The Story of an Arrogant Succubus Princess Who Always Looked Down on Humans as Mere Food, Until She Fell in Love With an Ordinary Man - Chapter 4

“This won’t work if I approach it head-on.”

Liliana had tried every possible way to seduce Asbel since yesterday, but none of them had any effect. She was forced to change her approach.

“What a frustrating man.”

It seemed that Asbel, or whatever his name was, was different from ordinary men. No matter how much she let him touch her or exposed her body to him, his expression never changed.

In fact, succubi have a scent that is supposed to stimulate human instincts. Yet, that man had the nerve to say it stinks.

“…I don’t smell bad, do I?”

She checked her scent while lying on the bed. No problem. Even though she had only wiped her body with a wet towel yesterday, there was no way she could smell bad.

“As expected, the problem is with that man.”

As much as she didn’t want to admit it, it seemed that her allure had no effect on him.

“In that case, I’ll have to take a roundabout approach.”

Liliana, sprawled lazily on the bed, thought it over. If his body wouldn’t respond, then she just needed to make his heart fall. It was simple. She knew how to worm her way into people’s hearts. Liliana laughed.

“A man like him, who only cares about work and always has that emotionless face, will be easy to sway if I just flatter him a little and pretend to understand him. I’m Liliana Liche Riden, the witch who can bring down kingdoms, a succubus among succubi. There’s no man I can’t seduce.”

Liliana chuckled, and soon enough, it was time for Asbel to come back.

“You’ve been behaving yourself.”

Asbel, carrying a tray with food in both hands, looked at Liliana with his usual colorless eyes. Liliana, with a sincere expression, different from before, said,

“Asbel…would you mind dining with me? Eating alone feels…so lonely.”

“You’re acting unusually humble. Did you eat another rat?”

“I did not! …Ahem. I mean, I’ve been reflecting.”

“Reflecting?”

Asbel looked at her with suspicion, but Liliana continued, staring straight into his eyes.

“I’ve done a lot of bad things in the past. But this is the first time I’ve been locked up for so long.”

“It’s only been a few days, even counting the time before I was assigned to guard you.”

“…Even so, to me, it’s been a long, quiet, lonely time. It made me reflect on how thoughtless I’ve been.”

“…If you say so.”

“Yes. That’s why I’d love to hear more about you, Asbel. You must have had experiences far beyond my imagination.”

“Not really. I haven’t done anything special.”

“Even so, I’d like to hear from the person who taught me to reflect. …Could you tell me your story?”

“No.”

“Couldn’t you be a little more accommodating? …Ahem. Please. I really want to know. While I’ve been doing foolish things, what kind of life have you led, Asbel? I’m genuinely interested in learning more about you.”

Liliana stared straight at Asbel with teary eyes. Asbel gazed at her for a moment as if assessing her, then, in his usual flat tone, said,

“Fine. I’ll go get my meal. Wait here.”

Asbel left the room, and Liliana smirked. See, it’s easy. Lonely people may seem tough on the outside, but they’re often fragile on the inside. If you show empathy and make them feel understood, they’re easy to manipulate. She’d have him soon enough.

“…But keeping up this act is such a pain.”

She muttered just as Asbel returned with his meal.

“That’s quite…a simple meal.”

Asbel’s food was even more modest than Liliana’s, despite her being a prisoner. It was a hard piece of bread, a plain salad, and a small soup with some meat.

The Valeon Kingdom, one of the most prosperous nations Liliana had ever seen, ranked high among the countries she’d visited. Knights held a significant status, but Asbel’s meal seemed terribly poor.

“I’m not much interested in food.”

Asbel said indifferently, pulling a table and chair closer to the iron bars. Liliana thought, what a boring man, but she didn’t say it out loud.

“Asbel, you’re a knight in this kingdom, right? What kind of work do you usually do?”

After swallowing a bite of her ham and lettuce sandwich, Liliana asked.

“The knight corps is mainly responsible for maintaining public order and training for emergencies.”

“So, does that mean you’re strong too?”

“…Who knows? My unit, the Third Division, often leads the charge in battle. I’ve had plenty of combat experience, that’s for sure.”

“That’s amazing. I admire you.”

Liliana gave Asbel a sincere smile. He didn’t have any visible scars on his face or body. He was hard to read due to his emotionless expression, but he seemed to be in his early-to-mid twenties.

He didn’t look particularly strong, but if he was boasting, that was perfect. If she flattered him enough, he’d likely start talking more. And the more he talked, the less cautious he’d be.

“Asbel, what on earth are you doing…?”

Liliana’s eyes widened in surprise as Asbel started spreading a mountain of red chili peppers onto his bread.

“It tastes better this way. Want some?”

“N-No, I’m fine…”

Asbel calmly continued eating the bright red bread without batting an eye. Liliana wondered if this man’s sense of taste was broken but swallowed her words.

“So, Asbel, what do you do on your days off?”

“I train. If I rest, my body gets sluggish.”

“Any hobbies?”

“I don’t have any.”

“…What about your family? The knights’ work must be dangerous. Don’t they worry about you?”

“I don’t have a family. …They’re all dead.”

“O-Oh…I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t worry about it. It was nearly 20 years ago.”

“…”

Asbel continued both the conversation and his meal mechanically, as if it were a mere task. …This was no good. Liliana had thought a man like him might have some odd hobbies, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.

Liliana cleared her throat and changed the subject.

“You must be highly regarded among the knights, right? Surely your subordinates and superiors admire you.”

“Not at all. My subordinates fear me, and my superiors find me a nuisance. I tend to act on my own. …They call me ‘Iron Masked Demon,’ but that’s just because I’ve killed many enemies. I’m not talented.”

“…But you must be trusted if you were assigned to guard me, right? Not that I should be saying this.”

Liliana laughed, trying to lighten the mood, but Asbel didn’t laugh.

“At first, I thought I might be demoted under some excuse. But apparently, that’s not the case. Ever since capturing you, there’s been movement in Cordia, the demon nation. You might be more important than I initially thought.”

“…”

Liliana gasped. His eyes were completely devoid of color. Liliana had deceived many people across many countries, but she had never seen eyes so lifeless before.

“So, no matter how much you try to flatter me, it won’t work. No matter what happens, I won’t betray what I believe is right.”

Asbel stood up, holding the empty dishes. It was then that Liliana finally realized that this man had seen through her plan from the very beginning.

“What a frustrating man!”

Asbel had seen through her intentions from the start and played along with the charade, while Liliana, thinking things were going well, had been completely fooled.

Her heart churned with frustration at being outwitted by a mere human.

“…Just you wait. I’ll make sure to make you fall in love with me!”

She swallowed the remaining salad and jumped onto the bed. She still hadn’t figured out how to seduce this emotionless man.