An Honest Woman, But Her Wife Is A Succubus - Chapter 1

“Rumble—”

Thunder tore through the clouds, ripping open a massive fissure. A flash of silver-white lightning shone through the narrow window, illuminating one corner of the dark room.

An exquisite cage made entirely of pure gold was covered from top to bottom by a thick black cloth. The velvet, patterned with dark motifs, draped all the way to the floor, occasionally glinting faintly in the darkness as it completely concealed the alluring sight within the cage.

A cold gust swept past outside the window, lifting the covering draped over the cage.

Fu Xin curled up inside the cage, peering through the closely spaced bars and out through the corner of fabric that had been lifted, trying to catch even the slightest glimpse of what was happening outside.

The succubus, who had not seen sunlight for a long time, had pale, porcelain-white skin. The black wings and heart-tipped tail behind her drooped listlessly, and after struggling so many times, her waterfall-like long hair had become slightly disheveled.

Her light-purple eyes cautiously watched the door outside the cage.

Three days ago, she had been locked inside this cage.

That day, Fu Xin had gone out socializing with members of her clan as usual. She had reached the age when she was supposed to learn from the elders of the clan how to feed on lust and desire.

Once they reached adulthood, succubi needed to deeply feed on emotion once every month. Otherwise, their magic would weaken, their tails and wings would lose their luster, and the small horns on their heads would stop growing.

Once Fu Xin learned charm magic, she could either continue staying with the clan or choose to leave and live apart from them.

Usually, succubi only chose to leave once they had found a suitable provider. Fu Xin had no such plans for the time being.

But a group of strangers suddenly descended upon them and interrupted her learning.

They had clearly come prepared. Every one of them had their eyes covered with a layer of fine gauze enchanted with magic that rendered succubus charms ineffective, and every magical artifact they carried was specifically designed to suppress the magic of succubi.

The bandit leader stared at the isolated Fu Xin and the two scattered succubi behind her.

A vicious grin spread across his rough face.

“We’ve hit the jackpot today!”

The bandit leader stared at Fu Xin’s delicate little face, greed flashing in his eyes.

He turned and warned his men, “Be careful with them. These are top-quality goods that’ll fetch a huge price. Don’t hurt them!”

This is bad!

She had only just gone out and already run into succubus traffickers!

Succubi were a beautiful race, but their ability to protect themselves was relatively weak. Because of that, bandits who robbed and pillaged also often dabbled in trafficking succubi.

Aside from succubi, elves were also highly sought-after commodities in the trading market.

They were extremely expensive. Sell just one, and there would be no need to do business again for several years.

Succubi specialized in seduction rather than combat. Fu Xin and her clanmates were quickly overwhelmed and fell into the hands of the group.

After being locked in a cage, she was moved through several different locations before finally being kept here.

She had been locked alone in this room. She wondered what had happened to her clanmates…

“Clang—”

The sound from outside the door pulled Fu Xin out of her thoughts.

Someone used a key to unlock the additional chain wrapped around the heavy iron door. Immediately afterward, the door creaked open.

“Tap, tap, tap…”

Footsteps approached from afar, and the person outside walked leisurely into the room.

Because of the angle, Fu Xin could only see the pair of polished, gleaming leather boots the person was wearing.

“Has this succubus been causing trouble in there?” Fu Xin heard him ask the guard outside. “If she’s too noisy, force some drugs down her throat.”

The auction intermediary wore a long robe with an enchanted cloak draped behind him. Several gemstone rings adorned his fingers, and he glanced at the golden cage with the same appraising gaze one might use when selecting merchandise.

“There must not be a single mistake at tonight’s auction!”

Separated by a wall, the subordinate guarding Fu Xin outside dutifully replied, “She struggled nonstop the first day and kept trying to get out. Maybe she realized there was no hope. She’s been much quieter these past two days.”

“Has she eaten anything?”

“No.”

“Give her some food and water. She has to show her face at the auction. If she’s starved until she looks sickly and gaunt, no one will be willing to pay a high price.”

“Better dress her up too. Put her in one of the specially made dresses. Those nobles love buying pretty succubi who have only just come of age.”

“Why is there no sound at all from inside? Don’t tell me she starved to death. Let me take a look…” As he spoke, he reached out to lift the black cloth covering the cage.

“Don’t lift it…”

The arrogant intermediary dismissed the warning. “What are you afraid of? She’s locked inside a cage. You think she can escape?”

“Besides, the clothes and accessories I’m wearing have been blessed by the Church. They can withstand attacks from magical creatures.”

Ignoring his subordinate’s attempts to stop him, the intermediary continued moving his hand.

Seeing that he could not be persuaded, the guard outside had no choice but to follow orders and go find food and water. The guard knew perfectly well that he was being deliberately sent away. This was hardly the first time the intermediary had done something like this.

Any goods that passed through his hands would first be subjected to abuse by him. The guard simply had not expected that even the succubus designated as the grand finale of the auction would be unable to escape such treatment.

The enchanted velvet only affected succubi. To the intermediary, it was nothing more than an ordinary piece of cloth, and he easily pulled it aside.

Dark patterns flowed across the black fabric, possessing the ability to suppress a succubus’s magic. Now that it had been lifted away, the restraint on Fu Xin’s magic disappeared as well.

Although Fu Xin had not yet learned charm magic, she was outstanding among succubi when it came to eye techniques and illusions.

The instant the velvet was lifted, the invisible cage that had been pressing down on her and restricting her magic vanished. Fu Xin raised her head, and a purple gleam flashed deep within her eyes.

The moment their gazes met, the intermediary’s eyes instantly lost focus, a layer of purple haze spreading across them.

Fu Xin parted her lips slightly and silently mouthed,

“Open the cage.”

Like a puppet capable only of obeying orders, the intermediary pulled out the key hidden beneath his robe.

Fu Xin did not need direct physical contact. As long as she had the opportunity to make eye contact, she could bewitch her target.

The subordinate soon returned with food and water. Finding it strange that there was suddenly no sound inside, he hesitated before entering to check, only to come face-to-face with the succubus stepping out of the cage.

“Come—”

The sound never made it out of his throat before it abruptly died, leaving him completely silent.

Controlling two people in the span of an instant consumed more than half of Fu Xin’s stored magic. She had to find her clanmates before her magic ran out completely.

Under her control, the intermediary brought her to the other places where her clanmates were being held.

Because of the auction that evening, although the succubi were locked separately in different rooms, they were all concentrated in the same building, saving her the trouble of traveling far.

Fu Xin did not have enough magic left to control the guard outside.

She gave an order. “You. Find an excuse to lure the guard away.”

The controlled intermediary walked out.

Fu Xin hid in the shadows, carefully observing the situation in front of her. If anything seemed wrong, she would immediately retreat. The key that had originally hung from the intermediary’s waist was now tightly clenched in her hand.

The identity of an auction intermediary proved extremely useful. After only a few words, Fu Xin saw the guard follow him away.

“Now!”

Fu Xin flew over at once. Her feet had not even touched the ground and her wings were still beating behind her when she quickly brought the key to the lock.

The golden cage inside the room was likewise covered with black velvet.

But it could only restrict succubi inside the cage.

Standing outside, Fu Xin reached toward it. Although her magic was no longer being suppressed, the dark patterns on the cloth began burning her skin.

Enduring the agonizing pain, Fu Xin forcefully tore the black cloth away.

“Fu Xin!”

The one imprisoned inside the cage was Fu Xin’s clanmate, Mei Li. Mei Li had been the one who brought Fu Xin out this time. She had arranged beforehand with her good friend Qi Meng for Qi Meng to teach Fu Xin charm magic.

Qi Meng’s charm magic ranked among the best. She had left the clan as soon as she came of age and had adapted effortlessly to the outside world. Without making an appointment in advance, it was nearly impossible to see her.

No one had expected them to encounter bandits on this outing.

Mei Li saw that Fu Xin’s arm had been burned until it was bleeding, and her fingertips trembled as she opened the cage.

The moment she regained her freedom, Mei Li rushed out and hugged Fu Xin tightly, transferring a considerable amount of magic into her.

Fu Xin handed the key to Mei Li. The magic inside her body was almost completely depleted.

She said succinctly, “Qi Meng is upstairs.”

The instant the words left her mouth, the sound of more than one person’s footsteps came from outside.

The patrolling guards noticed that no one was stationed there and demanded, “Why is no one guarding this place? Get inside and check whether the goods are still there.”

Damn it!

They had been discovered!

Before Fu Xin could think of a solution, she suddenly found herself enveloped in a ball of warm light. The last thing she saw was Mei Li smiling at her.

“Leave the rest to me! You get out first.” Mei Li gave her no chance to refuse.

An overwhelming wave of sleepiness struck her. Fu Xin’s eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and unable to resist, she closed her eyes and lost consciousness.

The glow surrounding her, formed from Mei Li’s magic, carried her over the guards and flew in the direction farthest from the crowd. The guards who rushed into the room seemed to have collectively gone blind. None of them noticed Fu Xin floating above their heads, their attention completely fixed on Mei Li as she stepped out of the cage.

Beneath the gloomy dark clouds, several flashes of lightning appeared from time to time.

Fu Xin floated in midair, the glow around her growing dimmer and dimmer.

A burst of white light flashed past, followed a beat later by a thunderclap powerful enough to split heaven and earth. The fleeting arc of electricity happened to strike the unconscious unlucky soul directly.

*

One deafening rumble after another sounded across the sky.

As the end of the workday drew near,

everyone in the office had already stopped paying much attention to work.

“It was perfectly fine when I left home this morning. How did it suddenly turn into a downpour?”

“It’s best to stay indoors during thunderstorms like this. It’s not safe outside.” As if to prove her point, several claps of thunder exploded outside the window the moment she finished speaking.

The employees sitting near the window were so startled that they immediately scooted their chairs farther away.

“It’s rare to see thunder this intense. They’ve issued a red lightning warning on our phones.”

Yu Chen looked up at the window. Lightning struck one bolt after another, and she gave up on the idea of going home for now, choosing instead to stay at the company and work overtime.

She lived alone, so it made no difference whether she went home earlier or later. No one was waiting for her to eat dinner anyway.

The place Yu Chen rented was not far from the company. She could walk home in a little over ten minutes.

Her social life was simple, and every day she lived the same monotonous routine between home and work.

The exhausted air of an office worker and her vacant, sluggish expression greatly diminished her beauty. On top of that, she wore a pair of thick black-framed glasses all day, hiding her picturesque brows and eyes and completely reducing her to an inconspicuous passerby.

But the world was never short of people capable of recognizing beauty.

“Yu Chen, once the thunderstorm stops, do you want to try that new barbecue place nearby? Weather like this is perfect for a group of people to sit around together and eat hot barbecue.”

In order to get Yu Chen to join her for dinner, her coworker had even gone so far as to invite the other women in the office as well.

Yu Chen continued typing on the keyboard in her rigid, methodical way. “You all go ahead. Have fun. I need to go home today.” There was no extra expression on her face, as though she were a robot programmed to give that exact response.

The coworker’s carefully applied expression froze on her made-up face. Yu Chen merely pushed her glasses up lightly without even looking at her.

Her friend pulled her away and quietly comforted her. “It’s not like this is your first day knowing what she’s like. She hasn’t awakened to that sort of thing at all.”

The thunder gradually died away.

It was already well past quitting time, and employees began leaving in twos and threes.

Yu Chen glanced outside. The rain had eased, but the sky remained gloomy and overcast. She packed up her things and left work.

The streets after the rain carried a touch of freshness. The downpour had washed the entire city clean, and as Yu Chen walked along the road, damp moisture lingered around the tip of her nose.

When she passed the entrance to an alley, she thought she heard a faint rustling sound coming from deep inside.

She stopped and listened carefully.

It was not her imagination. The faint noise continued.

Was it a homeless person hiding in the alley from the rain, or a stray kitten rummaging around inside for food?

Either way, whoever it was needed her help.

“Hiss~”

It sounded like a girl’s voice.

News reports she had seen before surfaced in her mind, and she could not help imagining the worst possible scenario. The thought that a girl might be in danger crossed her mind.

Yu Chen immediately walked into the alley without hesitation.

“Who’s in there?”