A Painful Lie

“Young Miss… what I’m about to say, please don’t be surprised.”

Even as I said that, I still hadn’t decided whether to tell her the truth about my identity.

According to Margaret’s analysis, I had possessed certain succubus traits for a long time.

Those traits allowed me to use the mind-control magic of a succubus—the so-called ‘Charm’.

Thinking back, Lilith’s words not only hinted at my identity but also revealed a critical piece of information—she referred to the Young Miss as my “prey.”

Perhaps, from long ago, I had been unconsciously charming the Young Miss…

Maybe that was why we became lovers.

If I told her this truth, it might shatter her, make her hate me…

Even if it were just a breakup, she might even dismiss me.

I could no longer imagine a life without the Young Miss.

At that thought, I simply couldn’t bring myself to speak the truth.

“Actually, Young Miss… lately, if I kiss, I’ll fall into a coma.”

In the end, I chose to lie.

…Actually, it wasn’t entirely a lie. Margaret’s wristwatch did have that effect, but I had anticipated the Young Miss would kiss me, so I turned off the injection function beforehand.

In the future, though, it would be uncertain.

“…Huh?”

The Young Miss raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing me.

“Stop joking, Eileen. How could there be such a strange illness in the world?”

Saying that, she lowered her head…

I guessed she was about to say something negative to pressure me.

So I interrupted her before she could speak.

“It’s the truth, Young Miss.”

Since I chose to lie, I had to do it well.

I put on a serious expression and spoke as calmly as possible:

“Actually, Miss Margaret had me assist in an experiment today. But she accidentally messed up a rune, and ended up placing a ‘no-kissing’ curse on me… She’s working on a solution now, so we’ll have to avoid kissing for a while.”

Sorry, Miss Margaret! For dragging you into this!

I silently apologized to that little black seaweed in my heart.

But… if it were her, even if the Young Miss questioned her, she’d quickly catch on and cover for me.

Of course… another reason was that, though it sounded absurd, if it were Margaret, it wouldn’t be strange for her to do something like this.

“…What is Master doing!”

See? The Young Miss believed me without a shred of doubt.

…I suppose that’s the power of Margaret! With her around, any problem can be solved!

“Alright… I understand the reason. I don’t want to hurt Eileen, so I’ll hold back for now.”

Though she looked reluctant, the Young Miss had to accept reality.

“…”

Honestly, I think the one who’ll break first is probably me.

I had no solid proof… but I had that premonition.

Hopefully, Margaret’s tools would work by then.

With that thought, I glanced at the wristwatch… The hour hand was already pointing to the letter “X.”

“…It’s already this late?”

The Young Miss should rest early.

Though I wanted to stay with her, I feared that in the night, my instincts would take over and I’d attack her…

And if the doctor saw me in the morning, I’d definitely get a scolding.

“Then I’ll head back. Tomorrow morning, I’ll bring you a delicious feast.”

“…Then I’ll look forward to it.”

I could sense her disappointment… Usually, when I mentioned cooking a feast, she’d be thrilled.

The desire to be together… was mutual.

“…But for now, we need some distance.”

It really was lonely.

I could only hope for Margaret’s help.

Closing the door, I thought so.

“Yo, little maid… Ouch, ouch, ouch!”

Unexpectedly, the next day I found Margaret in a hospital bed.

Not only Margaret, but Elizabeth was lying there too.

“…Are you okay?”

Watching the little seaweed clutch her neck and cry out, I couldn’t help but worry.

But she flashed a carefree smile:

“Ah, don’t worry. I’m fine, just slept wrong and got a stiff neck.”

“You…”

Looking at Elizabeth beside her, she indeed seemed unharmed.

“But we were attacked last night. The culprit was skilled—knocked us out in an instant. We didn’t even see their face.”

“…And you’re both fine?”

“Really, we’re fine.”

The little seaweed shrugged.

“Because they were so skilled, we weren’t injured at all, just knocked out. Honestly, I slept so well that I’m full of energy!”

As she spoke, she tried to move, probably to show me she was healthy… But her reckless actions only made her sore neck worse.

“Ah, ouch ouch ouch! Elizabeth, quick, help!”

She twisted to the other side? That looked painful!

Luckily, Elizabeth turned her head back for her.

“Oof, I won’t mess around anymore… Almost lost my life.”

After coughing twice, Margaret put on a serious face:

“Let’s get down to business… That person attacked us with a clear purpose. When I woke up, I found the ‘Sealing Prison Box’ missing. They definitely took it.”

“What!?”

The Sealing Prison Box was stolen?

Such a dangerous item!

And it contained Sophina’s soul!

“It’s gone, so panicking won’t help. The soldiers are searching for the culprit… But I doubt they’ll find much. The demon side’s investigation will probably be similar.”

“Then, should we just give up on finding the culprit?”

“Their goal was clear—only to steal the ‘Sealing Prison Box.’ They knew our movements inside out… Probably that mysterious informant you mentioned before. Any leads?”

“No…”

I shook my head.

If I had leads, I wouldn’t call them a mysterious informant.

Margaret sighed.

“Alright… Looks like we’ll have to slowly search for clues.”

After a pause, Margaret turned her gaze back to me.

“Let’s set the ‘Sealing Prison Box’ aside for now. Your constitution issue is more urgent.”

She was right…

I wanted to be intimate with the Young Miss openly!

And there was always the risk of attacking her.

Truly troubling.

“But everything starts with observation. Just live normally for a while. I’ll stay by your side and observe you.”

“…Okay.”

And so, my life under surveillance began…