A Secret Thrill in the Office
The right time and place, he had said… The man’s touch felt so warm against her skin. His hand gently caressed her shoulder before sliding up in a slow, deliberate stroke along the nape of her neck. In response, she… the Demon King… spoke in a voice so small only he could hear it, laced with a hint of nervous tension.
The very next moment, despite her timid protest, she felt a hot sensation press against the nape of her neck. The way he kissed that sensitive spot—one of her most vulnerable places—made the Demon King let out a soft, involuntary moan.
Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, the Demon King slowly reached out her hand. Her fingers moved toward the hero standing right beside her, and she began to stroke his hair with the gentle touch one might use on a cat. In response to her caress, the hero’s lips slowly traveled upward until they reached her own, which were trembling faintly with quiet anticipation.
And so, the lips of the hero and the Demon King naturally came together—
“The Elf Theocracy has sent over their budget proposal.”
‘Ah!’
‘U-ugh…’
The next instant, Belzebeuty’s clear voice rang in their ears. Standing right in front of them, her eyes still fixed on the documents, she continued speaking. The two of them hurriedly pulled their lips apart just before they could meet and restored their composure.
“Ah… Y-yes. The budget proposal… you say?”
“Yes. They have offered additional support for postwar recovery efforts. Well, since it was already part of the negotiation terms, it’s only natural.”
Belzebeuty spoke in a perfectly calm, composed tone.
“I… I see.”
The Demon King did her best to quickly suppress the excitement still coursing through her as she accepted the documents. At that moment…
“…Is something wrong, Your Majesty? You seem uncomfortable.”
“Hm? Ah… No. Not at all.”
“Your face is quite flushed. Did we make the fireplace too warm?”
“It’s fine. Pay it no mind. Let us finish the work quickly.”
“…Understood, Your Majesty.”
Following the Demon King’s command, Belzebeuty returned to her seat and focused once more on the documents. Watching her, the Demon King struggled to calm the lingering excitement that refused to fade. A strange, thrilled smile slowly curved her lips.
‘Even something like this… is rather exciting.’
With that thought, the Demon King slyly reached out with one hand toward the hero. He carefully covered her hand with his own and held it tightly. Feeling the incredibly sweet warmth within that grip, he made a silent vow. When the right day finally came, he would definitely take things to the next stage.
*
“By the way, it doesn’t seem like the workload is going to ease up anytime soon.”
“W-well… that’s true. There are simply so many tasks that need to be handled now. It can’t be helped.”
The Demon King sat buried in a mountain of documents, completely absorbed in her work. Standing beside her and assisting with the tasks, Belzebeuty glanced at both her liege and the hero who stood guard at her side.
At first glance, the scene looked perfectly ordinary: a ruler focused on state affairs, and her loyal hero standing firm as her protector. However, Belzebeuty already knew exactly what had been happening between the two of them throughout this entire session.
‘Don’t tell me those two actually think they haven’t been caught?’
Five.
That was the number of times the pair had secretly engaged in intimate skinship right in front of Belzebeuty during today’s grueling work hours. Or rather, that was the number of times she had clearly noticed. If she included the ones she had missed, the total was beyond counting.
It had started with the hero gently taking the Demon King’s hand while she worked, or softly massaging her shoulders. Then the Demon King would carefully reach out to stroke the hero’s cheek as he bowed his head, or plant a cautious kiss on the nape of his neck. And just moments ago, they had nearly kissed while she was standing right there!
To them, it might have felt like an exhilarating, thrilling romance. But for Belzebeuty, who was forced to witness it all whether she wanted to or not, the sweetness was so overwhelming it left a bitter taste in her mouth.
‘This is driving me insane… I can’t exactly call them out on it either. Have these two gotten too close for comfort?’
After all, it had been Belzebeuty herself who had first suggested seducing the hero for the future of the Demon Kingdom. Politically speaking, everything was proceeding exactly according to plan. The problem was that their relationship had grown far warmer than she had anticipated.
Of course, it was a thousand times better than having two such powerful figures snarling at each other. Still, having to watch their shameless displays of affection every single time the hero stood guard… it made Belzebeuty feel like her insides were turning over from sheer secondhand embarrassment.
‘Still… if they really do get married, at least we won’t have to worry about their marital harmony. The more children they have, the better it is for the Demon Kingdom…’
These two were, without question, the strongest and second-strongest beings alive on this land. If they married and had children, Belzebeuty could easily imagine just how terrifyingly powerful their offspring would be.
It felt a bit wrong to think of her liege’s children as mere weapons, but by simple calculation… if they could produce around ten individuals on the level of the Demon King—or even stronger—then no nation on the continent would dare oppose the Demon Kingdom.
‘It would be wonderful if things worked out that well… but there they go again. Kissing her on the cheek right out in the open this time? Excuse me, but that’s going to leave a mark, you know? There’s a bright red lipstick stain on the hero’s face! Your Majesty, are you seriously not seeing that?!’
There were so many things she wanted to say, but Belzebeuty desperately held them back and forced on the mask of I saw nothing once again.
‘Ugh… damn it. At this rate, maybe I should find myself a lover too. Come to think of it, that guy isn’t half bad… even if he is a bit psychotic.’
Suddenly, one person came to mind. And with Immanuelmas approaching soon, Belzebeuty began to think that inviting him out might not be such a bad idea.
‘After all, that day has become a holiday for lovers… Haha, look at me. I never used to be like this. How did things end up this way?’
*
After the soldiers’ training ended, Ilios headed home. Watching her, Samson felt an unusual tension—very unlike his usual self—and cautiously spoke up.
“H-hey.”
“…What is it this time? Are you still upset about the results of the mock battle? I’m sorry, but no matter how painful defeat may be, you must accept what you must accept.”
“N-no, that’s not it. Um… well…”
Samson cleared his throat awkwardly at Ilios’s cool response. He took a small, steadying breath, then stepped closer and held something out to her.
“…What is this?”
“I… I picked it up on the way. It looks like a ticket to a concert. I thought it would be better to go together rather than alone.”
“…Hmm. Whoever dropped this must be quite unfortunate. The date just happens to fall on Immanuelmas.”
“Y-yeah, exactly.”
Samson turned his gaze slightly away, trying his hardest to appear casual. Watching him, Ilios gave a small, gentle smile. And then…
“!”
“I don’t have any plans that day… so let’s meet then.”
With those words, Ilios slipped one of the tickets from between Samson’s fingers and walked off down the corridor. For a moment, Samson stood there with a dazed expression. Then, without realizing it, he clenched his fist tightly in triumph.
At the same time, with her back turned to him as she walked ahead, Ilios felt her cheeks flush a deep red. A warm, genuine smile bloomed on her lips.
‘It’s been so long… since I’ve had a date like this.’