I Took the Demon King as My Wife

“Ye-Yeomje…? How on earth did you get here….”
At his unexpected visit, Hans couldn’t close his mouth.
Regardless, Yeomje acted as if Hans didn’t exist, looking around the house and starting to walk inside.
“W-wait, Yeomje!”
Hans called out to him anxiously and followed behind.
Shortly after, the two entered the reception room on the first floor.
Yeomje briefly looked around the room, then plopped down on the sofa as if it were his own home.
“Oh, no….”
What on earth was he doing?
Hans stood blankly at the entrance, staring at him.
Yeomje draped his arm over the sofa backrest and lightly flicked his finger.
-Snap!
With a crisp sound, his hat and robe began to float up.
Eventually, the staff leaning against the sofa stood upright, and his removed clothing carefully hung on it.
“Sit.”
Yeomje, having removed his coat, nodded his head as if telling Hans to sit across from him.
“Ah… r-right….”
Hans, still confused, stuttered his response and sat across from him.
When Hans took his seat, Yeomje flicked his finger again.
Whoosh! A small piece of paper flew out from within his clothing and landed in front of Hans.
“Wh-what’s this…?”
“A message from the Emperor.”
“Ah… so indeed….”
So it was from His Majesty.
‘Though it wouldn’t be strange if it wasn’t….’
If he had wanted to find out, discovering that he was staying in this mansion would have been no challenge at all.
He was a man with more than enough ability.
A genius said to be born once in 1,000 years.
The very person who conquered the Magic Tower in just 6 months—a feat that even high court magicians couldn’t accomplish in a lifetime—and then dismantled it.
A figure standing at the pinnacle of fire magic and a magical genius who developed all kinds of creative spells.
The man sitting in front of him possessed all these titles.
Of course, this was just how the world evaluated him.
To Hans, who had known him for a long time, he was simply an ordinary man of his age and an irreplaceable friend.
“Tsk.”
That irreplaceable friend seemed to be in a bad mood.
‘Is he… upset about something….’
Hans raised his eyebrows and stared at Yeomje, who kept clicking his tongue loudly enough for him to hear.
Then he slightly turned his head to check the yellowish paper placed in front of him.
The sealing wax clearly engraved with the white lion, the symbol of the royal family, caught his eye.
‘It’s a direct communication from His Majesty.’
The stationery was quite different from what he usually used, but the clear pattern on the sealing wax and the signature beneath it made it evident that it was sent by him.
As Hans examined the letter, turning it over, he was about to tear open the sealed message.
“Before that.”
“…?”
Yeomje stopped him with a deeply lowered voice.
Pause. Hans put down the half-opened letter and stared at him.
Yeomje slowly returned his head to its original position from being tilted back and glared at him intently.
Under his gaze full of obvious dissatisfaction, Hans opened his mouth to ask what was wrong.
However, one step ahead, Yeomje spoke first.
“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
“Anything to say…?”
“Ha, after causing such a mess, that’s your response?”
“No, what on earth….”
His intense reaction almost made Hans angry, but soon Hans belatedly realized why Yeomje had been so low-pressured since he entered.
“Ah, I see….”
Hans couldn’t close his mouth, with a bewildered look in his eyes.
At his reaction, Yeomje stared at him with eyes full of anger, glaring intensely.
“Do you know what pisses me off the most? Why did I have to hear about your story through the Emperor? Instead of from you directly?”
“……”
Hans kept his mouth tightly closed and lowered his head, avoiding his sharp gaze.
Yeomje became increasingly excited and started to raise his voice.
“How much does the Emperor even know about you, to tell him everything while keeping your mouth shut to me and Lasia?”
“……”
“When I asked you before where that ring came from, what did you say? You evaded it saying you got it from somewhere, but it was from the Emperor, wasn’t it? Why did you hide that? No, was it something you couldn’t even mention?”
“……”
“Apparently, this was proposed long before we even set out on the subjugation mission—to take the Demon King as your wife. To establish peaceful relations this way.”
“…Yeomje.”
Hans gestured to him, asking him to calm down, but his excitement, once on track, became increasingly intense and wouldn’t stop.
“Even if it was just a proposal, even if you had no intention of doing it until the very end, even if you weren’t certain!”
Yeomje raised his voice, shouting loudly. Hans could only sigh, avoiding his gaze.
“Couldn’t you have told me that much? Was it that difficult? To a comrade you’ve been with for half your life?”
“…That’s not it.”
“Is this what comrades are? Is this truly a comrade who has journeyed with me, risking our lives? No, were we just obstacles from the beginning?”
“Yeomje!”
At his words, Hans, suddenly upset, slammed the table slightly with a somewhat loud voice.
Bang! With a dull sound, a heavy silence momentarily surrounded the reception room.
The heated atmosphere cooled rapidly, creating a chilling current in an instant.
“……”
“……”
Their gazes crossed.
The two men silently glared at each other, then averted their eyes.
In the awkward silence, they both looked in opposite directions with their mouths tightly closed.
After a while.
“Whew….”
Hans let out a deep sigh, drawn from the depths of his lungs.
With clenched fists, he pressed the bridge of his nose with his thumb, trying to force his deeply furrowed expression to relax.
“That’s not it….”
With his expression still somewhat distorted, Hans opened his mouth heavily.
At this, Yeomje, who had been pouting and staring out the window with his lips slightly protruded, subtly rolled his eyes.
“First of all… it’s my fault… it’s my fault… I should have told you in advance… in that regard, even a hundred apologies from me wouldn’t be enough.”
He shook his head gently with his eyes slightly closed and adjusted his posture.
“But, it wasn’t that I didn’t trust you, or that I was trying to deceive you and do something unjust. Yeomje, I trust you more than anyone. It’s not an exaggeration to say that I could come this far and can still breathe today all thanks to you.”
“You speak so well, really….”
Yeomje still maintained his blunt tone. However, his expression seemed to have softened somewhat.
Hans continued speaking.
“I’m sorry… even I wasn’t certain… no, I originally had no such intention. Even until the very end, I had no intention of doing so….”
“And then?”
Yeomje asked, slightly raising his eyebrow. Hans briefly closed his mouth, as if contemplating, and let out a short cough.
“Hmm… that… w-well… how should I put it….”
“…?”
“I g-gained certainty… I suppose.”
“Certainty?”
Hans seemed uncertain even as he spoke, unable to answer clearly.
“Somehow, just… as I crossed swords with her, the thought suddenly came to me. That with this woman… it might be possible….”
“…What does that mean?”
Yeomje covered his mouth with his hand and stared at Hans.
He couldn’t say anything more than this.
Tap, tap, Yeomje seemed lost in thought as he tapped his lower lip with his index finger.
Then, as if he had finished thinking, he adjusted his posture and asked Hans.
“Are you sure?”
“……”
Hans could only lower his head without answering. Yeomje asked again in a somewhat forceful tone.
“I’m asking if you’re sure. This marriage, this choice, won’t you regret it?”
“That, I won’t regret.”
This time, the answer was immediate. Yeomje, who had been staring intently at his black eyes, leaned his back against the backrest and slightly raised his chin.
His legs swayed silently in the silence for a moment.
“Okay.”
With his words, he lightly flicked his finger. Whoosh! A blue flame appeared on the table, revealing a well-folded crimson cloth.
“…Wh-what’s this?”
Hans asked Yeomje, holding up the cloth. However, postponing the explanation for a moment, Yeomje continued with what he wanted to say first.
“Actually, it’s ridiculous to fully trust one’s intuition about people. Especially when it’s not just opening a store and doing business, but an event of such enormous scale that could shake the entire continent.”
“…W-well.”
“But, that’s for ordinary people.”
“…?”
Hans opened his eyes wide. Yeomje continued, disregarding his reaction.
“The Hero is different.”
A small smile bloomed on his tired face.
“A Hero’s intuition is trustworthy, no, I think it’s right. All the things you’ve done based on intuition so far have ultimately turned out well. Of course, there’s no guarantee it will be the same this time.”

“Ye-Yeomje….”
“I should believe in you too, right? I’m your only friend, after all.”
“Ah… that….”
Yeomje emphasized “only” as he spoke. As soon as he finished speaking, he rose from his seat.
Snap! With a light flick of his finger, his clothing items flew from the corner and attached to his body as if layering over him.
He caught his staff, which flew over belatedly, and walked toward the door with steady steps.
Then suddenly, he stopped walking, slightly lifted the brim of his hat, and turned around.
“Um….”
“…?”
“About earlier… I’m sorry too. I got upset in the moment….”
He mumbled his words awkwardly and turned his head sharply.
At this, Hans got up from his seat with a slight smile and walked behind him.
“No, it was my fault to begin with. I would have had nothing to say even if you had thrown a punch.”

“Then do you want to take a hit now?”

“If it would ease your anger, by all means.”
Hans chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. Yeomje slightly turned his head to look at him, then smiled faintly and opened the door.
“I’m leaving.”
“Why don’t you stay a bit longer since you’re already here?”
“No thanks, I’m a busy person. I just stopped by today because the Emperor asked me to deliver his letter, I wasn’t planning to come in the first place.”
“Hmm… I see.”
Hans scratched his cheek and followed him to the entrance to see him off.
“I’m really leaving.”
“Alright, you’re always welcome. At least by me.”
“You speak so well. Really.”
Yeomje slowly descended the stairs, then suddenly turned back to Hans and said,
“Ah, and that thing from earlier.”
“…Hmm?”
“It’s a wedding gift. I applied an interesting magic I developed, so use it well.”
“Ah….”
Hans recalled the purple cloth he had left in the reception room.
“W-well, you should tell me what it is….”
“It’s a cloak. It’s a much better item than that shabby one you’re wearing now, so use it well.”
“Ah, right. Thank you, I’ll use it well….”
-Whoosh!
Before Hans could finish his thanks, Yeomje tapped the ground with his staff.
In an instant, blue flames circled his body, turning into a puff of smoke and disappearing.
“…Well.”
I have to give it to him for being impatient….
Hans, feeling a bit awkward, scratched his cheek and stared at the black burn mark on the white marble.
“Ah….”
He wondered if the mark would come off.
*
“Hmm….”
Having ultimately devoured twenty fruits as a substitute for lunch, Hans headed to the study on the second floor with a vegetable for his final palate cleanser.
-Crunch!
Taking a big bite of the vegetable that he had merely brushed the dirt off of, he slowly began to read the letter sent by the Emperor.

Elbain, do you like the mansion?
I quickly found a house, but there are still many areas I haven’t been able to fix. If there are inconveniences, please bear with them for a little while.
I’ve scheduled your official return for tomorrow morning. I would have liked to give you more time to rest thoroughly, but I’ve heard that there are some who have caught wind that the Saint has arrived at the church.
If we delay any further, it would be all too easy to arouse suspicion, so I’m sorry, but please hurry a bit. Well, from my position, the sooner we finish this business, the better.
However, rushing too much might disrupt the plan, so until tomorrow morning, please coordinate with each other in advance.
To convince the ministers, including “me,” an ordinary melodrama won’t suffice. Acting will be necessary, but persuasive eloquence will also be needed.
Well, the Sovereign of the Green-Fingered will surely handle that part well, so you don’t need to worry too much.
Just ensure you don’t do anything suspicious. Hartuk and his dogs are still keeping a close eye on you, eager to catch any mistake.
I hope you succeed.
-Emperor A·Osborn
“……”
After silently reading through his letter, Hans stopped his busy jaw.
-Gulp.
He swallowed the half-chewed vegetable and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“…Hah.”
A sigh escaped involuntarily. With his throbbing forehead in his hand, he read the letter again several times.
I’ve scheduled your official return for tomorrow morning.
‘Oh no….’
Hans closed his eyes tightly and overturned the letter on the desk.
Tomorrow morning. He looked at the window as the sun was setting. The time given was at most about fourteen hours.
Within that time, he would need to talk with Eilena and coordinate in advance.
The problem was….
“That’s how it sounds to me.”
He was in a state where it was awkward to even face her, let alone speak to her.
He never expected their relationship to improve overnight from being essentially enemies.
But now, there wasn’t even a trace of what could be called a “relationship.”
They spoke when they were enemies, but now the atmosphere was such that he couldn’t even talk to her.
“Hah….”
No good solution came to mind, and only empty sighs continued to pour out.
Hans, who had been staring at the yellowish paper, carefully folded it again and sealed it well.
He moved his heavy steps across the corridor toward the end room on the right.