I Didn't Hate It Either
I didn't hate it, either.
“No, what I mean is…”
“Are you two getting married?”
The one who suddenly cut in and blocked my words was Dipe. I’d thought she was enjoying her horseback ride, but she came fluttering back and plopped herself down on my lap again.
“Dipe? Why did you stop riding the—”
“I like it better here!” Dipe beamed, patting my knee. “So, Roen, are you marrying the Demon King?”
“Ah, um…”
Dipe asked the question as casually as if she were asking about the weather, while Ilena sat frozen stiff, staring straight ahead without a word.
“Get married, get married! You two are so close!” Dipe urged, even stomping her little legs up and down as if the idea of us growing even closer delighted her.
Dipe, please read the room. I had to clear up the misunderstanding first.
“Ilena, so what I was trying to say was…”
“I don’t mind it.”
What?
While I was still speechless, Ilena turned to me with careful eyes and asked, “I don’t mind marrying you.”
“……”
At this point I couldn’t even remember what I’d originally wanted to say.
“The Demon King likes it too! It’s settled!” Dipe thrust both arms into the air and cheered.
“Uh…?”
But when neither I nor Ilena gave much of a reaction, she finally sensed the mood and quietly shut her mouth.
For a long while, not a single word passed between me, Ilena, and Dipe. In the silence, only the sound of hooves against the road could be heard.
The quiet broke when Dipe’s head lolled and bumped lightly against my arm. Her eyes were nearly closed—she looked sleepy.
“Looks like Dipe’s getting tired.”
“Mmm…”
“You’ll catch a cold if you sleep out here. Come on, I laid out a spot in the luggage compartment earlier. Go in there and rest!”
When Ilena snapped her fingers, Dipe’s body floated gently upward and drifted toward the back of the wagon until she disappeared inside.
“It’s strange. I didn’t know spirits could get sleepy.”
“It’s fine as long as there’s enough magic power. But Dipe still isn’t used to her bigger body, and she hasn’t learned how to absorb magic from her surroundings yet.”
“Her body may have grown, but she’s still just a child.”
“So…”
With Dipe now asleep, Ilena asked carefully, “What did you mean earlier? When you asked if we were getting married.”
Unlike before, her expression was calm this time. She even smiled with a touch of composure.
“I think I must have misunderstood you earlier. There’s no way you would ever ask me to marry you, after all.”
No way I would ask her to marry me? For some reason, even though the misunderstanding had been cleared up, I didn’t feel relieved.
Still, now was my chance to speak properly.
“It was exactly what it sounded like. I was asking whether you had any thoughts about getting married someday.”
“What? How could you skip the important part and just ask if we’re getting married? Anyway… someday? Hmm…”
Ilena thought for a moment before answering.
“I’m still considering it.”
“You’re considering it?”
“The truth is, marriage proposals keep coming in even now.”
At the word marriage proposals, my heart sank.
“The position of Demon King is harder to hold on to than you might think. Even as we speak, there are countless demons somewhere plotting to overthrow me and take the throne.”
“But you’re here doing this…? Now that I think about it, is the Demon Realm really okay while you’re away?”
“Of course. I may not look it, but I’m working diligently. I visit the Demon Realm every single day.”
“To the Demon Realm? How?”
“I created a dimensional gate inside the house that leads straight to the Demon King’s Castle. Before bed, I go there without fail, handle the day’s duties, and come back.”
“A dimensional gate to the Demon King’s Castle itself? The Crusaders would foam at the mouth if they ever found out. But what does that have to do with the marriage proposals?”
“It’s because of you.”
Ilena pointed straight at me without the slightest hesitation.
“Because of… me?”
“You defeated me, remember? After losing to the heroes, I lost the respect of my people. More demons have begun challenging me.”
In the Demon Realm, power was everything. So a Demon King who had been defeated was no longer seen as qualified.
“Don’t look at me like that. You don’t have to feel sorry. At least until now, no demon stronger than me has come forward to challenge.”
“When was the last challenge?”
“About a month ago? The frequency is slowly decreasing, though. The rumor that I’m a weak Demon King has spread, yet no one has actually managed to defeat me.”
She was right—Ilena was strong. The only reason I had been able to defeat her was more luck than superior power.
“The reason I can keep rejecting the marriage proposals my subordinates bring me is because I continue to win. Most of the candidates are powerful demons from strong factions who could ‘protect’ me.”
“I had no idea things were that complicated.”
“Hehe, I’m curious too.”
Having vented a little, Ilena’s mood seemed to lighten. She gave me a playful look.
“So why did you suddenly ask if I had any thoughts about marrying in the future?”
“Mother told me. You know Malcolm, the one who works at the mill?”
“I do. What about him?”
“Apparently Malcolm told his father he wants to marry you.”
“What? Pfft…”
Ilena suddenly burst out laughing.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because I finally understand why he’s been so nice to me all this time. No wonder he always added extra goods whenever I used the mill.”
“Everyone in the village had noticed except you, apparently.”
“Really? I guess I missed it because I’m not human.”
Watching Ilena laugh even after learning about Malcolm’s feelings somehow made me start laughing too.
“Why are you laughing?”
“I don’t know. I have no idea why I’m laughing either.”
“Your laugh looks strange, you know? Puhup…!”
For some reason the laughter kept coming. The two of us simply watched each other laugh for a long time, unable to stop.
“Agh, haa… I laughed too much.”
“You really did. What was that about?”
“It’s your fault for laughing first. Never mind me—why were you laughing?”
“Because I saw you laughing. I don’t know why it kept coming out.”
“Anyway!” Ilena nudged my arm lightly with her elbow. “The only human I’m interested in is you. I have zero interest in any other humans.”
“Then what was that earlier?”
“What?”
“The part where you said you didn’t mind.”
“What exactly did I say I didn’t mind…? Wait.”
Suddenly Ilena’s hand went rigid. She turned her head away, avoiding my eyes.
“W-what are you talking about? I don’t remember saying anything like that.”
“You did. You said you didn’t mind marrying me.”
“……”
Ilena stayed perfectly still with her head turned the other way. Then she suddenly whipped back around, looked me straight in the eye, and shouted.
“Fine, I said it! I said I don’t mind marrying you! But every single one of those proposals is only after my position, not me!”
“C-calm down.”
“Do I look like I can calm down? You’re not a clueless demon like me, so you must have understood exactly what I meant when I said I didn’t mind!”
“I did understand.”
“You understood but still acted all innocent and said those things… Huh?”
Ilena, who had been pouring out her heart without filter, suddenly froze. Then, in a voice that had gone completely calm, she asked, “What did you just say?”
“I said I understood what you meant by that.”
“You understood? That means…”
Her eyes flew wide open. Then she hung her head and covered her face with both hands. She stayed that way for a long time without moving.
What kind of situation was this? She had said it herself, gotten angry herself, and now she was embarrassed herself.
“Ilena.”
“No.”
“Ilena?”
“I said no! I’m not ready to hear it!”
Ilena kept shouting with her face still hidden behind her hands.
“What exactly are you not ready to hear?”
“I already know what you’re going to say. You’re going to say that marrying someone like me—the Demon King—is a bit much, right?”
Ilena slowly raised her head, but her face remained covered by her hands.
“It’s strange. When I’m with you, the words just spill out before I can stop them.”
“It’s the same for me. At the beginning you cut me off before I could say the important part, so you misunderstood.”
“It’s all your fault.”
“This is my fault too?”
“When I’m with you, my heart somehow feels warm and at ease. It’s a real problem, a huge problem!”
“Haha…”
Listening to Ilena made me laugh again without meaning to. She immediately dropped her hands and shouted.
“Don’t laugh! I’m upset because I don’t even know why I’m acting like this!”
Tears glistened in her eyes as she yelled. Before I realized what I was doing, I had reached out and gently wiped them away.
“Ilena, do you have anything more to say?”
Instead of answering, she shook her head.
“Then is it all right if I speak now?”
She hesitated for a moment, then gave a small nod.
“When you told me you didn’t mind marrying me…”
I almost hesitated again, wondering if I should just stay silent. But if I held back now, I felt like even bigger tears would come. So I decided to say it plainly, without hiding anything.
“I didn’t hate it either.”