Chapter 3: I Didn’t Mean Eat Like This—Let Me Go, Lin Wei!
Deep breath.
Hug tighter.
Rub my face against it—hard.
Veya’s frozen, delicate features gradually softened as her emotions unraveled, replaced by a bubbling excitement and a profound sense of relief, as if some crushing weight had finally been lifted from her shoulders. A faint flush crept across her cheeks as her breathing quickened.
“I’m finally home!”
In that instant, all the suffocating pressure from work melted away. Clutching the blanket, Veya found herself unwilling to let go.
This scent—nothing in the world soothes me like it.
It’s been years since I first met Lin Wei.
Ever since the previous Pope perished in that accident, the Holy City had plunged into the darkest, most perilous chapter of its history.
Threats pressed in from within the Holy Church, and from the invading demon beyond.
Even the Empire, usually a bastion of order, was wracked by outbreaks of disasters caused by evil gods.
Only the heavens know how much strain I’ve endured since the goddess Alicia herself unexpectedly chose me as her successor—when I’d never even dreamed of preparing for it.
All of it led me here, to this small town, investigating the disappearance of a subjugation squad.
Alone in the wilderness, beside an icy river, my nerves finally snapped. I couldn’t take it anymore. I hurled myself into the water, hiding as I sobbed my heart out.
That was when Lin Wei happened to pass by and fished me out.
I was a wreck—completely unable to pull myself together. He simply dragged me, sniffling and wiping away tears, all the way back to camp.
“So embarrassing.”
Even now, just thinking about it makes me want to die from shame.
But… if I hadn’t met him, if I hadn’t had Lin Wei’s endless stream of wild ideas and harebrained schemes to lean on, would I have survived those darkest days at all?
Of course, in the end, marrying him wasn’t just to help him get his papers or to repay a favor. There were other, very specific reasons involved. It’s not like I caught some lovesick bug and actually fell for him or anything.
Only a handful of people know the real story.
After the peace talks collapsed, the Demon Lord supposedly abandoned the demon realm and slipped into the human world in secret.
He might have even gotten entangled with the cult of evil gods by now, quietly plotting some monstrous, world-shaking scheme.
I only came to this little town in the first place because I’d heard rumors the Demon Lord might have left traces here.
That’s why I married Lin Wei—to give myself a simple, unremarkable identity and stay here without attracting suspicion. As if I’d marry him just because I liked him! Ridiculous.
…Although, if I’m brutally honest, maybe there is the tiniest part of me that likes Lin Wei.
But I’ve said it a hundred times: that’s just gratitude for how he comforted me back then. It’s pure thankfulness, not some romance-addled crush.
I, Veya, am not some lovestruck Pope who loses her head the moment a man is nice to her. And I’m certainly not the kind of woman who leads a man on when she doesn’t actually like him. My coldness toward him should make it obvious: I’m only repaying a debt, nothing more.
It’s not as if I’m secretly terrified that, if I ever face off with the Demon Lord and don’t make it out alive, Lin Wei will be heartbroken. It’s not as if I’m desperately holding back my feelings, making sure he never falls for me before the world is truly safe… right?
“But seriously, where did the Demon Lord disappear to?”
Veya closed her eyes, unable to stop the swirl of restless thoughts.
Ever since the wedding, she’d already investigated every possible lead in this little town.
She’d even checked the stray dogs on the street, but it was all for nothing—not a single clue had turned up.
“Could he have already returned to the demon realm?”
“So hard to figure out…”
Her consciousness began to blur.
Bathed in the comforting scent beside her, drowsiness swept over Veya, pulling her into darkness. All that remained was her final, puzzled whisper.
◇
To be honest, this wicked woman looks surprisingly cute when she’s asleep.
Lin Wei sat at the edge of the bed, allowing her to rest her head in his lap as he gazed down at her in silence, studying her features intently.
Gone was the icy, aloof mask she wore during the day. Asleep, Veya was as docile as a little gray-and-white cat.
Beneath that cool exterior, she possessed an instinctive softness and clinginess—just like now.
Silky pajamas hugged the graceful curves of her perfect figure.
A faint tenderness lingered in her pale golden eyes, and she instinctively hugged her arms to her chest. It was impossible not to notice that proud, supple softness.
He’d seen this sight countless times. Even if their marriage was technically just a contract, their daily life was hardly any different from that of a real couple.
“When you finally find out I’m the Demon Lord, you’ll definitely curl up in shock and start praying on the spot.”
“Heh… I can’t wait to see how I’ll teach you a lesson then.”
Just imagining that scenario sent a thrill through Lin Wei’s heart. He could already picture himself putting that useless Pope in her place right in front of Veya, then turning to her with a wicked threat—do as you’re told, or end up just like your precious Pope.
To subjugate the clergy, to force her to bow before the Demon Lord’s might—wasn’t that, in a way, the ultimate act of stealing the favor of the goddess Alicia herself?
Lin Wei couldn’t help but cover his face with one hand, peering through his fingers as excitement shimmered in his eyes.
Ah! My brain is trembling!
“Hmm?”
Just then—
Those clear, enchanting golden eyes slowly fluttered open.
“You’re finally awake.”
Seeing that Veya was fully conscious, Lin Wei quickly masked his expression, feigning nonchalance as he brought his hand to her face and gave her cheek a firm pinch.
Smooth, supple, and soft—her skin was as flawless as ever.
“What are you doing?”
Her voice was as cool and indifferent as always.
But the lingering drowsiness softened her tone, giving it a lazy silkiness.
“Obviously, I came to call you for dinner. Why do you look so out of it?”
She looked absolutely drained, as if she’d used up her very last ounce of strength.
Lin Wei raised an eyebrow, teasing her as he pinched her lips, then ran his fingers along her chin.
“Just tired from work, that’s all.”
Does he think I’m some kind of cat?
Letting him playfully stroke her, Veya frowned slightly but didn’t really resist.
After all, she had been away for quite a while. She supposed she could let him indulge a little—not that she felt any more relaxed just because he was getting handsy at close range or anything.
“So it’s just work exhaustion, huh…”
But Veya quickly realized something was off.
The fingers that had just been idly tracing her chin had stealthily shifted position.
While Lin Wei spoke, his hands moved with practiced ease—already undoing her buttons, all the while nodding solemnly as if he were making some grand decision.
“In that case, let me help you relax a little. Maybe it’ll perk you right up.”
This was the moment when Veya’s guard was at its lowest—when she was most vulnerable, the easiest to tease.
After all the pent-up grievances accumulated since she’d come home, if he didn’t collect his dues now, then when?
“You—there’s no way this is going to help me feel more awake!”
But it was already too late.
Realizing what was happening, Veya frantically tried to wriggle free from his grasp.
Her clear, golden eyes flashed with sudden panic.
But even as she protested, Lin Wei’s nimble fingers had already finished with the buttons. He caught her feet as she tried to kick him away, leaving her in a distinctly precarious position.
“Dinner! Dinner will wake me up just fine!”
I’m going to die!
I just got home, and I’m completely out of energy—if this keeps up, I really will die.
She struggled, scooting backward, desperately trying to escape his hold.
Flushed crimson, Veya managed to shout out the words, instantly grasping what he was about to do. She hadn’t expected it to actually work, but to her surprise, her desperate plea made the almost-unrestrained Lin Wei pause.
“Dinner…?”
Lin Wei pondered for a moment, then broke into a bright, delighted grin as he scooped her up in his arms.
Her slender, supple waist fit perfectly in his hands as Lin Wei swept his wife up and carried her straight toward the kitchen downstairs.
“This isn’t a bad idea at all. How about we have dinner—and I help you wake up even more while we eat?”
“That’s not what I meant by dinner… Lin Wei!!!”