You, My Devil - Chapter 5

His piercing gray eyes glinted like steel, and his fiery red hair floated around him, swaying with the ripples.

How long had he been there? Yuri had submerged himself and was now grinning cruelly, his face mere inches from hers.

Startled to the point of fainting, Heina instinctively tried to rise from the water, but Yuri was faster.

Splash!

His hand shot out, pressing firmly on her shoulder and forcing her back down. Heina winced, thrashing her head from side to side. Her oxygen-deprived brain was beginning to cloud with panic.

Desperate, she struggled violently against Yuri’s grip, but it was no use. He held her down effortlessly, his expression alight with twisted amusement. His lips curled into a sinister smile as if relishing her futile struggle.

As her lungs burned and her strength began to fade, Heina made one last, desperate move. She reached out with all her remaining might, her trembling hand clawing toward him. If she was going to die, then she would drag this devil with her to the afterlife.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Heina pulled him closer with all the strength she could muster.

Fine. Then we die together.

With trembling limbs, she locked her arms tightly around his neck, pulling him into a fierce embrace. She cursed her fate as tears mingled with the water around her.

Her life had been a fragile thread ever since she was captured, but she had never imagined dying such a humiliating death—drowning in a tub, at the hands of her tormentor.

‘Arzen, forgive me. I’ll avenge you with this.’

Her vision dimmed, darkness creeping in at the edges. As her consciousness began to fade, she clung desperately to Yuri, her entire weight pressing into him.

And then, something unexpected happened.

Yuri’s large hand slipped beneath her knees, lifting her effortlessly. In an instant, Heina’s body was pulled from the water. The air outside, thick with the scent of herbs, struck her lungs sharply as if stabbing into her chest.

“Cough, cough… haah… haah….”

Heina gasped for breath, coughing violently as her chest heaved up and down. Clinging to Yuri’s neck, she let out muffled groans of pain between her labored breaths. Yuri held her close, pressing her wet body firmly against his own. Her soaked, golden hair cascaded down like a waterfall, clinging to her trembling frame.

“I can feel your heart pounding against me,” Yuri murmured, his deep voice vibrating near her ear.

Her tear-filled eyes snapped open at his words.

Only then did she realize her bare, unclothed body was held tightly in his arms. A wave of panic surged through her, and she pushed against his shoulders with all her strength. But Yuri didn’t seem inclined to let her go. His cold, gray gaze bore into her, tinged with a strange heat.

“Let go of me, now!” she demanded, her voice shaking.

It wasn’t just her nakedness—it was the fact that he was the one seeing her like this that made her jaw tremble uncontrollably. She wanted to bite her tongue in humiliation.

“Your attitude seems a bit different from when you were clinging to me so desperately in the water,” Yuri said mockingly.

Droplets of water slid down from his damp hair, tracing along his face before falling onto Heina’s exposed skin. His smirk, curling upward in amusement, made it clear he was ridiculing her.

Her whole body shivered in anger and humiliation. She dug her nails into his shoulders, pressing hard enough to draw blood. But even as crimson beads welled up on his pale skin, Yuri didn’t flinch.

“You really did try to kill me back there, didn’t you?” he asked, his face so close to hers that she could feel his breath.

There wasn’t even a hint of anger in his expression—just cruel delight. The sight made his words cut even deeper.

“Let me go, you—! Hrk!”

Before she could finish, her voice caught in her throat. Yuri’s grip on her remained unyielding, and the faint smile on his lips only deepened as he watched her futile struggle.

Heina turned her head sharply, trying to distance herself from him as much as she could. But Yuri responded by tightening his grip, his hand pressing firmly against her chest. She froze, utterly stunned by the vivid sensation of his touch, too shocked even to scream.

“You startled me,” Yuri said, his voice laced with mockery. “Your intent to kill me was so desperate. Were you actually planning to die with me?”

“…Please… please… let me go,” she begged, her voice trembling.

“Where’s that resolve you had to face death, Heina? This isn’t any fun for me if you’re going to be like this.”

“Sob… please!”

Finally, sobs spilled from her lips. Cradled in the arms of an enemy prince and subjected to his taunting, Heina felt as if she had been utterly reduced to nothing, discarded like trash. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, hot and relentless.

“Why are you crying? Is it because you failed to kill me?” Yuri chuckled darkly, leaning even closer to her. Her tightly shut eyes continued to pour out tears, as though refusing to acknowledge the reality before her.

Yuri suddenly found himself struck by an unexpected thought: he wanted to taste those pure, glistening tears that streaked her untainted face. Without a moment’s hesitation, he leaned in and ran his tongue slowly across her cheek, licking away a tear.

“Ahhh!!!”

Slap!

Heina’s eyes flew open as her hand instinctively struck his cheek with all the strength she could muster. Fury, hatred, disgust, and fear flickered across her deep olive eyes in rapid succession. Her trembling lips parted as she stammered in outrage.

“What… what are you doing?!”

Yuri exhaled a quiet sigh, his smile sharp and cold.

“That’s a question I should be asking you. Have you finally lost your mind?”

“I am royalty from Constance! How… how dare you commit such a vile act against me!”

“Vile?”

Yuri’s smirk deepened, his eyes narrowing as he repeated the word with dangerous amusement.

Yuri’s expression twisted into something cruel and predatory. His cold gray eyes narrowed as he leaned closer, his face descending upon hers. Then his rough lips claimed hers with a force that left Heina stunned, her eyes widening in shock.

Neither of them closed their eyes. She was forced to endure his piercing, icy gaze as he violated her with the intensity of a predator savoring its prey.

He bit down on her lower lip, his teeth scraping the soft flesh before prying her mouth open. His tongue sought hers aggressively, drawing it into a fierce, unrelenting pull. Desperate, Heina pounded her fists against his chest, but he didn’t budge—he was an immovable mountain, unmoved by her struggles. Instead, his actions grew even more savage, his lips mercilessly plundering hers.

This was nothing like the tender, dreamlike kiss she once shared with Arzen. That kiss had been gentle, like a fairytale. But this—this was no kiss. It was raw, cruel, and utterly monstrous. It felt as though he was devouring her alive, and she was suffocating under his dominance.

In a last-ditch effort, Heina bit down hard on his lips. The metallic tang of blood seeped into her mouth, but instead of recoiling, Yuri’s fervor only seemed to escalate. His lips trailed down to her slender neck, and just as his sharp teeth sank into her soft skin—

“You’ve been in the water too long, your skin might—oh!”

The door creaked open, and Elise’s voice froze mid-sentence as she stepped in. Her wide eyes took in the scene, and she immediately bowed deeply, her face pale.

“I didn’t realize His Highness was here… my deepest apologies.”

Distracted by the maid’s sudden entrance, Yuri’s grip slackened just enough for Heina to shove him away with all her might. His lips finally detached from hers as she gasped for air, her chest heaving.

Yuri, unperturbed, licked the blood from his lips with a languid swipe of his tongue, his gaze never leaving Heina. The sight sent a shiver of revulsion through her, and she squeezed her eyes shut to block it out.

Straightening, Yuri bent down and set Heina back into the tub with an unnervingly casual motion. His voice, now lazy and commanding, called out to Elise, who was about to leave.

“There’s no need to leave. I’m done here.”

Yuri stood, water dripping from his soaked clothes as he rose to his full height. Heina, trembling uncontrollably, stayed submerged in the water, wrapping her arms tightly around herself in an attempt to shield her nakedness.

I kissed a devil.

The thought filled her with such shame she felt she might pass out. The humiliation clawed at her, threatening to consume her entirely. Even tearing him limb from limb wouldn’t be enough to satisfy her rage and disgust.

“Clean the slave thoroughly,” Yuri ordered coldly, turning toward Elise. “Scrub away every trace of Constance’s stench. Pour all the scented oils you have on her until she reeks of a perfect Nikean.”

“As you wish, Your Highness,” Elise responded, bowing her head.

Yuri took the white cloth offered by Elise and dried himself off before striding out of the room, leaving puddles of water in his wake.

Still submerged in the bath, Heina bit her lips until they bled, trying desperately to hold herself together. If she didn’t, she feared she might collapse right then and there.