Chapter 64 — Deals With a Devil

◽Inside the House◽
After Astrid finally calmed down, Hedda explained everything to her in detail.
Astrid buried her face in her hands.「Åh… dette er så pinlig.」(“Argh… this is so embarrassing.”)JJ chuckled warmly.「Your daughter looks very adorable right now, Aunt Hedda.」Hedda smiled.「Thank you. Anyway, Maryson—how are your siblings?」JJ answered calmly.「Well, big bro Devon is busy planning his wedding. Joshua lives in Japan with me—doing his whole ‘look at me I'm different’ thing. My sisters are helping Yulia, and Tom and Sergei are on a mission.」「Seems like you’re all busy as always.」Hedda giggled softly.JJ smiled back.「Yeah. The Samuels family always been like that—even when we were kids.」Hedda tilted her head thoughtfully.「Now that you mention it… I remember when you and your twin were babies. You’d sit on everyone’s lap except your mother’s.」JJ frowned, trying to remember.「Was that the day Mom was angry at everything?」Hedda laughed.「Was there ever a day Mary wasn’t angry at everything during the war?」JJ burst out laughing.「Yeah—facts. It’s crazy how much rage she carried.」「And how petty she was.」Hedda added with a grin.JJ nodded.「Yeah. Not even her kids were safe if we pressed the wrong buttons.」
The two of them laughed together, reminiscing about the past.
Astrid cleared her throat.「Mor.」(“Mother.”)Hedda turned to her.「Ja, Astrid?」(“Yes, Astrid?”)Astrid crossed her arms, glaring at JJ.「Må jeg virkelig gifte meg med denne personen? Jeg mener… hvilke forløsende kvaliteter har han egentlig?」(“Do I really have to marry this person? I mean… what redeeming qualities does he even have?”)Emil nodded firmly.「Hun har rett, Hedda. Du kan ikke bare si at dette er hennes fremtidige ektemann uten at hun vet noe om ham.」(“She’s right, Hedda. You can’t just tell our daughter this is her future husband without her knowing anything about him.”)Hedda smirked.「For det første forstår han nøyaktig hva vi sier akkurat nå, men velger å ikke snakke bokmål fordi han ikke ble bedt om det.」(“First, he understands exactly what we’re saying right now, but chooses not to speak Bokmål because he wasn’t asked to.”)She continued calmly.「For det andre—han er keiseren av Militia.」(“Second—he is the Emperor of Militia.”)
The room went silent.Everyone slowly turned toward JJ.
JJ cleared his throat awkwardly.「Uh… I heard ‘Militia,’ so I hope that wasn’t something bad.」Hedda smiled gently.「Det er det ikke. Og Maryson, du kan slutte å late som.」(“It’s not. And Maryson, you can stop pretending.”)JJ exhaled in relief.「Greit. Se, Astrid—jeg forstår at du ikke liker dette opplegget. Det har vært falske før, og jeg blir sett på som en masseødeleggelsesmaskin. Men våre mødre inngikk et løfte. Jeg er bare her for å oppfylle det.」(“Alright. Look, Astrid—I understand you don’t like this arrangement. There were fakes before, and I’m seen as a weapon of mass destruction. But our mothers made a promise. I’m just here to fulfill it.”)Astrid scoffed.「Tch. Du tror jeg bare skal bli med deg som et trofé, gjør du ikke?」(“Tch. You think I’ll just go with you as your trophy, don’t you?”)JJ laughed softly.「Hva? Nei. Du er en kriger. Jeg elsker kvinner som vil utfordre meg i kamp. Vil du vinne? Nei. Vil jeg like å gjøre deg sterkere? Absolutt.」(“What? No. You’re a fighter. I love women who challenge me to a fight. Will you win? No. Will I enjoy making you stronger? Absolutely.”)Hedda giggled.「Det er sant. Han er enkel slik—har alltid vært det.」(“It’s true. He’s simple like that—always has been.”)JJ looked at Astrid with genuine respect.「Greit. Hva med dette: Hva enn du vil akkurat nå—bortsett fra at vi går hver til vårt. Penger, hevn, eller hodet til din fiende. Alt imellom. Jeg gjør det.」(“Alright. How about this: Whatever you want right now—except us splitting up. Money, revenge, or the head of your enemy. Anything in between. I’ll do it.”)
The family was stunned.Ingrid cleared her throat—slightly too loudly.
JJ turned to her.「Ingrid, right?」She nodded nervously.「Um… yes.」「So—what do you want?」Ingrid swallowed.「You said… if she asked, you’d take the head of her enemy.」「I would.」Ingrid took a deep breath.「If I asked… would you do it?」
JJ smiled.Predatory.He stood, stepping close to her.His cognac hair bled into crimson.Psyc surfaced—like a shark scenting blood.Ingrid stared in awe.
「Oh… I smell it now. That revolting stench clinging to you. You were gang-raped, weren’t you?」Ingrid scoffed.「So I’m unworthy of your help now?」She was suddenly pulled into his arms.「Oh, Ingrid… I never said that.」Psyc cackled.「But what are you willing to give me… to kill your enemies?」【His scent is intoxicating…】She looked into his eyes.【That aura… it makes me want to give in to my darkest thoughts.】「Me. All of me. Do whatever you want with me.」【Those eyes… those cruel, devilish eyes—I want him to mark me.】Psyc cupped her hips slowly.「Be honest, Ingrid. Can you live with the aftermath?」Ingrid smiled dreamily.「Of course I can. Du er min djevel.」(“You are my devil.”)【If he truly does this… I might as well carry his child.】Psyc laughed.「Not the first time I’ve been called that. So tell me—what comes from you being payment?」Ingrid tilted her head.「It’d be bad for your child to grow up in a country where they could be attacked by barbarians, wouldn’t it?」
Psyc leaned in and kissed her.She kissed back—eagerly.Too eagerly.Psyc pulled away, laughing.
「Easy, my little succubus. Your parents are watching.」They separated reluctantly.「We can always go somewhere else.」Ingrid teased.Psyc wrapped an arm around her waist.「Like I said—calm down.」「Okay.」She slid his hand onto her buttom.「I never said let go, did I?」Psyc chuckled.「You’re a wild one.」Emil scowled.「Tch. Jeg kan ikke tro at du praktisk talt solgte deg selv til djevelen på jorden, Ingrid.」(“Tch. I can’t believe you practically sold yourself to the devil on earth, Ingrid.”)Ingrid rolled her eyes.「I det minste vil han faktisk løse problemet i dette landet. Han gjør jobben din.」(“At least he’ll actually deal with the problem in this country. He’s doing your job.”)Psyc smirked.「Dessuten—det er ikke første gang familien deres har inngått en avtale med en djevel.」(“Besides—it wouldn’t be the first time your family made a deal with a devil.”)
Hedda glanced at Astrid.「Are you angry?」Astrid looked away quickly.「What? No. I’m not.」