“So… was that it? All the time you did it outside, it was because of that.”
“…….”
Clyde bowed his head silently. I struggled to swallow back the sob that threatened to choke me.
“Why… why do you think that way? Even if we have a child, there’s no way they could end up like you when you were young. That child would have a dad… Clyde, you.”
“…I can’t protect that child.”
“What? Why would you think that? You’re the demon king, for heaven’s sake. Someone with unimaginable power and status!”
Unintentionally, I raised my voice. In contrast, Clyde almost whispered, barely audible.
“Because I couldn’t even protect my own mother.”
“…….”
It felt like someone had poured icy water down my throat. I could only stare in disbelief, my mouth and mind frozen.
“I’m helpless. I’ve been like this my whole life. I couldn’t protect anyone dear to me. Ruby, you… in the end, I’ve ruined you too. I separated you from your family, brought you to this distant underworld… and kept you locked up like a bird in a cage and sealed off your magic….”
“…….”
Clyde looked down at his hand as he spread it. Both of his hands were trembling faintly.
“I knew it all along. I knew your brothers were right…. That bringing you here would never make you happy…. But what can I do? Even though I knew you could never find true happiness here, I couldn’t let you go. I’ve gotten through all those long, long days thinking about you, waiting for the day I’d see you again. I can’t live with the thought that if I let you go, I’ll never see you again….”
Tears streamed down Clyde’s eyes. I burst into tears too. I couldn’t help it.
“Why, why on earth would you think such things? Did you ever ask me? Did you confirm with me? Did you ever ask if I would be happy being here with you, if being with you is torture for me? Did you ever ask if I thought that?”
I pounded Clyde’s chest with my fist, but his body didn’t budge an inch.
“I told you everything from the beginning. You heard it yourself. I’m not sacrificing myself. It’s my choice. I chose to be with you for the rest of my life… because I love you!” The last words resonated loudly in the quiet room.
Clyde lifted his head, gazing at me with tear-filled eyes.
“Just now… what did you say?”
“I said I love you. Of course! Think about it. Do you think I would do this with a man I don’t love? Do you think I’m pretending to be happy? Just try saying that I did. I would run away for real!”
Light gradually returned to Clyde’s eyes. A fiery intensity flickered in his ruby-colored irises.
“Say it again.”
Clyde said in a calm voice.
“…I love you.”
“Again.”
“I love you, Clyde.”
Clyde reached out and touched my cheek. His large hand enveloped my face from ear to jaw.
“Again.”
“…I love you. I love you, you fool!”
Clyde pulled me into his arms. He kissed my cheek firmly, then hugged me tightly.
“Is it really… true? If you lied again… if you deceived me again, I won’t forgive you. This time, really…”
“It wasn’t a lie before either. You misunderstood on your own. I clearly said no, but you kept doubting…!”
Tears surged anew at the injustice. Seeing the tears in my eyes, Clyde’s eyes softened. He gently kissed away the teardrops that had gathered in the corners of my eyes.
“I’m sorry, Ruby. Don’t cry….”
“Don’t you cry either, you fool, the world’s biggest idiot!”
I sobbed uncontrollably, pounding on Clyde’s chest. Clyde, with tears streaming down his face, smiled. Then he kissed my forehead.
“I love you, Ruby. Eila. There’s only you for me. No one else…”
“Same here. There’s only you for me, Clyde. I mean it. Believe me. You have to believe me now….”
In response to my words, Clyde nodded repeatedly. We embraced each other tightly again, as if using all our strength to hold onto each other, as if we could truly become one. As if we could never be separated, no matter what anyone tried to do.
“So, don’t say sad things like not having the courage to have a child now, and no one is on your side. You’re going to marry me, and we’re going to have a child. It has to be you. If it’s not you, I don’t want it. Got it?”
“…….”
Clyde’s face slowly contorted again.
“Why aren’t you answering? I said, Do you understand? Yes!”
Clyde kissed me as if to seal my lips. His warm breath and tongue penetrated my mouth simultaneously. I struggled, entwining my tongue with Clyde’s while hanging onto him.
“Clyde… Hm…”
“Don’t cry, Ruby. Please… “
Clyde kissed the corner of my eye again, as if to stop my tears, and swept me into his arms. Instinctively, I embraced his neck and wrapped my legs around his waist.
We collapsed onto the bed, becoming one.
I held Clyde’s hand as it naturally slid down between my legs.
“…What’s wrong? You don’t like it?”
Clyde looked at me with an uneasy expression. I shook my head vigorously.
“No, it’s not that. Just do it. I want you, not your hand.”
At my words, Clyde swallowed nervously.
“…I’ve told you multiple times that if you provoke me like that, I can’t take responsibility for what happens afterward.”
“You don’t need to take responsibility. Do whatever you want and do it fast.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into my embrace. Clyde groaned softly and immediately entered me.
In that dizzying sensation that momentarily made my head spin, I bit his shoulder with all my strength.
Despite the countless times our bodies had intertwined before, that moment was as euphoric and overwhelming as ever.
This was the night I truly realized why this act is called “making love.”
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
However, even at that moment, Clyde withdrew his body at the climax. At the time, I didn’t realize it because I was too caught up in the moment, but I only found out later when he was wiping my body.
Maybe he did it out of habit. Or maybe it was just that he didn’t want to do it until after the ceremony. I tried to force myself to think that way, but the moment I looked into Clyde’s eyes again, I realized there was still hesitation and anguish in his eyes.
“What should I do? How can I heal your heart…”
I murmured softly, stroking Clyde’s head as he fell asleep before me for the first time.
It was heartbreaking to think that Clyde had come to the conclusion that he shouldn’t have a child after experiencing such terrible things since he was young. A single tear rolled down his chest. I wiped away my tears with the back of my hand.
Clyde would undoubtedly be an excellent father. He would be a loving, attentive, and deeply affectionate father to his child. I was sure of it because I had received such love from Clyde, and I knew he was such a warm person.
‘Or maybe, just maybe…’
Then a thought occurred to me.
「My mother had never mentioned my father before. I had always assumed he’d forced himself on my mother, because otherwise there wouldn’t be a child of a human and a demon.」
Clyde had definitely said something like that before. Following his mother’s last words, he went to the Demon Realm to find his father but ultimately couldn’t meet him.
However, the truth was, I knew who Clyde’s father was. I knew all the circumstances of how Hena ended up having Clyde, why she gave birth to Clyde alone, all of it.
This was because, in the original novel, the story of Clyde’s parents was revealed in a side story.
Clyde’s father’s name was Dioclyde. ‘Clyde’ was a name given by Hena, derived from his name.
Dioclyde was the former Demon King, the predecessor of the Demon King whom Clyde defeated.
Young Hena was kidnapped by demon traders and taken to the Demon Realm. There, Dioclyde happened to rescue her from being publicly auctioned off as a plaything for nobles.
Hena was extremely weak due to the harsh atmosphere of the Demon Realm, and she would have died in a matter of days if left untreated.
So, Dioclyde took off his magical ring and put it on her. It was the same ring that Clyde took from the former Demon King and later put on me. He secretly hid Hena in the palace without anyone knowing. Originally, he intended to keep her only until she regained her health, but he ended up falling in love with her.
That’s right. Clyde’s father actually loved his mother. It just wasn’t the relationship Clyde thought it was.
When Clyde first mentioned his father, I couldn’t possibly deny it. There was absolutely no way for me to explain how I knew about it.
