blueteamnovel Chapter 23
Chapter 23
When the door opened, the space beyond revealed itself to be a simple bedroom. A single candle flickered weakly in the vast, shadowy room.
“You’re here, sweetheart.”
Sitting on the edge of the bed, swinging her legs playfully, was a woman. Two devilish horns adorned her head, and wings resembling bat membranes spread slightly behind her. Her pale, almost glowing skin contrasted with her dark surroundings, while her red lips and piercing crimson eyes captivated effortlessly.
As she stood and approached with a seductive smile, the nearly transparent, sheer nightgown she wore left little to the imagination. It was quintessentially Rosecha, and while striking, it wasn’t enough to shock me.
Her presence was fundamentally different from Callandas. Where Callandas was terrifying, emanating an aura that made it impossible to meet his gaze, Rosecha's mere existence demanded attention, drawing people in like moths to a flame. But falling for her charm meant inevitably becoming her possession.
Good thing I was undead. A eunuch, even. Had I still been alive, resisting her allure would have been impossible.
Rosecha came to a stop in front of me, clasping her hands behind her back. Then, without warning, she reached up, wrapped her arms around my neck, and pulled me closer until our faces were nearly touching. Rising onto her tiptoes, she brought her forehead against mine, just like our first meeting.
“I missed you.”
“...”
I was silent, my mind swirling with a storm of questions.
[Lv. 73 (?)]
The sixth-ranked boss of the Seven Abyssal Palaces... only level 73?
She looked exactly like her in-game portrayal, down to the smallest detail, and I almost fell for it.
‘Still with the decoys, huh?’
Rosecha didn’t trust me.
If she did, she wouldn’t be greeting me in her bedroom with a mere duplicate.
This was bad. My entire reason for coming here depended on building trust, and from the start, that trust seemed out of reach. Even if I extended my goodwill, it was clear she didn’t reciprocate.
Her level marker glowed a faint green—a sign of tentative friendliness mixed with distrust.
I straightened my posture, lifting my chin.
“You promised we’d meet face-to-face next time.”
“Oh my, you’re sharp. I went through a lot of trouble preparing this one.”
She had indeed put in considerable effort. If I hadn’t been paying attention, I might have been fooled entirely.@@@@
“I have my reasons,” she said, smiling coyly. “Maybe I’ll show you my real face later when the time’s right. Okay? Sound good, darling?”
“Rosecha,” I said, my tone firm. “Even after our first meeting, I held a favorable impression of you.”
Backing down wasn’t an option. A duplicate was a sign of distrust, and trying to negotiate under such circumstances was fundamentally flawed.
Rosecha tilted her head slightly, then leaned forward, her hands behind her back, bending just enough to meet my eyes with a smoldering gaze. Her proximity made me want to look away, but I held firm.
“Oh? A favorable impression? What do you mean by that?”
“If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t have come here. I traveled all this way to forge a mutually beneficial relationship. So tell me—what’s with this transparent deceit?”
Rosecha stared at me silently, her eyes searching mine, as if trying to discern my true intentions.
This was it—the real Rosecha.
She walked over, grabbed my wrist, and pressed my hand against her cheek. The warmth of her soft skin even registered through my skeletal fingers.
“This time, it’s really me. Not a fake.”
“Seems like it.”
“You should know,” she said, looking me in the eye. “I don’t show my real self lightly. Even the other bosses don’t know. You’re the only one I’ve shown out of personal interest.”
Her words carried weight, though I couldn’t yet understand the full extent of her reasons.
“Do you know what this is?” she asked suddenly, pointing to the gemstone adorning her chest.
“It’s the Binding Amethyst of Kalasutra.”
“Exactly. This amethyst seals my special trait.”
I blinked, stunned. The succubus queen’s defining trait—her ability to manipulate dreams—was sealed?
“Why would you...?”
“Long story short, it was a gift from a duke of Kalasutra centuries ago. He tricked me into wearing it, then tried to blackmail me into... sharing his bed. So I killed him and his entire family.”
As she spoke, the playful tone faded, replaced by genuine bitterness.
“No matter what I’ve tried, I can’t remove it. Not even one of the Ten Elders of the Abyss could break the seal.”
Her frustration was palpable, and for the first time, I saw her vulnerable side.
“I’ve lived for centuries like this, weaker than I should be. It’s my biggest regret.”
Her soft laugh carried a trace of sadness, and it wasn’t hard to see how much this weighed on her.
“...But you’re different. I trust you,” she said. “Keep my secret, okay?”
As she smiled, a system message suddenly appeared.
[Enhancing Binding Amethyst of Kalasutra (S)]
[Enhancement failed. The amethyst has been destroyed.]
The gem on her chest vanished in an instant.
“Huh?”
Rosecha stared down at her chest, dumbfounded.
[Lv. 91]
[Lv. 92]
[Lv. 93]
Her level shot up, stopping only when it matched Callandas’s. It was clear—she’d been restored to her prime.
“It’s done,” I said, shrugging as if it were no big deal.
Rosecha’s gaze shifted to me, her expression unreadable. Her level indicator, now a deep, vibrant pink, glowed brighter than I’d ever seen—even brighter than Charlotte’s.
“Sweetheart,” she said, her tone suddenly soft and dangerous, “let’s get married.”
For some reason, a wave of unease swept over me.