I was only looking for a job.
Not a demon queen.
Not a harem.
And definitely not a cursed scroll that sealed my fate with blood, lips... and lust.
But here we are.
---
The room reeked of incense and rotten flowers.
Dust clung to the old walls of the pawnshop like a second skin. I shouldn't have wandered in. Hell, I shouldn't have taken that dare in the first place.
"Bet you won't last ten minutes in there," Jide had said.
Ten minutes ago, I had a normal life. A job hunt. Rent due. A crushed noodle pack in my bag and the scent of Lagos danfo fumes still in my hoodie.
Now?
Now I was staring at a floating scroll glowing red, hovering above a stone pedestal like some kind of cursed treasure chest.
> Sign me...
Bind me...
Take them.
Three lines. In blood. And right below it, the face of a woman shimmered into view.
She wasn't human. Her eyes were crimson moons. Horns crowned her head like a goddess of desire and death. Her lips curled into a knowing smirk.
And then she spoke.
"Congratulations, husband."
I stumbled back. "Wait—WHAT?"
"You've accepted the Pact of Queens. My sisters and I are yours now. For better or worse."
I blinked. "I didn't sign anything."
"You didn't need to," she purred, floating toward me, her fingers trailing heat through the air. "Your desire did."
The scroll vanished in a burst of flames—and pain lashed through my chest like molten lightning. I dropped to my knees, choking.
Then came the whispers.
Five voices.
Five emotions.
Grief. Lust. Rage. Envy. Love.
Each one carved itself into me like a brand—twisting inside my soul, wrapping around my heart like barbed vines. I screamed.
And the demon queen smiled.
"You've inherited our curses," she whispered. "Each tied to a bride. Each a key to power."
She leaned closer, her breath like molten wine against my ear.
"But there's a catch, darling."
I looked up, barely able to speak. "What catch?"
Her eyes glowed with cruel amusement.
> "If you can't balance them…
You lose yourself."
"If you try to break the pact…
They perish."
"And if you get too strong…"
"You become the true demon king you can claim what's your's."
She snapped her fingers—and the world burned.
---
I woke up in a palace made of obsidian.
I blinked.
The palace ceiling stretched high above me, etched with runes that pulsed like veins beneath dark crystal. A twisted chandelier spun slowly above—a lattice of bones and glowing orbs humming with unnatural energy.
My body ached. My skin burned.
And then—
> [Initializing…]
[Soul-Link Confirmed: Pact of Queens - Complete]
[Welcome, Spouse of the Demon Court.]
[System Online… ERROR.]
A flash of light.
Then a voice—smooth, feminine, and way too smug to be comforting—echoed in my head.
> "Aww, you're awake. I was starting to think you were dead already."
I froze.
"…Who the hell are you?"
> "System. Obviously. Your personal guide, emotional stabilizer, skill manager, curse suppressor, progress overseer… and possibly your only friend, depending on how badly you screw this up."
A holographic display flickered into view above my hand.
---
[Pact-Bound Stats: Shin]
🩸 Curse Level: 1 (Dormant, unstable)
❤️🔥 Emotional Sync: 2% (Queen of Lust - Active)
🧠 Mental Strain: 9%
⚔️ Combat Potential: [Locked]
💔 Break Risk: LOW
🔒 Bonded Queens: 1/5
🔺 Power Awakening: Incomplete
👁 Hidden Title: [Sealed]
---
> "Look at you. Glitched, broken, already cursed, and surrounded by unstable wives. Honestly? Ten out of ten start."
"Wait—unstable what now?"
Before I could get an answer, I heard footsteps.
Five.
They were coming.
> "You've got five wives to balance, Shin. Each one bound to a deadly emotion. Each one unlocking powers tied to their heart and your sanity. Oh—and if any one of them dies, you suffer soul decay. Nasty stuff."
"Great," I muttered. "So I'm basically screwed."
> "Not necessarily. There's hope. You can grow stronger. Master their powers. Unlock forbidden skills. Even survive this."
"…What's the catch?"
> "You fall in love with the wrong one… and the rest might kill you."
I barely had time to process that before the doors slammed open.
And she walked in.
Tall. Crimson eyes. Velvet-black hair that danced with embers. The same Demon Queen who had branded my soul. Now in flesh—and heels sharp enough to kill.
She raised a perfect brow.
"You summoned me, husband?"
> [WARNING: Emotional Sync Rising - LUST - 9%]
[System Recommends: Breathe. Look away. Or die horny.]
I gulped.
Welcome to hell.
---