I stopped mid-step, the word hanging in the air between us.

"Me?"

"You," Reina confirmed, taking a slow sip of her wine. Her violet eyes didn’t leave mine, and there was something different about the way she was looking at me now.

Beside her, Faye’s blush deepened, but she didn’t look away either. She pulled her knees up to her chest, my shirt slipping further off her shoulder, and rested her chin on them.

"Mostly about how weird you are," Faye added.

"Weird?"

"For a duke," Reina corrected smoothly, setting her wine glass down. She stretched, her borrowed shirt riding up to reveal a strip of pale stomach. "I’ve heard stories from Faye, you know. Before the dungeon. All terrible. And yet here you are, letting your... guest borrow your clothes and drink your wine."

"Should I have thrown you in a cell instead?"

Reina laughed. "Most would have."

She rose from the floor in one fluid motion, her bare feet silent on the carpet. The firelight caught her horns, casting long shadows across the ceiling.

"The issue is that you’re supposed to be this terrifying duke, this tyrant who rules through fear and strength. And yet..." She walked toward me, slow and deliberate, her tail curling behind her. "You brought me here. Gave me clothes. Left me alone with your lover instead of locking me in some dungeon cell."

"You’re not a threat."

"Am I not?"

She stopped inches from me, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off her skin. Her hand came up, fingers brushing against my chest, tracing the line of my collar.

[Presence of Vice (Aura) - Active]

[Range: 5 meters. Affected targets: Faye Amberlyne, Reina]

I felt it immediately. The shift in the air. Faye uncrossed her legs on the floor, her knees falling open slightly. Reina’s fingers curled into the fabric of my shirt, gripping.

"Reina." My voice came out lower than I intended. "What are you doing?"

Shit... not only were they both fairly drunk, but [Presence of Vice] was making it worse. But surely it shouldn’t have been this effective, right? I barely noticed anything on my way to Helios Factory.

So why now!?

’System!’

[Targets emotionally and physically in love with incubus + intoxicated, effect multiplied]

’You’ve got to be kidding me...’

I looked down at Reina’s fingers curled in my shirt, then at Faye on the floor, her knees parted, her cheeks flushed. The firelight flickered across both of them, casting the room in shifting shadows.

"Reina." I caught her wrist, gently but firmly. "You’re drunk."

"I’m a succubus." She didn’t pull away, but she didn’t push closer either. "Drunk is relative."

"Relative to what?"

She tilted her head, considering. The firelight caught the curve of her horns, the flush spreading across her cheekbones. "Relative to how much I let it affect me. Which is... not much. Not until you showed up."

Behind her, I heard movement. Faye was rising from the floor, slower than Reina had, less graceful. She swayed slightly, catching herself on the base of the wardrobe, and her eyes were glassy in a way that had nothing to do with tears.

"Cassian." Her voice was soft, almost wondering. "Why are you stopping her?"

"Because you’re both drunk and I’m not going to—"

"That’s not what I asked."

Faye crossed the room, her bare feet silent on the carpet. She stopped beside Reina, close enough that their shoulders almost touched. Two women in my clothes, both flushed from wine and firelight, both looking at me like I was something they’d been waiting for.

’There’s no way I can turn this off, right?’

[Yes]

’Well fuck me...’

A more accurate way to put it was that they were the ones going to be fucking me.

At this point, I only had two choices: run and wait for them to sober up, or stay and let them do whatever they wanted. And considering this system practically thrived on harems...

The first option clearly wasn’t ideal. As for the second...?

As far as my own preferences went, I didn’t exactly mind. And for Reina? She was a succubus; she won’t mind at all, but Faye? She just met her, and I definitely don’t want her to regret her actions once she sobered up.

"Faye, are you sure about this?"

"Sure about what, Cassian?" She wrapped her arms around mine, pressing her breast against it. "You know... I think I had a little too much to drink."

"That much is obvious," I replied.

"But... I don’t really care. I know I just met Reina, but... I don’t know. I just don’t feel shy doing this."

I caught Faye’s chin between my thumb and forefinger, tilting her face up. Her eyes were glassy, unfocused, but there was no hesitation in them.

"You’re sure?" I asked.

"I’m sure." She turned her head slightly, pressing a kiss to my palm. "I wouldn’t say it if I wasn’t."

Behind her, Reina laughed softly. "She’s been like this for the last hour. Asking about you. Wondering when you’d come back."

Her tail curled around my calf, slow and deliberate. "I think she missed you."

Faye pulled away from my chin, reaching instead for the collar of my shirt. Her fingers were clumsy, still slowed by the wine, but she managed to undo the first button.

"Cassian~!"

"You two are going to be the death of me..."

Y’know what, fine?

I’ll give them what they want. Hell, I don’t even think I could get out of this situation of my own accord. My own mind definitely wouldn’t allow me to. I wasn’t immune to basic male urges, after all.

But I’ll focus on the good points. Once this is done, maybe the two of them will grow even closer. I can’t exactly think of a better bonding experience than being intimate with the man they’re both in love with.

I pulled Faye closer, my arm sliding around her waist, and she melted into me. Her fingers found the back of my neck, pulling my mouth down to hers.

She tasted like wine.

"I hope you two don’t regret this..."

[Noctierre’s Conditioning: 24.5%]