Episode 49 – Demon King Girl (9)
“Are you at the separate palace right now? Oh, how long have you been there?”
“It hasn’t been long, but the real problem is making us wait.”
I barely managed to regain my composure and asked, but the response I got was an unforgiving dose of reality. I clung to my hazy thoughts.
From the beginning, I never liked this marriage proposal.
This arrangement, accomplished purely for political reasons, involved the humans selling off the princess in exchange for safety in the borderlands, while we intended to acquire that princess to rebrand the Demon Realm for the new era.
No sane human would send a princess to a tentacle monster without a purpose. I didn’t want fragile human royalty that I couldn’t toy with either.
“Demon King. The princess is among the top mages in the Empire…”
“That’s not what’s important right now. Yes, it seems this issue can only be resolved by me.”
Though merely a hostage, I was no longer the chief of a single tribe; I obviously had to care about the appearance of diplomacy and justification.
“Let’s leave this discussion here. I’ll sort it out on my own.”
I stated that I would handle it and dismissed everyone for the day. However, even as everyone exited, I couldn’t bring myself to stand from my chair.
The princess, being no fool, must be aware of the reality. Yet, I couldn’t just leave her unattended.
“Of course, I understand the importance of appearances, but there’s really no need for you to worry this much, Demon King.”
“No. This is… just my personal feeling, Robert.”
Robert, who had been waiting patiently, hinted at his thoughts, but as I rubbed my forehead, I shook my head.
I had resolved the issue of having to become the bride of a terrifying monster, but since this uncomfortable deal was first mentioned, I felt a kinship with her. The emotion and situation of being thrown into an unfamiliar place against one’s will resonated deeply with me, bringing to mind my own feelings before returning to Earth.
“Then, since you’re in human form now, why not go have a passionate first night together with a strong first impression? I’m sure the princess will soon…”
“To the demon folk, it wouldn’t matter at all, but she isn’t one of them.”
The black-haired woman beside Robert, dressed as a maid, clapped her hands and said this as if it were a brilliant idea, but I couldn’t help but snicker.
The pair of wings flapping behind her belonged to the succubus queen, Mei-a. It wasn’t just because she was a succubus; for the demon folk, my being in the form of a little girl meant nothing.
They had no concept of ‘it should be that way.’ It was in a demon’s nature to do whatever they wished.
“Enough. Everyone, go take care of your work. I’m clearly here to rest, so don’t bother me with work-related matters. Just think of me as absent. As for the princess, I’ll figure something out.”
Having stepped down from my chair, I dismissed Robert and the royal internal affairs staff at the Demon King’s Castle.
Various ideas raced through my mind, but the most plausible approach was to simply speak honestly.
I needed to determine my current situation and what to do going forward and so I alone crossed the hallway.
Within the Demon King’s Castle. Especially in the main building, which was the tallest and largest, most of the space was meant for me, and typically there were very few people around. Only the staff from royal internal affairs were present.
“Ugh!”
But the moment I turned the corner to take the elevator, completely at ease in my own territory after a long time, I collided with someone coming towards me.
“Are you okay? Royal internal af…”
“Hey… what the hell were you looking at?!”
I did not budge at all, but the young demon with purple skin, dressed like a butler, was pushed back and fell to the floor.
But just as I reached out in concern, he ignored my hand, sprung up, and immediately began pointing a finger at me.
“What are you? A new maid? No, what are you even? No horns, no wings…”
He muttered as he carefully inspected me. I was slightly taken aback. It seemed this butler didn’t recognize who I was.
Having instinctively erased the aura coming from Earth, I was unwittingly not revealing the stature of a Demon King.
“Really, you don’t know who I am?”
“Your words are short? What are you talking about? You seem insignificant.”
He tilted his head, looking down at me. I suppose only the newly summoned high-ups of the Demon Realm had seen my current appearance.
My lips naturally twisted in a smirk.
With this appearance, didn’t it mean I could roam freely not just on Earth but in this world as well? I felt like I’d stumbled upon a rather significant discovery.
“Butler. What’s your name?”
“How dare you… I’m Bashim, the next chief of the Garbana tribe.”
When I asked for his name, he grumbled, seemingly perplexed, but readily provided it. Other than being clueless, he seemed diligent and reliable. That was good enough for me.
“Alright, Bashim. I’ll inform you of information that only those summoned for the Demon King’s council would know. So, I need you to do a few things for me.”
“What are you saying…”
As I smiled, he raised his fist, intending to give me a punch. However, a tentacle that emerged from my shadow wrapped around his arm, preventing his punch from advancing, making it tremble helplessly.
The moment his startled eyes met mine, which no longer concealed any power, those eyes widened and began to shake violently.
“Do you understand?”
“Uh, uh… Demon King!”
Pale and shaking, he attempted to kneel, but couldn’t due to his arm being held. At that moment, I had acquired a useful subordinate who could move without Robert realizing it.
*
“The Demon Realm Evening Newspaper, Published by the Central Press.”
In a vacant room, she cautiously unfolded it. The wide paper was filled with pictures and text.
The letters contained articles reporting significant and various news from the Demon Realm, while the images served to support the text.
She lost track of time, flipping through the pages, engrossed in the newspaper.
In her understanding, the concept of collecting various happenings across the nation and publishing them in such a large volume was quite fascinating.
“But it’s definitely impressive and useful.”
Having read through the entire newspaper, she marveled internally. It wasn’t just this newspaper either.
Compared to the Empire, the strongest human force on the continent, the Demon Realm was remarkably advanced and sophisticated.
Automatic flushing toilets, sky-piercing high-rise buildings, cities, well-maintained roads without a speck of dirt; it was hard to believe this was the land of the terrifying flesh-eating monsters from legends.
“This generation’s Demon King Takilas.”
Now, she understood the source of all this. The newspaper, the buildings, the trains, the sewage systems, the planned city—all designed and developed by a single entity.
She stood up and walked toward the window. The owner of the vast main building of the Demon King’s Castle in the Heavenly Palace, which was taller than the 50 floors of this place.
The one who connected the Demon King’s Castle with a sky bridge was the reason the Demon Realm was immeasurably more developed than the Empire.
“The current situation holds no particular importance.”
In truth, she wanted to meet Takilas. Although initially, she had resented her brother, the emperor, and harbored thoughts of a coup in anger, that was not the case anymore.
Seria Rene Raose. Before being a princess, she was just a mage. The innate curiosity of a mage saw her fascinated by knowledge and insight, more so than by the hideous tentacle monster that could greet her.
However, despite coming as a bride for the marriage pact, she had yet to meet the Demon King. All she had received were reports of his absence due to important matters.
“Well, of course, a Demon King wouldn’t be interested in someone like me.”
She subconsciously looked down at herself and smiled bitterly.
As someone entirely incomparable in status and identity, and the Demon King not even being human, her somewhat proud appearance felt utterly useless.
She instinctively perceived her fate as a mere trophy, spending her days in this solitary separate palace where no one came to visit.
“Princess…”
“What is it, Mei?”
Just then, a knocking sound came from outside her door.
“You are…”
“Nice to meet you, Princess. I am Lee Jin-ah from the Royal Internal Affairs of the Demon King’s Castle.”
Standing with the maid was a girl who had brought a cart. This beautiful girl with a short black bob smiled while politely greeting her.
Seria’s eyes trembled as she looked at the girl.
She felt no power emanating from her. No horns, wings, or scales. She looked just like an ordinary human girl.
“Are you… human?”
“Though I work here, yes. Would you like some tea?”
The girl kept her smile, pointing to the tray she had brought on the cart. Seria and her maid Mei exchanged glances, both taken aback.
“Come in for now.”
But ultimately, Seria decided to let the girl inside.
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