There was nothing more terrifying than opening the wardrobe door and discovering that the small single man’s space—meant to hold just a handful of clothes—was suddenly dominated by a variety of women’s dresses.
Loki didn’t remember having any strange preferences, and after a moment of stunned silence, he finally recalled one thing.
Before today, there had been almost no women in this house.
Christine had stopped by a few times to rest, but that was a long time ago, and naturally, there wouldn’t be any of her intimate clothing stored here.
“…She’s serious about this.”
Drawing in a breath tinged faintly with jasmine fragrance, Loki lowered his head slightly, looking at the white lace-trimmed lingerie folded neatly in the open drawer—some of which were downright scandalous.
On the other side were neatly arranged white stockings.
She seemed to like that style, and she truly had the elegant feet to pull off those milky sheer stockings.
Just a glance was enough for Loki’s mind to automatically generate a multi-minute AI animation of a silver-haired, purple-eyed beauty softly humming a tune while slipping them on.
…
No.
Loki lightly tapped his forehead, hastily pulling himself out of the hallucination-inducing jasmine scent, then expressionlessly closed the wardrobe door.
Serulu… how could she put her intimate clothing somewhere within easy reach of a man? What on earth was she thinking?
Loki had assumed that Serulu’s claim of moving in was just a joke at his expense, but she had prepared so thoroughly, clearly treating herself as the lady of the house.
Though this was a bedroom in a familiar apartment, it now felt utterly alien.
Loki felt like a little boy who had wandered into a succubus’s lair—one false move, and there would be no escape from eternal damnation.
“…Loki, why are you staring at the wardrobe like that?”
More terrifying still, Serulu, the owner of those fluttering lace pieces, had just witnessed his behavior.
Loki turned to see the girl standing at the bedroom door, holding two cups of hot water.
Unlike during the day, she was now wearing a semi-transparent nightdress that, under the soft lighting, wrapped around her dreamlike figure like a thin mist.
Combined with her purely seductive and beautiful face, fragrant silver hair, and the solitary purple gaze that seemed to draw in all light, Loki’s eyes lingered a little longer on her form.
To be honest.
No matter how you looked at it, she was a top-tier beauty—so much so that just her appearance alone was enough to pry open Loki’s cold heart.
Especially when thinking of his past with Serulu, a wave of guilt and forbidden feelings gently brushed against his chest like feathers teasing his reason.
“Hmm? Are you thinking ‘I want to see Serulu wearing this lingerie’ or something like that?”
Serulu naturally wouldn’t miss the chance to catch Loki in an awkward moment.
She wore a mischievous smile, took three steps in two, and padded over in a pair of slippers that were a bit too big for her, clicking softly with each step.
“Don’t worry, no matter what kind of clothes you want to see me wear, I’ll put them on for you. Here, want some water?”
“…Thanks.”
Loki took the cup, thanked her, then started defending himself.
“No, I wasn’t thinking that. I was just thinking that the amount of clothes you brought is a little too much.”
“I don’t believe you~ You’re definitely imagining what I’d look like in them!”
“Believe it or not.”
Loki slightly averted his gaze to avoid landing on Serulu’s prominently swelling white chest, preventing her from pushing her luck further.
“Also, aren’t you wearing that a little too carelessly? After all, this is an adult man’s home.”
“Carelessly? Do I need that kind of thing in front of you?”
Serulu tilted her head back, pressing a finger to her full, pink lips, and raised her feet on tiptoe.
Though her petite height still couldn’t reach his lips, she undoubtedly stirred his protectiveness and affection, making him want to scoop her up and bring her closer to savor this delicious delicacy.
Of course, Loki didn’t act on Serulu’s unspoken invitation.
In fact, he remained completely still.
“If I’m deliberately trying to seduce you… so what?”
Serulu didn’t mind at all, simply winking at Loki.
“I’m not some fungus-parasitized brainwashed creature, so your seduction won’t work. After all, I treated you like a test subject back then. Even now that you’re an adult, I could never feel any desire for you.”
Loki half-closed his eyes and took a sip of water.
“Oh?”
Serulu let out a soft laugh, shrugging her shoulders as the thin nightgown rustled against her smooth, pale skin.
The vague mark that proved she was once Loki’s prize was forcibly displayed in a prominent spot.
This made the young man instinctively avert his eyes.
Serulu seemed to have figured out how to deal with him—and likewise understood what kind of core Loki had.
That coldness and cruelty, enough to make even the profaners retreat, was the protective color he wore to hide his true nature and establish himself within the organization.
Because of this, the faint warmth he unwittingly gave Serulu was like honey flowing from a crack in a hard bottle—irresistible, compelling her to reach out her tongue and become obsessed.
Though he said he treated Serulu as a test subject, a disposable weapon, in the end, he still chose to sacrifice himself.
Compared to before, Loki had undoubtedly changed a lot, but he was still the same.
Thinking this, Serulu couldn’t help but think of Christine—the woman she most hated and envied.
Christine was the one who changed Loki, tainting him with her color, her scent, and stealing the five years that should have belonged to Serulu alone.
Yet Christine did nothing, like a fool who carelessly tossed a priceless gem into a junk box, mistaking it for a mere glass marble.
Just thinking about this infuriated Serulu immensely.
In a way, Loki’s guess wasn’t wrong.
Revenge was indeed one of the reasons Serulu came to Loki—but Loki would never guess who she wanted revenge on.
“I don’t believe you, unless you let me check for myself.”
“…Hey, don’t actually start touching things randomly!”
Seeing the girl stretch out her hand rudely as she spoke, Loki quickly stepped back.
“Hehe, don’t be so nervous. I’m just joking. After all, I’m still a modest beauty and wouldn’t just do something embarrassing like that.”