Chapter 11: Have You Ever Read a Romance Novel?

“El. I won’t beat around the bush. You came here knowing everything, didn’t you?”

“You seem to have been impatient.”

Neither budged an inch.

Regardless of rank or status, there could be no compromise, negotiation, or concession here.

Seras opened the offensive first.

“So, what? You want me to just give up quietly?”

The Princess was calm, as always.

That side of her—noble and exalted.

If one looked closely, it was truly heartless, even cruel.

Yet, Elhermina herself likely had no such awareness.

By her mere existence, she was someone who could drain the blood of those around her, simply because they carried a tiny, trivial flaw or weakness.

There was no malice.

No coercion, no intimidation.

But her presence was as steadfast as a law or a rule.

“And if I don’t? What then?”

“…Conversely, if I hand him over to you, and Esdina actively supports the Royal Court, then what?”

“A foolish question.”

“…My grandfather’s retirement from politics is not far off. It’s not something you can simply dismiss, is it?”

“Do you intend to inherit that position? It cannot be an easy feat for a woman to succeed as the Head of Household.”

“I’ll hand it over to Kariel.”

Hmm?

“After my grandfather steps down, we will change our stance to support the Royal Court. This way, it won’t be a burden for you, Your Majesty, Lord Lueld, or Lady Ermina. If anything, it would be a source of strength.”

“Easier said than done.”

More importantly, was there any reason to do so?

The Royal Court thoroughly sought to reduce the interests of its subjects, occasionally seizing them, and preferred them to be weakened in the long run.

For the power of the subjects to grow meant that the power of the Royal Court weakened proportionally.

This would mean returning to the era of unbelievers, where violence and selfishness prevailed before Berg took on the name of the Empire.

That was.

Another hell, no less terrifying than an invasion by the Demon Realm or indiscriminate wars between nations.

“If you cannot trust my word, I am willing to write a memorandum to prove it.”

“The void left by Count Esdina’s retirement cannot be filled by your discretion alone. Even if Kariel becomes your puppet on the front lines, it would be woefully insufficient.”

“…….”

“However, if he—the center of the Noble Faction—disappears… it would be much easier to shake and divide the remaining ministers.”

Truly the thinking of a fox.

“But, I cannot.”

“…Why?”

“I cannot hand over Kariel for a mere reason like that.”

“Is… that so?”

“You may rebel if you wish. To guide and lead one’s subjects is the duty of a leader and the virtue of the Royal Bloodline.”

This, this crazy bitch….

“However, revealing such inner thoughts so carelessly is a truly dangerous gamble. Did you not already know that I would not give him up?”

“That’s why! I had to be sincere!”

“Sincerity. Yes… sincerity, is it.”

For a moment, the Princess rested her chin on her hand and sank into thought with her eyelids closed.

Ten seconds, twenty seconds passed.

“I understand.”

Elhermina slowly lifted her eyelids.

“I was mistaken about one thing. This was not Count Esdina’s instruction or intention, but a plan entirely of your own design.”

“…….”

“The fact that you tailored it as a persuasive argument to even win the Count’s approval… that was all part of your resolve. Sincerity. It is indeed fitting.”

Seras sighed inwardly.

Truly, it was sickening.

They had barely exchanged a few words, yet she had already reached the core.

It was always like this.

This is why….

She didn’t want anything to do with her.

“Very well.”

……?

What? Very well? What is?

“First, it is decided that he shall be my consort. Therefore, if he wishes, I shall allow an unofficial relationship between him and you.”

“……?”

What.

Right now.

Right now…….

This, this crazy bitch, what is she talking about?

“Why that look on your face, Seras? My old friend. I respect you fully. Therefore, so as not to disregard your wishes, I have proposed a partial compromise. Are you dissatisfied?”

“…Are you calling that a compromise? You, are you actually insane?”

“Such impudent words.”

And yet, this woman, this Princess.

From their first meeting until now, her expression hadn’t changed once as she spouted this absurd nonsense.

“If he were a woman, or if we were men, this proposal would be impossible. But he is a man. And fortunately, we are both women. Thus, such a proposal becomes possible. The parts I cannot embrace, if you, Seras, do it instead, wouldn’t that be meaningful for him in its own way?”

“…….”

She was serious.

This damn Princess Highness truly believed that this would be beneficial for herself, for Kariel, and… for Seras herself, and had proposed it with great generosity.

Having known her for a long time, Seras realized with bone-deep certainty that this proposal stemmed from genuine goodwill.

A question escaped her lips, as if she were grinding her teeth.

“So, you intend to bind him firmly by weaving him into a twisted bloodline, knowingly or unknowingly? You’re telling me to have a child without a father….”

“I didn’t go that far, but if you have the resolve, I won’t stop you. That would only make our bond stronger.”

This, this crazy bitch, seriously?!

“Do you, do you not have a heart?! How can you say such things so nonchalantly?! And that! You! If the Religious Order finds out… it won’t end with just excommunication! No, how can you be so casual about this!”

“I cannot give him up. Therefore, since I cannot offer any further compromise, I had to throw out such an extreme proposal.”

In other words, it was this:

Either you give up, or you accept this ridiculous scheme.

In a way, as Elhermina said, it was a fact that she had volunteered a massive concession.

However, that was only….

“Seras. You know, don’t you?”

I.

“I once swore that I would take responsibility and protect him, who went as a hostage to another country in my stead. Although I could not swear it before him as he departed, did you not all witness my determination at the time?”

“You, who babbled about protecting him! What have you done for him while you just stood by and left him alone until now? While he was driven to that point, what on earth did you do for Kariel?”

But the Princess was resolute.

Without a single tremor or sign of agitation, she declared.

“He is strong. He is not a man who would lose his light over something like this. He may falter for a moment, but he will soon stand back up.”

Seras scoffed.

“…You still have no intention of considering that not everyone is a non-human superhuman like you, do you? You surely aren’t unaware of how many people were hurt and frustrated by that brazenness, and that Kariel is among them?”

“If we argue in such a manner, what of your Original Sin, Seras? In the end, my inept younger brother and your foolish twin sister, Eras, both contributed to Kariel’s current reputation, my friend. You cannot deny that. Having chosen to defend your kin, did you condone such atrocities with the heart of a noble person?”

“Th-that! That is not something to discuss here…!”

“I have waited for a very long time. I gave you ample opportunity. Since I had a guess as to your true feelings, I waited. Whether it be atonement, a confession, or an apology, I expected you to take the next step in some form.”

“What? Ample opportunity? Did you just call this an opportunity?”

“If not, why would I have made such a decision now? I am not such a filial daughter that I would be forced to obey simply because His Majesty or my birth mother commanded it.”

I hoped.

That even if it wasn’t me, there would be someone to shield, lead, and embrace him.

“I was prepared to even abandon my own oath for the sake of his happiness.”

And yet.

“Who is by his side now?”

“…….”

“In the end, it is complacency. It is indulgence. It is negligence. It is ignorance.”

“…….”

“Do you only move once the fire is at your feet? How complacent, Seras Esdina.”

The Princess shook her head lightly and eventually turned her back.

“The moon has set. From now on, it is solely the time of the sun. If you are truly aggrieved and indignant, then reprimand your own indulgent past self. I advise you to accept now that the hourglass will not be turned over again.”

…….

……….

And so.

After a short while, having changed locations, she walked alone through a silent corridor.

Elhermina thought calmly, her eyes half-closed.

Just as she always had.

Even if.

Even if there were tens of thousands of women in this world and the next who loved and adored him.

Even if all that affection were scraped together, bit by bit, down to the last speck.

“In the end, it would never reach the love held by this one person.”

====

The commotion was one thing, but recently, the Demon King had been periodically dragging him into dreams and ruthlessly tossing Kariel into the fray hundreds and thousands of times.

Because of this, the instances of him sneaking out of the Family Home at night to catch his breath and practice the lute had decreased significantly.

In just a few days, so much had changed.

Becoming Elhermina’s fiancé.

And the matter of facing and being swayed by the ghost of the Demon King.

To him, it felt as if not a few days, but dozens of days had already passed.

-Sleeping late is bad for your growth period.

“…You said I needed a way to relieve stress?”

-That is the irrationality of sentient beings.

Time is gold, and there isn’t enough of it to polish oneself, so why on earth waste it on a hobby?

“…So, are you telling me not to go out or what?”

-That is your choice. Am I in a position to tell you this or that? Someone might think I’m your teacher.

“…….”

One was a former Demon King turned ghost.

The other was the descendant of the hero who had slaughtered that very Demon King.

…It was clear that their relationship was complicated.

“And you said if I endure the training, you’d roughly teach me how to play?”

-That’s not a big problem.

Whether one drives people or drives slaves.

The level of proactivity in a task is determined by whether appropriate rewards are provided.

Violence, fear, and pain are methods, but….

‘That’s more tedious.’

Cursing and tormenting others is also strictly labor.

Unless they are malicious perverts whose temper is so twisted that they only feel satisfied and relieved of stress that way.

-More importantly, if we’re talking string instruments, I’m more of a guitar person than a lute person.

“Guitar?”

-There’s such a thing. A Mana Guitar, specifically. The artificial, piercing electronic sound is absolutely fantastic.

“……?”

Come to think of it, music was often classified as the exclusive domain of the Demon Race.

As a result, the Religious Order often claimed that only the human voice was pure.

However, playing instruments and various oral songs had already spread deeply throughout the world.

Though for the nobility and those considered “noble,” it was treated as a culture that should not be approached.

-They say anything we do is evil. Truly inferior creatures.

Above all, the Golden Demon King was, if he recalled correctly, called a master of the arts among the demons?

The demons who joined the Human Alliance and achieved great feats.

The Demon Settlements and Exchange Cities established in parts of the continent were, in a sense, leading the various arts of the current continent.

“……?”

Surely.

He wasn’t planning to conquer the continent through culture and art… was he?