Chapter 12 – My Answer
“So, Demon Queen, have you made your decision?”
I gulp down the tea.
When I looked up, I saw Alexia sitting across from me with a smile on her face.
I took another sip of tea before she asked again.
“My decision, you say?”
“Yes, the decision about whether or not to become the Demon Lord’s wife.”
Hearing that rephrasing got me thinking.
A few nights ago, I went to Lord Ewaldt’s room and told him my secret.
That I had a previous life living in another world.
That this world was depicted there as a story.
Saintess Yuri is probably from the same world as me in my previous life, and probably knows about this world.
It was because I knew the story that I was able to resurrect Lord Ewaldt.
People would probably think I’m crazy.
Even though I was thinking so, Lord Ewaldt listened to what I had to say without rejecting it.
On the contrary, he affirmed my past life and tried to accept it as well.
…… To be honest, I can’t find anything I dislike about him.
Lord Ewaldt is kind, generous, and yet always shows me affection.
It was a far cry from my days as the fiancée of the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Inglith.
No one here scorns me.
Rather, ever since my battle with Lord Wilde, they seem to see me as a member of the demon race, a comrade.
Ironically, I have more freedom and a happier life as a demon than as a human.
“…Is it alright for me to be here?”
…… It’s precisely because I’m happy that I’m scared.
Will I lose this happiness someday?
When I think about it, I feel scared, maybe because I know that there is a place for me here.
Lady Alexia laughs, “Hohoho”.
“Of course it’s fine. If it wasn’t, neither the Demon Lord nor I would support the Demon Queen like this.”
Lord Alexia stared at me.
“On the other hand, let me ask you, do you dislike us demons, Demon Queen?”
“No, not at all. In fact, I think demons are much more caring towards their comrades than humans, and have a stronger sense of community, which I find appealing.”
“I see, I see.”
Lady Alexia nods happily at my words.
Although the demon tribe is a meritocracy, they also have a strong sense of kinship, and those who are powerful stand in front of the weaker ones to protect them in battle.
It is seldom the case that the powerful only command from a safe place, as is the case with humans.
I also liked that aspect of it.
“So, what about the Demon Lord?”
When asked, I was at a loss for words for a moment.
“…… I think he’s a kind person.”
“Yes, the Demon Lord is more lenient towards demons. And he seems to be even more tolerant of the Demon Queen. Besides, the Demon Lord is dashingly handsome too. I don’t think he’s bad.”
I have no complaints about Lord Ewaldt.
Even if he is dissatisfied with me, I will have no bad feelings toward Lord Ewaldt.
That’s why I am afraid.
…… because I …… I don’t want to be thrown away anymore.
Lord Alexia says to me, who was silent for a moment.
“So, what if I were to become the Demon Queen?”
I was surprised and said, “Huh?”
“I have known the Demon Lord for a long time, and we were close even before he was sealed. Although the Demon Lord is the pinnacle of the Demon Clan, it was once said that it would be best to have someone to support him.”
I was shocked by this.
…… Lady Alexia …… as the Demon Queen.
But if that’s the case, it might be a good fit.
Both Lord Ewaldt and Lady Alexia are beautiful, and Lady Alexia is one of the progenitors of vampires and is apparently very strong.
I feel that Lady Alexia would be a much better match for Ewaldt than I would be.
…… Even though I feel that way, I still don’t like it.
As I looked down, Lady Alexia gave me a troubled look.
“It was just something that came up. Both I and the Demon Lord consider each other friends, but we have no intention of becoming husband and wife.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. To begin with, I am a believer of free love. Becoming husband and wife with just one person and loving only that person doesn’t suit me.”
I was relieved to hear that.
At the same time, Lady Alexia’s eyes narrowed in amusement.
“You’re relieved now, aren’t you?”
My shoulders jumped with a jerk.
This made Lady Alexia laugh out loud.
“Oh Demon Queen, you are adorable.”
Apparently, I was being teased.
“Lady Alexia, please don’t tease me……!”
It can’t be helped that there was a slight reproach.
Lady Alexia laughed “Hohoho!” again.
“Now, now, don’t get all mad. Oh, Demon Queen, if hearing my words makes you feel down or uneasy, doesn’t that tell you something?”
“That is …….”
“If you don’t hate the demons or the Demon Lord, then what’s the problem?”
“Come on, tell me”, she urged me, so I honestly told him how I felt at the time.
“Well, I’m afraid that I might be abandoned again. If I’m abandoned by both humans and demons, I’ll have nowhere else to go.”
Lady Alexia’s eyes widened in response.
For some reason, she laughed at me in a very funny way.
“I see, that’s how it was.”
Then Lady Alexia says.
“I don’t think that it’s my place to say anything about that. It would be best to ask the Demon Lord directly.”
“…… to Lord Ewaldt.”
“That’s right. Even if I say, ‘The Demon Lord won’t change his mind’, Demon Queen, your heart won’t be lightened.”
I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
Although Lady Alexia looks younger than me, she is actually much older than I am.
I was reminded of this once again.
At the same time, perhaps I should ask Lord Ewaldt directly, rather than worrying about it like this.
At the very least, just worrying about it won’t give me the answer.
“That’s right… I’ll ask Lord Ewaldt.”
A few days ago, I had put the matter on hold.
Lord Ewaldt didn’t get angry, but I was worried about it, and it bothered me even more.
But there is a part of me that wants to believe.
“I see, then go and ask.”
“Eh, right now?”
“It’s best to do this sort of thing the moment you’ve decided to do it. If you leave it until later, you’ll hesitate.”
Lord Alexia waved her hand for me to go, so I nodded and left my seat.
She was right.
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And so, I arrived at Lord Ewaldt’s room.
As soon as the servant demon saw me, she opened the door and let me in.
Lord Ewaldt said, “You are welcome anytime”.
Apparently, that was true.
When I went inside, Lord Ewaldt was sitting on the sofa, apparently reading a book.
However, when he saw me, he closed the book.
“You came while the sun was still high today.”
I blushed a little, remembering what happened a few days ago.
In retrospect, it was very embarrassing to go to a man’s room in the middle of the night in my nightclothes.
I was beckoned to sit down on the sofa diagonally in front of Lord Ewaldt.
“So, what shall we talk about today?”
I squeeze my hand tightly.
I was afraid to ask, but I had to….
“There’s something I’d like to ask you, Lord Ewaldt…….”
“You can ask me anything.”
While I hesitated, Lord Ewaldt waited quietly without rushing me.
This alone made me feel that this was different from when I was human.
Whenever I hesitated or was confused, the Crown Prince always gave me a look of annoyance or irritation.
And when I was unable to say anything, he would always get angry, which made it even more difficult for me to express my opinions and feelings, creating a vicious cycle.
…… I was weak back then.
I didn’t want to be disliked or have my reputation lowered, so I lived my life always trying to read the reactions of the people around me.
Perhaps the Crown Prince was irritated by my attitude.
…… That’s right, Rachel.
I had already decided that I would not endure things like I did back then.
I raised my head and looked at Lord Ewaldt.
“I have no complaints about the demons.”
Lord Ewaldt nodded.
“I have no complaints about you either, Lord Ewaldt.”
“I see.”
Lord Ewaldt smiled a little happily.
There are people who are happy to hear words like this from me.
“As I have told you before, I was the fiancée of the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Inglith. But I was abandoned.”
There is no such thing as loneliness or sadness.
All I feel is anger, hatred and humiliation.
If I had only been dumped, I am sure I could have endured it.
Even though it was painful, I would have cheered the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Saint with a smile, and maybe things would have turned out the way they did in the original story.
But the reality was different.
Saintess Yuri denounced me as a threat to the country, and everyone, including my former fiancé, the Crown Prince, and the Duke, who was supposed to be my family, wanted me dead.
The people I thought I was supposed to protect wanted me dead, and so I was executed.
Even though I hadn’t done anything myself.
As if my very existence was evil.
Normally, nobles would be properly put on trial and subjected to strict legal cross-examination before being sentenced.
However, I was sentenced on a false charge based solely on “the words of a saint” and “speculation”.
“I’m scared to trust anyone.”
Lord Ewaldt replies, “I suppose so.”
“Betrayed by family and fiancé, and executed for a crime that never happened. It’s only natural not to trust others.”
But Lord Ewaldt raised his eyebrows slightly.
“I have no intention of betraying you. I’m not like your family or your fiancé. Is it difficult to trust what I say?”
Saying this, Lord Ewaldt raised his hand slightly.
His magic power flowed and a magic formula gently appeared.
“This is Contract Magic. It is used when making important promises.”
“Contract Magic……”
“Yes, if you make a promise with Contract Magic, you will be punished if you break that promise.”
Certainly, there was a similar kind of magic among humans.
It was done through the temple.
“If I ever betray you, how about I return all the mana I received during my resurrection and hand over my title as the Demon Lord to you?”
I was stunned by Lord Ewaldt’s words.
“I, I don’t want the title of Demon Lord……!”
“Is that so? If I betray you, you will become the Demon Lord and will be able to move the Demons at will. Well, don’t worry about it, I would never betray you.”
Lord Ewaldt chuckled humorlessly.
“If you become my Queen, I will make this contract and swear to love only you.”
…… I want to believe him.
I’ve only known him for two months, but in those two months I have seen and spoken with Lord Ewaldt every day.
Perhaps I had more conversations with him than I did with the Crown Prince.
I think I can trust Lord Ewaldt more than my family, more than the Crown Prince.
Because this person really looks at me.
It was clear that he was different from the Duke and the Crown Prince.
“Lord Ewaldt, I’m selfish. I want the man I marry to look only at me, to love me, and to be able to talk to me.”
“That’s not selfish. It’s natural.”
Lord Ewaldt took my hand and held it gently.
“But if that’s you being selfish, then you should be more selfish.”
He looks at me with his crimson eyes.
“Demons are mostly honest. There’s nothing wrong with you being honest with your feelings. In fact, it’s better to be like a demon.”
“It’s true that most demons are honest.”
“Yes, and I am king among such demons.”
Lord Ewaldt spoke as he cast a Contract Magic in one hand.
“My Destiny, Rachel, I swear to you that I will love only you, that I will never betray you, and that I will respect your will. Will you live with me for a long time?”
…Live with Lord Ewaldt….
Strangely, I felt no discomfort at all.
On the contrary, it was easy to predict that if I became Queen, I would continue to enjoy my time with Lord Ewaldt and the Executives.
These past two months have been the most fun, free and peaceful days of my life.
I gently reach out for the Contract Magic.
“Do you mind if I do?”
Lord Ewaldt shakes his head.
“It’s fine because it’s you.”
I pour magic power into the Contract Magic.
The magic power of myself and Lord Ewaldt completes the spell.
“I also swear. I will only love you, Lord Ewaldt, I will not betray you, and I will respect your wishes. …… do you mind if I love you, Lord Ewaldt?”
“Yes, I, too, want to love you.”
Once the spell was completed, half of the magic power flowed into me and the other half into Lord Ewaldt.
It was a strange sensation.
Lord Ewaldt pulled me by the hand.
Before I could scream, I was in Lord Ewaldt’s arms.
“Thank you, Rachel, my Destiny.”
He kissed my forehead gently.
“My dear wife.”
His words made my body temperature rise, even though I was supposed to be dead.
Once again Lord Ewaldt kissed my forehead.
“Please love me as I love you.”
“Yes, Lord Ewaldt.”
…… This time, I want to believe him.
Let’s believe in Lord Ewaldt.
“I am Lord Ewaldt’s Queen.”
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Sads Translates 