In the days that followed, Leon spent his time regularly selling potions and researching how to make them.
However, he spent far less time making the low-level potions, because while he was out selling, Lias would secretly finish making them for him at home.
Every time Leon came home in the evening, the little cat succubus would pull him over to the table, put her hands on her hips, and proudly declare, “Look, I made a ton!”
As a result, Leon had a lot more free time to spend with the little cat succubus, and only then did he realize just how clingy Lias was—not only did she pester him to tell stories, she also asked all sorts of strange questions.
It was worth mentioning that Leon no longer had to sleep on the floor every night—though, of course, he wasn’t sharing a bed with Lias either.
Otherwise, things would become rather awkward.
Previously, there was one time when Leon woke up to find the little succubus frowning and complaining that something was poking her waist, making it impossible for her to sleep.
After that, he decisively went out and bought another mattress.
During this period, Lias had also picked up quite a bit of common knowledge about human society.
She learned that humans used money to hunt for food, rather than snatching things from others, and that Leon was very short on cash.
For her part, she couldn’t think of many ways to help Leon.
All she could do was help him make those green potions every day.
At first, she failed often, but later, she became quite proficient.
Whenever she got bored, she would quietly sneak over to the curtain, open a small gap, and carefully peek outside at Leon interacting with customers.
Only at such moments would a hint of envy flicker in the girl’s eyes.
She wanted to stand with him too.
To stand in the sunlight.
Sometimes, she would just keep watching and watching, and before she knew it, evening would arrive.
Watching Leon lock up the shop and turn to head back to the room, she would hurriedly return to the bed and pretend to read a book.
Lias looked at her reflection in the mirror on the table.
Her falling bangs covered her right eye, and the broken horns on both sides were especially conspicuous, making the girl’s gaze grow dim.
These days, more and more customers were coming to the shop, and she’d overheard some scattered rumors—apparently, the Demon Clan was not well liked among humans.
She knew that Leon forbade her from going out to protect her.
The girl’s fair fingers caressed the broken horns on her head, feeling their rough, sandpapery texture at her fingertips, a sense of hesitation in her heart.
Leon pushed open the door, and saw the little succubus lying on the bed, looking distracted.
He couldn’t help noticing even her tail was drooping by her side.
“Leon, you’re back?”
The little cat succubus rolled over on the bed, sat up, smoothed her bangs, and greeted Leon.
“Yeah, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”
Leon walked over and sat at the bedside, gazing into the girl’s dark red eyes and speaking softly.
“What is it?”
The girl tilted her head.
“Didn’t you say before that you wanted to go outside? I’ve found a way…”
“What way!”
Lias pushed herself forward with both hands on the bed, leaning forward excitedly, even her tail behind her sticking up.
Leon pulled a contract paper and a collar from his coat and pushed them in front of the girl, gently explaining, “This is a Slave Contract. If you sign it, you’ll have a legal identity among humans. That way, even though you’re Demon Clan, they won’t be able to just arrest you.”
He took a deep breath and continued, “But signing it means your life and freedom will be completely given over to someone else. Also, you have to wear this collar to go out…”
Leon honestly didn’t think the girl would agree to this.
After all, she was a Princess of the Demon Race, born with the Demon King Bloodline—becoming a human’s Slave was far too humiliating.
But this was the only solution he could think of.
“Forget it, I’ll try to think of something else.”
Leon reconsidered, feeling this was too unfair to Lias, and reached out to take back the contract, but was stopped by a soft, pale hand.
“Wait.”
Lias lifted her head and softly asked Leon, “Slave—would I be your Slave?”
Leon was stunned for a moment, then nodded.
Once she got his confirmation, Lias beamed and said, “That’s fine. If it’s being Leon’s Slave, I have no problem at all.”
“After all, you promised I could trust you forever, didn’t you?”
Leon was at a loss for words, looking into the girl’s gem-like eyes, unable to say anything for a moment.
After a long time, he nodded seriously.
“I won’t use this contract to do anything to you. The contract will stay with you. Whenever you want freedom, you can tear it up at any time.”
“Mm.”
Lias looked delighted. She was already impatient to hold the Slave Contract in her hands.
“How do I use it?”
“Just sign your name here.”
Leon pointed to the Balance Symbol at the bottom, where both parties to the contract were supposed to sign.
He pulled out a pen and handed it to the little succubus.
He’d already taught Lias how to write her name out of boredom, so she quickly finished signing.
She handed it to Leon and urged, “Hurry and sign.”
With her impatient demeanor, you’d never guess she was the Slave—she looked more like the master.
Leon couldn’t help but smile helplessly, then, at the little succubus’s urging, wrote his own name on the other side.
The moment his pen touched the paper, the contract flashed with light and the Balance Symbol suddenly lit up.
Two streaks of light leapt out, one sinking into Lias and the other into Leon.
In an instant, Leon’s consciousness was filled with a new power—a single thought would allow him to control the life and death of his Slave before him.
Lias also immediately felt a binding force in her body, as if a constant presence was reminding her: she could not defy her master’s orders.
At first, she was a little nervous, but quickly curiosity overcame her, and she eagerly explored the changes inside her body.
At the same time, the Balance Symbol on the collar lit up as well.
Lias picked it up and examined it with interest.
But soon, she frowned in dissatisfaction.
“It’s kind of ugly.”
Leon could only smile wryly.
After all, it was a collar for Slaves; it wasn’t meant to be pretty.
The leather was plain, with only a small Balance Symbol.
Then he saw Lias get up, grab a small knife from the table, and look at him eagerly.
“Let’s draw something on it.”
“But what should we draw?”
The little succubus bit her thumb, troubled.
“How about a little cat?”
Leon remembered something and suggested with a smile.
The poor little cat succubus didn’t catch Leon’s hidden meaning—her eyes lit up, and she immediately carved a rather clumsy little cat on the left side of the collar.
She proudly showed it off to Leon, then looked at the blank right side.
“Let’s put something here too… Hmm… How about a Little Dog!”
Just as she was about to start carving, she paused and handed the collar to Leon instead.
“Leon, you do it.”
“Me?”
Leon twitched his lips.
Truth be told, he didn’t really like Little Dogs, but when he looked up and saw the beautiful light in the girl’s eyes, his heart softened.
He carved a simple little dog on the right side, and also secretly altered Lias’s little cat to give it a heart-shaped tail.
Now that’s a true little cat succubus~
Lias didn’t notice that her little cat had been tampered with.
Instead, she earnestly etched both of their names next to the cat and dog.
Beside the little cat was Lias’s name, and beside the little dog was Leon’s.
The girl stared at the newly decorated collar in her hands, her dark red eyes shining brightly.
She cupped the collar in her palms as if it were a priceless treasure.