value was only that of pure innocence, I wonder if I will be discarded the moment the contract is fulfilled?

“I will give my life for you, for this country, if you will stay with me as long as you can, even for a day.” My heart was telling me, even that much was enough.

It was so nice to be able to talk to someone every day. I had never spent so much time with someone before. Not only during the day, but even at night, this man was there for me.

That was enough to fill me up.

Now, if only I could be a little bit selfish. I have nothing left to think about.

I closed my eyelids to cut off my vision of the man’s eyes, as if it could also cut off any lingering affection, he kissed me on the mouth, again. It was a very, very gentle kiss.

“I will accept that life you are offering.”

Our bodies overlapped each other on Blood’s bed, fingers interlocked, making me felt somewhat comfortable. The aligning of our lips soft and pleasurable.

The clothes covering my body, even my underwear, had been removed, and his white, cold, but well-proportioned body towered over my skinny but warm body. I no longer minded being thrown away the moment the contract is fulfilled.

Ah, me too.

I, too, can form a relationship with someone, like in the secret books.

This brought me more happiness than I had expected.

T/N: Thank you for reading. I would be very happy, If you could give us some feedback or nice reviews and ratings on NU! Also, If you enjoyed the story, please consider supporting us on Ko-fi, it keeps me motivate. Thank you! ❤

Spoiler

Next chapter is the last chapter. I hope I can release it next week (hopefully). There is a lot of uni stuff I need to submit. Next chapter, there will be a SMUT scene so just giving a warning first since this is what everyone been waiting. Please looking forward to it!

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Footnotes

<ol>Whenever the phrase ‘the man’ appears, it means Blood.</ol>