CH 62

Although I was momentarily embarrassed, unable to find the right reply in the end, I still ended up continuing to look around the Demon King’s Palace. The messy situation was soon forgotten due to the amount of beautiful treasures that were hidden in every corner of the palace.

It wasn’t until evening when it came up in my mind once again. Upon seeing the maids who came in to help me prepare for bed, I sent them out once again with a strange ‘uwah’ sound. I endured without changing out of my clothes since I thought I should have an in depth conversation with Lecht about this situation first.

Standing at the end of the wide balcony that was outside the window, I rearranged my thoughts while enjoying the cool night breeze. Though of course, my complex thoughts all disappeared like the melting snow upon witnessing the palace’s appearance at night. “Wow, it’s even shining.”

The sentries that were standing guard had taken along one demonic creature between the two of them. Just looking at them was fun since their appearances and sizes all varied drastically. If most of them were large and stuck to the ground during the day, then there were even more of those smaller demonic creatures that flew in the skies at night.

In order for the sentries to look around better, most of the demonic creatures that were with them were those that could illuminate themselves. Seeing flashes of blue, yellow, and pink lights flying all over the place, the whole situation even felt somewhat dreamlike.

I was watching that exact scene as if I was possessed when a large coat suddenly enveloped me.

“No matter how warm the winter of the demon realm is, it’ll still be cold.” A voice that melted my eardrums whispered to me. I could feel his solid chest against my back. Enveloped in his coat, he hugged me tightly.

“When did you get here? You surprised me.”

To be honest, I wasn’t actually that surprised because the scent of his body immediately covered me the moment his coat was wrapped around me. Nevertheless, I still complained for no reason in particular since I was flustered at the fact that I had been so absorbed in watching the view that I hadn’t noticed he had come so close.

“From when you saw the lantern sparrow.”

“Huh? It’s already been a long time since that one!”

That was the kid that looked like a plump sparrow and emitted a green light as it flew; that was the one I was watching fifteen minutes ago!

“I just continued to watch1 since you, who was just watching the view, was just so beautiful.”

“!”

I told you to turn on the indicator when you’re changing lanes2…!

“Then I interrupted since the wind had gotten chillier. Keep watching.” He whispered, hugging me securely in his arms. It was a spirit that seemed as if he’d even stay up all night like this if I wanted to.

“No, I can finish sightseeing after a little while. I had something I wanted to ask you.”

“Go on.”

I had intended to speak with him face to face, but he didn’t move with me in his arms at all. Did you perhaps want to talk in this position, or… well, it’s not like I can’t, but…

“Are we getting married?” Clueless on how else to phrase it, I just asked him directly as it was.

He, who was holding me in his arms, flinched greatly when I said that. To the extent where I had ended up flinching as well.

I felt his arm that was wrapped around me loosening, so I turned around quickly. I sat perched on the balcony as I looked up at him. “Solte thinks we are, and so does everyone else—they all think we’re getting married.”

“…”

“And to add onto that, we’re even sharing the same room together. Did you know about that too, Lecht?”

Though according to Solte, it may not have been Lecht’s order, since she had said that ‘the butler specifically ordered’ for her to do so. But I doubt that Lecht wouldn’t have known… After all, which sort of butler would arrange such a room without informing their master beforehand?

“The room…” He seemed to be choosing his words for a moment, then took my hand instead of speaking soon after. “I’ll show you.”

He led me into a room. Walking across a room that was larger than my own room back in the Grand Duchy, he opened the door to his dress room and entered. Brushing past various tailcoats and suits, he opened the door on the other side of the dress room.

There, a room appeared with a very different atmosphere from the room we had just passed. Although the size of the room was similar, this place was a little colder and less friendly.

“There’s… another room?”

“This is my room.”

“Huh…? But Solte said…”

Lecht let out a little groan at my confused voice. It was a groan that seemed like a sigh. “Although we decided to start afresh and leave out what happened between us a hundred years ago, most of the guys here still think of me and you with our relationship from a hundred years ago.”

“Oh…”

“Even if I explain that it’s different to them, they still won’t be able to understand. Like Muso for example.”

I immediately understood upon hearing him say they were like Muso. That’s true. Since Muso still smiles when he sees me and calls me, ‘Your Majesty’, even now.

“That’s why I deliberately told them to prepare it like this.”

If we used a separate room now, there was a high possibility that unnecessary discord would suddenly arise. Lecht seemed to be worried about that.

“It was my mistake for not informing you in advance.”

“No, I completely understand.” I shook my head with a smile. “But even if it is a room that has been prepared in secret… isn’t it too dreary?”

It’s a bit too much for him not to even have a single plant in the room. He should at least put a sofa in there, even if he wasn’t going to use it anyway. I felt cold just looking around the room that lacked warmth.

“Well… I’m used to this anyway.” But Lecht scanned the room roughly and said that, as if he didn’t know what I was talking about. “For me, this is enough since it’s only for me to get a good night’s sleep, but I get how it could feel dreary to you.”

“If you sleep in a place like this by yourself…”

There would also be an unavoidable loneliness. I swallowed the words that I couldn’t bear to finish. I became distressed for no reason at the thought of putting him to sleep by himself in a place like this.

Rather than this, he could just sleep in my room instead. The bed was big enough as well. I shocked myself at the thoughts that naturally continued to flow.

‘Thoughts that will get you in big trouble!’

At times like this, you need to be strong-minded! There will be no end to it if you start letting down your guard!

Nevertheless, those thoughts only lasted for a moment. My thoughts soon flowed to how firm and cosy his arms were every time he hugged me.

‘No! Pure thoughts, pure thoughts!’

I shook my head and quickly shook off those evil thoughts.

“Then, shall we go and see the rest?”

“Pardon?! S-See what?”

No way, don’t tell me, your abs? In any case, I had already been thinking about his solid chest, so his words suddenly threw me to take it the wrong way.

“Since we resolved your question about the room, I was wondering if you wanted to see the rest of the palace. Though if you’re tired, we can just do it tomorrow as well.”

“Oh… Seeing the rest of the palace…”

I kicked the lustful devil that kept filling my thoughts with the colour of flesh out of my head before it could cause any trouble and moved my legs stiffly.

“R-Right! Seeing the rest of the palace, alright!” I thought I’d be able to calm down my heart if I got more of the night breeze.

Lecht followed in silence after me, who scurried back through the dress room toward the balcony.

The moon, which hadn’t been in the sky earlier, was floating in an aloof manner. Long after the proclamation ceremony, the day which a red moon had risen into the sky, the moon was now cut in half, yet it still looked as beautiful as ever.

“Perhaps because I’m the saintess of a moon god, but I think the moon is truly great, as expected.”

“Do you want me to show it to you at a closer view?” Approaching my side, Lecht leaned against the balcony and looked at me. Covering me with his own coat so I wouldn’t be cold was simply a bonus.

“Closer?”

Lecht extended his index finger and pointed at the sky at my question.

“Don’t tell me… in the sky?”

There was a faint smile on Lecht’s lips. It was a smile that suited the moonlight extremely well. “You said you wanted to see my true appearance. And that you looked forward to my horns and wings.”

“That’s true, but…” Although I trailed off, my heart began to race as I naturally began to imagine his appearance.

Irregardless of that, I also happened to meet several demons today. It was an amount that was incomparable to the number I had met in the Grand Duchy. Although all of them had their own unique charm, the only one who had wings was Lecht. Since wings were a privilege that was only given to the demon king.

Just what would Lecht look like in his complete demon king appearance? My heart started to race.

“Are you… really going to show me?”

My fingertips down to the toes of my feet began to itch due to the overflowing anticipation that was about to burst out. Lecht stretched out his hand to grab my hands, which were twisting together bashfully. Both of my hands flopped into his large hand.

“You’re asking something that’s obvious again.” Sitting on the balcony, he leaned over slightly and whispered to me. “Didn’t I say that I’d show you whenever you wanted?” The deep smile on his face made my heart tremble once again.

Rising from his seat, Lecht released my hand and retreated a few steps back. A tranquil breeze began to billow around us after a while. Although the wind was rather lacking, it was still charged with light.

The moonlight wind, that was quite similar to my divine power, began to surround him and spun at a gradually increasing pace, blocking my view.

The moment I thought he had been completely engulfed in the wind…

Flap—!

Those enchanting black wings that I had seen before spread to reveal its full glory and suddenly burst into light. And the appearance of Lecht, which was finally revealed, showcased the perfect demon king’s appearance.

“Woah!”

It was more than I could’ve ever imagined. His short silver hair had elongated to become as long as my hair and gave off a mysterious glow, while the tips of his ears had stretched out into sharp points. His elegantly curved horns carried an even heavier dignity than any of the ones I had seen today.

His eyes were the most conspicuous of them all. Although they were the same gold as when he was polymorphed, they carried a profound and mysterious light in them that couldn’t be explained in words.

“Huh…?!”

I was staring into his eyes, as if I was possessed as Lecht approached me. And before I could even react, he hugged me and lifted me into a princess carry.

“Hold on tight.” He whispered languidly in a low voice, spreading his black wings to their full length. He stepped onto the balcony railing on his tiptoes.

“Oh my go—!”

Shocked at the sudden sensation of the ground getting further and further away from me, I closed my eyes and clung on tightly to his neck. Although his coat fell off in the process, I couldn’t care less. Either way, I didn’t find it cold at all thanks to his body temperature.

He hugged me even tighter than how tightly I was holding onto him. With the sound of us cutting through the wind, we continued to climb even higher and higher.

At some point, he stopped and said, “Open your eyes.”

I slightly opened my tightly shut eyes.

“Woah!”

Unlike my fears that it would be frightening, my eyes widened at the world that was presented before my eyes. The demon realm was spread before my feet. It was a dazzling sight that I couldn’t have ever seen even once for as long as I lived. The scene that I had seen for the first time since arriving in the demon realm as well as the evening view of the Demon King’s Palace from the balcony of my room were both incomparable to the brilliance of what was in front of me.

Lecht turned around slowly on the spot with me in his arms. The land in front of the Demon King’s Palace, the village lights that could be seen off in the distance, as well as the towering and rugged mountain range. From the steep cliffs behind the palace to the refreshing sea below it that started at the horizon line. There wasn’t a single corner that wasn’t breathtakingly beautiful.

“Ara.”

Watching the spectacle as if I was possessed, I turned to Lecht with a dazed expression on my face. His face that was in front of my very eyes right now was even more perfect than the view I had just witnessed.

Oh. I now understood why the light in his eyes was different. The eyes of a human that I was familiar with were different to those of a demon king. They were like the pained eyes of a dragon that lived deep within the mountains.

As I stared at him with shaky eyes, he asked me quietly, “Do you like it?”

I nodded with a stunned face. He then smiled deeply, as if he liked my answer.

Badump, badump, badump, badump, badump.

My heart reacted frankly, and he, unaware of it, continued to add on with a strange voice. “It’s yours.” Seeing my eyes widen, he reaffirmed it once again. “Everything that you see right now—all of it is yours.”

They were somehow the most cheesy words I had ever heard in this world. But at the same time, they were also the most enrapturing words.

The demon king, who had given me the demon realm as a present, then quietly added, as if even that weren’t enough, “That includes me as well.”

My heart stopped beating and my breath hitched in my throat.

I couldn’t even reply. Because he had stolen my senses away and swallowed my lips.

[1] the word 구경하다 that they use is usually used in tourism and sightseeing contexts where [sb] is watching a beautiful view or landscape, so ara is lecht’s landscape (AWWWW)

[2] 깜빡이 좀 켜고 들어와라 to say something surprising/shocking without any prior context