Chapter 5
“Demon King—no, Your Majesty! This pinecone is silver! Is the inside silver too? Would it be okay to cut it with a knife?”
“……”
Among the celestial allied nations opposing the empire, Laegar was generally called the ‘Demon King.’
Within the empire, he was now referred to as the ‘Great Emperor’ or ‘Morgadein the Seventh.’ So Lucy’s insolent speech clearly revealed her origin.
But right now, her intellect was not at a level capable of grasping that.
“That’s a fruit that only grows in the forests of my Grand Duchy! Its name is Hikarus Cacarnello!”
“Kyaa! That name is so cool!”
“Cool, right? There’s a separate scientific name though….”
The racket of the two immature creatures grated on him, and Laegar’s brow furrowed slightly. Soon, a voiceless thought transmitted from Igor to him.
‘See? Her personality completely changed, right? And it’s all because of your feather!’
Come to think of it, a single elegant feather—black and glossy, as if adorned with a ribbon—was lodged in one side of the woman’s head. It must have embedded itself when she had been struck and sent flying by a fragment of his demonic power.
She was the first human he’d seen not die with something like that driven into her.
Perhaps it was because she carried the bloodline of the Haldegard royal house.
He had swept through and unified the nine demon kingdoms over the past two years, but the Kingdom of Roan, driven back to this northern region, still maintained the bloodline of the celestial races.
They were defending this northern border against the Belluk territory with desperate effort.
The war would still be ongoing if Laegar, sunken in depression, hadn’t ended it at the line of unifying just the demon kingdoms—had he intended to sweep away the small celestial kingdoms as well.
His gray eyes, lost in thought, slid apathetically between his immaturely rampaging nephew and the prisoner who blithely carried on, oblivious to her own hapless situation.
Gazing at them quietly with unreadable eyes, Laegar suddenly opened his mouth. Words more juvenile than expected slipped out.
“I caught her, so I’ll be taking her.”
At that, Igor’s jaw dropped in dismay. The cunning boy tried pleading with a pitiful look in his eyes.
“Uncle… I carried her here on my back while she was dying. I kept her alive. And now you’re saying you’ll take her…?”
“You said she was alive originally.”
“…But still, I cast healing magic, I erased her memories… she’s mine…. She’s my toy….”
But Laegar’s footsteps had already turned away and were growing distant from them.
“Don’t miss your next lesson.”
He hadn’t forgotten, to the very end, to remind his nephew of the academic schedule the boy had been dodging.
Igor’s cheeks puffed up as he glared, his lips jutting out in a pout.
Grinding his teeth furiously, the moment his uncle’s figure vanished, he began kicking at the piled snow and grumbling.
“Ah, why did he even come here! Just mind your own territory!”
“Why? What’s the matter, Grand Duke?”
Lying sprawled on the snow by then, Eredite tilted her head and asked, in the middle of coaxing a silver-furred squirrel to play.
The sight of her, looking so full of mischief, stoked Igor’s rage even further.
‘Agh, she’d be perfect to play with!’
Why’s he taking her! Uncle, drop dead!
The irritated little demon screamed—Aaaagh! The snow-covered forest rang thunderously, and a whirlwind of snow burst forth, lashing violently at the firs and birches.
* * *
“…Excuse me? I was originally Your Majesty’s personal lady-in-waiting?”
The vast bedchamber was adorned with red veils, gold, and ivory craftsmanship.
Eredite—now the woman called Lucy—knelt on the black marble floor and asked back without a trace of fear.
Laegar was sunk deep into an armchair intricately decorated with red velvet and gold relief. The stark contrast between his jet-black hair and the surrounding colors brewed an exceedingly decadent atmosphere.
But Lucy, regardless of whether the Demon King was decadent or not, felt an entirely different curiosity swelling inside her. She promptly asked whatever came to mind.
“But according to Lord Igor, I was his friend?”
“……”
The Demon King, as if at a loss for words, gazed at her for a moment before asking back.
“Did he seem trustworthy to you?”
“Umm….”
Lucy tapped her index finger against her chin, tilted her head, and shook it.
Now that she thought about it, something had felt off. If His Majesty the Demon King said so, then it must be so.
“I see….”
Still, she’d thought she was going to get to play excitedly, so being held back left her slightly deflated.
“…So that’s why he said I mustn’t get caught by his uncle back then? Because he was playing hooky.”
She muttered to herself. The boy’s suspicious behavior from earlier now finally made sense.
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