Chapter: 221
‘Is this… really it?’
Lian knew this wasn’t his first time grappling with this dilemma.
In the past, he’d felt guilty for having romantic feelings for both Jess and Noah at the same time. He’d also hastily tried to suppress his emotions when Iris, no longer shy, became more forward than he expected.
But those were just fleeting concerns.
With so many urgent events happening, he hadn’t had the time to worry deeply about it. His realization came way too late.
‘Yeah… I know! I grew up without love! I’m aware I’m obsessed with it! But… this, this can’t be right!’
So, because he grew up without love, every bit of affection that came his way was just swallowed whole?
The problem was that the four who showed him affection weren’t the only ones!
Could he say the affection from the Nest members, who cared for each other like family, wasn’t love?
Of course, one could argue it wasn’t romantic love!
‘B-but… people have confessed to me too!’
If all he did was cling to affection and love, he should have welcomed everyone confessing to him with love-filled eyes!
Of course, Lian had always thought of those who confessed to him as just joking… but even if they were sincere, he doubted he would feel the same for all four of them.
Great Chaos.
That was the state of Lian’s mind summed up in just one term. He stumbled forwards, then collapsed, rubbing his face and letting out a deep sigh.
‘Could it be that I end up loving anyone pretty just because of their face…?’
At that moment when Lian was about to dig himself into an even deeper hole, Ellensia spotted him.
Like the only light in the pitch-black world, the sight of Lian—a figure with snow-white hair moving through the endless darkness—could only electrify her with excitement.
She dashed toward him like Jess meeting her master, or rather, like a puppy.
“Lian!”
“Wha—ugh!”
Lian fell to the ground from the sudden attack. Despite the scream that slipped out, he was fine and quickly regained his senses.
“Uhh? D-Demon King? Ellensia?”
“Correct!”
She abandoned her usual charismatic demeanor, grinning brightly as she hugged him. Lian’s face turned crimson as he flailed his arms in sheer panic.
It felt like his face would burst from all the contact. It could be because he’d just become aware of his feelings, but all he could focus on was the warmth surrounding him.
Time passed, and once Ellensia calmed down a bit and pulled away, Lian could finally hold a conversation without losing his sanity.
The only piece of information he got from her was a simple, “I don’t know where this place is.”
She couldn’t tell him, “I broke through a wall after dying and ended up here,” so she had to stay mum. Just thinking about that made Ellensia’s expression waver.
‘Could it be… Lian is dead too…?’
She quickly cut off the spiraling thoughts. Imagining it was already despairing—and yet, she felt excitement creeping in, making her clench her fists unconsciously.
For even thinking that being able to venture to the afterlife with him, if only for a moment, made her detest herself.
“I am—”
While Ellensia was trapped in her guilt, Lian gave a brief account of what had happened since they parted.
After taking refuge in a cave with Jess, when he described how he rolled his eyes, her guilt quickly slipped away, replaced by a sticky jealousy that made her squint.
As Lian explained about the camp of Beastmen, the ‘incident’ popped into his head, causing his face to redden even more than before. Ellensia silently snuggled closer to him.
‘Whether it’s love or not… at least I know it’s not normal feelings.’
She felt a wave of impulse wash over her—the urge to lock him in a tower with no windows just so she could see him all to herself.
‘If only he was just a tad less cute, I would’ve locked him up for sure.’
Seeing him awkwardly darting his eyes around, blush staining his cheeks, even the fiery emotions she had began to cool. So ridiculous it was almost laughable.
‘Am I just weak against good looks?’
No, that’s not it. She had seen countless handsome faces living in the Demon King’s Castle. Yet, she had never felt anything for any of them—not even an ounce.
Just as she didn’t care whether a random passing ant was male or female, she felt indifferent toward the genders of the people working in the castle. If she hadn’t met Lian, she might’ve mistakenly thought she was asexual.
She was just weak against ‘Lian.’ If he were a Slime without distinct features, she would have reacted the same way.
‘This seems unnecessary to think about.’
She found her former worry about whether her feelings for him were love or not utterly ridiculous. While Ellensia was certain of her feelings, Lian wrapped up his explanation.
“When I came to, I was trapped in this endless darkness.”
Lian looked at the Demon King with a question in his gaze that said, “How did you end up here?” Liking the way she gazed solely at him, she returned his stare, undeterred.
After about three seconds of silence, Lian’s ears turned crimson, and he averted his gaze.
The Demon King’s beauty was truly unreal, making it hard for him to look at her for too long. He felt his heart racing wildly and silently wept.
Just then, a delicate white hand reached out, gently tilting his chin. Their eyes—the mesmerizing red ones—locked.
“When we talk… you need to look at me.”
Her soft voice was a stark contrast to the intensity of her gaze, prompting Lian to respond, almost entranced.
“Y-yes…”
Then, she arched her eyes seductively and smiled, tenderly brushing her fingers along Lian’s jaw.
“Good, just like that.”
Her voice, reminiscent of praising a well-behaved puppy, sent shivers down his spine, and his mouth fell slightly open.
‘Wow… So this is what it means to be enchanted.’
He thought that if he’d opened his eyes in the Demon King’s Castle instead of the prison with Noah and Jess, he might have been so enchanted he would have offered the world to her. She radiated a magical charm.
A buzzing alarm echoed in his mind, feeling like he could be swallowed whole at any moment. It felt somewhat similar to the tension he felt with Jess, yet significantly different.
While Jess felt like a beast hunting its prey, Ellensia seemed like a snake slowly curling around its meal, getting ready to devour it whole.
Both outcomes led to being swallowed, but Ellensia felt far more frightening.
It was only after her hand dropped that Lian barely managed to cling to his sanity, letting out a heavy sigh. Seeing him like that, Ellensia narrowed her eyes slightly.
‘Thinking of someone else while I’m right in front of you…’
Her mind filled with cruel thoughts, reinforcing the idea of why Demon Kings were notorious, but they scattered quickly. After all, she was dead—there was no means to act on such thoughts.
Unbeknownst to Lian, in her mind, she had imprisoned him over thirty times already. If he knew that, he’d sit a good three meters away in sheer horror, but there was no way for him to know.
Ellensia pondered how she could gulp Lian down in one bite, her eyes gleaming with thoughts. The contrast between her current demeanor and the tears she shed earlier was striking.
It was only natural.
The shy desire to approach one’s first love was a luxury reserved for when you were alive.
The moment she strayed from the predetermined path of death, it wouldn’t be surprising if she vanished at any time. Every second was precious, leaving her no time for pretense.
She didn’t hide her honest impulses, hoping to leave even the slightest trace of herself, her memories, in Lian.
Of course, that didn’t mean she intended to cross any lines.
‘It’s not that I don’t have such thoughts, but…’
It didn’t matter whether Lian agreed or not, or whether he was capable of it or not—what was crucial right now was not her desires or regrets.
‘I need to save Lian.’
Unlike her, he hadn’t perished. He wasn’t someone meant to be in a place so close to death.
The ignoble desire to keep him was turbulent, but her wish to send him back to a peaceful life was far greater.
‘Even if it costs my soul… I’ll definitely save him.’
Just as she resolved to face oblivion, a jolt coursed through her body.
“…!”
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