I Thought I Was the Monster Duke's Fake Tranquilizer - Chapter 0
Prologue
“Done!”
Clap!
Lucy clapped her hands together and surveyed the completed magic circle with satisfaction. She had gone so far as to use a ruler and protractor, terrified of making even the slightest error, and the result was flawless, no matter how many times she checked.
Though it does look a little menacing.
Drawn in blood-red lines, the magic circle looked as sinister as a demon summoning array. But its effects were certain to be real.
The holy stone at its center let out a low hum, signaling that preparations were complete.
Now, all that remained…
“All right. Lie down inside, Your Grace.”
She just had to get the handsome man standing beside her to lie down in it.
“Which duke?”
“…”
“There is more than one duke in this empire.”
There was no one else here but the two of them. Wasn’t he the only duke present?
Instead of asking that, Lucy rolled her eyes.
“Yeees. The one and only incarnation of the Gold Dragon in the empire. Vanquisher of demonic beasts. Savior of the continent…”
“You ought to include my face as well. You’re rather fond of it.”
“…And possessor of a very fine face, Duke Edward Le Thesseron.”
Only then did his red eyes, so reptilian in their cast, soften into a gentle curve â a look ill-suited to their sharp slant.
Lucy smiled back at him.
Then, as if warning him to behave, she jabbed her finger at the magic circle.
“Now will you please step inside?”
Tilt.
“In there?”
The duke cocked his head, an almost adorably innocent gesture. He was massive in stature, but perhaps because his face was so absurdly handsome, the motion simply registered as a beautiful man’s playful charm.
If any other man did that, I’d want to deck him.
The handsome man with white-gold hair that shimmered like crushed starlight was at his most lovable when he played clueless like this…
*…Lovable!*
She had nearly been bewitched. And he knew exactly what he was doing.
Lucy shook off the stray thought and answered.
“Yes. You’ll fit perfectly, right on top of the holy stone.”
The duke’s gaze remained impossibly clear.
Then he stated a simple fact.
“Anyone looking at this would take it for a human sacrifice array.”
Honestly, it really did look that way, and Lucy felt a twinge of guilt.
“…Oh, come on! I told you, it’s not that!”
“Then that thing is truly…”
Lucy pounded her chest with a confident expression and declared,
“Yes! It’s a magic circle that will make you into a complete incarnation!”
“…”
“Once you lie down here, Your Grace’s incomplete blood will turn into true dragon’s blood!”
Saying it out loud, she realized she sounded a bit like a street peddler, which pricked her conscience a little more.
“And then?”
“And then, you’ll receive a proper purification! The rampages will stop! And also…”
“And find a true mate too?”
At that, Lucy’s eyes went owlishly wide.
That damned mate business again.
“Yes. Of course!”
Even after hearing her brisk reply, Edward merely shrugged.
“What if it fails?”
“I told you, that won’t happen.”
“It would hurt my heart terribly.”
“You weren’t listening to me, were you?”
“I’m more delicate than you think, Lucy. I’ve never known defeat. Failure hits me hard.”
“That’s true, but honestly, it’s a little obnoxious of you to say so yourself.”
“It’s the truth. What can I do?”
The duke fluttered his long lashes and leaned his head against Lucy’s shoulder…
“Which is precisely why I don’t need the ritual, and I don’t need to find a mate…”
“Don’t talk such weak nonsense!”
…only to be shoved back by Lucy’s frantic palm.
“Ha.”
Behind the hand that had pushed him away, the duke let slip a crooked smile before composing his expression, as if he hadn’t been acting pitiful just moments ago.
Then, with a smile so guileless it bordered on shameless, he answered.
“All right. I understand.”
“Now that you do, let’s really…”
“But I’m scared to go in alone.”
“…”
“What if this magic circle is a trap? The moment I lie down, some sort of curse spell activates…”
“Ugh, fine! I said fine!”
Really. For the sake of the greater good, couldn’t she do at least this much?
Lucy grabbed Edward’s hand and stepped right into the magic circle with him.
“There, now…!”
The moment she cried out, she crumpled to the floor.
“Hah!”
…What is this?
A searing heat swept over Lucy’s body like a wave.
“Wait…”
Poison…?
But something about this felt wrong.
Her breath came in ragged gasps. Her whole body tingled. A dizzying haze washed over her senses.
I’ve never heard of the magic circle having this kind of effect!
Had she failed?
Lucy’s eyes instinctively turned to the duke.
She was burning up like this. There was no way the monster duke â the one who could rampage at any moment â was fine!
“Haa.”
Just as she suspected.
Across from her, Edward’s eyes glowed redder than usual.
He seemed… just slightly unhinged.
His head tilted once more.
Not the usual adorably cocked angle, but a slow, panther-like incline.
“Something’s strange, Lucy.”
“D-Duke…”
“I don’t feel anything.”
A chill ran down her spine.
Those eyes, fixed on her as he spoke, were eerily clear.
“Ah. Not… nothing, perhaps?”
“…”
“My body is growing hot.”
In an instant, goosebumps erupted all over Lucy’s skin.
“D-Duke. H-ha, ah…”
She wanted to tell him something had gone wrong, but her ragged breath stole the words from her lips.
Her legs pressed together of their own accord. The back of her throat burned.
‘I have to… get him out…’
She had to stop him from being caught up in the magic circle any further!
“Perhaps it’s because you told me to lie down, and I didn’t.”
But instead, Edward pulled her into his arms.
The contact alone sent dizziness crashing through her, and Lucy struggled desperately to steady herself…
‘What is this…’
As she lay pinned in his firm embrace atop the magic circle, the heat only intensified.
She was gasping, clutching tightly at Edward’s collar, when he spoke again.
“Still, nothing’s changed.”
“H-haa, ngh…”
“You prepared so diligently… I’m hurt, Lucy.”
‘I’m the one who prepared diligently. Why is he the one who’s hurt?!’
She couldn’t even voice the protest.
Her head was already swimming, steeped in a dizzying intoxication.
“You said you’d help me find a true mate.”
Edward’s lips curled as he whispered.
“I suppose there’s no helping it.”
A sweet heat radiated from his breath.
“As always, you’ll just have to purify me yourself.”
“Th-That’s…”
“Though this time.”
His hand brushed her cheek, then slipped beneath her skirt as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“I’ll have to receive it properly.”
“…”
“I’ve accumulated quite a bit of taint this time.”
A slow blink.
The long flutter of his lashes as he smiled with his eyes was bewitching. The rustling whisper of clothes being peeled away was unmistakably clear.
Completely panicked, Lucy stared at the lips drawing closer.
Th-This… this…
‘How did it come to this?!’
