“I want to talk to my father now and cancel the plan.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want to ruin this moment.”
Clyde’s expression was serious. It was evident that he spoke with genuine sincerity.
“Then we can do it again next time.”
Clyde looked at me with a faint crease between his eyebrows.
“…Be careful, Ruby. Don’t get hurt.”
“Of course.”
Underneath the altar, many demons were watching the wedding. Dioclyde was in the front row on the left, while Giyu sat on the opposite side.
Both of them, seemingly unaware of what would happen next, were smiling as if they knew nothing.
Clyde looked around the altar and spoke loudly.
“I, Clyde, the King of the Demon Realm, swear before the spirits who created the Demon Realm at the dawn of time, and in front of everyone present here, to welcome this woman, Eila, as my wife today and share eternity together.”
“I, Eila Rojasis, swear to take Clyde as my husband, and for as long as the two moons float in the sky of the Demon Realm, I will be with him forever.”
Following Clyde, I recited the vows I had memorized.
Soon, a stream of water surged from the altar like a wave. The stream pushed up an ornate jewel-adorned box. As the box opened, a pair of rings revealed themselves. The rings emerged one by one and flew towards Clyde and me.
We each picked up the ring that had fallen onto our palms and approached each other. With our left hands showing the back, we simultaneously put the rings on each other. It was a ritual symbolizing that we were bound to each other as a married couple.
After we put on the rings and faced each other, thunderous applause was heard.
That was when it happened.
“Dictator! Your era will end today!”
Dioclyde stood up suddenly and shouted. Then he unleashed black magic on Clyde. Clyde immediately stepped forward, blocking me. I quickly crouched and hid beside the altar.
Initially, the magical forces on both sides were strong, but when they collided, they noticeably weakened. Thanks to the precise control of their magic, it would appear to Giyu that Dioclyde successfully nullified Clyde’s magic. It was the result of several practices before the wedding.
Guards rushed to protect Clyde. But they were stopped by a horde of guests that burst out of the wedding venue. They must be the soldiers Giyu had brought in disguise.
Amidst the confused high lords who couldn’t grasp the situation, Giyu took action. A thick smile hung on his lips.
Countless ice spears formed around Giyu. As he extended his hand, the spears flew at incredible speed towards Clyde and Dioclyde.
‘Perhaps Giyu intends to deal with both Clyde and me simultaneously. He killed his father for the high lord position and is waiting for the opportunity to become king. He wouldn’t miss this chance.’
Dioclyde’s prediction was correct. Just before Giyu’s attack reached Clyde and Dioclyde, they gathered their magic and swiftly shifted to defense.
In the next moment, a storm-like magic erupted from Clyde. Not only Giyu, but all the demons in the vicinity were overwhelmed by the force and cowered.
The ice spears that were heading towards Clyde crashed to the ground.
“You’ve finally shown your true colors, Giyu.” With Clyde’s blunt words, Giyu’s face contorted.
“…Your Majesty, it’s a misunderstanding. I merely intended to protect Your Majesty—kuhk!”
In that moment, the magical force Clyde unleashed formed a large hand, grabbing Giyu. Giyu’s body remained suspended in mid-air.
“Everyone here clearly witnessed your attempt to attack me. Do you still intend to deny it?”
“Kuk… no, it’s not what it seems. It’s all Dioclyde’s scheme. He was the one who attacked Your Majesty first!”
“That was a ploy my father devised to expose your true intentions, and you, as if you’d been waiting for it, revealed your true colors.”
With Giyu still in his grasp, Clyde surveyed the surroundings.
“As you can see, Giyu, the High Lord of Zataiya, harbored rebellious thoughts and attacked me. He shamelessly tried to seize the throne without the strength or courage to challenge me openly. How should we punish this scoundrel?”
In the chilling and vibrant voice, no one dared to respond.
“Vanderyl, care to share your thoughts?”
At Clyde’s gesture, Vanderyl hesitated, then slowly spoke.
“According to the laws of the demon realm, traitors are to be dealt with death without exception.”
Clyde looked down at Giyu with narrowed eyes. Giyu’s face reflected contemplation.
“P-please spare me, Your Majesty! I was merely deceived. I never had any intention to rebel against Your Majesty. I swear! So please—”
Giyu couldn’t finish his plea. The giant hand restraining him swiftly twisted his body.
It was a silent and swift death. A dreadful sound of bones and flesh being crushed echoed, and red blood scattered from the sky. I tightly closed my eyes and turned my head away.
The vast square fell into a frozen silence.
Giyu’s soldiers all dropped their weapons and prostrated themselves on the ground. The guards of the Demon Castle immediately began to apprehend them.
“Ruby. Are you okay?”
Clyde approached and asked me. His voice was cautious and gentle, as if he were a completely different person.
“…Uh, yeah. I’m fine. Dioclyde is…”
Turning around, Dioclyde seemed unharmed. He quietly returned to his seat.
Clyde took my hand and helped me up.
“Well, then, let’s continue with the wedding.”
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
Despite the blood of Giyu splattering over the guests just moments ago, Clyde proceeded with the rest of the ceremony as if nothing had happened.
It was a prearranged decision, suggested by Dioclyde, to effectively showcase the Demon King’s proclaimed authority.
Although my heart was still pounding and my stomach was churning from witnessing Giyu’s death, I tried my best not to show it.
All wedding-related events unfolded as planned. For the next seven days, there would be festivities throughout the Demon Realm.
Clyde declared that the charge of treason would solely be laid upon Giyu, and his clan would not be punished separately. This was a far cry from the original story, where Giyu’s family was completely annihilated.
His brother, Kania, the newly crowned High Lord of Zataia, thanked the king for his mercy and pledged his eternal loyalty.
“Well done, Clyde. The most effective method of ruling involves not only fear or mercy but a combination of both. No one will dare to oppose you from now on.”
Dioclyde appeared somewhat expressionless, but his eyes conveyed proud satisfaction as he looked at his son.
“It’s all thanks to you, father. You’ve handled a challenging role exceptionally well. Thanks to you, I believe both Eila and I can now feel at ease.”
Although Clyde’s demeanor remained stern, he quickly said something that would please Dioclyde.
Just by looking at the way they looked at each other, it was evident that the emotional distance between them had significantly narrowed compared to the beginning.
After his mother’s death, Clyde didn’t open up to anyone but me. The fact that he gained more people he could trust was a source of great joy for me too.
However, my feelings as I watched them from the side weren’t solely joyous. In the depths of my heart, a faint but persistent ache lingered.
It was because of my father, Julion.
Of course, I understood that it was unavoidable. It wasn’t just because I loved Clyde. If I hadn’t turned away from my family and not gone to Clyde back then, there was a significant chance that the Palma Empire would have met the tragic fate depicted in the original story.
I never regretted choosing Clyde. Even if I were to go back to that time, I would make the same choice.
Yet, amid the happy moments spent with Clyde, occasionally, especially during moments when he interacted affectionately with his father, I couldn’t help but think of my own father.
No matter how Julion strayed down the wrong path or provided the catalyst for all the tragedies in the original, the fact that he was my father and loved me deeply remained unchanged.
