beast chapter 4

Unsure how to respond, Ariette’s eyes darted around when a pure white light entered her vision. The thin light connected their pinky fingers like a thread of fate.

As if waiting for her to notice, the light then fizzled and disappeared. Awestruck by the mystical sight, Ariette stared back and forth between her hand and his before cautiously speaking.

“The light that appeared in my dream yesterday… was that you?”

“I’m glad you recognized it. But…” Beelzebub’s lips turned down, and his brow furrowed slightly. Such an expression on a man whose face was the epitome of beauty was so pitiful and heartbreaking that it involuntarily drew a sigh from her. “I’d like to look into your eyes more closely and talk, but as you can see, I’m bound.”

“Oh…”

“Would you mind untying me?” He lightly shook the wrist that had some freedom of movement. The chains rattled. Ariette instinctively stepped back. Her body reacted first, sensing the danger he posed, but her clouded judgment, captivated by his alluring appearance, failed to register the warning.

“To untie that… I think I need a key.”

“The key is right here.” He tilted his chin towards his feet. “Beneath me.”

Ariette’s gaze followed. Beneath the man’s bare, white feet, a golden key shimmered. As if in a trance, she approached him, bent down, picked up the key, and straightened up. Their eyes met. His red eyes, so close she could feel his breath, seemed to devour her face. She flinched and backed away.

“Come a little closer, my lady.” As if disappointed by the increased distance, Beelzebub ran his tongue over his upper lip and whispered sweetly. “You can’t untie me from there.”

Unlike her earlier, unhesitating approach, Ariette hesitated. The predatory look in his eyes lingered in her mind.

Should she really untie him? A small seed of doubt sprouted in her heart, and wariness began to surface.

This man… who is he?

Now that she thought about it, he seemed less like a divine being and more like a venomous snake hidden beneath a beautiful exterior.

Wait, a snake?

She remembered hearing that three beastmen kings were imprisoned in the maze. She’d been so captivated by his beauty that she’d forgotten this crucial fact. Ariette’s head snapped up.

“Um… are you a beastkin, by any chance?”

The man readily nodded. “Yes. Are you a fairy?”

“Oh, no. I’m human. Are you, perhaps, of the serpent—”

Before she could finish, he suddenly lowered his head. “Ugh… the chains are so tight… it hurts.”

Beneath the thick vines and chains, the man’s sculpted body convulsed. When he raised his head again, Beelzebub’s face was contorted in pain. As Ariette stood frozen, unsure what to do, his expression became even more distorted.

“Haah… do you remember our promise?”

“Th-the one… about saving each other?”

“Yes, that promise…” Ariette’s lips parted slightly. He moaned softly, gasping for breath.

“Help me, my lady.”

“…”

His slightly furrowed brows, reddened eyes, the erotic yet pleading look in his eyes, and his ragged breathing stirred strange imaginings within her.

She shook her head vigorously. She couldn’t let herself be swayed. She had heard, though rarely, of beastmen who enjoyed eating human flesh. Perhaps this man was one of them.

“…If I… if I untie you… you won’t eat me, will you?”

Beelzebub’s expression shifted subtly. “Oh, innocent lady…” A bestial instinct subtly crept into his features. “Even I, as cunning and deceitful as I am, wouldn’t eat my savior.” His long eyes curved into a suggestive smile. “Unless it’s in another way.”

Ariette swallowed hard. “Another way…?”

“Copulation.”

“…”

“In the language of fairies, it’s called communion. In the language of humans, it’s called s*x.”

Ariette’s cheeks flushed crimson. If any other man had said such a thing, she would have run without looking back. But the captivating aura he exuded seemed to have bewitched her. She found herself reacting to him involuntarily.

“But… if I don’t want to… you won’t, right?”

“Perhaps.” Beelzebub smiled tenderly. “I’m the kind of man whose lower half only listens after his partner has spilled from every orifice, so don’t worry too much.”