His sudden change sent shivers down my spine. However, Sakaya didn’t back down.
“I apologize. However, there is something I must convey urgently.”
“What did I say about repeating myself?”
“…Your Majesty.”
“I’m in a good mood right now. So, I’ll let it slide this time. Do not disturb me again.”
No more words came from beyond the door.
“Are you sure you don’t need to go?”
At my words, Clyde relaxed his expression and smiled.
“It’s okay. There’s no need to worry.”
“But….”
“Here, my word is the law. I became the king of the demon realm to make you mine. It wouldn’t make sense if our time together was disturbed because of that.”
“…….”
Clyde set me down in the tub and began to fill it with water. Soon, warm water filled the tub.
“…Clyde.”
“Why?”
“What do you plan to do in the future? Will you continue to live in the Demon Realm as the Demon King?”
“Of course. This position has many advantages. I don’t have to run or hide like before. I can do whatever I want. If I hadn’t become the Demon King, I wouldn’t have been able to provide this kind of life.”
“…….”
When I remained silent with my eyes slightly lowered, Clyde asked in a low, sinking voice.
“Why? Don’t you like it here?”
“Huh? No….”
“Even if you don’t like it, there’s nothing you can do. After all, you have no choice,” Clyde said with a subtly hardened expression.
His gaze felt piercing. It was a look filled with suspicion and unease.
“No, Clyde, it’s not like that….”
Without waiting for me to finish, Clyde entered the bathtub as well. Then, as if trapping me in his arms, he embraced me from behind.
“Clyde, I’m….”
“Hush. Be quiet.”
“…….”
Whenever the conversation took this turn, he always silenced me like this, holding me in a position where we couldn’t face each other. It was as if he refused to listen to my words or meet my eyes. And yet, he wouldn’t let me leave his side. Even though we had spent over a week intertwining our bodies and confirming each other over and over again, still.
My chest ached again. I grabbed Clyde’s arms that were wrapped around me and tried to turn around to face him. But before our eyes could meet, our lips touched first.
“….”
As our lips intertwined, my mouth opened reflexively. It was the result of being explored by Clyde countless times. As if waiting for it, his tongue darted inside.
Clyde’s kisses were always intense.
It was a distinct sensation from when he held me, balancing between desire and pleasure. It was a tender yearning, as if he were seeking confirmation and reassurance of something.
Despite the sadness in my heart, my body, already tamed by him, naturally responded, feeling warmth spreading. Just a moment ago, I thought I couldn’t do it anymore. Even now, the drowsiness is still present, as if I could fall asleep immediately if I closed my eyes.
“Clyde… Hmm…!”
Clyde grabbed my chest. I flinched and straightened my shoulders.
“Oh, wait…. Wait, Clyde…!”
In response to his slow but persistent touch, tracing my sensitive areas, I shivered continuously.
“You said you couldn’t do it anymore, but your body is saying something else.”
“It’s because you’re touching it like that, yeah…!”
“Like what? How?”
“Clyde… Ah…!”
I tried to pull away from Clyde and escape, but as always, it was a futile attempt. Clyde tightly held my body, planting kisses on my neck and shoulders after another.
I instinctively grabbed his hand that was moving down below my navel.
“Now, wait….”
“Why? Don’t you like it?”
Clyde murmured into my ear, well aware that asking like this would make it hard for me to refuse. He was truly incorrigible.
“It’s not that I hate it, but…”
“Then it’s fine.”
“No, I… I need to tell you something.”
I could feel Clyde’s body stiffen faintly at those words.
“It’s not a bad thing, so listen to me for a second. After that, you can do anything you want, okay?”
“…What is it?”
“You know, the secretary came by earlier, and I think it’s best if you don’t… ignore him.”
As if he were genuinely surprised by what I said, Clyde narrowed his eyes and asked.
“Why?”
“You haven’t been out of here for over a week.
If someone disturbed us despite your orders not to, it could be something truly important.”
“Sakaya will take care of it. He has the authority to act on my behalf in case of my absence.”
“That’s only in unavoidable situations.”
“…….”
Clyde looked at me silently, as if trying to understand my intentions.
“Ruby, I don’t understand why you’re saying this. As I mentioned earlier, the position of a demon king means nothing to me; it’s just something I needed to get you back, and as long as I’m still sitting here, no one can touch you or me. So, that’s the only reason I’m maintaining it.”
“I know. But regardless of the position, there are responsibilities that come with it.”
Clyde remained silent for a moment and then asked quietly,
“Is it because you’re tired of being with me all the time?”
“What? That’s ridiculous, no. Why would you think that…?”
“If you need some alone time, I can leave occasionally. If you feel stifled, I can take you for a walk in the garden later, so…?”
“I told you, Clyde. That’s not why I’m saying this. Seriously.”
I sat up and grabbed Clyde’s cheek with both hands. Clyde tried to avoid my gaze, but I forced him to face me.
“I like being with you, Clyde. I’ve never felt tired of it, and I’ll continue to feel that way.”
“…Then why?”
“As you said, it’s necessary to maintain this position right now.”
“The position of a demon king is determined purely by strength. No matter what they do, there’s no one who can pull me down from this position.”
“…….”
While Clyde’s words were true, they didn’t represent the whole truth. Even in the original story, Clyde stayed confined in the inner chambers with Sylphia for several months without going outside.
During this time, discussions among the high lords constantly questioned the qualifications of the demon king.
Having destroyed the formidable Palma Empire, conquering the remaining kingdoms on the continent was just a matter of time. However, the demon king became infatuated with a mere human woman, neglecting both the expeditions and administrative duties. They could not allow it to continue.
After prolonged discussions, the high lords reached an agreement to eliminate Sylphia in order to rectify the situation.
Initially, the prevailing opinion was to stage an accident and kill her, but some feared the consequences and proposed a new scenario: ‘The remnants of the Palma Empire infiltrated the demon realm and helped her escape.’ Their calculation was that the enraged demon king would naturally resume his expeditions in the human realm.
However, Clyde did not move according to the calculations of the high lords. Instead of resuming expeditions, he started searching for Sylphia, wandering throughout the entire human realm.
Finally, after three years of searching, he found Sylphia in Heremos. During this time, Clyde completely vacated the position of demon king.
In his absence, Giyu, the high lord of Zataia, seized control of the demon king’s castle and ascended to the throne. He was the most powerful among the high lords, possessing immense magical power and corresponding ambition.
Later, Giyu, as the main villain of the story, continued to play his role by capturing Sylphia as a hostage and attempting to kill Clyde.
If Clyde continued to neglect his administrative duties and remain secluded in the inner chambers, the story would naturally unfold similarly to the original story.
The reason I mentioned marriage to Clyde was partly due to this.
If Clyde formally accepted me and did not neglect his responsibilities as a demon king, my existence would not be as much of a problem as Sylphia’s.
“I just… I hope your position remains firm without any instability. If you continue to ignore your duties as a king, it’s only natural that problems will arise…”
Clyde stared at me in silence, then slowly opened his mouth.
“Is it because of the war?”
“Huh?”
“If I step down from the demon king’s position, the demons will likely start another war with the human realm. Is that what concerns you?”
That statement wasn’t entirely incorrect.
A year and a half ago, the constant invasions through the Western Gate by the demons, which had persisted for centuries, temporarily ceased. Later, I learned that this happened during Clyde’s ascension as the new demon king.
Afterward, Clyde resumed the invasions to find me, but now that he had achieved his goal, the war was once again in a subdued state.
Of course, I wished for peace. How could I not? Currently, unlike the original story, both the Palma Empire and my family are safe and unharmed.
If the war were to resume, Heufeln would undoubtedly be back on the front lines. There was even a possibility that my father might return to the military. Considering my father’s determination to reclaim me from Clyde, winning in a war against the demon realm would likely be his only acceptable outcome.
