Previously
Groib gives Ariella a tour of the small, poorly disciplined castle and its surrounding territory, which resembles a desolate village. Ariella learns that the Demon King's power and life are tied to his "sun," which grows or shrinks based on the territory's population.
The door to the conference room opened. Inside, Ludvic and three of his retainers sat around a large round table.
“Oh, you’re here.”
The Demon King waved a hand with an expressionless face.
At once, three sets of eyes locked onto Ariella.
Groib bowed with one hand over his chest in a respectful greeting, then stepped back.
“This is Ariella. As I told you before, she is my contractor. And those seated here are…”
Ludvic began introducing his retainers one by one, using the familiar names Ariella had already heard from Groib.
‘So these three are the core of the Demon King’s castle, are they?’
It seemed they had lived in this territory since the reign of the previous Demon King.
As for Ludvic, barely a year had passed since he ascended the throne. The retainers were said to know far more about the territory's affairs than he did.
‘Was I swindled? He calls himself the Demon King, but he knows nothing and owns nothing!’
Could the lifesaver she had clung to be nothing more than a frayed rope?
Anger surged within her once more. But it did not last long; Ariella took a quiet, deep breath.
‘No, there’s no point in regretting it now. I have to play the hand I’ve been dealt!’
A werewolf spoke up.
“Hmm! I’ve been smelling fresh human for a while now. So you really did form a contract with a human? Haha! I thought it was a lie!”
His name was Olken, the one in charge of the territory’s security and defense. Of course, the information about him was already written in her notebook.
He seemed simple and a bit dense—though that was merely Groib’s personal evaluation.
Olken laughed boisterously, infuriating the figure seated beside him. The individual had a pale face and prominently bared fangs, clearly marking him as a vampire.
“Hmph! How can a mere human attend a council presided over by the Demon King?!”
According to the notes, his name had to be Bivar. He was in charge of financial affairs and had served the castle across generations.
Bivar looked thoroughly disgusted simply because Ariella had stepped into the room.
“Are you still ignorant of the laws of the Demon King’s castle? This is a classified chamber that not even outsider demon clans are allowed to enter, let alone a human! If the previous king were still alive, he would have torn that woman to shreds!”
Olken scratched his fur-covered chin.
“Huh? But she’s his contractor. Doesn’t that make it an exception?”
“There are no exceptions! This is an unwritten law passed down since ancient times! Not to mention that this meeting is critical—”
Bivar began citing the history and customs of the demon realm to justify kicking Ariella out of the conference hall. His attitude, however, was blatantly provocative.
His hatred toward Ariella seemed far greater than his concern for the laws.
‘What is his problem? Getting furious all by himself, like he’s lost his mind.’
As she listened to his drawn-out reasons, Ariella imagined herself sewing that pale mouth shut with silver thread.
“…Consequently, what is happening now is both unprecedented and illogical! What do you think, Richmond?”
Bivar brought up his eighth reason, then turned to the other side of the table.
He was addressing a skeleton dressed in a black robe, with lights flickering inside the empty sockets of its skull.
‘That skeleton is Richmond, right? Supposedly in charge of general administrative affairs, aside from defense and finance.’
Richmond answered.
“Well, she is the Demon King’s first contractor… And in any case, wasn’t she invited here simply for an introduction? At the very least, it is good to see her face.”
He then looked toward Ludvic as if asking for his thoughts.
Richmond’s expectation, however, was mistaken. This was not a mere introduction. On the contrary, Ludvic went a step further.
“We will now begin the territorial administration meeting. You sit down too.”
It was not just an introduction; it was an explicit declaration that she would take part in the meeting. At that, Bivar countered in astonished displeasure,
“A meeting? With this human taking part in it?!”
Ariella was still wearing the pearl-toned gown from the ritual, as she had not been given any proper clothes to change into. Bivar seized upon this to mock her.
“From the looks of her, she’s merely a girl in fancy clothes with an empty head. Even if she listens in on the meeting, she won’t understand a single th—”
“Yes! I will take part in the meeting.”
Ariella cut him off sharply, then swiftly sat down in the nearest empty seat.
Bivar’s face twisted in rage. Ariella, suppressing the urge to drive an iron stake through the arrogant pale creature’s heart, spoke with bold confidence.
“From the moment the contract was sealed, Ludvic and I became bound to a shared fate. If this land is not managed properly, the sun will be affected—and if the sun is affected, my life will be in danger, will it not?”
“Even so—!”
Ariella cut Bivar off once more, glaring at the retainers as she began dismantling them point by point.
“Is any of you more desperate than I am? Suppose this land is destroyed. At the very least, none of you will die. But I will! Is that not enough to grant me the right?”
Richmond raised his hands, set them on the table, and interlaced his fingers. A clicking sound echoed from his finger joints.
“Very well, let us say you have the right to attend. But entitlement is one thing, and competence is another, is it not?”
Ariella understood the meaning behind his words.
Could she play a worthwhile role in a meeting deciding the fate of an entire land? Did she possess the knowledge and skill that qualified her to do so?
Ludvic stepped in to back her up.
“Ariella was a princess in the human realm. She has experience running a country.”
Olken voiced his admiration, while Richmond let out a sound of mild interest. Bivar, on the other hand, scoffed with contempt.
“A princess? How laughable.”
His gaze toward Ariella was filled with hostility as he continued his sharp remarks.
“If she were of true royal blood, she wouldn't have ended up in the demon realm. She must hail from a country unworthy of being called a country, lacking lineage and standing alike.”
He crossed his arms and sneered sarcastically,
“Or perhaps she was at the very bottom of the line of succession? A princess in name only, an incompetent woman incapable of doing anything on her own, who resorted to seducing the Demon King and making a pact with him!”
Ariella’s expression turned utterly cold. There was no reason for her to endure this level of insult.
She asked, verifying what she had just heard,
“Seduced him? Me, seduce the Demon King?”
“Precisely!”
“Those words are deeply insulting—not only to me, but to the Demon King as well.”
“What nonsense is this?!”
Bivar shouted in shocked denial.
“Me, insult the Demon King? Don’t worry, that is impossible!”
“Yet that is what you did. By your logic, your ruler lacks the discernment not to fall into the snare of a mere human.”
She then turned to Ludvic and asked,
“Could it be that you, the Demon King present before us, lack the wisdom to avoid sealing such a critical contract without thought or scrutiny?”
‘Do you understand now, you fool? You weren’t attacking me; you were insulting your own master.’
“What?!”
Bivar caught Ariella’s drift, his confusion deepening. Ludvic’s expression shifted; though he had not been a party to the squabble, he had caught an arrow in silence.
Bivar hastened to offer his excuses to Ludvic.
“Your Majesty, I could never have intended such a thing! That wretch is using her wicked tongue to—”
“I am not finished speaking yet.”
· · ·
“True, I was the one who summoned the Demon King because I needed him. But the Demon King also chose me after seeing my capabilities. You say I seduced him? That is only said when one side takes advantage of the other. As for us, we forged a pact born of mutual need.”
She asked, pressing her point,
“Ludvic—or rather, Your Majesty! Is there any fault in what I’ve said so far?”
“No… I don't think so…”
Ludvic nodded absently. Everyone in the room was spellbound by Ariella’s eloquent tongue.
“Perhaps it is difficult for Lord Bivar to grasp a relationship of this kind.”
Now was the time to strike his weak spot.
Ariella spoke in an exaggerated tone, as though pitying him,
“Well, if you had ever experienced having your abilities recognized, you might understand. But from what I hear, your position wasn’t earned through your own merit; you simply inherited it from your family, didn’t you?”
“You insolent wench!”
Bivar was consumed with shame and fury. His already pale face turned even whiter with shock.
At that, Ludvic spoke up.
“I believe that is enough talk for now. From this day forward, my contractor, Ariella, will participate in regular meetings with us—”
Bivar screeched sharply, furiously interrupting him,
“Your Majesty! This cannot stand! Expel her at once!”
Stung by Ariella’s verbal slap, he had completely lost his temper.
Even though the king had already issued his decision, Bivar went so far in his defiance that he sounded as though he were commanding his master rather than obeying him.
Yet Ludvic did not utter a single word to this arrogant retainer. Nor did he need to. Someone else stepped in and seized the floor first.
“You there, just who do you think you are?”
Silence fell over the hall.
END