“It’s so cold…”
“Am I going to die here…?”
On a vast expanse of white wasteland, in an unremarkable spot, a frail Demon Clan girl curled up in the snow.
Her body was covered in dark brown scars, her skin already frozen to a bluish-purple, and the broken goat horns on her head looked as if someone had forcibly snapped them off.
Who would have thought that not long ago, she was the noble Demon Princess?
Yet overnight, her own Sister, craving the Demon King’s throne, had allied with outside demons to try and kill her.
She didn’t understand why, when they were sisters, she would betray her.
Liyas felt as if her heart was being torn apart.
If it weren’t for Mother, she probably would have died at her Sister’s hands.
Although she escaped, she was gravely wounded.
Mother also died protecting her.
Listening to the howling cold wind, Liyas curled up tighter, despair flooding her heart.
In this desolate place with no one around, she feared she would soon die quietly.
But she didn’t want to die yet—she hadn’t avenged Mother.
However, her increasingly frozen body made her consciousness blur, and the world before her grew hazier.
Her heart was filled with unwillingness, but there was nothing she could do.
Just as she was about to lose consciousness, a voice of relief suddenly sounded by her ear.
“Found you! Hope I’m not too late?”
The girl forced open her eyes and saw a boy approaching her through the white snow.
A human…?
Countless impressions of humans being sly and cruel flashed through her mind, and she immediately became alert.
After all, the Demon Clan and Humans were mortal enemies.
She wanted to lift herself up, but her limbs were stiff and frozen, unable to move.
As the human boy came closer and reached out his hand, she panicked and instinctively let out a beast-like low growl.
“Huff…”
Then she suddenly lifted the only part of her body she could move—her head—and bit down hard on the hand reaching toward her.
“?!”
Li Ang was startled and quickly withdrew his hand, almost bitten.
A Demon Clan member, but huffing like that?
“Well… I’m here to save you…”
Li Ang said softly, cautiously moving closer.
The strike had already drained all of Liyas’s remaining strength.
Afterward, her vision went dark, and she completely lost consciousness.
Noticing that the Demon Clan girl had passed out and her breathing was growing weak, Li Ang hurriedly took out a Restorative Potion from his backpack and gave her some.
Then he took off his coat, wrapped her up, and carried her on his back against the biting cold wind back to the city.
***
“It’s so warm… Am I dead?”
Liyas gradually regained consciousness, the warmth around her feeling almost unreal—like paradise.
She slowly opened her eyes to find herself lying in bed, covered by a quilt, with a fire burning gently in a stove nearby.
The room was filled with a comforting warmth.
She stared blankly down at her body, wrapped in white bandages, then reached up and touched her right eye, feeling the rough texture of the gauze.
She… was still alive?
As her mind cleared, memories of everything before losing consciousness came flooding back.
This was a human house?
Was it really that human boy who saved her?
How could that be possible!
Liyas’s head spun.
How could a human save a Demon Clan member?
“Click.”
Just then, the door to the room opened.
Liyas’s nerves instantly tensed as she leapt out of bed despite the pain, curling into a corner with her tail wrapped around her, body hunched and alert, eyes fixed warily on the doorway.
When Li Ang entered, this was the scene he saw—a little cat huffing defensively.
“You’re awake?”
Li Ang let out a relieved breath, then frowned at her state.
“Your wounds haven’t healed yet; it’s best not to move around.”
He stepped forward to press her back down onto the bed, but seeing her wary expression, he hesitated and withdrew his hand.
No wonder—she had scared him with that huff earlier.
Right now, he felt less like he had found a Demon Princess and more like he had stumbled upon a wild Hakimi that huffed at him.
He had to be careful not to get huffed while taking care of her.
Liyas naturally caught the concern in Li Ang’s voice, but she still didn’t understand why he had saved her.
Slowly, she asked, “Why… did you save me?”
Li Ang looked a bit puzzled.
“No reason. I couldn’t just watch you die there; I’d feel guilty.”
The little Succubus remained silent, then whispered, “But I’m Demon Clan…”
“Then, do you want to kill me?”
Li Ang asked curiously.
Liyas hesitated.
No matter what, he had saved her. If she repaid kindness with betrayal, wouldn’t she become like her Sister?
So she shook her head.
“That’s good.”
Li Ang smiled. “Alright, lie down properly. I’ll get you something to eat.”
Watching the boy leave the room, her body relaxed slightly, but a sharp pain suddenly swept through her.
Liyas looked down.
It seemed her movement had torn open a wound, and a little blood seeped through the white bandages.
After a moment’s thought, she lay back down.
Her heart was uneasy and confused.
Could… he really be a good person…?
But after being betrayed by someone so close, she dared trust no one, especially a stranger from the Humans!
He must have some ulterior motive!
The little Succubus curled herself into the blanket, thinking quietly.
Feeling the warmth, she vowed to herself that once her wounds healed, she would leave immediately.
***
On the other side, Li Ang, unsure what the Demon Clan usually ate, simply prepared a bowl of plain rice porridge.
Liyas sat up cautiously, eyeing the human boy, then the porridge emitting a faint scent of rice. She hesitated.
Normally, you should be careful with food from an unknown source, but she was so hungry.
Forget it—if it’s poisoned, so be it!
With a resolute heart, she accepted the bowl and drank it down in one go, then sat quietly, waiting.
Li Ang raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
“You don’t think I poisoned it, do you? Don’t worry—if I wanted to harm you, why would I save you?”
The little Succubus blinked, her cheeks coloring.
This human… actually made sense.
Noticing her guard lowering, Li Ang asked, “Want another bowl?”
She licked the corner of her lips instinctively and nodded shyly.
Li Ang smiled and fetched another bowl.
Liyas continued to drink it all down.
By the sixth bowl, she wiped her mouth, signaling she was full.
After filling her stomach, her suspicion of Li Ang lessened considerably.
“By the way, I don’t know your name yet.”
Li Ang put away the bowl and pointed to himself.
“I’m Li Ang. What about you?”
A name was key to gaining a Hakimi’s initial trust.
Liyas hesitated but, seeing the hopeful look in the boy’s eyes, finally whispered, “Liyas…”
After eating so much of this guy’s food, giving him a name wouldn’t hurt…
Anyway, she would leave eventually!
She wouldn’t let a sly person trick her into trusting them!
Liyas curled up into the blanket, hugging her knees, and slowly closed her eyes like a lonely little cat.
For her, in this world, the only one she could trust right now was herself.