For a moment, I couldn’t grasp the situation. I wondered if I was dreaming. I had clearly fallen asleep in Clyde’s arms, so why was Aslan standing before me?
“Are you alright, Eila?”
Even Raphir…
I groaned and tried to close my eyes again.
“Eila!”
A vigorous shake brought me back to reality.
“…Brother Aslan.”
As I looked around, not only Aslan and Raphir but also Heufeln, Nita, and even Father were gathered.
“Father, what in the world has happened…”
As I turned my head anxiously, I saw Clyde standing not far away with a stern expression.
“Clyde…!”
As I abruptly tried to stand up, Aslan tightly restrained me.
“Calm down, Eila. Everyone is here to rescue you.”
“To rescue me? How did…”
“We’ll discuss the details later. For now, getting out of here is the priority.”
“…….”
Clyde was looking at me with an unreadable expression.
“You said you’d kill us all if we didn’t step back. Can you do that in front of Eila?” Raphir asked in a stern voice. At his words, I involuntarily made a gasping sound.
“…….”
Clyde’s red pupils emitted a somber gleam.
“If you have even the slightest bit of regard for Eila, you can’t possibly go through with it. It’s one thing to forcibly abduct Eila out of selfish desires alone.”
Clyde laughed bitterly in response to Raphir’s words. It was sad, empty laughter.
“…You know one thing but not the other,” Clyde said, his lips curving into a twisted smile. Do you think I spared all those imperial soldiers and took them as hostages for no reason? What do you think my motive was for ordering the army to withdraw when the capital was within my reach? Why did I spare you four when it would have been easy enough to kill you before Eila woke up?”
“…Are you trying to say it was for Eila’s sake?”
“Yes. But that’s only if Eila stays with me.”
Slowly, the corners of his eyes narrowed.
“If you try to take Eila away from me, I will destroy the entire empire.”
“…….”
The tension inside the tent grew palpable, and a silent tremor spread.
“Whether it’s a woman, an old man, or a child, I will kill every single one of them without leaving a single one behind. So, try to run away with Eila.”
While I couldn’t speak for the others in this place, I knew for sure that his words were an undeniable truth. It was something Clyde had actually done in the original story.
He turned the entire empire’s territory into a sea of flames, killing every visible human without exception. I couldn’t let that happen in this world. For the sake of my family and for the sake of Clyde, I could never allow it.
“Let me go, Brother Aslan.”
“What are you planning to do, Eila?”
“Let me go. I’m begging you.”
“…I won’t let you go unless you tell me the reason.”
I could feel Aslan’s hand on my shoulder tighten.
“You’re not thinking of going back to the Demon King, are you, Eila?”
Raphir spoke quietly.
“Don’t try to sacrifice yourself like that. Even at this moment, reinforcements are rushing in from all over the continent. No matter how powerful the Demon King is, there’s still a way to stand against him. So, Eila—”
“It’s not a sacrifice.”
“…What?”
“I’m not sacrificing myself; I’m staying by Clyde’s side of my own volition.”
My words made both Raphir and Aslan’s expressions stiffen. I pushed Aslan’s hand away and stood up from my seat. Then I turned to my father.
“I’m sorry for not telling you in advance. I really appreciate you all coming here, risking danger to save me. But I won’t go back.” I paused, then opened my mouth again. “I love Clyde. I will continue to be with him for the rest of my life.”
A moment of shocked gasps and sighs followed.
“Eila, are you out of your mind? He’s a demon! A monster! Didn’t you just hear what he said? He’ll kill all the imperial citizens! Didn’t you hear that?”
Aslan shouted, his face completely pale. We had grown up together, but I had never seen him lose his composure and raise his voice like this before.
“That was just something he said because you and others were trying to take me away forcibly. In reality, Clyde didn’t kill anyone. He just incapacitated the soldiers at the gate and held them captive. He even promised to release them all before returning to the Demon Realm.”
“Eila…”
My father called me with a heavy voice.
“I know that you are a kind and affectionate child. But as His Highness mentioned, there’s no need for you to sacrifice yourself for the sake of others. You shouldn’t say things you don’t mean to convince us.”
“I’m not saying things I don’t mean, Father. I mean it.”
I said calmly.
“Eila.”
“I really do. I love Clyde with all my heart….”
“Stop it!”
My father shouted in exasperation.
His clenched fist was visibly trembling.
“How can you say such horrible things? To dare to… to love a demon, such a vile monster, the enemy who killed your mother—”
“I’ve told you before. Clyde is not the enemy of my mother. If you think that way, then we’re all Clyde’s enemies. Clyde’s mother died at the hands of a human, a wizard from the Kingdom of Neo, who coveted Clyde’s power and wanted to use him as an experiment, just like father!”
“Eila!”
Father stared at me as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His usually expressionless face was contorted as if he were a patient suffering from severe pain.
“So, if we talk about revenge, Clyde should seek revenge against Father. But he hasn’t. Two years ago and now, he hasn’t done anything wrong. This war, too, was started out of necessity because of me. However, he hasn’t killed a single person. So, please stop treating Clyde like a monster or a demon.”
“…….”
There was a creaking sound as my father ground his teeth.
“It’s an enchantment, then. You’ve fallen under that damn enchantment. Is it because of that necklace? Wait. I’ll remove it right now. Then you’ll come to your senses. I’m sure of it…”
“…….”
I turned my head away from my father in silence. Then I began to walk toward Clyde.
Instantly, several people blocked my way. Aslan, Raphir, and Heufeln were among them.
“Step aside, everyone.”
“Eila, you’re not in your right mind. You’re under some kind of enchantment. Just listen to Father. Don’t do something you’ll regret later.”
Heufeln spoke with a voice filled with determination.
“Then, why don’t you check?”
“What do you mean?”
“Check if there really is an enchantment on this necklace, using a detection spell.”
“…….”
As Heufeln remained stoic, Aslan began to chant a spell. He extended his faintly glowing hand towards my necklace.
“How is it?”
“…….”
“Tell us. What’s the result?”
Without a reply, Aslan bit his lips so hard they turned white.
“The demons’ magic is different from ours in every way. Just because the detection spell didn’t work doesn’t mean we can be sure there’s no magic on it.”
I turned to Clyde at Heufeln’s words.
“Take off the necklace, Clyde.”
“…….”
Clyde reached out to me without saying a word.
Then, a dark red magic flowed, enveloping the choker I was wearing. Soon, just as when I first put on the necklace, it made a soft click sound, and the choker loosened.
As the mana circulation route throughout my body opened up, I felt a dizzying sensation in my head for a moment. I didn’t show any signs of it and took off the choker from my neck.
“As you can see, I removed the necklace, but there’s been no change in me. My thoughts are still the same as before. I love Clyde, and I will go to the demon realm with him.”
“…….”
There was a soft sigh from the side.
Aslan knelt down, one knee on the ground, looking utterly defeated. I briefly glanced at him before passing by Heufeln, who stood frozen like a statue. However, only Raphir continued to block my path, refusing to make way.
“Please step aside, Your Highness.”
“Do you really mean it?” Raphir asked in a low, almost hushed voice.
“How many times have I told you that I am?”
“I don’t believe you.”
“…Your Highness, whether you believe it or not, makes no difference.” I said so and tried to pass by Raphir. However, he blocked my way again.
“Your Highness.”
“Think about it once more.”
“Nothing you say will change my mind.”
“Even if all your words are sincere, can you truly find happiness by following the Demon King? Leaving behind your family, friends, and the country you’ve lived in all your life to spend the rest of your life in the Demon Realm, a place where ordinary humans can’t last more than a few days, are you really okay with that?”
Raphir’s gaze was more earnest and agonized than ever before.
“I’ve heard that you can’t even use magic properly in the Demon Realm. The moment you go there, your life as a mage, which you’ve dedicated your entire life to, will come to an end. Even if you truly love the Demon King deeply, can you endure a life in that barren land with only love? What if either you or the Demon King change your hearts in the future? Have you thought about that?”
“…….”
He’s crown prince for a reason. But he too can’t accept the rejection and avoided it. He knew it at the ball all too well