Vampire Commotion (5)
Power surged into Rumani’s hand. At the same moment, the fingers clamped around my chin tightened, digging in deeper and harder. I could feel every individual fingertip pressing into my skin. The chill of her touch—colder than any human or demon—made my body flinch on instinct. Cold sweat beaded on my forehead and trickled down my cheek. Rumani watched it slide across my skin and smiled, the expression of a cat toying with a cornered mouse.
When I kept twitching, she maintained her grip on my jaw and curved her lips into a bewitching smile. It was the kind of smile that could enchant any man or woman without discrimination, yet to my eyes it looked exactly like a snake that had locked onto its prey.
“How could I not be interested? The Sage of the Hero Party personally formed a contract with a mixed-blood demon… and that demon turns out to be a vampire.”
Whether it still held true today or not, during the height of the war when sparks of conflict had spread across the entire world, a half-demon hybrid had been considered a heretic. Treated worse than a slave, an existence that could never expect kindness from either humans or demons. That was what a half-blood between human and demon meant. For the Sage who had lived through that war to form a contract with one—especially a mixed-blood—her reaction was only natural. Even Leo had looked at me with clear displeasure at first. Of course, he still looked at me with displeasure now.
I really, really hoped the Vampire Queen Rumani Tepes would lose interest in me. But judging from her current reaction, that seemed impossible. Anyone could see she was fascinated.
Honestly, it was unpleasant. Who would enjoy having their chin suddenly grabbed by a complete stranger? I scowled. I reflexively tried to jerk my head back, but it was useless. She didn’t budge. I couldn’t escape. As much as I hated to admit it, the gap in power between us was overwhelming—just like it had been with Leo earlier. She really was an Apostle.
This was getting ridiculous. I wasn’t a neighborhood punching bag. The fact that I couldn’t even resist once every time someone manhandled me made me feel ashamed. It was hard to believe I had once been part of the Hero Party. In the past, a restraint this pathetic would have been brushed off with a casual wave of my hand…!
“Hmm.”
“Ugh…”
“I won’t do anything bad, so lift your head.”
The line sounded like something a third-rate villain would say right before assaulting the heroine. Still, the oppressive force behind her voice left me no choice. I grit my teeth, let out a short breath, and slowly raised my head. As if she didn’t want to miss a single moment, she yanked me even harder. The distance between us shrank instantly. My eyes widened in surprise, and Rumani’s crimson pupils narrowed with delight.
“Your eyes aren’t red, but gray. You’re disguising yourself as human, yet conversely, it seems you don’t drink blood very often. The gray color gives it away.”
“…Whether I drink blood or not is none of your business.”
“True, it has nothing to do with me. It only torments you. But a vampire suppressing the urge to drink blood is the same as a human suppressing sexual desire.”
“What’s your point?”
My sharp retort only made Rumani’s mischievous smile deepen.
“It’s better not to hold it back too much. Once the impulse surges all at once, it becomes difficult to control.”
She acted as if she couldn’t see Leticia’s terrifyingly stiff expression while the other woman gripped my shoulder, or perhaps she simply didn’t care. Rumani continued to hold my chin, turning my face this way and that as she examined me, then whispered in a gentle voice that clashed horribly with the murderous atmosphere.
“Hm. I won’t do anything, so stay still.”
“What—”
“I said be obedient. I only want to check something. I won’t harm you.”
With the Hero and the Sage standing right there watching, doing anything to me would cause problems. Rumani continued, “His Majesty the Demon King wishes for peace between humans and demons. I have no desire to earn the hatred of the human Hero and Sage if it can be avoided. …Ah, or have I already earned it?”
With an amused expression, Rumani raised a finger and tilted my chin upward.
“Oh?”
My chin was pulled up, forcing my head back. Our faces were now so close our breaths mingled. The moment my eyes met her crimson ones, which glowed with an eerie light, my body froze. The unpleasant sensation of being scrutinized from head to toe made me furrow one eyebrow, and Rumani laughed.
“As I thought, you inherited more of the demon blood. For an ordinary half-demon, it would be normal to lack the horns and wings that symbolize our kind, but you’re hiding them with magic, aren’t you?”
“…”
“It’s quite a high-level disguise. If I didn’t look closely, even I would see you as human rather than demon.”
“How flattering.”
It didn’t sound like sarcasm, yet it was difficult to accept as a compliment. Rumani answered with the same intrigued expression she had worn when she first saw me, the corners of her mouth lifting. I had been trying to avoid meeting her eyes by keeping mine half-closed, but when I peeked open and looked at her, I quickly lowered my gaze again. My reaction must have been funny, because Rumani let out a small laugh.
“Even if you are a half-blood, if you carry vampire blood you should normally fall under my control. Does that mean your rank is higher than mine? Kehit, how entertaining. Just what are you?”
“…I don’t think I’m obligated to tell you. Like you said, I’m just an insignificant half-vampire.”
“I never called you insignificant, nor am I uninterested. What I’m curious about is the fact that you slipped free of my control.”
Whether she said that or not, I had ended up with my chin captured anyway. Even though I glared at her with a deeply furrowed brow that clearly asked what the hell she was doing, Rumani’s expression remained perfectly serene. On the contrary, when I glared, she snorted as if my gaze was nothing but a joke. As she had said earlier, from her perspective my resistance must look like a mouse threatening a cat.
She’s openly looking down on me.
Since I was standing between Leo and Leticia, I probably looked like the easiest target. It was true that I was weaker than the two of them, so I couldn’t argue, but I absolutely hated being treated this way. I tried to show at least a little defiance by widening my eyes, but Rumani’s reaction was lukewarm.
Tap, tap. With her eyes lowered, Rumani’s long fingers toyed with the black collar around my neck as she asked playfully, “Is this a collar? What unique taste. Is it yours? Or does it belong to the Sage? You’re treating a demon like a pet.”
Rumani stroked the collar fastened around my throat with a smile whose meaning I couldn’t read. When she asked if it was my preference, I let out a hollow laugh and shook my head lightly. Leticia, who had been silently listening, suddenly pulled me toward her.
“?!”
The sudden yank around my waist made my eyes fly open wide. I had been keeping my body relaxed, but I never expected to slip out of Rumani’s grasp so easily. The result was the ridiculous sight of me falling straight into Leticia’s arms.
For a moment I blinked in confusion, then calmly accepted the current situation. So now it was Leticia’s turn instead of Rumani. The familiar warmth brought a sense of comfort, yet at the same time my feelings were complicated. In the past I had been the one embracing Leticia; I never imagined the roles would reverse. It was only possible because this body was slightly shorter than hers.
Leticia held me like a cherished stuffed doll and stared at Rumani with narrowed eyes. She clearly didn’t like the situation at all.
“That’s enough. If you’re planning to keep picking fights, it would be better for you to leave. As Leo said, if word gets out that you’re here, it will become troublesome.”
Especially if the Emperor or other nobles noticed. The peace treaty with the demons might fall apart. Leticia deliberately spoke in extremes, her lifeless eyes fixed on Rumani.
Having somehow ended up cradled in Leticia’s arms like a doll, I looked up at her blankly. Blink, blink. As I slowly stared at her face, our eyes met. Leticia hugged me even tighter.
Ack.
I screamed internally. The way she squeezed my waist was so strong I felt like I might cry. When I looked at her with tears pricking my eyes, Leticia was glaring at Rumani with eyes that burned like flames.
I had vaguely noticed it before, but now it was certain. I didn’t know whether the emotion Leticia felt toward me was possessiveness or love, but it was definitely one of the two.
This is awkward.
What should I do? Ever since I was first summoned, Leticia’s behavior had been full of things I couldn’t understand. From the way she openly revealed her desire for me to the subtle obsession in her actions, it was impossible not to have questions. Still, right now the priority was soothing Leticia’s mood.
“Leticia.”
“…Charlotte? You just called my name…”
“Calm down. Put me down.”
Even when I told her it was uncomfortable to have my feet dangling off the ground, Leticia showed no sign of displeasure. She simply looked satisfied at having been called by name, the corners of her mouth twitching as she released me from her embrace.
“…Sigh.”
Leo, who had been preparing to step in between the uncomfortable staring contest between Rumani and Leticia, looked back and forth between me and Leticia with a sigh, as if something displeased him. I thought the situation would resolve peacefully now, but there was one variable left.
Chu—.
The sudden cool-yet-warm sensation on my cheek made my eyes fly wide open. I turned my head. It had been a surprise kiss. Rumani licked her lips with a seductive smile, and I dazedly raised a hand to my cheek.