The Succubus, The Priest, and His Fall Into Lustful Heat - Chapter 72
As the lettuce wouldn’t stay on her fork, Ashtel kept poking at her plate. Payne, noticing her struggle, casually helped by placing the lettuce on her fork. This thoughtful gesture made Ashtel blush lightly, and just then, Moablon asked a sudden question.
“So, who does Sister like?”
“Pff!”
“……”
Ashtel, caught off guard by the unexpected question, choked on her salad, coughing and sputtering as tears and snot threatened to spill out. Duvalkan quickly handed her a tissue.
“Cough, what, what does that—cough!”
As she continued coughing, Moablon took a brief pause before pressing on.
“Why, didn’t you say there’s someone Sister likes?”
“No, that’s—”
“Isn’t that right? Miss Maid, didn’t you say something like that to me before?”
“Th-that’s…”
The knowing gaze from the eight-year-old and Duvalkan’s amused expression pricked Ashtel like a fork. The relentless questioning made her cheeks burn with embarrassment.
“Why are you asking that all of a sudden…?”
“Well, I got curious since we’re meeting people from Medialle.”
Payne, who had been quietly eating with a composed demeanor, lifted his gaze and looked at Ashtel. Meeting his eyes made her visibly startled, and she shook her head vigorously.
‘Stupid Sis Moa. Why bring up such things in front of Payne!”
She thought she could confess her love with her own mouth. if only she could overcome her anxiety. She believed her love was straightforward and noble.
But hearing Moablon, who was so much older, bring it up in front of Payne made her mind feel like a tangle of red roses.
“You said that person is handsome, has a good personality, is considerate, and in good shape…”
“Moa!”
“You went to the temple because of that person, and you sang every night wishing to see him.”
“I never said that!”
Indeed, the words were actually true.
That’s why Ashtel couldn’t regain her composure. Her face and neck flushed with embarrassment, turning a shade of pink as she continued to steal glances at Payne, hiding her face behind her long hair.
Duvalkan wasn’t a concern at the moment.
“Wow, is that so? No wonder you’ve always been so aloof every time I tried to make a move.”
“That’s because it’s Sir Duvalkan.”
“Well, that’s a bit disappointing to hear.”
Ashtel, mumbling with her curly hair hiding her eyes, looked undeniably cute. Her bashful demeanor brought a warm, fuzzy feeling, making those around her smile.
Even though he felt hurt, Duvalkan pretended to be unfazed, resting his chin on his hand and joining Moablon’s playful antics.
“Miss Maid, do I have no chance at all?”
“None.”
“Why not? Just consider it once for our date.”
“That’s not a date.”
“It’s not? I thought I clearly called it a date.”
“Well, I didn’t!”
“Even if Father Payne asked, would it still not be a date?”
“Wh-what, Sir!”
Why is Payne being brought up now?
It was too much. Her heart couldn’t handle any more. Ashtel’s cheeks turned a shade of red that was indescribable. The sudden outburst made her hair fall out of place, revealing her foolishly exposed face.
Her eyes, like they were burning with the sun’s heat, flickered uncontrollably, and her tiny lips kept changing shapes as they twitched.
Moablon couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst into laughter, causing Ashtel’s eyebrows to droop in a look of despair.
“Stop teasing me, everyone!”
Duvalkan was feeling equally pained. But he apologized and waved his hand, trying to laugh it off, but one person remained unusually silent.
Payne had been as still as a statue, showing no sign of movement.
“…Father Payne?”
Despite feeling extremely embarrassed, Ashtel, who had been watching Payne intently, hesitantly called his name.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like Payne was affected by pheromones. He quickly came back to himself and blinked rapidly.
“…”
But that was it. He went back to scooping salad and eating silently, like a machine.
As a result, the cheerful laughter at the table slowly dwindled. Ashtel observed Payne tense and anxiously. His posture remained as neat and upright as always, but something was definitely different.
Payne’s dark eyes were looking ahead with a sense of confusion.
