It was the beginning of a calm afternoon...
"Where are we going? And why all of this?" Aaralyn asked with a pout. She had been carried for over an hour while Dante walked across an open field. Since they had solved the problem with the Worm and the Mine, she had been... treated very well.
Of course, she had found this change in treatment strange for a while, but she hadn't said anything because she thought Dante would treat her this way only until his wives returned. However, this wasn't the case. Dante continued to treat her like a princess, and she didn't dislike it.
On the contrary, she loved receiving such treatment from an important man like him, but the confusion in her mind left her extremely uncomfortable.
"I'm just being myself. Don't you like it?" he commented as he walked calmly. He had stopped talking a while ago and was just enjoying his time and the momentary peace. "It's not that I don't like it, it's just that..." Aaralyn tried to continue, but the words wouldn't come. In a way, it was nothing more than her own insecurity.
"Are you afraid it's just a reward for your work?" Dante asked the woman with dark emerald hair who nestled comfortably in his arms and looked at him deeply... "Am I wrong?" she stammered as she asked, but she only heard a small muffled laugh from the man, who continued to walk. She indeed seemed to be in a strange state for herself; her life wasn't much involved in romance, men, or feelings.
Aaralyn, a war orphan adopted by an amazing woman who followed a terrifying woman, everything Aaralyn had and currently has was because of the simple act of following a Scarlet. Thus, the weight of her feelings was greater than it should appear to be. Did she like Dante? Well~
"I like you," Dante said, breaking the silence as he continued to walk without looking at her, just with a confident smile on his face... Aaralyn had wide eyes; she didn't expect to hear something like that, and she was... speechless.
"For a while now, I've been considering the situations I get involved in, and increasingly, I've had problems with my thoughts regarding the people around me," Dante said, starting to set Aaralyn down on the ground on a small hill overlooking a lake. Then he sat down next to her.
"I've died a few times already, so I know what death is," Dante said, and Aaralyn looked at him, staring at him, and he just smiled. "That's my secret, I've died twice already," he said as he lay down, looking at the passing clouds. The day was still going on and far from getting dark. "My head seems to be in the right place, but I have two lives. However...
it seems I have more than that, apparently." Dante said but didn't delve much into his problems. He just turned to face Aaralyn.
"I don't want to have regrets in this life, so I'll stay with all the people I want and ensure that I always love them, even if it costs my life in the process," he admitted and sighed.
"I know you've liked me for a while, well, it's quite perceptible, but I honestly don't know what much to say to you, so I just told the truth." Dante said and stood up smoothly, standing at the same height as Aaralyn. "Sorry for being the way I am, but I don't know how to be different from this." Dante said with a calm smile, his hair being blown by the wind while Aaralyn looked at him.
Meanwhile... at the Imperial Palace...
"What did you just say?" Aldria questioned the faithful servant kneeling in front of her, clad in armor that covered his entire body. "Your Majesty, as I reported, the Demon King killed one of the Dukes and incapacitated all the others by severing their arms."
Aldria began to massage her temple, where a large vein of frustration and anger had appeared. However, noticing the state of his Empress, the knight pulled out an orb. "This was found with Duke Joe's body," he said. The orb glowed for a second and revealed a recording. Aldria listened attentively and, fortunately, calmed down, realizing that he hadn't acted impulsively. "Men...
why can't they be content with a woman in command?" she murmured. "If that's all, you're dismissed."
"S-sorry, Your Majesty... We have more news about the Demon King..." Aldria looked at him with a cold gaze... "Don't tell me..."
"Currently... there was an attack by a Giant Stone-Eating Worm in the mine. Many workers were injured, but... the Demon King killed it with one blow," the knight said. "Were there any injuries? I'm sure that man would accidentally kill someone," she questioned, and the knight shook his head.
"No injuries, and... the worm is being sold as food," he commented, and Aldria raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean as food? Beast meat is extremely toxic to ordinary humans," Aldria said, and the knight replied, "Apparently, this one isn't. Dante Scarlet fried the meat in front of them and proved it was safe to eat, saying it was, in his words, 'delicious.'"
"Bring samples of this meat. Something's wrong," Aldria said. "Keep me informed about his progress, and have our best researchers examine this meat." Aldria ordered, and the knight bowed in reverence and left the throne room.
"The master is working quickly. You must be very important to him," Evangeline appeared. She had been in the room the entire time, listening while camouflaged with magic.
"You overestimate your master," Aldria replied, and Evangeline smiled. "Do you think my master, who has the best women by his side, would waste his time with a woman he's not interested in? He should be spending time with Morgana Arcano right now, but he's using his precious time to fix an Empire that isn't even his," Evangeline said. Her words pierced Aldria's ears like an arrow...
"That has nothing to do with it. And he's probably doing it for Velryna." She denied, unable to accept Evangeline's words...
"What a foolish woman..." Evangeline murmured... "Swaying women's minds without using power is quite easy. Just from her posture, it's clear she's thinking about the master Fufufu, I'll keep planting these ideas until she gives in. I'll probably earn a reward. I can't wait!" She laughed in her thoughts while watching the woman, defenseless against sinful thoughts.
Evangeline was still the Sin of Greed; she wanted everything, including... her master's love.