You, My Devil - Chapter 28

Whatever Nike’s reason for sending me here, I will make it clear. I will show you, Nike, how a lion cub thrown off a cliff can still survive.

Yuri’s gray eyes gleamed with a chilling sharpness as he watched the soldiers train.

“Where is Heina?” Yuri suddenly asked, stopping in his tracks.

“I was informed she went to the royal library immediately after finishing her meal. She has been spending most of her time there over the past few days.”

The royal library, situated in the palace’s towering spire, was a space overflowing with books.

Before turning toward the library, Yuri gave Linus another order.

“The man standing at the far end of the third row is moving sluggishly, Linus. Check if he’s injured during training.”

Linus followed Yuri’s gaze and indeed noticed the soldier’s noticeably slower movements. He bowed his head.

“I will look into it immediately.”

“Thanks for keeping the soldiers disciplined while I was away, Sir Linus,” Yuri said with a grin.

He placed a hand on the broad shoulder of Linus, who was more than one and a half times his size, giving it a firm pat before turning away.

The hem of his white robe fluttered in the breeze as he walked toward the spire.

* * *

Heina was so absorbed in her reading that she didn’t even notice the sound of the library door opening and closing. Sitting on the spiral staircase, she was surrounded by a messy pile of books she had gathered from the farthest corners of the tower’s top floor. Holding a worn-out book, she stared intently at the last page.

‘The red-haired devil will be born, and the sun shall devour the moon. East will become west, the sea will turn into grasslands, and the world will be engulfed in flames until everything is reduced to ashes.’

Heina bit her lip as she read the faded ink. It was a passage she remembered from a book she’d read in her childhood.

‘When demons battle for the angel’s tears, and other demons emerge simultaneously, horns shall grow from the angel’s forehead, and the world will be thrown into turmoil and plunged into utter darkness.’

“These kinds of books have somehow managed to survive, huh.”

Startled by the sudden sound of a voice, Heina looked up from the book she was engrossed in. The very “red-haired devil” described in the book, Yuri, was striding toward her.

He bent down, picked up one of the scattered books near her, glanced at it briefly, and then tossed it carelessly onto the floor.

“What are you doing?”

“These are all prophecy books that were banned in Nike.”

Heina closed the book she was reading and placed it on her lap. Clutching the book tightly in her hands, she glared up at him with fierce eyes.

“Given the color of your hair, I can’t say I don’t understand. A devil who would engulf the nation in flames was said to have been born—within the imperial family, no less. They couldn’t very well kill a prince, so they probably decided to ban the books that contained the prophecy instead.”

“Exactly. Not only did we designate them as banned, but we also hunted down every prophecy book in Nike and burned them all,” Yuri said, nodding with a smug expression.

Heina’s lips parted slightly in astonishment, and a faint voice escaped her mouth.

“You burned books? Do you even realize how much knowledge you destroyed?”

Her hands, which clutched the book on her lap, trembled slightly. Yuri shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and added, “That wasn’t all. We also executed anyone who read or spoke of those prophecies. It would’ve been troublesome if rumors had spread later. As you said, the idea of a devil being born in the royal family isn’t exactly a delightful story.”

“…Why are you here?” Heina asked, clearly trying to change the subject.

“You’re hardly in a position to ask me that,” Yuri retorted, his gaze trailing up and down her seated figure in an openly suggestive manner. Her feet, now cleanly bandaged, showed no signs of pus or blood.

“Judging by the fact that you managed to walk all the way here, it seems your feet have healed enough to move. Looks like that doctor wasn’t completely incompetent.”

“Constance’s medical expertise is second to none.”

“Constance no longer exists, Heina. The nation you hold so dear has vanished into nothing more than a line in a book. Or have you forgotten?”

Heina clenched her fists tightly, trying to ignore the mocking tone in his voice.

“Just because the country is gone doesn’t mean its people have vanished with it. Nor does it change the fact that Dr. Georges, a physician from Constance, is an exceptional healer.”

“Would the same results have been possible if I hadn’t threatened to kill that doctor? This is Nike’s way—we push people beyond their limits.”

As Yuri continued to provoke her, Heina’s eyes narrowed slightly. She had never expected to have a reasonable conversation with him to begin with.

“If you’re done talking, stop bothering me and leave.”

“I don’t want to.”

Yuri dismissed her glare as if it were insignificant and stepped further into the library.

The Constance palace library was vast. The collection here seemed to house thousands of books. Although the underground study owned by Fessis held a substantial number of books, it paled in comparison to the sheer scale of this library. Constance’s reputation as a nation that valued scholarship and learning as much as life itself was well-deserved.

Still, in the end, it was just a weak nation that had been helplessly crushed by Nike’s blades.

“Hm…”

Yuri leisurely scanned the shelves, which were packed with books reaching up to the ceiling. Some intriguing titles caught his eye. He plucked one from a corner of the shelves and walked back to sit beside Heina with a plop.

Heina’s face darkened in irritation, and she tried to stand up. However, Yuri’s large, heavy arm draped over her shoulder, pinning her in place.

“W-What are you doing? Get your filthy hands off me!”

“Quiet.”

He forced his arm around Heina’s shoulder and shoved the book he had picked out right in front of her face.

“I think reading something like this would do you much more good than flipping through that nonsense you’re so obsessed with.”

“…What is this?”

Heina frowned. The dark brown cover of the book bore the title Techniques of Assassination written in ink at the center. Yuri opened the first page in front of her and began reading the table of contents aloud.

“Chapter 1: Poison Manufacturing. This one’s really Fessis’ specialty. Hmm… the upside of poisoning someone is that it’s the easiest way to kill if you time it right, so it’s not a bad option.”

Heina’s golden lashes blinked as she stared at him. What is he trying to pull now?

Yuri paused for a moment as if considering something, then shook his head.

“But this won’t work on me. I’ve built up resistance to most poisons. I have a ridiculously sharp nose for detecting them too. It’s something I’ve been exposed to countless times since I was a child—so I’m more than familiar with the stuff. The chances of success are slim, so let’s skip this one.”

As he spoke, his face hovered right above hers, his breath brushing against her skin. Heina twisted her body in an effort to escape, but his grip didn’t budge.

“Next is Chapter 2: Knife Techniques. Stabbing the heart from behind or slitting the throat.”

He nodded approvingly as he continued reading.

“If you manage to get the blade in right, it’s an instant kill. Especially if you cut the side of the neck—you’ll get an impressive fountain of blood. It’s a dramatic sight, so you get two wins for one swing.”

What is this guy even doing? Is this some new method of driving people insane? Heina thought as she glared at him, but Yuri remained unfazed and carried on with his so-called explanation.

“But this also won’t work for you. You’d need to have some strength to get close enough from behind, but…”

He gave her a quick once-over and clicked his tongue in mock disappointment.

“With that frail little body of yours, you wouldn’t even manage to cut a strand of my hair. You’d probably break a rib if my elbow so much as brushed you. So, no dice there either.”

Heina gritted her teeth in frustration.

“Chapter 3: Archery Techniques. Hmm… now this one might actually be feasible. It would take a ton of practice, but if you could maintain enough distance, it’s definitely possible to take someone down. You could hide and shoot arrows without being seen, or even use the wind to your advantage…”

“What are you doing?” Heina cut him off, her patience stretched thin. The weight of his arm draped over her shoulder felt suffocating. She scowled at him.

“You said you wanted to kill me. I’m kindly walking you through methods that might actually work—what’s the problem?”

He turned his head toward her, his face infuriatingly casual, as if what he was saying was the most normal thing in the world. Barely holding back her simmering anger, Heina pressed him again.

“Why are you teaching me this nonsense? What’s your point? Are you mocking me?”

“I’m being serious. But if that’s how you’re taking it, there’s not much I can do about that. Constance’s royal family must all have twisted minds, huh?”

Mocking her and her fallen nation seemed to be his favorite pastime. He had insulted her homeland countless times before, and now he was doubling down by taking jabs at her position. Heina clenched her fists in indignation.

“If it’s not mockery, then what is it? Why would you teach me ways to kill you?”

“Do you want to know?”

“Tell me.”

His piercing gray eyes closed the distance between them, his presence suffocating. Instinctively, Heina flinched as his vibrant red lips curved upward.

“If you kissed me on your own, maybe I’d consider telling you.”

“…Get your filthy hands off me.”

Sensing where this was headed, Heina hastily tried to pull away from him, but she was too late.

“As expected,” he said with a smirk. “But it doesn’t really matter.”

Before she could react, Yuri’s lips descended on hers, stealing a kiss. Stunned, Heina shoved at his shoulder with all her might and yelled, “What are you doing?!”

“I don’t need your permission,” he replied, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

Heina shook her head furiously, her voice trembling with rage.

“You’re barbaric, uncivilized… disgusting, and revolting.”

“Ah, but that makes it even more exciting,” Yuri murmured, the delight in his tone only fueling her disgust.

No matter how many curses she hurled at him, it seemed to have no effect. Exhaustion seeped into Heina’s body, sapping her strength.

“You’re… a beast, you know that?”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Resist, and it’ll only drag on longer.”

At his threat, Heina was left speechless. When his red hair once again fell into her view, she could only squeeze her eyes shut in frustration.

Yuri’s lips pressed against hers without hesitation. As his lips gently moved against hers, his tongue sought hers, delving deeper. Yuri buried his face closer, and when Heina bit down hard on his lip, he chuckled against her mouth. His warm breath brushed her cheek, turning it a deep shade of red.

Thud—

The prophecy book resting on her lap was snatched and tossed aside by Yuri, landing with a dull thump on the floor. Pulling his lips away slightly, Yuri murmured in a hoarse voice, “If you bite my tongue instead of my lip, yours will meet the same fate, Heina.”

Her shoulders stiffened, flinching ever so slightly. He clasped her fingers in his, intertwining them, while his other hand combed through her golden hair, before pressing his lips against hers once again.

“Hmph…”

When Yuri tilted his head, their lips locked even more intimately, pulling at hers with a magnetic force. His sharp nose brushed against her soft face as he deepened the kiss. Heina felt her head spin, her breath growing short. The moment she let out the breath she had been holding, his tongue slipped inside, tangling with hers.

The metallic taste of blood lingered in the kiss. The blood from Yuri’s lower lip, bitten moments ago, spread into her mouth as he kissed her fervently. Her heart pounded wildly, her body growing feverishly hot, her breaths coming faster and hotter.

No. Stop. Please, stop.

“St—stop!”

Just as all strength was about to drain from her body, Heina managed to pull away. Covering her lips with her hand, she exhaled shakily, her breath burning with the heat he had left behind.

Yuri tilted his sharp face to the side, gazing at her intently. His narrowed gray eyes gleamed like sharp blades, and his bright red lips, stained with a mix of blood and saliva, glistened under the dim light. Heina felt dizzy, like she might collapse.

“Stop… just stop. Isn’t that enough?”

She muttered weakly, her face etched with discomfort. Yuri cocked his head as he replied, “Are you hurt? You seem out of breath.”

“Do you think any woman would feel happy after receiving an unwanted kiss like that?”

Her words were shaky, and the stuttering only irritated her further. Her fair, translucent skin was flushed with heat.