I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss, Vol. 4, page 13
The fact she hadn’t sensed the fiend dragon’s presence in Baal wasn’t because it had yet to overtake him. It never possessed him in the first place.
“Would you tell me about when the fiend dragon resurrected?”
“Why would you ask about that?”
“So that I may locate the dragon,” Aileen answers immediately.
Baal props his chin on one hand, forcing a smile. “Unfortunately, it isn’t much of a story. It happened about three months ago, right after Sahra brought the holy sword back from the sanctuary. Even though it was day, the world went dark, and a black dragon—the fiend dragon—raced up into the sky.”
“The dragon appeared outside? It didn’t possess anyone?”
She doesn’t recall anything so flashy happening in the game. Why would the fiend dragon have left the demon realm and— As she thinks this, the words three months ago hit Aileen like a sack of bricks.
Was it because Master Claude lost his memories…?!
The demon king’s control had relaxed. That was why the dragon had left the demon realm without Claude’s permission.
“A-and then what happened?”
“It struck our barrier and turned into black rain. However, Sahra’s prayer called the sun. To be more accurate, it was the holy sword she held aloft that did it.”
“The holy sword… And what happened to the sword?”
“We can’t tell you any more than that, Crown Princess of Ellmeyer.”
Naturally, that reply leaves her at a loss, but she promptly regroups. “I am your ally. At least when it comes to avoiding needless war.”
“Our ally, you say? Sit here, then.” Baal lightly pats the side of the bed next to him.
True, standing isn’t conducive to clandestine conversations. Without suspecting anything, Aileen seats herself—and then her world spins until she’s facing up.
“You’re tragically short on caution.”
He says the words as if he feels them keenly, even though he’s the one who pushed her down.
She scowls at him. “Don’t toy with me. Go on with what you were saying.”
“Fiend dragon, fiend dragon. We’re tired of that subject. While we’re at it, we’re also love-starved. Because of the dragon, we can’t call anyone to our bed. Keep us company.”
“That isn’t even funny! I am Master Claude’s wife!”
“Even though you’re a virgin?”
She stiffens, and then her lips begin to tremble. She feels her cheeks grow hot. Wha, wha-wha-wha-wha, wha…!
Looking as if everything’s going his way, Baal pushes his face right up to hers and grins. “We can tell. You don’t have the scent of a woman who’s been fully immersed in love.”
“I—I am loved!”
“Can you hold your head high and say that? You’re just a wife on paper.”
She doesn’t have a good counterargument: It’s true she is a wife in name only. That thought leads straight to an idea she’s been trying to avoid, like a sore spot.
Why, Master Claude? What am I lacking? Don’t tell me you regret making me your wife…
Do as you please. His words echo coldly in her mind. Now, of all times…
“…Well. Apparently you can look adorable after all.” Baal’s fingers touch her chin.
She glares straight at his face. “Don’t talk nonsense. I’m well aware that I am not an adorable woman.”
“No, you are adorable.”
Adorable. If she’s adorable, then why…? “…Am I truly?” She searches Baal’s eyes for the answer.
Baal gives a meltingly gentle smile. “Yes. You are. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you.”
It’s probably because he has a lot of practice at this sort of thing. His words go straight to Aileen’s heart.
The flame of the candle beside the bed flickers, and the lengthened shadows cast by man and woman slowly melt together.
“There’s no need to worry. We’ll make you forget that sorry excuse for a man. On the other side of a night without end— Bwuff?!!”
The sound of a sharp slap echoes in the bedchamber.
Baal wobbles, then topples over to the side after getting clapped in the face.
“I am adorable… In that case…”
With her hand still raised from the slap, Aileen murmurs earnestly, “In that case— Could something be physically wrong with Master Claude…?!” At this entirely unexpected development, Aileen bolts up, clutching at her neckline. “How can this be…? Good heavens. I am Master Claude’s wife, and yet I tried to tempt him without even noticing—! Oh, I must have caused him such trouble. But, I mean, with that face, you’d never dream there was a problem… In fact, you’d think it was his forte!”
“W… Woman… How could you ruin the mood like that…?!”
“If he’d confided in me, I could have attempted any number of… No, but I hear that men are delicate. Perhaps Master Claude was too embarrassed to say. Oh… Whatever shall I do?”
“Hey, are you listening?!”
“First, I’ll consult with Luc and Quartz and commission a remedy… But the issue may be emotional. That’s right, that face— Who was it?! Which vixen traumatized my dear Master Claude?! No, more than that, what I really need is that secret art. If I had that, Master Claude would be able to relax and entrust himself to me…!”
“—You…” Apparently weary of yelling, Baal flops over sideways, burying his face in a pillow. “We’ve begun to sympathize with the demon king…”
“Sympathize?! He may be slightly dysfunctional below the belt, but I won’t forgive you if you insult Master Claude.”
“You’re doing a perfectly fine job of that all by yourself. Why, oh why do none of our loves ever go well?”
“I have no idea why you’d suddenly bring that up, but the answer is obvious: It’s because you love the wrong people.”
Lowering her feet to the floor, she stands. Baal is lying faceup on the bed, and she looks down on him. “Thinking you’re fine as long as the other is happy is simply irresponsible. In love, you decide that you will bear the responsibility for making your beloved happy, no matter how tiresome or painful it is.”
“Duty… That’s incredibly unromantic.”
“You must know love and romance can’t exist without responsibility.”
A man of his rank in particular, who bears the country and its people on his shoulders, cannot love irresponsibly.
Even if love was something one fell into despite that understanding.
“You are king, so love a woman who possesses proper rank, education, and supporters, and who doesn’t belong to another man.”
“There is no such woman.”
“I believe you’re simply not looking for her hard enough.”
He gives no answer. This man really is tiresome. As she’s feeling mildly disgusted, Baal gets to his feet. “You won’t be spending the night here, we assume? We’ll escort you back. Be grateful to us.”
“Well done. That’s a passable first step toward becoming a fine man. However, the way you phrased it—”
“No nitpicking… You are our ally, aren’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right. You may count on me.”
When she throws her chest out proudly, Baal narrows his eyes and mutters something rude: “The demon king has our sympathies.”
Desert nights are cold. Even so, her footsteps have slowed of their own accord.
“Then even though you can teleport, you’ve never sojourned in another country?”
“Right. There are many who worry that if the holy king leaves the country, the sacred barrier may vanish. It won’t, but the kingdom’s closed off anyway, and we haven’t had any reason to stay in another land. What about you?”
“When I was small, I traveled to several of the major nations! My father tossed me and one of my older brothers into the castle town of each without a penny, saying it would be a good learning experience. He told us we had to devise our own means of getting home.”
“—Hang on a minute. How did that work out?!”
Baal is aghast. It amuses her, and she laughs. “I always had a brother with me, so it wasn’t that trying. My third brother promptly negotiated with the owner of a passenger ship and worked as an interpreter in exchange for our passage back to Ellmeyer. My second brother earned money by working as a bodyguard and took me home by train. With my eldest brother… The next thing I knew, someone had come to pick us up…”
“What happened with him?”
“I don’t know. It was fun, though. I got to learn words from all sorts of countries and really feel the differences between our cultures. Simply staying in a foreign country for a few days can be surprisingly instructive.”
To that end, that father of hers had given his young sons and daughter the best possible education— He certainly hadn’t done it merely to entertain himself, or so Aileen would like to believe.
“…You really were raised to become empress, weren’t you?”
“Yes. I was even engaged to the crown prince.”
“The second prince, the one they say was ousted by the demon king? That was quite a wasteful thing he did.”
“If you think so, then take care you don’t do the same.”
Baal frowns, irked. “Don’t tell us you’ve been talking about Roxane. Don’t recommend her to us. It’s unpleasant.”
“Why?”
“We can’t trust her. There’s no telling when she may betray us. After all, she loves Ares.”
Is he serious? Rather appalled, Aileen responds with a question of her own. “Then why did you make her your principal consort? Was it for Lady Sahra’s sake?”
“That, too, but…Ares raised a commotion about executing her. The things Roxane had done could only be considered harassment at worst. Executing her would have been going too far, especially when Sahra was declared innocent and set free even after becoming Ares’s lover while she was a harem attendant. If we’d done as Ares wanted, we would have incurred the wrath of the house of Fusca.” Impassively, Baal continues; it’s only at times like these that he possesses the face of a ruler. “When we asked Ares if he would offer Roxane in exchange for letting Sahra leave the harem and marry, he handed over his betrothed readily. Even though it would have been rather satisfying to us if he’d been a little reluctant.”
“……”
“However, the biggest reason we made her our principal consort was because we pitied her. When she was spiteful to Sahra in petty ways, when she brandished sound arguments that no one bothered to hear out, when she tried to catch Ares’s attention, she was too wretched to bear looking at.”
“—Because, in truth, you also wanted to use your authority to eliminate General Ares and take Lady Sahra for yourself?”
Baal dons a wry smile, but he doesn’t deny it. “And so we let her choose whether she would become our principal consort. Well, one hardly needs to wait for the answer to a question like that.”
“…And Lady Roxane accepted?”
“Of course she did. What woman would refuse a position like principal consort? Aside from Sahra, we’ve never seen… No, you would refuse it as well, wouldn’t you?”
Baal laughs weakly, then peers up at the twinkling stars. “However, even now, she picks quarrels with Ares and Sahra. She may still dream that she can steal Ares back. It’s irritating, and we can’t stand it.”
“Because it feels like looking at yourself? Or is it because she won’t look at you, instead of General Ares?”
“That’s…” As if the idea’s never occurred to him before, Baal’s eyes wander uneasily. His gaze skims over the galleries of the dark harem—and then, abruptly, it stops.
“Master Baal?”
“Apparently our sympathy was unnecessary… We really have no luck with women.”
The next thing she knows, Baal has begun to walk. When she sees where he’s going, her eyes widen.
The Sun Palace is built to run parallel to this corridor, and in its passageway…
Lady Roxane and Master Claude…?!
Roxane has peeked out of her bedroom. She opens the door, and Claude enters. Then the door swings closed, hiding the interior, although it hasn’t shut entirely.
“No… Master Baal, wait.”
“She’s finally shown her true colors. Adultery. If Ares won’t do, she’ll try for the demon king? She’s constantly making a mockery of us.”
“We don’t know for certain that’s what—”
“Your husband has betrayed you, too. Or maybe it’s only natural for the demon king to be immoral.”
There is a path, but it’s a circuitous one, and Baal doesn’t take it. With a scornful smile, he tromps right through the garden between the gallery and the palace. He’s clearly lost his head.
Why must this happen now…? I have to stop him!
He still isn’t conscious of the reason Roxane’s smile irritates him. He’s only just managed to tear his attention away from Sahra. No man in that situation would act reasonably.
“—Roxane!”
Bursting through the door, Baal strides in, bellowing. Then he gasps. Aileen, who’s followed him, also peeks inside, and her eyes widen.
The two of them aren’t in bed. However, they are holding hands.
To be accurate, Roxane is seated, holding a quill pen, and Claude is standing behind her, leaning over her shoulder and covering her hand with his own. In a corner of her mind, Aileen understands he’s helping her write something, but under the circumstances, no doubt that will sound like nothing more than a weak excuse.
“What are you doing?”
Especially because the moment Baal notices, Roxane hides her hand and what she’s writing. She may as well have confessed she’s been doing something worth hiding.
“…Nothing. He was simply teaching me how to write letters. Never mind that; did you need something? It’s very late.”
“Oh, we happened to be passing by when we saw our principal consort inviting a man into her chambers.”
“I see.”
Roxane is probably responding the way she always does. However, Baal is not. Granted, that could be considered progress, but…
“You seem to be on very friendly terms with your guard. How pleasant for you.”
“Your Majesty, it was you and General Ares who decided that he should guard me. I—”
“—The Formation and Mechanism of Magic Circles? What’s this? Planning to curse us to death and elope?” Picking a book up from the table, Baal looks taken aback. “After we made you our principal consort. How capricious.”
“……”
Roxane presses her lips together, falling silent. This seems to irritate Baal further. “If there’s something you want to say, out with it.”
“…No…”
“Out with it!”
“Stop this—”
“The principal consort is frightened.”
Baal starts to slam the book down onto the table, but before Aileen can stop him, Claude has caught it. “If you’re going to talk, perhaps you should calm down first.”
Baal’s eyes narrow. He’s no longer looking at Roxane. “You would gainsay the king, you wretch of a guard? Shall we have you beheaded for adultery along with Roxane?”
“That would be a problem. I have a wife who’s very dear to me.”
Aileen has been watching the scene play out anxiously, but at that, her eyebrows twitch.
Baal gives a mocking laugh. “A wife? You have no wife. You must be dreaming.”
“No, she exists. A very adorable, lovable, precious wife who’s mine and mine alone.”
At any other time, that line would have made Aileen writhe with embarrassment. In this particular moment, however, it irks her mightily.
“She would never disregard what her husband says, of course. She’d never become another man’s consort. And she certainly wouldn’t be alone with him this late at night. She’s a virtuous wife, and she’s waiting quietly for my return.”
He says all this without a blush, and Aileen clenches her fists. How dare he when he’s alone with another woman in her room late at night…!
Baal grimaces. Glancing at Aileen, he mutters. “…Uh, are you sure that wife isn’t a figment of your imagination?”
“No, she wouldn’t say anything selfish like ‘I don’t love you,’ after suddenly proposing to me out of nowhere. She wouldn’t surround herself with men and say it’s for work, and she wouldn’t dress as a boy and acquire more lackeys. She wouldn’t sleep like the dead on our first night together, either. I have a wife who treasures me and always puts me first.”
“That’s…uh… I see you’ve had your share of troubles.”
The sympathy in Baal’s voice makes something inside Aileen snap. “My, what a marvelous wife! By the way, where is she now?”
“I really couldn’t say.”
Her husband feigns ignorance, although he’s looking right at her. Aileen gives a pointed sigh. “I have something similar: A husband whose face alone is perfect.”
“…His face…alone?”
“He’s a lot of trouble. One little comment from me, and he makes it rain. Everyone around him indulges him constantly, and if I weren’t hard on him, I believe he’d be spoiled rotten.”
“……”
“Why, the other day, he selfishly developed amnesia and babbled nonsense about breaking off our engagement. I can’t even tell you how difficult it made things for me.”
“—The amnesia was beyond my control.”
“My situation was unavoidable as well.”
As quiet sparks fly between them, Baal takes an involuntary step back. Roxane looks bewildered as well, so Aileen smiles at her. “Lady Roxane. Don’t you feel that married couples must say what they wish to say, precisely because they are married?”
“……”
“Yes, the ability to listen is vital.”
“I still have a few choice things left to say.”
For now, she picks up a nearby chair. Baal looks oddly anxious. “H-hey, Aileen. Put the chair down.”
“P-please calm yourselves, both of you.” Even Roxane is flustered, poised to dodge.
Claude responds gently, “There’s no need to worry. This is adorable.”
