Chapter 32 : Don’t mess with sleeping people
by fnovelpia
Why is that woman here right now?
More importantly, what in the world did she come here for, and why in person?
Faigle had a whirlwind of questions spinning in his head, but for now, he dropped to his knees and showed respect.
Because she never forgives anyone who doesn’t come before her with submission.
He’d seen it himself—what happened to someone who had once looked down on her without knowing better.
That memory was seared into him.
“You look relaxed. So, did you do everything I told you to?”
She dragged a nearby chair over and sat down.
Her face was hidden in the darkness where the moonlight couldn’t reach, but as always, she was surely looking at him like he was a bug.
Just from her arrogant posture, with one leg crossed over the other, he could guess her expression.
“Y-Yes. I did my best, exactly as you ordered. But…”
He hesitated—should he say it or not?
But the fear of being caught lying was worse than the risk of telling the truth.
In the end, stammering, he decided to be honest.
Better to be scolded than to risk his life.
“I couldn’t eliminate the woman you mentioned. She was beyond my ability. I sincerely apologize.”
“…Hah? You couldn’t even do that?”
Annoyance crept into her voice upon hearing Faigle’s words.
“Eliminating just one woman is that hard? And you call yourself a duke?”
“T-That’s…”
“Useless. You’re just a fat pig bloated with excess.”
At her insult, laced with emotion, Faigle clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
He felt it every time he spoke with her—the urge to break that arrogant attitude of hers.
But he couldn’t.
Doing so would get him crushed like an insect under her heel.
If this woman helps, I can easily get rid of that countess bitch!
Even so, Faigle had not given up on his revenge against Ershi.
He knew very well that, despite her personality, she was an incredibly powerful magician.
If he could get her help, taking down someone like Ershi would be nothing.
So Faigle bowed his head even lower and took a gamble.
“If you help me, I’ll eliminate that girl just as you wish! Please give me one more chance!”
If she’d gone as far as ordering Ershi’s death, then she must see her as a threat too.
So even if she didn’t like being begged, she might still help.
“…You arrogant fool.”
“Y-Yes…?”
That’s what he thought—Until she stood up from the chair and began walking toward him.
“I was going to let you off if you at least did the job well,but now you dare to beg me, even when you’re as good as dead?You must think you’ve got more than one life.”
“W-What do you mean…?! What did I do to deserve this?!”
Sure, he had failed the mission, but to kill him over just that?
From Faigle’s perspective, it felt absurdly unfair and utterly confusing.
“You… stole quite a bit of the money you made selling the potions I told you to.And you still have the nerve to ask for mercy?”
At her words, Faigle’s face turned ghostly pale.
He hadn’t expected to get caught for what he’d done in secret.
He’d been so sure he’d hidden it well—how did she know?
No, it didn’t matter now.
She had already made up her mind to kill him, and there was no doubt she’d follow through.
As he sensed death drawing near, his teeth chattered, and cold sweat soaked his back.
His body trembled in fear.
“P-Please, just one more chance! I’ll repay every sin I’ve committed, I swear…!”
“So noisy. Crying like a pig, aren’t you?”
“S-Someone! Anyone out there?! Come in here, now—! Mmph!”
“At this hour, who do you think would come?And even if they did, it’s not like you’re getting out of here alive.”
Not even his desperate sobbing plea worked.
And before he could call for help again, her hand clamped tightly over his mouth.
Despite her slender arm, the strength was immense—no matter how much he struggled, he couldn’t move an inch.
So this is how I die.
Realizing his fate was sealed, his entire life flashed through his mind like pages of a book.
And only now did he understand—his life had always been the kind that could end at any moment.
“You know… once upon a time,there was a magic created solely to torment humans like you.Isn’t that funny?”
For the first time, her voice was laced with twisted joy.
With it, something foul and vile flowed into Faigle’s mouth.
He thrashed in agony as his stomach twisted and his throat burned.
She finally released him, but now his throat was so parched that only hoarse, ragged breaths escaped—and then came the black liquid.
Rotten blood.
“U-Ughhh…”
What… did you do to me?
He wanted to say it,but no sound came out.
Even as he reached toward her, his fingernails began to crack and split.
Then, his entire body began to go numb,and when he touched his face, dry, leathery flesh stuck to his fingertips.
It was his own skin.
His body was rotting away, little by little.
His body was inching closer and closer to death.
Overwhelmed by the fear of his very being decaying, he completely lost his mind and rolled on the floor.
“Tsk. Even a duke should try to maintain some dignity.”
Watching Faigle’s pathetic end, she clicked her tongue as if disgusted, then turned her back on him.
Just like when she arrived, she vanished silently into the shadows, as if melting into them.
As she left, her lovely silver hair fluttered under the moonlight.
*
A day passed.
Not that anything really changed.
If anything, the only difference was that I felt a bit better physically.
Aside from that—nothing.
Serena still hadn’t opened her eyes.
“Why won’t she wake up?”
I thought she’d be fine after a night’s rest.
Her pulse had returned to normal, and I could even hear her softly snoring,so it didn’t seem strange to expect her to wake up any moment now.
Last time, she woke up after a nap too—was I just foolish to assume it’d be the same this time?
“…Well. It’s not like it’s anything serious, so maybe it’s fine.”
With that change of thought, my mind quickly settled.
She pushed herself so hard she coughed up blood like a kid,so maybe it’s better to let her rest a little longer.
She’ll probably wake up sometime today.
Until then, I should just let her rest peacefully.
“…She’s not going to wake up just yet, right?”
No matter what I did, she didn’t stir.
Her condition seemed stable,and a mischievous thought crept into my mind—maybe just a little wouldn’t hurt?
I knew it was wrong.
But seeing her sleeping there so defenselessly made me feel the irresistible urge to tease her.
Yeah.
Just for a moment.
As long as I clearly drew the line, it’d be fine.
Having convinced my conscience, I acted right away.
“Hey. Hey.”
I poked her cheek a few times, and soft flesh met my fingertips.
Maybe because she was still young, the elasticity of her skin was addictively pleasant to touch.
Still, I could touch her cheeks anytime—so this time, I wanted to try touching somewhere different.
“…It… it should be fine, right?”
That wicked desire might have been a point of no return.
I knew I shouldn’t—but I still wanted to.
So I lifted her blanket and gently undid the top button of Serena’s pajamas.
Her soft, pale stomach peeked out.
A bit of baby fat poked out slightly, thanks to all the good meals she’d been having lately—and it looked unusually cute.
“Hehehe…”
Even I had to admit—that laugh sounded downright perverted.
But seriously, how was I supposed to resist?
With my mouth practically watering, I reached out and gave Serena’s belly a few light pats.
As expected, the soft bounce under my fingers felt incredibly satisfying,and the way the flesh gently rippled was oddly amusing.
I poked her side too—it was so plush that my finger sank in about the depth of a fingernail.
Seriously, how could everything about her be so adorable?
This would drive even a perfectly sane person like me to the brink.
“Alright, then where to next…”
My desire, once ignited, was ready to run wild until it burned out.
But I didn’t get the chance.
At some point, Serena had woken up—and I found myself staring right into her slightly opened eyes.
“G-Good morning?”
I awkwardly greeted her, trying to play it cool, but Serena didn’t respond.
Even after I buttoned her pajama top back up, her silence continued.
Honestly, I would’ve preferred if she just called me a pervert like usual.
The silence was worse—I had no idea what to do.
“…Come closer.”
“Huh? U-uh, okay.”
When Serena finally spoke, I obediently moved in.
I didn’t know what she was planning, but I figured it wouldn’t end peacefully.
I braced myself—but I didn’t expect her to slam her fist straight into my jaw.
“Ghk!”
So this is what they mean when they say chili peppers are hot.
That punch made my head spin—and my body fully understood the meaning of those words.
“To think you’d do that to someone while they were sleeping… I’m really disappointed in you.”
“W-Wait a sec! I admit I went too far with the joke, so just—!”
“Forget it. I don’t want to talk. Hmph.”
Ah.
Guess I also learned you really shouldn’t mess with someone while they’re sleeping.
“I-I’m sorry. Please forgive me, just this once…”
“Nope. You pervert.”
I suppose this was the price of enlightenment.
It took a while before Serena, with her back turned to me, would even consider forgiving me.
From now on, no more pranks like that.
At the very least—only when she’s awake.
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