Chapter 76 - Fairy and Cat
Since that day, their marital relationship had soured.
Or so it should have been.
That was not what happened.
Captured by the Demon Lord's vines, Elenoa had fallen into a sleep so deep it was akin to unconsciousness in the throne room where no one came. When she opened her eyes in her own bedroom, Louis was there. With his usual smile, he had placed a plush chair beside the bed and was reading a book calmly.
Noticing that his wife had awakened, he even showed the leisure to worry, saying, 'Good morning. How are you feeling?'
Closing his book, he stroked the hair of Elenoa, who could not move from the bed, and said,
'I am sorry for yesterday.'
—It's a farce, Elenoa thought.
He knew that if he put on that apologetic smile, Elenoa would have no choice but to "forgive" him. He looked at Elenoa, who could not make a single sound with her mouth shaped like the letter "e," with affection.
It was so usual that it felt out of place.
It was not as if he had forgiven Elenoa's act of betrayal. If that were the case, what was this attitude? It was neither anger nor exasperation; it was an attitude so natural it was unnatural.
'Are you alright? Does anything hurt?'
'...I'm fine. I'm just a little hungry. Is there anything to eat?'
'I thought you'd say that, so I prepared everything properly.'
He offered her fruit and tea. Each item was a masterpiece unavailable to the general public, unreachable for ordinary citizens.
Seeing the offerings, the unnecessary tension vanished from Elenoa's body. Along with it, she felt even her vitality draining away.
No matter what actions she took, he would ultimately remain himself. Surrounded by expensive delicacies, Elenoa gave a hollow laugh. It was all she could do.
There was only one thing she knew for certain. —Food is not to blame.
—Another year. How time flies.
"I'll go alone. I'm going to the balcony."
"Understood."
As soon as Elenoa gave the order, she descended the tower and walked through the castle.
The white and blue dress given to her by Louis had been carefully dressed by a maid also assigned by Louis, making it slightly suffocating.
It seemed to be autumn in the outside world. For humans, seasons cycled with the sensation of morning and night.
What was the human world like now? Perhaps it had not changed much, or perhaps modern buildings had been constructed. Or perhaps they were at war.
—Well, it doesn't matter.
The servants, upon seeing Elenoa, moved to the walls and bowed respectfully. She smiled warmly and said, "Thank you for your hard work," and as she turned the corner at the end of the hall, she bumped directly into a boy with cat ears. "Nya?" "Oh?"
"Where are you going? Can I come too? Nyan?"
"Sure. Though I'm just going to the balcony, so you might find it boring."
"I like that place. If you're staying long, I'll have them prepare tea and such. ...Hey, you dog over there, prepare the usual set and bring it to the balcony."
The dog-eared servant, accustomed to Bis's commands, bowed and said, "Yes."
"Is this okay? Don't you have work?"
"That guy from before? My job is to respond to Master's requests. Of course, that applies to me too. So, don't worry about it."
They walked through the gloomy castle. Accompanied by Bis, they headed to the balcony of an empty room on the third floor.
Elenoa's room was at the very top of a tower; it had windows but no balcony. She had searched the castle to find a place where she could bathe her whole body in fresh air, and what she found was this third-floor balcony.
They entered a room with no guards or locks, and opened the glass door directly in front of them. A table and chairs were already prepared there. By the wall, the maid who should have been left behind stood like a doll. Considering that this set had been prepared in the time it took Elenoa to come from her room to here, the speed was astonishing.
Elenoa sat in the chair the maid had pulled out for her.
"Thank you. Could you leave Bis-kun and me alone?"
"Understood. Then, please excuse me."
The stiff maid departed, and Elenoa finally took a deep breath.
In this Demon Lord's Castle, the closest place to the sky in the world, the sky looked even bluer. Bis hopped onto the other chair, looking pleased. Rumble, rumble, rumble... his throat was purring as well.
It was peaceful.
The only one who was not at peace was herself.
For the past year, Elenoa's heart had not been calm. It felt as if she were being slowly roasted at a low temperature.
"Bis-kun, you go outside often, don't you? Do you go to the human countries?"
"Hmm, sometimes I go out to check on things. There's nothing interesting, though, nyan."
"I wonder what it's like? Have glass buildings of about twelve floors been constructed?"
"What kind of technology is that? If you're curious, you should go out and see. The human world doesn't change that much. Elenoa-san, you haven't gone outside at all... Did Louis tell you not to?"
"It's not exactly that."
One year.
Elenoa had not once left the castle.
Therefore, she did not fully know the state of the Demon Realm, let alone the human world.
"Isn't Louis a bit overprotective? ...If anything happens, let me know."
Well, I don't know if I can do anything against Louis, though.
With that addition, Elenoa gave a wry smile.
As they enjoyed their tea, they saw the main gate outside open.
A cart pulled by a large headless horse and a driver came into view. It was a traveling merchant. Strictly speaking, they were not human because they had rat ears, but 'Traveling Merchant Monsters' sounded awkward.
"I wonder what they brought?"
"Hmm? Ah, they say they have something rare. You see, there's a festival coming up soon for Louis's Demon Lord Inauguration Anniversary, right? It's related to that, nyan."
In the Demon Realm, where there were many rough characters compared to humans, the King's inauguration festival was not a frequent event.
It seemed that during the era of Demon Lord Bis, it was never held. However, during the era of some event-loving Demon Lord many generations ago, it was apparently planned every year.
There were no formal rules for the event. It was free but prone to becoming messy, so it must have been difficult for those in charge as well.
"Is Louis going through a tough time right now?"
"If you say tough, it's always tough, but regarding this event, I'm in charge... nyaaan..."
"Ah, I see."
The trigger for this festival was a single opinion from the monsters in the castle who admired Louis. It spread outside the Demon Lord's Castle, and supporters emerged one after another insisting it must be done, but Louis himself said,
'I have no intention of celebrating my own inauguration,'
so the responsibility unfortunately fell to Bis, the third-in-command of the Demon Lord's Castle. Bis let out a sigh, "Funyan," but he did not seem entirely displeased.
When Elenoa gently patted Bis's head, his purring grew louder. Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble.
"So. For a while, rare items like that will be actively coming in, nyan."
Bis and Elenoa returned their gaze to the merchant undergoing inspection by the gatekeepers outside.
"That one was notified in advance, so it's not suspicious."
"No, I wasn't thinking it was suspicious or anything."
There, Elenoa thought for a moment and said,
"I'll be right back."
She hopped down. "Eh?" Bis's voice came from behind.
Elenoa was a fairy. She was easily driven by curiosity and flew recklessly. Letting her dress flutter and her hair play in the wind, she landed on the ground.
The gatekeeper and the merchant were startled by the sudden appearance of a fairy.
"Elenoa-sama!"
"Why are you in such a place...?"
"Her Highness the Queen, it is dangerous here."
"Is there anything dangerous within the grounds of the Demon Lord's Castle?"
A fairy living among high-ranking demons was like a rabbit living in a lion's den. But in the Demon Lord's Castle, that fairy had established a firm position. Elenoa turned a public smile toward the rat merchant, who was surprised to see that scene for the first time.
"Thank you for your hard work coming all this way. Do not worry about me; I am just looking."
She had made it a habit not to always spread her large wings, as they would be a hindrance, but to let them hang down her back. After checking that her wings were settled, Elenoa walked teke-teke toward the cart.
"It smells delicious. There are fruits."
"Y-yes, since it is this season, the oranges from the Southern Territory are said to be uniform in size. This year, they are reputed to have a different redness to their flesh."
"Is that so? ...Ah, sorry. Please continue with your work."
The merchant was confused, being told it was really fine and not to worry, but the gatekeeper said, "It is alright." The monsters working in the castle, who knew Elenoa, understood that since she said so, he should genuinely not worry.
Incidentally, Elenoa had been the type since her previous life who was uncomfortable with apparel store clerks who approached her.
"...Oh."
Among the goods, she detected a sweet scent.
As she did so,
"What are you doing?"
An arm reached out from behind and entangled her.
The arm wrapped around her chest was very familiar.
While thinking that she wished he would not approach without any presence, she placed her hand over his large one. His fingers intertwined with her other hand, and he suspiciously stroked her fingertips.
What had happened to his work?
Elenoa's husband did not hesitate to show affection in public today either.
Even in the face of such intimacy that could be called an eternal honeymoon, the demons did not pull away. Acknowledging that their Master was there, they shouted, "Demon Lord-sama!" and dropped to their knees with a thud.
"The traveling merchant has arrived, and there are many delicious-looking things. Beautiful textiles as well."
"It was in the report, but... Did you find anything you liked?"
"There is something that caught my interest. It smells sweet. Probably those yellow ones over there."
She pointed at the vivid yellow fruits. Cushioning material was laid in the wooden box, and they were packed with spaces between them.
"I see. The traveling merchant of the Rat Clan... according to the notice, his name was Toti. Do you have a recipe for those?"
"H-huh. If it's a human cookbook..."
"That would be helpful."
Demons also cook. Human books, though not many, circulate in the Demon Realm. Louis flipped through the book briefly and said,
"I will buy all of these fruits. Process the transaction."
"Yes!"
It had been decided that the servants in the castle would help unload the cargo. When Louis gave permission, the servants in the castle, called by the gatekeepers, came swarming out.
"Hey, all of them? What are you going to use them for?"
"If we have them, we won't be troubled, will we? It said they are popular with fairies too, and if you like them, they are all yours."
"What if I don't like the taste?"
"Then we will consume them within the castle."
"...I see."
The two moved away from the scene, which had become noisy.
Louis escorted Elenoa and walked her to the balcony.
"Welcome back, nyan. Something has increased."
"I'm home."
"I will return shortly."
Finally, whispering in Elenoa's ear, "I will finish early today. Please wait in my room," Louis returned to work. Watching his back as he left, Elenoa and Bis resumed their tea party on the balcony.
Elenoa had noticed.
Louis was wary of Elenoa meeting with outsiders. He was ensuring that Elenoa did not create opportunities to kill anyone. If she wandered out and he sensed danger, he would subtly dispatch Bis, and if that failed, he would come himself.
However, going outside or receiving guests was not explicitly prohibited.
That ambiguous freedom was eerie.
Therefore, Elenoa had not been able to go outside for this past year. She did not know what measures he would take if she went out. It was scary. She fell into suspicion and paranoia, wondering if he would restrain her with unexpected means, if he was testing her, if she was merely being made to swim in a fish tank.
The morning after the day he punished her.
Since that time, the fear born within Elenoa had not moved in the slightest.
"Elenoa-san?"
"...Ah, sorry."
"It's tiring, isn't it? Wouldn't you be forgiven if you complained once in a while?"
"Louis has a lot of work, and I want to keep him company as much as possible."
Even Bis, with whom she was chatting like this, she did not know what kind of orders he had received from Louis to be here.
Elenoa was tired.
She was loved to the point of suffocation, yet she was not trusted.
The suffocating current situation was surely corroding Elenoa's heart.
After having her skin polished by a maid, she waited in the Demon Lord's bedroom for several tens of minutes.
As soon as Louis returned, he pushed her onto the bed, and Elenoa's body was devoured.
During this past year, he had become more active in seeking her than before. He whispered words of love and cherished her. And there was no contraception at all.
She thought he was seeking a child.
'If I pour a lot in here, fill you with me, and a child is conceived... you will definitely be unable to leave, won't you?'
Those were the words he had said on the night their formal contract was made. He had shown signs of that intention before.
Lying on her stomach and being shaken, as her consciousness grew hazy, Elenoa looked at the chest far away. In this spacious bedroom, everything from the bed to the furniture was excessively distant.
On top of the furnishings standing on elegantly curved legs—there was an hourglass.
It was an object out of reach for the current Elenoa.
The form of Louis's feelings, once given to her by him.
It was enshrined, wrapped in the Demon Lord's barrier. Elenoa knew that floating within the circular blue light, it softly illuminated the darkness like indirect lighting. This was because she spent the night here once every ten days.
The barrier protecting the hourglass changed every time she looked. Now it was in light, before that it was in ice, and before that, by some mechanism, a small whirlwind had been swirling.
He had sealed the hourglass he had taken from Elenoa. And he ensured that no one else could touch it. By changing the barrier daily, he gave no time for countermeasures, and it seemed to be a mindset that gradually solidified his intent to steal.
Or perhaps, was it just his personal hobby?
He might just be conducting experiments to create new barriers.
—I don't know.
"............"
As Elenoa stared at the hourglass,
"No."
Louis said. And then, he blocked her view with his hand.
When her vision was gone, her other senses became sensitive, and she could only receive pleasure. She did not know if the tears that spilled without her knowing were because it felt good or because of sadness.
Louis would never give her the clock again.
So that the innocent fairy would not be allowed to reset anything.
She had failed. She could no longer kill her own kind. She had failed. What good would it do to thrust the sentiments of a tiny fairy against the Demon Lord who had vomited blood in agony?
She had failed.
This result was also her own doing.
"Don't think. It's alright. There is nothing to be afraid of."
"...Nothing?"
Really?
"Yes, nothing. See, it feels good, doesn't it?"
"Eh, ah, ...ah"
"Even without the clock, I love you. There is no need to worry. Feel good a lot, leave all the difficult things to me, and let's stay here forever."
—This might be similar to that ending.
In 'The Demon Lord and the Hourglass,' when the female protagonist was chosen, Louis Stylus's route-specific yandere tendencies were displayed. The Demon Lord sitting on the throne was laughing with the disheveled Hero on his lap. That dark and lewd ending still image was shocking for a romance game and had become a topic of conversation among fans.
—Was the protagonist who reached that ending feeling like this too?
If there are no troubles, I will post another chapter later.