Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: How to Steal the Protagonist's Woman
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'Holy shit...'
Just like Armonia said, the kid was sleeping soundly right next to me. If the duchess woke up even a little and attacked, I could actually die.
At her level, she could pin me down and send me straight to the afterlife in one go.
"Do you know exactly what she's drinking?"
"Reb herb, I think... She brews it into tea... But why are you asking?"
Even as he spoke, he started looking uneasy about me prying into the duchess like this.
Armonia filled me in.
'Jackpot!'
'Yeah, that's plenty.'
I approached the kid.
"Oh, are you leaving now?"
Desperate for me to go, the kid started babbling assumptions on his own.
My gaze shifted to the kid's hand.
It was the key.
Noticing my gaze, the kid quickly hid his hand behind his back..
I didn't think he'd hand it over easily if I asked.
I stared at the kid and muttered.
"Sleep... sleep..."
"...? What... uh...?"
Thud.
The kid collapsed to the floor and shut his eyes, falling asleep.
"That shit works like a charm."
I pocketed the kid's key and flopped back onto the bed.
'Armonia, does that herb kick in right away?'
'So, wait ten minutes then head over?'
'Nice, perfect.'
If there's no reaction to knocking, she's definitely asleep.
I spoke to the kid sprawled on the floor.
"Heh heh heh, sleep tight."
"Yeah?"
Armonia raised a question.
"Oh..."
I grinned sinisterly at the kid.
"Just grabbing another weakness, that's all."
Knock knock knock.
"..."
Click, creak.
The lock disengaged with a sound, and the wooden door swung open with a scrape.
The inside was identical to the kid's room.
On the shabby bed, the duchess slept soundly, breathing softly.
'Heh heh heh, she's asleep'.
Armonia figured this Sleep Intrusion skill would help with future missions, so she urged me to keep using it.
But her tone came through with concern.
'Nah, don't worry. That was a one-time thing.'
It was a fair question.
To Armonia, it must've sounded like I just spontaneously indulged in sadism in her dream.
But it was all calculated.
'I wanted to leave a strong impression first.'
Would she get mad at me for spanking her in her own dream?
No, since it happened in her own dream, there was no reason to be angry with me.
She might feel a flash of anger, but someone rational like the duchess would blame herself for dreaming it.
And when a person who appears unexpectedly in a dream gets etched into one's mind, they can't help but think about that person all day.
'I did the same thing with Luna at first, etching myself into her mind with a bad impression. I thought a strong impression was important.'
'It was hella jiggly...'
I wasn't joking; the Duchess's ass were so plump that I kept smacking them without realizing it.
I only stopped when her white silk panties began to glisten with moisture. .
'By the way, it seems my hand-skills work even in dreams?'
'I'm not entirely sure; she might have just been a pervert who gets wet when hit.'
I intended to go in and verify my hand-skills this time.
I crept right up to the bed.
A cup with remnants of the drink sat by the bed's foot.
First, confirmed that she had consumed the drink.
'Armonia, you said she won't wake up as long as I don't hit her, right?'
'Sweet, sweet~'
I slipped into the duchess's bed.
Since it was a single bed, it was narrow, and as soon as I entered, her lips were right in front of my mouth.
I was dying to kiss her right then, but I held back.
Saving the real action for later.
Even though she certainly wouldn't be using any perfume, the Duchess's' subtle natural scent entered my nose and stimulated my brain.
It was too cramped not to hug her.
"Hng..."
A slight twitch of resistance, then she settled.
'This is killing two birds with one stone. Easy Sleep Intrusion and straight pheromone dosing.'
'Kekeke, gotta thank the kid.'
Sleep Intrusion aside, a full week of direct pheromone exposure like this? Its a Rare opportunity.
Through the thin pajamas wrapping the Duchess's, I could feel her warmth against my body.
'Fuck, this is addictive.'
The situation of invading her space and hugging her without permission aroused me more than I expected.
My dick was rock hard just from this...
I focused and cast Sleep Intrusion.
"Hm? Nothing here?"
The moment Sleep Intrusion hit, I saw a pitch-dark space.
And in the far distance, the Duchess, wearing her pajamas, stood still with her eyes closed.
"Not dreaming yet?"
I had used up all my mana on Sleep Intrusion and Sleep earlier.
I had refilled my mana, but considering mana exhaustion, I didn't have much time.
"Let's tweak it... A dream like an impossible happy ending isn't a good thing."
Such dreams might make one feel good for a moment, but the rebound upon waking is equally severe.
I conjured the Demon King's castle in my mind and shaped the dream.
The guest room where I stay was created before my eyes, and the Princess stood blankly in front of the door.
'...Where am I?'
When Lena opened her eyes, she saw the guest room.
The world of the dream was immediately established in her mind.
'Right, I am... in the Demon King's castle... a guest...'
Just as she grasped the situation, a man sitting on a dining chair in the center of the room called out.
"Come here."
"Yes."
Lena approached and stood rigidly at his side.
Up close, a scent began to rise from him.
'...It smells nice.'
Lost in the aroma, the man spoke.
"Is there anything you like?"
"...I like playing the piano."
"Oh... What made you like it?"
"My late mother always played it for me, so I've loved it since I was little."
If this were reality, Lena would not be the type to answer a man's questions so honestly, but because it was a dream, she found herself answering truthfully without realizing it.
"Then play something."
"Yes, sir."
At his command, a piano appeared in the room's corner.
It was from her memories.
The massive brown-striped grand piano always in her room.
Her mother's heirloom.
Despite the sudden command, Lena was filled with joy that she could play the piano; she sat on the two-person piano bench and immediately placed her hands on the keys.
She began to play.
Talented in sword and spear, her piano skills were merely average.
However, she simply loved playing while thinking of her mother.
Beautiful notes filled the room.
Although it had been a long time since she had played the piano due to the war, her fingers moved naturally.
'Feels like I'm playing better than before...'
After minutes of joyful play, the piece ended refreshingly.
When she finished, the man sat beside her.
'When did he...'
She had been so immersed in the performance that she hadn't noticed him at all.
The man asked Lena with interest.
"You play well. Mind if I try?"
"Please do."
The man, who didn't seem to really need permission, asked anyway and began to play the piano beside Lena.
Lena sat beside him, closed her eyes, and listened to the performance.
Average skill.
'But it feels so good...'
His scent was nice, and his playing matched hers exactly.
Ever since arriving at the Demon King's castle, Lena hadn't had a single day of rest.
Those here only relied on her, and without a single person to lean on, her mind was becoming devastated.
But just by this man sitting beside her and playing the piano, she felt a sense of peace in her heart.
It was the first time she had felt such leisure.
As the piece ended, he asked.
"Do you know any other songs?"
"Yes. Shall I play one?"
Lena found herself asking without realizing it.
She desperately wanted to play immediately, but she felt she had to hear his answer first.
"Yeah, play it."
"Yes, sir."
She placed fingers on the keys beside him and started another tune.
After Lena played a piece, the man would follow by playing the same song.
They alternated like that for quite a while.
Lena wanted to prolong the peace she was feeling for the first time since arriving here.
Then the music stopped abruptly.
"Huh?!"
The man beside her had vanished completely.
"...Where?"
When Lena opened her eyes in a daze, she saw her own room illuminated by the dawn light.
"...That man again."
Lena closed her eyes tightly and recalled the dream she had just had.
The man who had sat beside her and played the piano.
She had been wary of him because he was clearly associated with Gardia.
But she hadn't expected him to appear in her dreams like this.
The man who appeared in her dream when she dozed off yesterday afternoon had not left her mind all day.
It was because the sensation of being spanked for the first time in her life had been so shocking.
Above all, both the dream from yesterday afternoon and the dream just now were far too vivid.
She had often experienced dreams that left some memory, but a vivid experience like this was a first.
"...But I feel refreshed."
Since coming here, there hadn't been a single peaceful day.
In a life here devoid of dreams and hope, the man in the dream had stabilized her mood, if only for a moment.
She got out of bed and calmly began to change her clothes.
However, at the thought of another day beginning, a suicidal impulse began to bloom in Lena's heart.
'I want to die...'
The immature children continued to talk of hope, oblivious to the state of the world
while the older nobles shamelessly began to dump all their responsibilities onto her.
At first, duty drove her to shoulder all blame.
She thought she wouldn't regret it.
But she was wrong.
She was whipped in place of other children's mistakes and went hungry.
The other children encouraged Lena, yet they continued to leave everything to her.
In just a few months, her mind began to erode, and she became a time bomb that could explode at any moment.
At some point, insomnia set in, and her body became unable to endure a single day without medication.
The only sanctuary she had was the Rev Herb she obtained by humiliatingly bowing her head to the lower-ranking demons.
To her, this place was a hell worse than any battlefield.
What kept her going wasn't the royals or nobles here.
"Father... everyone... I'm sorry."
If she committed suicide, all that would remain were her father and her people, ruled like livestock.
If she could save them, she'd endure her crumbling mind.
World peace meant nothing now.
She simply wanted to ensure that her people lived lives with at least a minimum of human rights, even if it meant becoming the Demon King's confidante.
Just as she finished tidying her room and left the dormitory to start her daily routine, the lower-ranking demon who managed her came and spoke.
"You. The Demon King has summoned you."