QHIM chapter 33- Fake Companion

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The sound of rain tapping on the glass dome grew louder. Jerome said nothing.

He simply looked at her in silence and awkwardly rubbed his neck.

Then, with a blank expression, he spoke.

“Jeanne, you know, I’ve had so many hardships in life… I can tell if the person in front of me is being kind out of genuine goodwill or if they want something from me.”

His words made my heart sink. It felt like the walls that had surrounded me were suddenly penetrated.

Gaining someone’s trust is, after all, about saying what they want to hear.

So far, I had easily gotten what I wanted by saying what others wanted to hear.

‘So, that method doesn’t work on Jerome?’

Jerome was not only quick-witted but also clever. If I were helping Jerome without any ulterior motives, he’d be the weaker party at the negotiating table.

However, having seen through my intentions, Jerome had immediately placed them both on equal footing.

‘What a sly bastard. It’s like looking in a mirror, and it’s unsettling.’

If he were someone who lived thoughtlessly, I could have used him more easily.

I erased the smile of a saintess from my face and glared at Jerome. Jerome, resting his chin on his hand, chuckled softly.

“I knew it. But it’s a relief. I don’t get along well with kind-hearted women anyway.”

“…Did you use magic to read my thoughts?”

“You’re generous with your self-assessment.”

Jerome’s gaze fell on my shoulder. He stared at my shoulder intently and then spoke in a low voice.

“I’ve been curious for a while now. Is that something you’re raising on your shoulder?”

“Raising what?”

“That centipede.”

Seriously?

The terrifying words made my body freeze. I slowly moved my eyes to the side to check.

Just as Jerome had said, a fierce-looking centipede was crawling on my shoulder.

My hair stood on end as her vision turned white.

I squeezed my eyes shut the moment I made eye contact with the centipede, which seemed ready to bite my neck.

“Get, get it off.”

“I can remove it, but… promise me something.”

As soon as he said that, I was certain.

It was Jerome who had released the venomous centipede.

The horrifying sensation of the centipede crawling on her skin made my clench her fists.

Jerome, chuckling softly, wrapped his hand around my head.

“No matter what kind of schemes you try with that little brain of yours, they’re all clear to me. Don’t do that anymore. If there’s something you want, just say it outright. There shouldn’t be any secrets between a married couple, right?”

“……”

“I’ll concede everything else, but just let me have my way with this one thing.”

Jerome’s tone wasn’t threatening.

It was closer to gentle.

But perhaps because I couldn’t move, my felt more intense fear than ever before. Jerome gently rubbed my earlobe.

“Hm? Jeanne… please.”

Jerome coaxed me, calling me name as if begging for an answer.

The implication of an obscene intent in his actions made me grind my teeth.

Just like a demon playing with a human, Jerome had a remarkable talent for using fear to manipulate people.

Mephisto was a demon of seduction.

A wicked demon who terrified or seduced people with words, ultimately leading them to ruin.

In modern terms, you could call him a gaslighting con artist.

‘He was so eager to have me that I forgot for a moment. Jerome is not someone who would change his mind just for a woman he likes. If anything, he’s someone who’d pretend to soothe me while actually steering things his way.’

Suddenly, I recalled an interview with an animal trainer I had seen somewhere. If you show fear or seem easy in front of a beast, it will continue to frighten or torment you.

From what I had seen so far, Jerome was a very cunning beast. He was convinced that if I yielded now, he would continue to manipulate me.

I quietly looked at Jerome and spoke.

“I apologize for deceiving you while pretending to be kind. But…”

The centipede, which had been crawling on my neck, climbed up my cheek. I continued speaking in an unwavering voice to Jerome, who was watching me with interest.

“There won’t be a time when my plans go awry just because you get angry. And as for conceding, I have no use for a man who only concedes without a will of his own.”

I took a deep breath and grabbed the venomous centipede crawling on my cheek. The terrible sensation in my palm made my tongue curl inward.

But without showing any sign, I flung the venomous centipede back behind me.

Relieved to be alive, tears welled up in my eyes. I tried to appear unaffected, but fear was still fear. Grinding my teeth, I glared at Jerome.

“Rather, whether it’s with force or wits, overpower me and then demand what you want. Don’t pretend to concede while actually scheming to get your way.”

“……”

“Don’t treat me like the other women you’ve met.”

I threw out my words coldly and flinched.

My words just now might have sounded like a spoiled noble lady.

Jerome must have only met noblewomen who were brought up delicately, so I thought that being somewhat agreeable might actually gain his favor.

After all, I was in a position where I wanted to ask a favor of Jerome. I knew that it would be disadvantageous if I inadvertently offended him.

However, even so, I had no intention of being dragged around by this perverse gaslighting scammer.

As I waited anxiously for a response, Jerome spoke in a calm voice.

“I…”

“……”

“I think I might go crazy because I like you so much.”

It was a response so unexpected that I could hardly believe my ears.

Jerome grabbed my hand with a look of ecstasy.

When I noticed the bulge in Jerome’s front, I stifled a scream.

“To be honest, I was confused until recently. People often mistake sympathy for love. I thought that since you were going to die by my hand anyway, I might as well treat you well while you’re still alive…”

“……”

“But now I’m really sure.”

I thought it was quite a skill to be able to say such trashy things with a face that could belong in a masterpiece painting.

Jerome’s eyes, already unhinged, flickered with a color I had never seen before.

As if releasing a breath he had been holding in, Jerome let out a long sigh and then smiled shyly.

“If I have to die someday, I want to die by your hand.”

“……”

“Will you do that for me?”

I shivered, my hand trembling at Jerome’s words.

If there really was no way to destroy Mephisto, then killing Jerome would indeed be the most certain solution.

If the host dies, the demon inside would die too.

I stared at Jerome, who was waiting for my answer, and shook my head.

“Sorry, but I have no intention of becoming a murderer.”

“Huh? But Mephisto…”

“I know, he’s no ordinary demon. But I don’t want to kill you. If I killed you just to save myself, I feel like I’d never sleep peacefully again.”

The sacrifice of a few for the benefit of many might seem like the best solution, but to me, it felt like the laziest option.

When my father died from an electric shock at a construction site in the past, all the workers who had worked with him refused to testify.

That was why my father didn’t receive any compensation for his workplace accident.

“Eunsoo, I’m really sorry, but think about it. We can’t all get fired just to help you. Even for me, my wife’s due next month. So… just this once, for our sake.”

A dark memory suddenly surfaced, and I bit my lower lip hard.

“Just this once, can’t you be the one to sacrifice?”

Sacrifice, what a convenient word it was.

A word that even gave off a sense of nobility—I hated it more than anything else in the world.

That’s why I didn’t want to go down the path of sacrificing Jerome in the name of saving the world.

Even if it meant the world would end because of it.

After forcibly calming myself, I pulled my hand away.

“So, cooperate with me. This isn’t some favor disguised as goodwill, it’s a fair trade offer. It’s up to you whether or not you sit at the negotiation table.”

“Then can I set my own conditions?”

“Go ahead. But nothing in bed.”

The moment Jerome opened his mouth, looking like he had a lot to say, I quickly added,

“No tongue-twisting, no choking, no sucking, no sticky, creepy, dirty acts of any kind.”

“What about buttoning?”

“What’s that?”

“Come closer.”

As I leaned my head in with a suspicious look, Jerome whispered with a gleeful expression.

I saw Duke Michael and his servants watching us with pleased smiles.

Jerome and Jeanne weren’t exactly lacking in the looks department, so to others, we probably made for quite the sight.

But as soon as I learned what “buttoning” meant, my expression hardened.

Jerome finished whispering and looked at me with eyes full of anticipation.

I stayed silent, my face set in stone, before spitting out with a look of contempt.

“Die.”

“Got it.”

“If you say that crazy stuff one more time, I’ll hunt down every button and shove it down your throat.”

While Jerome was looking deflated, I struggled to hold back a gag.

Just hearing it made my head spin, and yet Jerome explained “buttoning” without changing his expression at all.

After a moment of thought, Jerome picked up a clover and began weaving it.

His hands were deft, just like the day he braided my hair.

Whenever a glimpse of a normal human side of Jerome appeared, I couldn’t help but make a complicated face.

He was kind yet violent, ready to give everything yet refusing to humble himself.

That’s why I often found myself doubting Jerome.

‘How much of him is Mephisto… and how much of him is Jerome?’

Jerome finished making a clover ring and suddenly grabbed my hand.

Unlike Jeanne’s pale and delicate hands, Jerome’s were rough and calloused, with thickened joints.

Just looking at his hands, you could tell he was overflowing with male hormones.

Annoyed by Jerome’s cute behavior, I spoke.

“Now, tell me what you really want from me.”

I looked at Jerome, clearly tense.

Without a word, Jerome slipped the clover ring onto the ring finger of my left hand.

Compared to Jeanne’s slender fingers, the clover ring was a bit loose.

“It suits you well.”

Jerome said calmly.

Jerome flicked the clover he was staring at.

In an instant, the white flower turned black like ashes and scattered.

A chill ran down my spine at the eerie sight.

A demon who seduces humans only to destroy them in the end—Mephisto.

In the original novel, Jerome whispered words of love to Jeanne, but in the end, he raped him and destroyed his soul.

Making someone happy as if they would give them the whole world, only to bring them down in an instant—that was Mephisto’s specialty.

With his beautiful looks and sharp mind, Jerome was the perfect match for this type of demon.

That’s why I couldn’t completely trust Jerome.

‘Because I don’t want to end up like Jeanne in the original story.’

I waited nervously for an answer. Jerome, who had been smiling leisurely, opened his mouth.

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