~Chapter 2~

Sniff, sniff. Something smelled delicious.

Savory and oily like smoked duck, sweet and fresh like salad, warm and soft like freshly baked bread!

Lovelace’s eyes shot open.

And she froze. As her vision cleared, her other senses slowly returned. Information pouring in from everywhere told her—

Something was wrong.

Soft, warm blanket. A fluffy bed. A gentle singing voice that calmed the heart.

Not the filthy rag blanket and cold dirt floor, not Banks’s yelling for her to wake up…

Lovelace’s eyes rolled around.

Sunlight poured warmly through the window. White lace curtains fluttered in the breeze. Unlike the gray world of yesterday, everything now shone in vivid colors.

“Is this heaven…?”

“It’s too early for you to die.”

That voice melted in her ears. An angel’s voice.

“If you’re awake, why not sit up?”

The angel spoke. Lovelace quickly sat up. The angel walked closer to her.

A smooth jawline, the graceful curve from forehead to nose, long almond-shaped eyes. His black pupils gazed at her as if piercing through everything.

“I said, sit up.”

She thought he was a statue.

If a voice hadn’t come from between those red, strangely sensual lips, she would’ve believed it.

“Is this heaven?”

Lovelace asked carefully.

“Does it look like heaven?”

No! With such a man tempting me, this must be hell!

But the man coming closer was definitely an angel. There couldn’t be such a beautiful man in hell, right?

Lovelace swallowed nervously.

Broad shoulders, solid build, tall height. His movements were slow, but every time he moved, the air seemed to shift with pressure.

“Then is this hell?”

Her eyes kept being drawn to the gap in his shirt, where strong chest muscles showed.

Please, don’t tempt me.

“Well, that depends on you. It can be heaven or hell.”

“I… I haven’t sinned that much. In fact, I lived rather decently…”

“You stole.”

“What?”

Lovelace’s eyes widened. Stole? That wasn’t fair!

Even when Banks shook her by the hair yelling at her to steal, she had endured, remembering the adults’ warnings never to take what wasn’t hers.

“I’ve never stolen! I swear!”

She protested her innocence. At some point, the man had sat down on the edge of her bed.

“Hm, you were going to run after eating.”

“Run after eating… what?”

“Me.”

The man smiled and pointed at himself. His eyes curved like a bow, his red lips forming a soft arc.

It was a seductive smile. A gesture of temptation.

Please, don’t tempt me!

Barely restraining her hand from reaching toward him, Lovelace stammered:

“You mean… I ate you?”

She thought about the word “eat.” Eating food to survive… and another meaning. Her face turned bright red.

The man placed one big hand on the bed, leaning closer. The distance closed, measured first by scent rather than sight.

A cool body fragrance pricked her nose.

The man chuckled near her ear. His breath tickled her neck.

Lovelace flinched, eyes closing tight.

“Bold of you, eating me right in front of me.”

“No, I mean, what exactly did I eat from you?!”

“You ate me.”

His lips mouthed the words, “nom nom.”

“My goodness! Whatever it was, I’ll spit it out right now!”

Danger.

Every instinct screamed red alert.

Then a memory flashed in her mind—this man at the temple.

He had cut a priest’s throat. He had crushed a priest’s head in his hand. With one reach, he had toppled a pillar.

“The temple destroyer!”

Lovelace jumped from the bed.

She didn’t even realize she was in pajamas until his eyes trailed up from her legs to her face. She quickly covered herself, but only earned his mocking laugh.

Her pride stung for having felt desire for his looks. But now wasn’t the time.

Whatever she had eaten, she had to spit it out. Otherwise, she might end up like those priests she saw.

“Uwek!”

She shoved her fingers into her throat. She had braced for pain, but forcing vomit was still awful.

“Stop it.”

“No, just a little more, uwek—”

“You digest well. It’s already gone.”

The man grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand out. Saliva glistened on her fingers. Lovelace’s eyebrows drooped.

“…Was it expensive?” she asked.

“You can’t buy it with money.”

She went silent.

“Then I’ll pay with my life!”

She yanked free from his hand and dashed to the window. He hurried over, catching her waist and holding her in his arms.

“I’m sorry, it was my mistake! If this is a dream, fine, but if not, then I must repay you even with death! I promise, maybe something is left in my stomach! If I die, cut me open and—”

“Shh, shhh, calm down.”

He whispered by her ear, hugging her tight. His steady breaths soothed her pounding heart.

“You must live.”

His voice was sweet as honey.

Huh? Is this that scene from romance novels—“You’re the first to eat me, accept my love”?

Her heart raced.

“Until you return it, even dying is forbidden.”

Her heart turned cold.

“I was wrong. Please forgive me.”

She slipped out of his arms, put her hands together, and begged.

“It’s fine, as long as you return it.”

“How can I return it?”

“I don’t know either.”

“What if I can’t?”

“That won’t happen. I’ll get it back somehow.”

The way he said “somehow” sent shivers down her spine.

“I’ll just go home first…”

She stiffly walked toward the door like a wooden puppet. The man blocked it.

“You can’t. Until you return it, you’ll live with me.”

“Please, tell me how.”

“I told you—I don’t know. If I knew, would I just leave you like this?”

Terrifying words.

Lovelace swallowed. She thought back to what she learned about digestion.

Food goes into the mouth, down the esophagus, into the stomach, then the intestines…

“…I’ll go to the bathroom.”

“Why?”

“Maybe it’ll come out.”

“What?”

He frowned as if he hadn’t heard right.

“If I push hard, it might come out!”

She shouted and ran toward what looked like a bathroom. His dumbfounded stare followed her.

Later, she sat shamefaced, while he mocked her.

“See? I told you it’s digested already.”

He chuckled. Lovelace knelt before him like a guilty criminal, head bowed.

“Eat first.”

He noticed her eyes sneaking toward the food. He placed before her a plate of elegant dishes, still fragrant even cold.

“No, I can’t possibly…”

“Fine. Don’t eat if you don’t want to.”

“I’ll eat! Maybe if I eat, it’ll come out!”

She grabbed his hand. He smiled again.

It was hard to believe this was the same man who had sliced through priests like tofu at the temple.

“Why? Is something on my face?”

She quickly shook her head and grabbed the bread.

“Drink water first.”

He filled a glass and handed it to her. She drank it in one go, then began eating bread.

Once full, her brain started working again. Come to think of it, she still didn’t know what exactly she had eaten.

“Excuse me, may I ask you something?”

The man looked at her.

“Larvihan Vallios.”

“…What?”

“That’s my name.”

Lovelace blinked.

Realizing he had misunderstood her question, she almost laughed but held it in. She was quick-witted enough to hide the smile tugging at her lips.

Holding back laughter was harder than holding back tears. I’m amazing!

Still… Larvihan Vallios? That name sounded strangely familiar.

“Yes, Lord Larvihan. So, what was it that I ate?”

She asked. His brow slowly furrowed.