Chapter 25 – Extra Story — The Knight Who Pledged The Oath, Part Four  

On the day of the evening party, I had an itchy feeling as I watched Remilia-sama’s back as she headed ahead to the venue alone among the lower class nobles.

Ahh, how dignified she looks even though she has no one following her at the moment. It is so frustrating that I can’t stand by her back at this moment.

Haah, it’s all the fault of this slack-jawed Demon King. How this man has finally made it to this day without being able to tell Remilia how he feels about her!! What a waste of time!

As I take a breath in the antechamber of the most prestigious guest room that we are allowed to pass foreign royalty through, I quickly check on tonight’s proceedings. Of course, the servants in this country have been lowered, and only after Misery-sama has put up the art of preventing eavesdropping and prying eyes.

So after the final confirmation of the originally decided lines and the main plot, the conversation naturally turned to the「main event」of the evening.

Then the three of us would stare at Angel-sama with staring eyes.

「…What are all three of you bending so much on a whim? We’re about to have a very important soirée.」

「Who was it that failed to accompany Remilia-sama as a partner to this soirée?」 「I don’t have a choice… They did ask her out! But… Remilia was reluctant to give in, saying that she was not well-liked by the country and that any public appearance in the camp of the Demon Nation would cause a backlash….」

「Did you tell her that you would like her to join you as your own partner in marriage, not as such a construction partner!? You didn’t!」

When I said this, Angel-sama looked away as if he was annoyed.

「Haah… Isn’t it unfair to give her magic stones and dresses without telling her the real purpose of doing so?」

「…That was an, uhh, insect repellant for… I just wanted to protect Remilia from anything that would bother her until things were over. And I didn’t want to tell Remilia anything that would limit her options…」

「You say that again. That is too cowardly and disrespectful from you, Brother. Certainly the Crown Prince here would woo her again if he knew the truth. Do you really think that Remilia-san would be bonded by the now-familiar words of such a blind ex-fiancee?」

「………Ugh.」

Then, realizing that the odds were against him, Angel-sama silently got up from his seat and went to the window. Crossing his arms and looking down at the sunken garden from the window with a thoughtful expression on his face, he looks very picturesque.

If the servants of the castle, who had returned to their rooms after the conversation was over, could see him, they would sigh at the sight of the mighty Demon King standing alone with a melancholy expression on his face.

No thought was given to the fact that he had lost the battle of tongues and escaped from us.

Goodness gracious… I definitely wanted the two of them as partners in the evening party… I understand what Remilia-sama said, but just thinking that His Royal Highness Crown Prince Williard might「still have a chance」against Remilia-sama makes me so angry I can’t help but twist my body.

I’ll show them how much Angel-sama loves Remilia-sama and how right she is, and he will have a chance to take advantage of it… I wish you hadn’t made me think that I had a piece of it.

I can’t forgive them for that, that they might shamelessly think that「there is still room for them to be forgiven,」after having wrongly and harshly treated the wonderful Remilia-sama. Including the man who was my former fiancé. He was so conveniently intoxicated with his「jealous self」 that he’ll definitely think of something convenient.

I wanted to make him despair by showing him that「Remilia-sama doesn’t believe in false accusations and already has a companion who loves her」in the first place. Tch!

I don’t believe at all that this is the same devilish and merciless man who had secretly discussed the night party with me many times and gleefully planned to expose and condemn the Star Maiden for her sins.

When the evening party began, even ambassadors and royalty from other countries were present, but we were the last to be invited in as the most distinguished guests, a group from a Magical Realm. We, the subjects, open the door first, then split to the left and right and take the form of a bow. The figure of His Majesty the Demon King appeared majestically out of the crowd, and anyone with even the slightest magical background could see that he was about to drop to his knees, but managed to hold on and hang his head just enough to show his welcome. Perhaps pressured by the influence, the king of this country expressed his welcome to the Demon King he had invited, but his face was somewhat stiff. I used to think of His Majesty as a great king, albeit ruthless in some ways, but I wonder if the way I feel changes when the master I look up to changes. Or perhaps His Majesty has actually changed.

Without moving my eyes, I became aware that those who seemed to recognize my face were still buzzing with confusion at my entrance. Oh, those of you who used to be my family members are also forgetting to be on guard in the hall, even though you are on guard for the evening party.

But they can’t leave their posts and just freeze with their faces turned to me.

Like numerous other nobles, they were unable to hide their gazes toward the Lilim wine, and their words echoed with a welcome to the king of the demon tribe, who felt a buoyant mood. Is it still kingly that, unlike other old people, he doesn’t have an overtly guileless gaze?

Even the prime minister, who is feared by all as a cunning old man, doesn’t hide his desire for the longevity of the drink and its effects on chronic illnesses.

Incidentally, Remilia-sama was also involved in the development of this highly effective special Lilim wine. She is a saint, a wonderful lord, a first-rate magician, and an inventor. I hope they regret the greatness of the talent they missed out on and regret it for the rest of their lives.

I also take the cup of the one they handed out and lightly swirl the glass around in my hand. Only the first round of drinks is served, partly because of its efficacy, not only to those present in the hall but also to the servants and guards of the castle. It is common for guests to offer to serve drinks, but as is customary, no one ever refused because they were on duty. That’s a matter of course. I heard that the other side was overjoyed at this story. What a grand gesture to the country that betrayed you, Remilia-sama…

I could picture them being concerned about the taste and aroma because it would be one of the main attractions of the magical realm. I am sure that there will be no end to the number of people who seek it as a rare and beautiful wine.

After the long, prestigious, and well-deserved greeting, we moved on to the toast. Those who had a lot of magic power in their bodies made a sound like a carbonated water fountain boiling, and parts of their bodies glowed faintly.

There must have been a pre-existing condition there. The high ranking aristocrats, who had serious chronic illnesses and high magical power, cheered at the noticeable effect of the treatment.

It was all going according to plan until the words of Angel-sama’s boastful words to the king of this country, who was amazed at the effects of that Lilim wine. Yes, up to this point, the story had been proceeding perfectly according to the plan we…or rather, Angel-sama had laid out. To be honest, even I was surprised when that fell apart big time.

I mean, I had expected some sort of pattern, but I didn’t think it would come to this, no matter how much I wanted it to!

「Your Majesty, The Demon King!」

Her very happy face and the tone of her voice… I guessed what kind of misunderstanding was going on inside her.

The king and prince, whose curse had just been lifted by the effects of the Lilim wine, were told that the「favors they had unnaturally had are not gone, or they were implanted by the curse.」So they both looked at the Star Maiden or whatever she was, probably thinking of the same person.

Ahh… Maybe in her mind, she thought「His Majesty the Demon King caught her eye and told the king something.」She wanted to look up to the heavens, knowing that she was getting what she mistook for a story of convenience.

She even embarrassed herself by saying,「No, I don’t want to decorate it,」in response to Angel-sama’s sarcastic remark,「It’s a nice decoration.」

Earlier I had felt only anger toward this woman, but now there was definitely a mixture of pity and unbearable feeling of being there.