Chapter 80 - The Demon Lord and the Queen Consort
The Demon Lord's Castle, built atop a high rocky peak, had limited guests invited. The heads of each Demon Clan and their families, along with a few other notable individuals. Just inviting them was enough to fill the great hall to a comfortable capacity.
The Demon Realm was a single nation ruled by the Demon Lord, and the heads of the Demon Clans held positions akin to feudal lords in human society. The head family of the Bird Clan flew through the air to enter the main gate, while the Dog Clan couple went out of their way to walk across the long bridge in front of the Demon Lord's Castle. Demons with various other distinctive traits gathered as well. Elenoa listened to the sounds of everyone in the castle bustling about busily.
The inauguration anniversary celebration for Demon Lord Louis.
The day Louis defeated Bis. Some minor objections had been raised about holding a banquet on this date, but it was none other than Bis himself who had chosen this day. Although the actual day Louis assumed office was different, Bis refused to change his stance, stating, "From the day I lost, Louis was already King. That's how it is in my mind, meow. I will accept no objections, meow."
The Demons, who did not sweat the small stuff, accepted the will of the stronger party.
And so, today. The inauguration anniversary celebration was held.
"It's not so much a festival as it is a party, right?"
"It is understandable that you would think so within the castle, but I heard that the entire Demon Realm is in a festive mood."
"That's amazing."
Elenoa was in her room, having Marche dress her.
She wore the dress displayed on the torso mannequin and had her makeup applied.
Louis, who had no interest in clothes and no intention of celebrating his own inauguration, had spared no effort when it came to her dress.
Golden eyes like the moon, turning blue when light hit them. Unfading blonde hair. And the blue of magical power. Louis had her dress made using his own colors. It featured a tight halter-neck line, but from the thighs down, it was a mermaid line flared with tulle and silk. It was an outfit designed to make Elenoa look her most attractive.
Her silver hair was curled and swept to her right shoulder, and she wore her usual hair ornament—something she could not remove due to the curse. The necklace was made of platinum. She thought he might have her wear something in her ears as well, but according to Marche, "His Majesty ordered that nothing be worn in the ears."
She draped a shawl with glitter over her shoulders and checked herself in the mirror. An outfit different from usual. It felt like battle attire.
If she was going to act, she had decided it would be today.
"...It'll be fine, right?"
She had found what she needed to do. Just that alone had made Elenoa feel strangely refreshed for the past few days. Thanks to that, she had relied on him a lot, been spoiled by him, and felt like she had been spending her time more brightly than before. But that recharging period was now over.
She had had enough time to prepare herself.
Recalling the sight of luxurious blonde hair fluttering in the bright moonlight beyond the window, Elenoa relaxed the corners of her mouth.
—I'll do my best.
Please do your best.
She thought she heard a whisper.
"Well, I wonder if today will become the anniversary of our first marital dispute."
"Eh...?"
He opened the door triumphantly. There was a long staircase. A spiral staircase of immense length connecting the top floor of the tall tower to the lowest level. Elenoa lightly jumped down from that spot. Since her skirt fit tightly down to her thighs, she had no worry of it flipping up strangely.
The voice calling out "Elenoa-sama!" from above soon faded into the distance. Feeling apologetic, she fell vertically. She spread her wings wide.
The maid's voice was no longer audible.
At the lowest level, her husband waited with a wry smile.
"You're a handful."
Saying so, he reached out his hand to Elenoa, who had descended from the sky with an air of elegance. She took his hand and embraced him as if covering him.
"Did you wait?"
"I just arrived."
Bis, standing behind Louis, wore a bitter expression, muttering about them being a "perpetually newlywed couple."
He wore an outfit similar in shape to his usual one, but it was pure white. He wore blue earrings in his ears and had changed his hair part. Seeing him dressed like this, Elenoa deeply thought that he really did look like a prince.
He gazed at Elenoa's dress and created an accessory on the spot. Earrings made using a blue Magic Stone.
"...This."
"They are earrings. Piercing your ears would hurt, so I refrained from making piercings. I intended to make something that suits that dress. Please, take a look."
As told, she closely appraised the item in Louis's palm.
[Demon Lord's Magic Stone A
Made by the Demon Lord, a blue Magic Stone.
Effect: When the owner receives damage above a certain threshold, a powerful Barrier is deployed.
Sell Price: 50,000,000 Clans
Remarks: He made this in three seconds. Full of love.]
"Good, it's not a Gohyanoro. But the price has gone up."
"I've been wondering for a while, but what exactly is this 'Gohyanoro'?"
As he placed the earrings in her ears, she realized that this was why he had given those instructions to the maids. The earrings, attached to both ears, glittered and swayed when Elenoa changed the angle of her face slightly.
"Do they suit me?"
"They are very lovely. ...Though I prepared this dress, you don't have to force yourself to attend the party, you know?"
"No, I'll go. If it's just standing there, even I can do it. I think I'll do my best as a decorative Queen Consort in a decorative way."
Perhaps sensing something odd in Elenoa's words, Louis asked "Huh?" defenselessly.
She looked up at him gently and said,
"You see, I have something to talk about later."
"I refuse to divorce you."
"Eh?"
"I absolutely refuse."
Troubled by him turning his face away with a "Hmph," she sought help from Bis with eye contact. "He's at a sensitive age, meow," he replied with dead eyes, and Elenoa accepted that as how it was.
"It's not about divorce or anything, it's just a request."
"Really? Actually, I also have something I want to discuss with you."
"Is that so? What is it?"
"That too, later. It is time."
It is time. In the past, when her Blood Wings had been forcibly created, those words had terrified Elenoa deeply. It had been the signal for pain to begin. But now, it was the signal for a fun party.
—At first, it was a white one-piece. Next, I wore the clothes of a human woman. It was something mass-produced generally. Next was a black one-piece, and I remember being delighted by its novelty. And now, it is such a wonderful, custom-made dress.
Bis, who had been accompanying them partway, had disappeared without her noticing.
Elenoa walked beside him. She stepped firmly on the castle corridor with her own feet.
—I want to become equals.
—We, who have never had marital disputes, family arguments, or master-servant conflicts, were never truly equal in the real sense.
She stopped once in front of the double doors and placed her hand on his arm. Beyond the single door separating them, she could hear the murmuring voices of a crowd.
"One! No matter what cold war is going on now, conflicts between races are prohibited!
Two! If you want to rampage, go outside!
Three! Do not make Louis and Elenoa-san angry!"
It was Bis's voice. Something like party rules were being read out from beyond the door.
"Now then! Demon Lord Louis-sama, Queen Consort Elenoa-sama, Their Majesties will now enter—meow!"
She chuckled at the slightly tension-lacking voice. It seemed the Cat Boy had entered the venue beforehand just to say this. Thinking of his small body working hard, she felt heartwarming affection.
The heavy-looking doors opened.
The brilliant lights of the venue shone in their direction.
—There are feelings that cannot be conveyed unless we are equals.
This is not a matter of being a couple of different species or a master and servant. Elenoa had to climb to a height where her feelings would not be twisted and would be conveyed correctly. Come to think of it, that was a thought that had existed within Elenoa for some time. As a kin-slayer, she had tried to bear the same amount of pain. That too was a form of equality, but she now understood it was a tremendous mistake. That had only trampled on his feelings, which wished for Elenoa's peace, and was nothing but self-satisfaction.
—More like myself. If I am to play the pure character, I will do so as a pure character. If I am a Fairy, I will act like a Fairy.
She looked forward. She straightened her back. She could not keep her head down.
She stepped into the light. Her feet moved forward with a click, as if jumping into a new world. Elenoa reaffirmed the small resolve within herself.
Looking down from the stage, Demons with various physical characteristics had gathered. Beast ears, tails, scales, and various other traits.
"Your Majesties!"
"Thank you for this celebratory occasion!"
They were Louis's current subordinates. Many of the Demons had had an audience with Louis, but Elenoa had only seen them from afar.
"It's the Queen Consort, I'm seeing her face for the first time." "Is she really a Fairy?" "How beautiful." "She lives on Demon Lord-sama's magical power, I'm envious."
Various voices could be heard.
As the Queen Consort, Elenoa sent them a smile of blessing.
If asked whether it was easier to be large or small, the only answer was "it depends on the situation," but when flying indoors, being small was easier. Weight, wing size, air friction—various conditions complexly intertwined to enable flight, but Elenoa herself had never thought about such difficult things. She just felt that being small was easier.
Elenoa, who had taken off her dress and cleansed herself, flew into Louis's private room.
A Demon who passed by the small Fairy gave her a second look, but she did not mind.
She stopped in front of the large door and
"Open up!"
She knocked on it with her palm, tap-tap-tap.
She went out of her way to trouble him like this. If she enlarged her body, she could open it normally, but it was troublesome. Besides, she wanted to recall the innocence she had forgotten. She just wanted to confirm, if only for now, that she was not a distant Fairy who stood on ceremony with him.
"Elie?"
He went out of his way to open the door with his hand, a door that could be operated with a single thought of the Demon Lord. She felt happy over just that small act.
"I should have set it so that you could enter without my permission if it were you, but were you repelled? Is there some malfunction?"
"It's not a malfunction. Can I come in?"
"I'm glad to hear that. Please, come this way. That size is nostalgic."
"Right? By the way, congratulations on your two hundredth year in office."
"Thank you. Though I wonder if I should really be happy about it."
"Everyone in the Demon Realm is happy."
It was quiet here, but the banquet was not over. There were those who would make noise all night, so if she went downstairs, she would probably hear their voices.
He was wearing a gown. Droplets dripping from his blonde hair fell onto the nape of his neck and trailed down his skin.
She thought she was used to seeing him, but it was a dangerous beauty that made her stare captivated in fleeting moments.
"You must be tired today. Is it easier to stay small?"
"I'm a little tired, but I'm still fine. You need to dry your hair properly."
"I quite like staying wet, though."
When he aligned his gaze with his bangs, his hair dried in an instant. He seemed to have used magic. It appeared that such basic magic could be handled with just a glance.
He sank into a chair, and naturally accepted Elenoa landing on his shoulder.
He smelled of soap. When she playfully tugged at his hair, his fingers stroked Elenoa's small head. She was happy to hear his gentle laugh, "Hehe." The atmosphere, where they could be just a human and a Fairy, was nostalgic, and she wanted to stay like this forever. But since she could not,
"As promised, I came to talk."
"...I see."
He nodded regretfully and patted his knee. Elenoa reflexively landed there. A well-tamed Fairy is obedient.
"You first, please."
She nodded with an "Mhm."
Elenoa had come to talk.
"You've spoiled me a lot lately and given me plenty of delicious magical power, haven't you?"
There had been many nights where they pressed their bare skin together and exchanged bodily fluids. Fresh magical power circulated throughout Elenoa's entire body, from his mouth and from her womb. Although his magical power had been constantly supplied since she contracted with him, the bait given more directly than that was her bliss. She felt she was receiving excessive spoiling as a wife.
"My condition is very good right now. I'm probably the most beautiful Fairy in the world right now."
"I am happy if you are well. Your wings are translucent and beautiful, as if they are shining."
"I'm full of Louis's magical power."
"Yes, because I made you that way."
"So, I think it would be fine even if we were apart for a little while."
Snap. The air froze.
Louis kept his smile, but his eyes glowed coldly.
Only the fingers stroking Elenoa remained gentle.
"Didn't you say it wasn't a talk about divorce?"
"I did. It's not about divorce. I just want to go outside."
"Why? I will go with you."
"Sorry, I want to go alone. There is something I want. It's meaningless if someone else retrieves it for me; I must find and obtain it myself. I don't know where it is, so it will probably take some time."
She insisted that she promised to return.
But Louis only continued to stroke her while deep in thought.
"Actually, I was thinking of confining you for a while. For about ten years."
"Eh..."
"Of course, I had planned to prepare an environment suitable for raising a Fairy... but this is the exact opposite of your request."
And again, silence fell.
Surely, he had reached a conclusion within himself. He was likely considering how to coax her, how to manage her mood after rejecting her earnest request. He was undoubtedly calculating a plan that suited his own convenience.
They had not been a couple for two hundred years for nothing.
Elenoa understood Louis's cunningness in crucial moments all too well.
"I'll come back. I absolutely won't run away."
The moment Elenoa said it, Louis snapped his fingers. What was summoned from somewhere was a silver birdcage. It was the same design as the one in the House of Stylus, and thoughtfully, it even contained her favorite cushion. Neither showed any wear; they were as good as new.
He smiled.
Sensing that this was his answer, Elenoa felt sad.
She didn't need to go out of her way to ask for permission to go outside; she could have gone out anytime. Fairies could fly anywhere. But she had sought his permission because that was Elenoa's form of sincerity. In the first place, there was also the fear that if she went outside without telling him, he would surely come to get her and confine her for good this time, but more than that, she did not want to betray him again.
—So you don't have to dismiss it like this.
Her chest hurt, but
—Still, I knew.
Elenoa knew Louis better than anyone.
"Louis, you never trusted me from the start, did you?"
Continue, his eyes said.
The cage was still in his hand. If she were thrown into it, Elenoa would have no means left.
But she had no intention of backing down even a step.
"You've always thought I would run away, haven't you? That I'm a heartless Fairy who leaves Louis or Lumina-chan behind when something happens."
"............"
"When I needed to convey something important, you always waited for times when I couldn't move. When Lumina-chan needed nursing care, or when my body wasn't in perfect condition."
"Naturally. One should block off escape routes."
He said without any remorse,
"Because I know that you will run away immediately. I have repeatedly dreamed of that since long ago. So if you say I don't trust you, that may be true. I also understand now that those were likely 'memories from before.' Although it was unconscious action, I was merely being cautious about things that actually happened in the past... so I don't think you have grounds to blame me."
The starry sky visible from the window began to be faintly hidden. Gray clouds were starting to cover it.
In the Demon Realm, where Louis's magical power had permeated, his emotional agitation could influence the weather.
—I am loved by him, but at the same time, I am probably hated.
To have his heart disturbed this much by the mere possibility that Elenoa might run away.
Complex feelings welled up within her as she looked at him, who maintained a stiff smile while reflecting his inner state in the weather.
She lightly flew up and tried kissing his cheek as a test. He only accepted it as if it were ticklish. Even when she patted him, he only chuckled like a kitten being bitten and gently scolded her with "Now, now."
She hadn't intended to play a prank with either action.
She just couldn't think of anything else to do.
The love evident in his eyes did not waver at all, accepting his wife's nonsensical actions.
—Even though he doesn't trust me.
—No matter what I do, he surely won't grow tired of me.
If the one he loves tries to run, he will catch them.
If the one he loves changes, he will keep them in the form he loves.
That was his way of loving. It was the "sickness" of his yandere role among the capture targets.
"Louis's love knows no bounds, does it?"
"I think there are people who truly prefer this kind of display of love. That is why I am who I am, and yandere characters are like that."
"Unfortunately, I am an orthodox pure Fairy, so I don't quite understand. I suppose it's a difference in values, something like that."
While saying so, Elenoa, who secretly rejoiced in his heavy obsession deep in her heart, was surely somewhat sick herself.
This time, she overlaid her lips with his.
He showed signs of surprise, but he did not resist.
"Please."
"............"
"I am not prepared enough. I want some time apart, even if just as a chance to cool my head. I want to go outside for that. I want permission to go out."
And there was a long silence.
It was like a stay of execution before imprisonment. Conscious of the cage still in his hand, Elenoa faced Louis directly.
Eventually, a large sigh, "...Haa," was heard, and Elenoa's small body trembled.
"You should just stay by my side. Does such a simple thing require such grand resolve?"
Murmuring that he didn't want her to expend such effort, he then sent the cage flying somewhere. Elenoa did not know where his belongings came from or where they returned to.
The starry sky returned outside the window.
Louis worried, and worried, and thought for a long time,
"There is a reason I thought of confining you."
He disclosed information that had not been told to Elenoa until now.
"War will likely begin."