Saving My Childhood Friend Through… Questionable Means… - Chapter 18

Night fell once again. Seria walked down the quiet hallway, empty of servants, until she stood in front of Lucas’s bedroom door.

A relationship without any specific timeline or certainty—such was their situation. The sorcerer had instructed them to continue ‘the method’ until the mark on Lucas’s arm disappeared and then to summon him.

‘I hope this won’t have to go on for a whole month…’

The thought darkened her expression. Seria, her nerves evident on her face, cautiously opened the door and peeked inside. Her violet eyes widened in surprise.

Gasp!

She had locked eyes with Lucas immediately. Unlike the previous night, he was seated squarely in the middle of the bed, facing the door. Lucas, noticing her shock, waved at her cheerfully as if greeting an old friend. But when he caught her exasperated expression, he sheepishly lowered his hand.

‘See? He doesn’t think about anything at all. Just this morning, he was sweating through prayers of repentance, and now he’s sitting there like he’s on vacation. I’m the only one taking this seriously.’

Seria couldn’t help but recall Lucas from the previous night, enthusiastically thrusting his hips with abandon. Judging by his relaxed expression now, it seemed she was the only one feeling unsettled.

Shaking her head, she decided to change her mindset.

‘If we’re going to do this anyway, isn’t it better for him to enjoy it? At least it’d make things less awkward for both of us.’

“So, you’re just sitting here on the bed?”

“Yeah. I was waiting for you.”

Feigning calmness, she tried to start the conversation casually, and Lucas responded just as nonchalantly. Seria swallowed nervously, closed the door, and shuffled toward him hesitantly. It was their second time, but the apprehension hadn’t lessened. She felt like a lamb being led to slaughter as she slowly dragged her feet toward the bed.

When she finally reached it, she took a deep breath and sat beside Lucas. As she tried to steady herself, his large hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer, making her yelp in surprise.

“Ah!”

Lucas raised his other hand, letting it wander over her slender body. Seria, startled by his sudden boldness, stared at him wide-eyed. Noticing her gaze, Lucas looked embarrassed, as if realizing the contradiction in his behavior.

“Don’t look at me like that. If I take the lead, it’ll make things easier for you… at least, that’s what I was thinking. Repenting during the day is one thing, but this is different. I can’t let your effort go to waste, and for the sake of the household, we have to break this curse.”

“Oh? Uh… okay.”

Seria nodded blankly at his awkward yet determined reasoning. Lucas frowned slightly and grabbed her small hand, pressing it against his forehead.

“What’s this?”

“I feel strange. Really hot. Am I about to lose control?”

His words drained the color from her face. She quickly pulled aside his robe, revealing the mark on his left arm. The incubus’s symbol was vivid and bright against his skin.

Her gaze dropped lower, and she noticed the unnatural bulge beneath his robe. Unlike the night before, he was still clothed, and they hadn’t even started yet—this was definitely not normal.

“If you’re on the verge of losing control, we can’t let that happen. Hurry, take it off.”

“Yeah… if I lose control, things will get out of hand. The curse must be messing with my body.”

Seria hurriedly removed his robe, and Lucas, now cooperating fully, quickly helped her undress as well. In a matter of moments, Seria was left completely bare.

Embarrassed, she instinctively grabbed the blanket to cover herself. Though they’d done far more the night before, sitting naked in front of her friend without doing anything felt unbearably awkward.

“Lie down.”

“Fine, fine. You act like I owe you money.”

Grumbling, Seria lay back on the bed. Lucas scratched the back of his neck awkwardly before muttering an apology.

“Sorry… did I sound demanding?”

“Geez.”

They lay side by side, the blanket covering them both, but the silence that followed was stifling. Despite everything, the air between them still felt awkward. Seria stared up at the ceiling, blinking, until Lucas finally broke the silence.

“Seria. You know, I read something earlier today.”

“Read? What kind of book?”

Lucas’s eyes lit up as he turned on his side to face her.

“Well… since we’re doing this, I thought I should learn how to do it better.”

“…Wait. Don’t tell me… that kind of book? You made me join your repentance prayer earlier, and you were reading that?”

Seria pointed out the inconsistency in his behavior, and Lucas nodded earnestly, his expression serious.

“Yeah. I was confused this morning. After you left, I thought about it calmly. I still believe unnecessary intimacy outside of this situation isn’t right—that’s just indulgence. But…”

“…But?”

Lucas’s tone was so matter-of-fact that Seria briefly wondered if they were in his study rather than his bedroom.

“…But since we need to do this to break the curse, it’s only right to put in effort. You’re helping me, so I can’t just treat it carelessly. Even the scriptures say to live sincerely and give your best in all things. That made me realize I should… study.”