My Cheating Incubus Begs for Mercy, But I've Tamed His Holy Enemy

My best friend posted on Instagram: [The one who truly loves you will give you their most precious thing without hesitation.] The attached photo showed a dark red, intricate tattoo-like mark on a man's collarbone. With one glance, I recognized it. It was the Soul-Bond of my Incubus partner, Valen. An Incubus can only form one Soul-Bond in their entire life. Once bound, their power and life force are shared with their partner. Only yesterday, Valen lied to me, saying he couldn't form the bond yet because his Ascension cycle was too painful. I believed him. I even stayed up all night and spent three million dollars to buy him a high-grade soothing serum. As it turned out, he didn't lack the ability to bond. He just didn't want to bond with me. Instead, he chose to give his mark to Chloe—the girl who had to borrow three thousand dollars from me every single month just to pay her rent. I liked the Instagram post. Then, I turned around, went into the storage room, and poured the entire freezer of expensive soothing serums straight down the drain. Since he found his "true love," he could let her help him survive the agonizing pain of his Ascension cycle. I wiped my hands dry and looked at the Holy Knight standing outside the door, whom I had taken in because he was homeless. "Leon, you’re sleeping in the master bedroom tonight." The air fell into a brief, heavy silence. Leon’s hand on the hilt of his greatsword tightened, his knuckles turning white. He looked up at me, a flicker of shock crossing his piercing blue eyes. "My lady, this goes against the Knight's Code." Leon was a Templar Knight of the Holy Church whom I had rescued. He was a man of few words and deadly skills. More importantly, he was loyal. Once he chose a master, it was until death. His professional dedication was worth my investment. "My rules are the code here," I said. I turned and walked inside. "If you find it too difficult, you can sleep in the storage room." Without hesitation, he took long strides and followed me. Entering the master bedroom, the air was still thick with the cloying, sweet scent of rosemary that Valen loved. I frowned and turned the ventilation system to the highest setting. Right then, the electronic lock on the front door beeped. Then came Valen’s impatient voice: "Sera! I'm dying of pain! Get me a soothing serum, the highest grade, now!" Valen pushed open the bedroom door, not even taking off his coat. His devastatingly beautiful, angelic face was filled with the usual sense of entitlement. But when he saw Leon standing by the bed, Valen’s expression instantly twisted. "Why is he in your bedroom?" I sat on the edge of the bed, my eyes landing on his exposed collarbone. Just like in the photo, a dark red vine-like mark was etched onto his skin, glaringly bright under the light. "Because the master bedroom has a new owner." Valen froze, then ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Sera, what kind of tantrum are you throwing now? My Ascension backlash is killing me. I don’t have the energy to coddle you." "I don’t care what kind of stray dog you bring home, just give me the medicine. I can't take this pain anymore." An Incubus's Ascension cycle was indeed brutal. Without high-grade serums, the pain would drill into their very bones. In the past, even if he just frowned, my heart would ache, and I’d throw millions at him to get him whatever he wanted. But looking at his pain now, I only found it pathetic. "There is no medicine. I checked, and it was all expired, so I threw it out." Valen looked up in utter shock, disbelief written all over his face. "What did you say? That was three million dollars' worth of serum!" "It’s my money. I can burn it just to watch the sparks fly if I want to." I walked up to him and pointed my finger at the mark on his collarbone without touching it. "Haven't you already found your 'true love' to share your pain?" "What's wrong? Is Chloe's love not deep enough to cure you?" Hearing Chloe’s name, a flash of panic crossed Valen’s eyes. But he quickly straightened his back. "You spied on Chloe’s Instagram? Sera, do you have to be so bitter?" "Chloe only saw how much I was hurting and volunteered to share it with her soul." "Our bond is a spiritual connection. It’s a thousand times more noble than your cold, heartless money!" I laughed out loud at his sheer, self-righteous audacity. "Since it’s so noble, then please, take your noble true love and get the hell out of my house." Valen's face darkened completely. "Sera, don't regret this. Do you think I can't survive without you?" "Even if Chloe only has three thousand dollars, she’s willing to spend twenty-nine hundred of it on me. You will never understand what it feels like to be truly cherished!" I didn’t look at him again. "Leon." The silent knight beside me suddenly drew his sword. The bright, cold steel rested against Valen's throat, the icy killing intent forcing him to shut his mouth.Valen gritted his teeth and glared at me, as if unable to believe I was actually kicking him out. "Fine! Sera, don't you dare come begging me to crawl back!" He spun around furiously, heading for the door. "Wait." Valen stopped, a smug, mocking smirk playing on his lips, clearly thinking I was about to beg him to stay. "Leave the coat you’re wearing, and the spatial storage ring on your wrist." "I paid for all of it. Since you’re chasing pure love, don't take my things with you." Valen’s face drained of color. The coat he wore was made of "Crimson Silk," a rare artifact I had spent a whole year tracking down just to soothe his Ascension pain. And his storage ring was packed with precious materials he had accumulated over the years. "Sera! Are you insane?" "Sera! How can you push Valen like this?" Chloe burst into the room, shielding Valen with her body, her face twisted in righteous indignation. "Just because you have money doesn't mean you can trample on his dignity!" "He is so weak right now. Stripping him of his gear is basically sentencing him to death!" I looked at my so-called best friend, who lived in an apartment I lent her and relied on my handouts every month. "Chloe, I’m taking my apartment back tomorrow." "And the $346,000 you owe me—wire it to my account by 8:00 AM tomorrow." Chloe’s face turned instantly pale, her lips trembling. "Sera... how can you calculate things so coldly with me? Aren't we best friends?" "Does a best friend form a life-and-death Soul-Bond with her friend's partner while she’s away on a business trip?" Valen pulled Chloe into his arms, glaring at me. "Don't you dare talk to her like that! I was the one who insisted on the bond. She was willing to risk her life for me, while you only know how to humiliate people with money!" He sneered, aggressively ripping off the coat and throwing the storage ring onto the floor. "Let's go, Chloe. We can live perfectly fine without her charity." Supporting each other, the two walked out of the door. I massaged my throbbing temples. The drama of the last few hours, combined with the exhaustion of my long business trip, made my mental energy dip dangerously low. A strong, warm hand supported my arm. Leon looked down at me. A pure, gentle wave of Holy power radiated from his palm. It flowed through my veins, instantly soothing the sharp pain in my head. "You shouldn't waste your energy on people like them, my lady." I looked up at him. He was exceptionally tall, and his blue eyes were fixed on me with absolute devotion, free of any hidden motives. Curious, I poked his hard chest plate. "Weren't you afraid the Inquisition would track you down when you drew your sword just now?" Leon’s breath hitched, and a faint blush crept up his ears. "If it is to protect you," he lowered his eyes, his deep voice sounding like a sacred vow, "even if I must face the entire Inquisition, I will not take a single step back."Without the high-grade soothing serum, Valen’s backlash came much faster than expected. The next morning, as soon as I sat down in my office at the Potion Merchants' Guild, my assistant rushed in. "Sera, look at this." Mia handed me a tablet. On the local forum, a post was being shared like wildfire. The author was Chloe. [The Arrogance of Wealth vs. An Incubus's Tragedy: When Money Makes Sincerity Worthless.] The post described in detail how a "wealthy, powerful potion merchant" mistreated her Incubus partner, treating him like a pet with zero dignity. When the partner fell desperately ill, the merchant not only refused to save him, but also kicked him out into the cold for some mysterious new man, stripping him of his warm clothes. Attached was a photo of Valen curled up in a cramped, dirty rental room, writhing in pain. His skin was covered in the hideous, dark-red veins of the Ascension backlash. The comment section was filled with outrage. [This is evil! Incubi might be dependent creatures, but they deserve dignity!] [These potion merchants build their wealth by sucking the blood of the poor! She won't even save her own partner? Garbage!] [Report her to the Guild! Strip her of her license to sell potions!] Mia paced around anxiously. "Sera, this is going to ruin our bid for the high-grade potion contract next month!" "Several directors from the Guild are already pressuring us for an explanation." "Should I release a statement right away?" I tossed the tablet onto the desk. "If statements worked, crisis PR wouldn't exist." When it comes to public outrage, the more you explain, the more people think you’re hiding something. They don't want the truth; they just want a target to vent their anger on. Just then, my phone rang. It was Chloe. "Sera, did you see the post?" "Don't blame me for making a scene. Valen is literally dying." "If you send over two bottles of high-grade soothing serum right now and publicly apologize to Valen online, I'll delete the post." Using my own things to blackmail me? "Chloe, did you forget that defaming a core member of the Potion Guild carries heavy legal penalties?" "Your little story has already been shared over five hundred times. That’s more than enough to put you behind bars for a few years." There was a sudden panic on the other end of the line, but she quickly forced herself to sound confident. "Stop trying to scare me! The public knows the truth!" "Sera, can't you just swallow your pride for once? Valen stayed by your side for so long!" I didn’t bother wasting any more breath. "My legal team will deliver the lawsuit to your door in half an hour. Get your checkbook ready for the damages." "Sera, they’re clearly trying to play dirty," Mia spat. "We can't just let them drag your name through the mud." I grabbed my coat. "No rush. Since they want to make a scene, let's take it to the biggest stage possible." "Come on. We're going to the Guild's grand potion auction." Today was the auction for the newest soothing serum. If Valen was truly at death's door, Chloe would definitely try her luck there. When we arrived at the auction hall, a crowd of reporters and onlookers had already gathered. Leon followed silently behind me. He had swapped his armor for a tailored black trench coat, but it did nothing to hide his powerful, imposing aura. Just as we reached the steps, a shrill voice pierced through the crowd. "Seraphina! You actually have the nerve to show your face here!"Chloe stood there, supporting a trembling, half-dead Valen, blocking my path. The surrounding media swarmed us like sharks smelling blood, pointing their cameras and mics at us. Valen looked truly pathetic now. The gorgeous, striking face he was once so proud of was pale and lifeless. Only the Soul-Bond on his collarbone was still greedily draining whatever life force he had left. A reporter shoved a microphone in front of me. "Miss Seraphina, is the online rumor true? Did you really try to kill your bonded partner just because you got a new lover?" I stopped and looked at the two of them. Valen leaned heavily against Chloe, his breathing shallow. But the look in his eyes was smug—he thought he had won. He knew my situation too well. In front of the media and the Guild's high officials, if I got branded as an "abuser," my entire business empire would crumble. "Sera, I don't blame you," Valen rasped weakly. "I just want a bottle of serum to survive... For the sake of our past, please, give me a chance to live." "Yes, Sera!" Chloe cried, tears streaming down her face. "If you want to punish someone, punish me! Valen is innocent!" I took a step forward. "You want a soothing serum? Sure." I pulled a vial of glowing, deep-blue liquid from my pocket. It was the star item of today's auction—the ultimate premium serum. Valen instinctively reached out to grab it. But just as his fingers were about to touch the vial, I flicked my wrist and handed the priceless potion to Leon behind me. "Leon, you've worked hard these past two days. Drink up." The crowd gasped. Without a moment’s hesitation, Leon popped the cork and drank the life-saving serum in one gulp, right in front of everyone. Chloe let out a blood-curdling shriek: "Sera! You're insane!" Watching his only lifeline disappear, the sheer shock combined with the agonizing backlash drove Valen completely wild. "You dare play me?!" He let out a monstrous roar, his Incubus demonic powers erupting. Like a feral beast, he lunged at me, his fingers morphing into sharp claws aimed straight for my throat. "Watch out!" Leon moved. He didn't even draw his sword. He simply caught Valen by the throat with one hand. A massive wave of pure, blinding Holy light erupted from his palm, slamming Valen brutally onto the hard marble floor. With a loud crash, the marble shattered. Valen spat out a mouthful of blood, his dark power instantly dispersing under the pressure of the Holy light. He lay on the ground, twitching violently. "Assault! The rich are murdering people in broad daylight!" The cameras flashed frantically, crowding my face. I raised my wrist and tapped my phone screen twice. A massive hologram instantly projected into the air. It was the screenshot of Chloe’s Instagram post from last night. [The one who truly loves you will give you their most precious thing without hesitation.] Under the giant projection, the dark red Soul-Bond on Valen’s collarbone was visible in extreme detail. The noisy crowd instantly fell dead silent. "Chloe, why don't you explain this to everyone?" "An Incubus's Soul-Bond means sharing life and power." "Since you two have bonded and are supposedly 'true soulmates,' why are you coming to me when his backlash hits, instead of using your own soul to soothe him?" Chloe’s face turned paper-white, and she took a step back. "I... my mental energy is too weak, I can't handle the pain..." "You can't handle it?" "When he was healthy, you enjoyed the power boost from his bond. When he’s in pain, you drag him to me, forcing me to throw three million dollars into a bottomless pit." "Is this the 'sincerity' you claimed was a thousand times nobler than my cold money?" The onlookers weren't stupid. The public opinion flipped in a split second. Whispers of disgust targeted Chloe and Valen. Valen trembled, clawing at the ground. He tried to stand up and argue, but he couldn't even lift his head. He finally realized that without my resources, his charming looks and pride were absolutely worthless. Just as he was about to pass out in despair, a terrifying pressure suddenly descended upon the area. The crowd was violently pushed aside as two rows of heavily armored Templar Knights marched in, sealing off the venue. An Archbishop in red robes walked forward, his staff clacking against the stone floor, his eyes locked onto Leon. "Found you at last." "The fallen Templar Commander, Leon."