Whoosh!!
In moments, Krus was already soaring into the lower district of the Demon Lord’s Castle, Lisbeth still held firmly in his arms.
Throughout the flight, Lisbeth had repeatedly considered simply knocking him away. Yet, the thought of plummeting alongside him always made her shake her head, deciding against it.
However, upon seeing the grand gates of the Demon Lord’s Castle’s lower district, Lisbeth gritted her teeth and issued a final ultimatum to Krus.
“Krus, I am telling you quite seriously now: I will never harbor any romantic feelings for you, nor will I ever accept your proposal. So, before I truly begin to despise you, would you please release me?”
Though Lisbeth’s face remained utterly expressionless as she spoke, the undeniable chill in her voice conveyed her message directly to Krus.
Ordinarily, even if love had completely clouded Krus’s judgment, he would have understood the meaning behind Lisbeth’s words.
However, having been instigated by Staros, everything Lisbeth said now sounded like playful resistance to him.
Seeing this, Krus merely offered a gentle smile. “Miss Lisbeth,” he murmured, “I understand your shyness, but it’s quite alright. I will surely win you over with my sincere heart!”
“I told you! That’s not what I mean at all!”
Gazing at Krus, who seemed utterly oblivious to her words, Lisbeth nearly screamed in frustration, wanting to bash her head against the ground.
But if Krus was truly determined to forcibly marry her, Lisbeth’s eyes suddenly hardened. She decided then and there to simply punch him away, even while he still held her.
Alas, before Lisbeth could even make a move, the lower district’s city gates swung open. Then, to her disbelief, Krus once again launched himself into the air, soaring directly towards the throne room in the Demon Lord’s Castle’s upper district.
“Are you kidding me?! Flying again?!”
“There’s no helping it, Miss Lisbeth. My desire to make you my wife is simply uncontrollable. Even a moment earlier, I wish to see the Demon Lord!”
“Haaah…”
Watching Krus about to carry her to the very doors of the throne room, Lisbeth could only sigh in resignation, choosing to say nothing further.
At this point, Krus clearly wouldn’t listen to her anyway. It was better to let Chris, the Demon Lord herself, handle this mess.
“Alright, we’ve arrived. Miss Lisbeth, let us go present ourselves before the Demon Lord.”
“Haaah… I understand. If you wish to see her, then see her. But no matter what, could you please release me first?”
Upon reaching the entrance to the throne room, Krus conveyed his desire to meet Chris to the guards. Then, with an excited expression, he turned his gaze back to Lisbeth, as if she were already his wife.
Having no energy left to argue with Krus, Lisbeth simply waved a dismissive hand, intending for him to release her first.
However, Lisbeth’s now less resistant attitude unexpectedly had the opposite effect, causing Krus to suddenly break into an even more radiant smile.
“Ah, just as Staros said! If I simply melt your heart with my love, Miss Lisbeth, you won’t resist me anymore! This is wonderful, truly wonderful!”
“Yes, yes, no resistance, no resistance… So, can you let go of me now?”
“Of course not!”
“Eh?!”
Lisbeth had been too weary to even bother with Krus, but seeing him dare to defy her request instantly made her pupils contract in anger. “Are you ever going to be done with this?! How long have you been holding me now? Haven’t you had enough?!”
“No, no, that’s not what I mean. Lisbeth, don’t forget you were just startled by the demon beasts, and you haven’t calmed down yet. The best proof of that is your trembling hand, isn’t it?”
“Ah…”
Come to think of it, Lisbeth had been so preoccupied with how to punch Krus away that she hadn’t noticed her hand was still trembling.
Indeed, advancing to Class 3 before her body had fully adapted proved to be too great a burden for her.
Realizing this, Lisbeth could only nod in resignation. “Fine, let’s just leave it at that for now…”
“Mm-hmm, that’s good!”
A few minutes later, the guard before the throne room bowed slightly to Krus. “Lord Krus,” they said slowly, “the Demon Lord is not currently in the throne room. She is in her office, attending to official documents. Would you be willing to proceed there instead?”
“Ah, I see. Thank you. Would you mind leading the way?”
“Of course, not at all. Please follow me.”
After another slight nod to Krus, the guard led him towards Chris’s office.
Witnessing this, Lisbeth could only let out a slow sigh, too weary to even ponder how Chris would react to the situation.
****
“Knock, knock. Demon Lord, Lord Krus, one of the Demon Generals, wishes to see you.”
“Mm, come in.”
Moments later, the guard brought Krus to Chris’s office door. As the guard relayed the request through the door, Chris’s calm voice drifted out.
The door creaked open.
After receiving Chris’s permission, the guard pushed open the office door and continued, “Lord Krus, please enter.”
“Thank you for your trouble.”
Seeing the door open, Krus offered the guard a small smile and walked directly into Chris’s room.
Upon entering the office, Lisbeth instinctively surveyed her surroundings.
Unlike the opulent throne room, this office appeared considerably more modest. Aside from a massive desk and a few chairs presumably for guests, there was little else.
After a quick glance around, Lisbeth turned her attention to Chris. Chris’s massive desk was currently overflowing with countless documents awaiting her review.
Though she appeared incredibly busy, Chris still lifted her head when she saw Krus enter.
“Krus, what brings you here so suddenly…? Hmm?”
When Chris lifted her head, a faint smile had initially graced her features. However, upon spotting Lisbeth in Krus’s arms, Chris’s expression immediately chilled.
“Krus,” she demanded coldly, “what is the meaning of this? Has this idiot caused trouble again?”
As Chris spoke, she instinctively reached for the teacup on her desk, intending to take a sip.
However, the very next second, as Krus delivered his answer, she promptly spat out the water she had just been drinking.
“Demon Lord, Miss Lisbeth has done nothing wrong. I brought her here today to inform you that I have fallen in love with Miss Lisbeth and wish to make her my wife. Therefore, if it pleases you, I hope you will approve our request for marriage.”
“Cough, cough… *Cough, cough, cough!* You… you said you want to marry Lisbeth?”
Having just choked on her water, Chris immediately launched into a fit of violent coughing. She then swiftly turned her gaze to Lisbeth, demanding, “Lisbeth, what exactly is going on here?”
“…”
“Demon Lord, I don’t want to marry this man at all, but he insists! What am I supposed to do…?”
Though uncertain how things had escalated to this point, Chris sighed at Lisbeth’s utterly helpless expression. She then slowly addressed Krus. “Krus, did you hear that? She explicitly stated she doesn’t want to marry you.”
“No, Demon Lord. Staros herself told me that Miss Lisbeth is someone whose heart says one thing and her mouth another. Her refusal is simply a sign of her shyness. I believe she truly wishes to marry me but is too timid to express her true feelings.”
“No, no, no, that’s absolutely impossible.”
“No, no, no, you are truly overthinking this.”
As Krus finished speaking, both Lisbeth and Chris hastily shook their heads. Krus, taken aback by their simultaneous rejection, then continued, “Demon Lord, while I don’t know why you both think this, I truly love Lisbeth. So please, approve my request.”
“Haaah… So that’s how it is…”
Seeing Chris sigh, Lisbeth knew that Chris had likely grasped the full extent of the situation.
The next second, Chris rose from her chair and walked directly in front of Krus, her voice chillingly calm. “While I don’t know why you’ve developed this delusion that Lisbeth wishes to marry you, my answer is this: I forbid it. Put Lisbeth down, and then get out.”
“Why…? Why?! Demon Lord, why is this happening?!”
“Because she is not someone you are permitted to touch.”
Having uttered those cold words, Chris instantly seized Lisbeth’s hand, yanking her directly from Krus’s embrace.
Finally, she cast a glance at Lisbeth before speaking a sentence that utterly stunned both Lisbeth and Krus.
“I may not have said this before, but Lisbeth’s body and soul are now mine.”
“So, Krus, do you intend to lay hands on what belongs to me?”