Of course, I knew that thinking about this wouldn’t change anything. So, I tried my best not to dwell on the thoughts of my family. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t completely abandon those thoughts.
I wondered how my father and brothers were doing right now. Are they still engulfed in sadness and worried about losing me? Maybe they’re not able to focus properly on their work. Perhaps their health has been affected.
Whenever I found a moment, these thoughts would unexpectedly surge, tormenting me.
It was that night. Clyde looked at me and suddenly asked,
“What’s wrong, Ruby?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“You’ve had a gloomy expression all day. Is something bothering you?”
“Hmm? No, not really. Why would there be something? We spend every day together like this.” I deliberately smiled brightly as I spoke. However, Clyde still had a worried look in his eyes.
“Tell me, Ruby, what’s wrong?”
“I told you, it’s nothing.”
“It doesn’t look like it’s nothing; how am I supposed to believe you? Did you forget our promise not to lie to each other anymore?”
“…….”
When he mentioned the ‘promise,’ I couldn’t deny it any longer.
“…You’re not going to be happy to hear it.”
“I don’t care about how I feel.”
“I care, and I don’t want you to feel bad.”
“I feel the same way. I can’t stand seeing you with that look on your face. So, just tell me already.”
I nervously bit my lip and reluctantly revealed the truth.
“I was just wondering how my family is doing right now.”
“…….”
Clyde’s eyes softened gently. I quickly waved a hand.
“It was just a passing thought that made me feel down for a moment. I’m okay now.”
“What’s okay about it?”
“I mean it, can’t you believe me?”
Even with my somewhat defiant words, Clyde’s expression remained firm, showing no signs of easing.
“Look at this. I knew this would happen. This is why I didn’t want to tell you.”
“…….”
“I’m really okay. I don’t regret following you, and I know it’s something we can’t change. So, just forget about it, okay?”
Clyde stared at me for a moment, then asked, “Do you miss them?”
“Huh?”
“Do you miss your family?”
At his words, I felt an inexplicable lump in my throat.
Of course, I missed them. It was only natural to miss them. But I desperately tried not to show it.
“Don’t be ridiculous; it’s not like that.”
“If you miss them, you can go see them.”
At the end of his sentence, my eyes widened, and I couldn’t help but ask.
“…What?”
“If you use teleportation magic, you can return home anytime. If you want, you can go see your family.”
“…….”
Clyde was now aware that I could use magical powers in the demon realm. I had explained it when we went to find Dioclyde. Still, he no longer tried to seal my magic or restrain me in other ways. I was very grateful for that. Now, it seemed like Clyde truly trusted me.
Even so, I never imagined he would say something like this.
“Suddenly, what’s this about?”
“I mean it. Of course, I’ll go with you when you decide to go, but I’ll leave you alone when you meet your family.”
“…….”
『Ruby, you’ve ultimately been ruined because of my desires. Forcing you away from your family and bringing you to this distant demon realm… It’s like keeping a bird in a cage. In truth, I knew it. I knew your brothers were right. That bringing you here would never make you happy….』
I remembered what Clyde had said to me before.
Had he been thinking like this all along? Similar to how I couldn’t let go of the guilt about my family, was Clyde burdened by the thought that everything was his fault?
“…No, it’s okay.”
I shook my head and spoke.
“Ruby, if you’re worried about my feelings., you don’t have to.”
“That’s not it. How could I face my family now? Besides, if I meet them again, my father will undoubtedly try to catch me and lock me up. Rather than fighting like that again, it’s better to never see them again.”
This statement was my sincere truth, with not a hint of falsehood.
Thinking about my family was painful, but I knew I could never reconcile with them. Now, Clyde was the most precious person to me. Instead of making him sad again, it was better for my heart to endure the pain of not seeing my family forever.
“I’m satisfied as long as my family is safe. Thanks to you, the war between the demon realm and the human realm has stopped.”
From the beginning, my goal was simply to survive the tragedy of the original story. I never thought I would end up in a loving relationship with Clyde, but as long as my precious ones were safe, I had nothing else to wish for.
“And now my home is here. We’re married, and you’re my husband.”
I sat down next to Clyde and wrapped my arms around him.
“…Ruby.”
“Love me a hundred times, no, a thousand times more than my family. That’ll be enough.”
Clyde looked into my eyes and then kissed me.
“I’m already doing that.”
“Prove it.”
“How?”
“You know.”
Whispering softly, I gazed up at Clyde with a mischievous look. His eyes deepened with a warm glow as he lay on the bed with me in his arms.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
Julion infiltrated the demon realm with members of the Twilight Moon organization.
Passing through the main gate wasn’t as difficult as he expected. The collapsed walls from the previous invasion had not been fully repaired, so the Imperial Army is monitoring and guarding them against demon incursions. They didn’t seem to assume that any humans would voluntarily enter the demon realm.
The preliminary tests had already confirmed that Julion’s magic devices would work. The ten men, including Julion, were unaffected by the air in the demon realm.
They needed to reach the demon king’s castle, avoiding unnecessary fights as much as possible and taking the shortest route.
Demons usually discern humans by their ‘scent.’ Julion’s magic device was equipped with the ability to block the demon’s sense of smell.
After obtaining a map of the demon realm from the nearest town, Julion made his way to his destination, using invisibility spells when necessary.
After carefully navigating the paths, they arrived near the demon king’s castle after ten nights since entering the demon realm.
“I never thought we could smoothly reach the demon king’s castle like this.”
The leader of the special forces sent by Twilight Moon spoke. As their identities were kept strictly confidential within Twilight Moon, the members referred to each other using aliases. The leader was known as the ‘Night Raven.’
“I prepared thoroughly; I made it clear to the commander, didn’t I? Did you not hear?”
“I heard it, but it’s the demon realm we’re talking about, not just any place. Frankly, I had my doubts. In the end, it seems we’ve confirmed the Duke of Rojasis’s reputation.”
“The real task begins now. The security of the demon king’s castle will undoubtedly be stricter than anything we’ve encountered before. We need to infiltrate without being detected, assassinate the demon king, and rescue Eila.”
“Naturally, there’s a plan for that as well, right?”
In response to Night Raven’s question, Julion answered expressionlessly,
“Of course.”
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
Clyde asked with a worried expression.
That day, I had been feeling lethargic since morning and couldn’t bring myself to leave the bed. So, Clyde didn’t leave my side until the meeting time approached.
Clyde gently touched my forehead with his large hand.
“…You seem to be running a bit of a fever.”
“I might have caught a cold. If I rest well today, I should get better, so don’t worry, you can go.”
“But….”
“It’s fine. The doctor said there didn’t seem to be any significant issues. Go and come back with ease.”
After repeating a similar conversation several times, Clyde reluctantly got up from the bed.
“If it gets worse, make sure to send someone to let me know immediately. Don’t say you didn’t tell me because you didn’t want them to bother me later.”
“Why? What are you going to do? Are you going to punish me? How?”
“Ruby.”
Clyde furrowed his brow. I giggled.
“I’m just kidding. I’ll do what you say; now go away.”
After Clyde left, I let out a light sigh.
I wasn’t usually one to get sick frequently, and this was the first time my health had taken a hit since coming to the demon realm.
