The moment she felt the heat in the man’s eyes gazing at her, her body trembled as if chilled, even though it wasn’t cold.

If a demon was a being that enchanted someone and made them lose their senses, then her husband was indeed a demon. Once captivated by his gaze, it was impossible to look away.

As if his heat had transferred to her, her insides tightened. The unfamiliar desire she felt in her body made her shiver to her toes.

‘Why, why am I like this……’

As she writhed in fear of something about to begin, the robe draped over her shoulders slipped off. Even if he was her husband, she couldn’t believe she was wearing only a single layer as thin as a dragonfly’s wing in front of another person. Adel’s face flushed red with unbearable shame.

If only her hands were free, she would have covered her face. But both her wrists were already captured by him.

“D-don’t look at me like that……”

Adel pleaded, squeezing her eyes shut. Even to her own ears, her shrill voice sounded terrible. Valentin urged in a low voice.

“I want… to keep… looking. At every… thing…”

She couldn’t believe what he was saying. Did he want to see more of her trembling like this? Why? What was there to see in such a pitiful woman as herself…

“Be…cause… you’re my… wife.”

His voice whispering close to her ear was mischievous. He kissed along the curve of her round ear a few times, then gently bit her ear. Adel let out a startled breath and suddenly opened her eyes.

As their gazes met, he immediately smiled, narrowing the corners of his eyes. As if he had expected her to open her eyes. He kissed Adel’s cute nose bridge once more.

“Beau…tiful…. Very.”

“Ugh……”

“Al…ways… dreamed of… this.”

If he were a demon, this wouldn’t be possible. He wouldn’t look at her with such yearning and longing eyes. Because demons are beings that can neither enter paradise nor feel emotions.

“My… Adelheit.”

Why? Whenever he called her name, she felt a strange sense of nostalgia. Her thoughts moved as sluggishly as her blurry vision clouded with tears.

“Ah……”

As he applied a bit more strength to his knuckles, Adel’s small fingers spread to their limit. The moment she parted her lips, he tilted his head and captured her lower lip. All her nerves sensitively focused on that thin flesh.

It was like holding moist fire. After gently exploring, his sharp canine teeth nibbled on her lower lip as if chewing. Their breaths tangled in surprise. Her delicate chin trembled.

‘I need to… come to my senses……’

It was when she was having such foolish thoughts with a hazy mind. Valentin’s spine, which had been shadowing over her, suddenly stiffened.

“…Kuh, ungh.”

The groan sounded like a scream. For a moment, it seemed as if unfathomable pain had tortured him and passed. Valentin buried his forehead in the nape of Adel’s neck and barely caught his breath.

His spine, bent like a thin bow, trembled like a winter aspen.

She could feel the strength gradually leaving Valentin’s large hands that had been firmly pinning down her hands. As his upper body slumped, Adel reflexively embraced his back.

Valentin’s breath scattered over her cheek and neck was surprisingly weak.

“Your Highness?”

“Don’t… come…”

Worried that his sturdy frame would crush Adel, Valentin squeezed out his remaining strength to push her away from his embrace. The arm that had barely been supporting his body buckled, and he fell face-first onto the soft bed. He seemed to have fainted right then and there.

Adel, who had been abruptly pushed back by Valentin’s force, hurriedly crawled across the bed and placed her hand on his cheek. His forehead, beaded with sweat, was completely like a burning coal.

“Goodness……”

His limbs, which had twitched a few times as if trying to endure, finally went limp. His pale face showed no signs of vitality.

Adel hastily brought the back of her hand to his nose. Thankfully, she could feel a faint breath.

She pulled the sheets as much as she could to wrap Valentin’s body.

‘His body is cold, but his forehead is burning hot….. Why did he suddenly become like this?’

She quickly realized the reason. As if someone had whispered the answer in her ear.

‘Earlier, the maid applied holy oil to my lips. Something that’s fatal to demons even just by applying it to the skin, he directly tasted it. Ah, how could I have forgotten about that?’

She anxiously clasped her hands together. In her mind, she knew that this was the opportunity to confirm everything. According to the original plan, she should stab Valentin here.

But how could she do such a terrible thing to a patient burning with fever? Adel bit her nails nervously.

‘If something really goes wrong……’

Fear suddenly rushed in. Not only was there a strong aversion to bringing a blade to a sick person, but she was more afraid of the possibility that she might be wrongly accusing an innocent person of being a demon.

What if his loss of consciousness was not due to the holy oil, but just a coincidence?

‘…He won’t forgive me.’

She looked at the side of Valentin’s unconscious face. Although she should have been afraid, thinking that a terrifying demon was lurking inside that handsome body, somehow it wasn’t easy to think that way definitively. Because she could see deep loneliness in Valentin, who craved her affection.

‘It’s strange. If he were really a demon, he wouldn’t have emotions.’

Demons, deprived of their souls by God, cannot feel emotions. Of course, they cannot feel fear, terror, pity, loneliness, or solitude. Perhaps because of this incompleteness? Instead, demons obsessively craved blood and flesh.

Young demons sometimes inhabit livestock like goats or sheep, and there have been incidents where entire families were massacred after unknowingly bringing them into their homes. It was a rampage that occurred after the possessed animal had endured hunger while assimilating.

‘Just look at the Nassau Castle massacre, which they say was the work of demons.’

Even recalling the horrific incident where all the people in the castle were killed on the same day, her heart still wavered, unable to find its bearings. Was the ‘Shadow’ who committed that incident really the same being as the Valentin before her eyes?

Adel carefully brushed back Valentin’s bangs, which were matted with cold sweat. Even in an unconscious state, his brow was furrowed as if in pain.

‘He looks just like an ordinary person……’

Well, it’s not like demons go around with ‘demon’ written on their foreheads. Especially in this case, it wasn’t something where they could openly request an investigation or support from the Order. Rather, if it became publicly known that he was a demon, that would be an even bigger problem.

‘The priest’s blessing, holy water, even the Veil of Morig that Ansgar boasted about… none of them worked.’

Truly, no one dared to suspect that Valentin was a demon. Their eyes were blinded by the belief in the priest’s blessing. In this situation, even if it was revealed that Valentin was a demon, it would only shatter people’s faith in the Order.

It would be nothing short of a disaster for the people of the North who maintained their daily lives in barren lands, trusting in them.

‘The excuse that it’s because he’s a strong demon won’t work. There will be great confusion. There might even be riots….. So I need to confirm as soon as possible. If he’s a demon, I need to find a solution first.’

After today, they would have to wait another full 30 days until the next full moon. If the demon lost control due to hunger before then, Ansgar would be finished. Adel steeled her resolve.

She quickly retrieved the basket she had hidden under the bed.

When she removed the cloth covering the basket, the vial given by Father Padre and a small dagger were revealed. As she pulled the cork stopper from the vial, it came out with a pop.

‘Slowly.’

She tilted the vial to soak the cloth thoroughly with the potion. The green liquid emitted an unbearably foul odor. Adel carefully applied it to the blade of the dagger.

Now the preparations were complete. All that remained was to roll up Valentin’s sleeve and draw blood.

When she climbed back onto the bed after finishing all the preparations, Adel realized she was panting without even knowing it. Her disheveled hair obstructed her vision, and her palms were slightly damp with cold sweat.

“……”

Valentin was sleeping with a much more peaceful expression than before. Adel rolled up his sleeve a little. During this, he didn’t move at all.

Moonlight poured over the exposed forearm. Adel could clearly see the spot she had to stab. She firmly grasped the handle of the dagger with both hands.

‘Don’t be nervous. You’re doing what needs to be done. Maybe this will even save His Highness from dishonor. They said you don’t need to draw much blood. Just a little is enough.’

She tried to calm herself, but her hands shook uncontrollably despite her efforts. Rather than being stabbed by someone else, bringing a knife to a person was a terrible thing. The aversion was extreme.

Adel tried to recall Father Padre’s voice comforting her.

‘Think of it as lancing a boil. If you don’t lance it and squeeze it out, it will block His Highness’s insides, eat away at his mind, and eventually take his life.’

‘But, Father.’

‘Adel. You are saving His Highness. Not harming him.’

‘…Then please promise me one thing, Father.’

‘What is it?’

‘If drawing blood from His Highness’s body is the only way to confirm the Shadow, and if I’m the only one who can do it… I don’t want to have this kind of adventure many times. I hope this one time will be enough for all confirmation.’

‘….’

‘Can you promise in the name of God Morig?’

Why did the strangely gleaming eyes of Father Padre answering her come to mind at this moment?