Chapter 5
Ludwig pulled Ariella close again, wrapping both hands around her waist.
“Ghk!”
But this position wasn’t much better.
Ariella’s body bent at a sharp angle, her stomach resting over Ludwig’s shoulder like a sack of grain. Blood rushed to her head, making it feel like it might burst.
She kicked her feet and shouted:
“Hey! Can you let me finish my—”
Tsk. Ludwig clicked his tongue, annoyed.
Then—
Swoop!
Ariella felt herself being flipped over again.
Ludwig was changing her position—again—after all her complaints.
The view flipped with her. Instead of the ship below, now she saw the night sky above.
“…Huh?”
Two strong arms held her—one under her back, one beneath her knees.
Her feet dangled slightly in the air, then settled.
Compared to before, this felt surprisingly… comfortable.
Her left shoulder rested against Ludwig’s solid chest.
He was still flying upward, now holding her bridal-style, her face tilted gently toward the stars.
It was unexpected.
He had a boyish look and a lean frame, yet his chest was wide enough to hold her firmly.
From this new angle, she could clearly see his face—closer than ever before.
‘Ugh. Why’s he so good-looking?’
Below them, the burning ship lit up the sky.
The red glow flickered across his jawline, mixing with shadows and flame.
It wasn’t like any theater lighting—this was real. A fiery stage he had created himself.
His gemstone-red eyes reflected the same fiery color.
The hot air swirled around them as they floated in the sky.
In the silence, the two stared at each other.
Time felt frozen.
The crackling fire, the screams below—it all faded away.
Then, Ludwig finally spoke. His voice was low, flat, and quiet:
“…What was my next line again?”
Ariella’s mood immediately deflated.
Whatever fluttery feeling she had vanished.
With a small sigh, she quickly whispered the next line.
Ludwig repeated it in his own way.
Still awkward. Still stiff.
“You dare invade my domain? You’ll pay the price! This princess is now my prize!”
It was so loud and overacted, not even a toddler would believe it.
But… the fire and the drama made up for it.
“Was that good?”
He asked gruffly, only loud enough for her to hear.
Suppressing her mixed feelings, Ariella nodded.
“…Way better.”
She acted like it was nothing.
“Anyway, now let’s finish this.”
As always, Ludwig was better at action than words.
He snapped his fingers—
FWOOOOOM!
Flames burst from the sky like hundreds of burning spears.
It looked like a rain of fire.
Like the end of the world itself had begun.
People below panicked in terror.
“Wake the others! Get the drunk ones up! Put out the fire before it spreads!”
Chaos exploded across the deck.
Fire spread wildly, and sailors and nobles alike scrambled to do something—anything.
Above their heads, the Demon King’s voice rang out like thunder:
“Ha! Ha! Ha! Catch me if you can, foolish humans!”
…That line definitely wasn’t in the script.
Ariella muttered silently:
‘Catch you? Yeah, no thanks. I hope they don’t even try.’
She hoped everyone would just give up and forget about her.
‘With this much chaos, even the Emperor will back off. He has to.’
That’s why she burned the ship—to make them truly believe she’d been taken by an unstoppable force.
“Help! Somebody help meee!”
Count Igor was seen diving into the ocean—his wig half-burned, his head smoking.
He’d definitely be blamed for this disaster.
He was the main person responsible for pushing this marriage, ignoring Ariella’s wishes the whole time.
‘I hope they seize his lands, freeze his money, and he dies broke in some gutter.’
Meanwhile, people from the kingdom’s ship were now rowing over to help.
Whatever happened here would soon be reported back to the royal court.
Once they were high enough in the sky that no one could see them anymore, Ludwig returned to his usual tone.
“Is that everything? My vacation’s ruined, so I’d like to get back to my domain.”
Ariella didn’t answer right away.
She looked at the coastline glowing in the distance.
“Just a minute. There’s something I need to do.”
A little while later, they had reached land—floating above Ariella’s kingdom.
Below them, the capital city spread out beneath the stars.
A harbor town with gentle weather and rich trade, known as the jewel of the Adriatic Sea.
Soon, all of it would fall into her stepmother’s hands.
The queen was eager to crown her baby son as soon as possible.
‘The people might not know, but the royal family? I’ve had enough of them.’
No regrets.
But she’d asked Ludwig to stop here so she could leave flowers at her mother’s grave—one last goodbye.
As she drifted in thought, Ludwig said,
“If we’re really done now, let’s go back.”
Ariella nodded.
“Okay.”
Her sad expression was quickly replaced by excitement.
‘This is it! I’m really going to the Demon Realm—the birthplace of magic!’
Maybe she’d finally see the limits of magic—something she loved so deeply.
Of course, there were risks.
Contracts with Demon Kings were dangerous.
They were unequal deals between beings on completely different levels.
If the Demon King died, the human contractor would die too.
But if the contractor died first, the Demon King would suffer—but survive.
‘Demon lifespans are way longer than humans, right? That means… if he lives, I live.’
Plus, the Demon King was bound to protect her.
He’d keep her safe from harm.
No more fear of torture. No more fear of being killed as a heretic.
She was so excited she already started planning her future.
‘As the Demon King, he must have amazing mages working under him.’
The Demon Realm was the origin of magic.
Demons were the masters of it.
Who knew how many powerful, mysterious spells were hidden there?
As the Demon King’s contractor, she’d live in comfort—free to study magic however she wanted.
Her heart raced with excitement.
“Alright! Let’s go! Take me to the Demon Realm!”
“…Okay. But…”
“Yes?”
“…Do you have to smile like that? You look possessed. It’s… kinda creepy.”
Ludwig began chanting a spell.
It was probably a return spell only someone with the title of “Demon King” could use.
It wouldn’t work for anyone else, but Ariella was too excited to care—her scholar’s heart was burning with curiosity.
FWOOM!
As the spell finished, a brilliant light wrapped around them.
A moment later, she felt magic surge through the air—then the air itself changed.
They had arrived somewhere completely new.
‘This must be the Demon Realm!’
Ariella slowly opened her eyes, still blinded from the light.
And what she saw first was—
“…Wait, what?”
She blinked in confusion.
“Ludwig? Where are we? Did we land in the wrong place?”
“No. This is the right place.”
Woooosh—
A dry wind blew past them.
Ariella stood frozen, her mouth slightly open.
“Here? This is it?”
“Yeah. This is my domain.”
She blinked again and again, hoping it was just an illusion.
All she could see were overgrown fields, broken-down thatched huts, and rusted farming tools lying everywhere.
At that moment… she knew.
Something was seriously wrong.
