“…Clyde, why are you crying….”
I tried to raise my hand to wipe Clyde’s tears away, but I couldn’t muster the strength. Clyde tightly held my trembling hand in front of his tear-streaked face.
“I’m sorry, Ruby. I didn’t know it was really you…”
Clyde brought the hand he was holding to his cheek and sobbed.
‘Was it Clyde who attacked me?’
It must have been a reflexive reaction when someone suddenly appeared next to him, and given that we were in the midst of a war, he must have been more on guard than usual.
‘I didn’t even consider that such a thing could happen…’
“I’m fine, Clyde, so you don’t have to worry.”
“What do you mean, fine? You’re hurt so badly…”
Suppressing a groan, I tried to sit up. I examined myself and saw cuts and bruises all over my arms, legs, and torso. Fortunately, none of the wounds seemed too deep.
“I’m really okay. Look, they’re just scratches. So, stop crying. Okay?”
I tried to smile as nonchalantly as possible. However, for some reason, Clyde’s face contorted even more when he saw my smile.
“You said you didn’t know it was me… I’m really fine…!”
Clyde quickly picked me up and got up, still holding me.
“Uh, where are we going?”
“For treatment.”
Clyde ran off, still carrying me, but he looked as if he were carrying a rag doll.
The demons’ barracks were outside the castle. Every demon he passed dropped to one knee and bowed their heads.
Seeing them like that made me realize something.
‘He really has become the demon king…’
I had done everything I could to avoid this future. Yet, in the end, it had come to this.
Where did I go wrong? Or was it something inevitable?
Clyde carried me into the largest tent in the middle of the camp.
“Bring me warm water, towels, and ointment for wounds.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
At Clyde’s command, a small demon, barely half his height, went outside the tent.
He gently sat me on the bed and started to unbutton my robe.
“W-Wait, Clyde…!”
I protested in embarrassment and grabbed Clyde’s hand, but he paid no attention and moved his hand towards the blouse.
“H-Hold on. I’ll-I’ll take it off myself!”
I blushed and shouted. His hand finally stopped.
“…Turn around for a second.”
At my request, a momentary look of confusion flashed in Clyde’s eyes, but he complied.
I awkwardly undressed, leaving myself in my chemise. They were also torn in various places, but I couldn’t bring myself to take them off.
“I-I’m ready now.”
I said, covering my chest with my hands. Clyde turned back to face me.
He examined my wounds with narrowed eyes.
Soon, the servant who had left earlier returned with a bowl of steaming water.
“That’s enough; get out.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Clyde soaked a towel in the water, wrung it out, and began to gently clean the area around my wounds.
I couldn’t help but grimace at the stinging sensation.
“I’m sorry. Just bear with it a little.”
Clyde spoke softly as he continued to tend to my wounds. Clyde was concentrating on my wounds, but he seemed ghostly indifferent to my pain. Given that he appeared to be preoccupied, I tried to endure it as best I could.
After he finished treating the wounds on my upper body, without hesitation, Clyde lifted the hem of my chemise, revealing my bare thigh.
“C, Clyde.”
I suddenly felt a rush of heat in my face. But Clyde remained silent as he took a towel and began to clean the wounds on the outside of my thigh.
He carefully propped up my ankle and worked his way down my thigh, wiping the area around the wound. The embarrassment I felt in this situation was several times greater than the pain of the wounds. I bit my lip and covered my face with my hands, waiting for Clyde’s work to be finished.
After he finished wiping, Clyde opened the lid of the ointment brought by the servant earlier. Inside was a transparent gel with a light pink hue.
“It’s an ointment that promotes the regeneration of wounds. It’s usually only used for deep wounds, but humans have weaker regenerative powers than demons, so it should work on your wounds as well.”
Clyde dipped his hand in the ointment and began to apply it to the wound. It didn’t sting as before, but instead, I could feel a slight warmth and tingling sensation.
What was strange was that I could feel this sensation not only at the wounds but also whenever Clyde’s hand brushed my skin. Every time his touch passed over my skin, a shiver ran down my spine, and an indescribable heat spread deep within me.
“Ugh….”
Clyde looked up at the sound I involuntarily made.
“Does it still hurt?”
“Oh, no, not like that….”
I said, my face turning red as I clapped my hands together.
‘Gosh, Clyde is doing his best to treat my wounds. I should really be more composed…’
I clenched my teeth and tried my best to keep from making any noise. However, my body occasionally trembled uncontrollably.
“It’s all done,”
Upon hearing those words, I let out a sigh of relief. As the tension in my body subsided, a pleasant sense of exhaustion washed over me.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m not sure. I think I’m okay now. It doesn’t hurt anymore…”
Clyde lay down on the bed, still holding me in his arms.
I looked at him with eyes half-closed.
‘This isn’t the time for this.’
It had been two years since we last saw each other, and I had so much I wanted to say to him.
But right now, stopping the advance of the demon army is more important than anything else.
“Clyde, you see…”
I started to speak cautiously, but Clyde’s voice cut me off.
“How did you get here?”
His voice suddenly sounded cold, like he was in a bad mood.
No, it wasn’t just his mood. The way Clyde looked at me was different from just a moment ago. His gaze was incredibly cold, unlike before.
“I used a teleportation spell. Sorry, I must have surprised you. I didn’t know I would appear right next to you like that. It’s the first time I’ve used that kind of spell…”
“I don’t care about that. What I’m asking is, why did you come here?”
A feeling of unease washed over me. I swallowed hard.
“Why did I come here? Of course, I came to see you.”
“You didn’t come to stop me?”
“…….”
His words left me speechless. Clyde looked at me with his piercing red eyes.
His eyes, as I remembered them, were always burning. Always burning with a strong, unknown desire. This was the first time he had looked at me with such a cold gaze.
Just moments ago, he had been carefully inspecting my wounds with a gentle touch, but now he seemed like a completely different person.
“I’m sure you came to tell me to stop the invasion. To stop attacking the Palma Empire.”
“Clyde.”
“No? Tell me if I’m wrong.”
“…….”
I slowly got up with a stern expression.
“Alright. You’re right. But… I actually want to ask you something. Why did you do this? Before, you clearly said you didn’t have a desire for revenge against my father. But you suddenly became the Demon King, leading an army to invade the empire… So why? Why did you do this?”
Clyde stared at me in silence.
“Are you asking because you really don’t know?”
“…What do you mean?”
“Think about it. What happened the last time we parted?”
“…….”
I tightly clenched my hand that was resting on my thigh.
“I’m sorry, but back then, there was no other choice. You know it too. I explained everything. If I had followed you back then, we would have gotten caught pretty quickly….”
“Yeah. That’s why.”
My eyes narrowed without realizing it. For a moment, I couldn’t understand the meaning behind Clyde’s words.
“You said you didn’t want me to be captured. You also didn’t want me to kill your family. So, I thought. If the reason we can’t be together is because of that, then we can create a situation where neither of those is a problem.”
“…….”
“So I decided to become King of the Demon Realm. With power and status beyond the reach of anyone other than your father, no one would dare try to capture me, and I wouldn’t have to kill everyone around you. Instead, I can take this entire empire hostage.”
I felt a chill run down my spine.
“So… you’re telling me, Clyde, that the reason you started this war is because…”
“Yeah. To have you in my hands, Ruby.”
Clyde said dryly.
Awhhhhh isn’t he sweet?!