Lin led me out of the dressing room, her hand resting firmly on my shoulder as if to prevent me from bolting. Every time the silk of my new outfit swished against my legs, I felt a fresh wave of embarrassment. I looked like a prince from a fairy tale, but I felt like a prize poodle.
Su Qian was already at the dining table, which was long enough to host a banquet. She was reading a digital paper, a cup of black coffee in her hand. She looked up as we approached, and for the first time, I saw her composure falter.
Her gaze traveled from my head down to my silk-covered toes, lingering on the way the silver threads shimmered against my wings. The silence in the room became heavy, suffocating.
"Lin," Su Qian said, her voice dropping an octave. "I told you to find him clothes, not to turn him into a masterpiece."
"He is a representative of your household now, Boss," Lin replied smoothly, pulling out a chair for me. It was so high I had to climb it like a mountain. "He should look the part."
Su Qian stood up and walked toward me. Each of her long strides made my heart hammer against my ribs. She stopped right in front of my chair, looming over me like a silver-eyed titan. She reached out, her fingers grazing the silk over my chest before moving to lift my chin.
"You look... radiant, Li Yuan," she whispered. But there was no warmth in her eyes—only a cold, simmering possessiveness. "Too radiant. I've changed my mind. You aren't coming to the office with me today."
"What? Why?" I blurted out. "You said I was your responsibility!"
"You are," she said, her grip on my chin tightening just a fraction. "And because you are, I won't have every woman in the Su Corporation staring at you in this outfit. You'll stay here with the security detail. Lin will bring you the contract papers later."
I looked at her, stunned. She wasn't protecting me from the world; she was hiding me from it. My Succubus instincts, usually so focused on seduction, were screaming in warning. I wasn't just a ward anymore. I was a secret.
"Eat your breakfast," Su Qian commanded, gesturing to a plate of food that could have fed three of me. "And don't even think about trying the windows. They're reinforced glass. Even a full-grown demon couldn't break them."
She leaned down, pressing her forehead against mine for a brief, intense second. "Be a good boy, and maybe I'll bring you a treat tonight."
As she walked away, her heels clicking like a countdown, I realized I had traded a goblin's cave for a golden cage. And the cage was starting to feel very, very small.