Chapter 7
“Ah. My apple. My leverage is gone now…”
It felt strangely unsettling…
“How did you know that?”
If I asked that, I’d just be getting dragged into this man’s pace, so I decided to keep my mouth shut.
Still, I wanted to correct something.
“It’s not that I want to die. I just can’t help it because I’m destined to die.”
But I probably shouldn’t say that either.
[You’re not going to speak?]
You’ve been silent and just staring too, haven’t you? It’s the same thing.
Pretending not to care, I stayed silent, and the man also fell quiet after that.
Thinking calmly again, maybe this guy had made the apple disappear from my hand and was testing me so there’d be no evidence he gave me an apple in the first place.
Of course, the idea that a three-year-old child would even think about death was absurd, so it probably wasn’t that.
“Could he… be reading minds?”
He’s a demon, after all. What can’t they do?
While I was glaring suspiciously at the fallen apple, Neriewen came downstairs from the second floor.
At the same time, the man’s voice echoed again through the screen.
[…Lady Veril?]
Neriewen’s younger sibling tilted their head and called out a name—“Veril”—as if confused, and then a deeper voice followed.
[Lady Riewen?]
What the—why does his voice sound like that?
Just from his voice alone, it feels like he’s handsome.
[Yes, but…]
Neriewen’s sibling glanced at me briefly and reached toward the screen, probably trying to end the call.
But before they could, the owner of that handsome voice stepped into view.
[Lady Riewen…?]
So demons all have well-shaped jaws, huh? Both of them.
[…A child?]
[Ah. So the lady has taken in a child…]
The sibling stopped speaking mid-sentence.
The man had disappeared from the screen.
And only then—
[Oh dear. Maybe I should’ve said “contractor” first?]
The youngest demon clicked his tongue softly.
Neriewen, unaware of all this, sat on the sofa holding me and said,
“I heard Veril’s voice.”
[Yes. He just arrived, but…]
Why are you all looking at me?
[It seems Lord Veril will go down as soon as he finds his human-world contractor.]
“Oh? Really? Then I guess his work is done.”
[Ah… probably.]
The man smiled brightly as usual.
“He just clicked his tongue like he made a mistake, and now he’s smiling like nothing happened.”
How can he smile so naturally without changing expression at all?
Anyway, what about my apple?
You said you’d send it through Veril, but that Veril guy just left, didn’t he?
“Jama, jama. My appa.”
Sensing they were about to hang up, I immediately intervened.
Neriewen looked at me like she didn’t understand, and the man on the screen opened and closed his mouth awkwardly before answering.
[We’ll send the apple through Lord Rowell.]
“Apple? Suddenly?”
[She—no, the child seems to really like apples, so we said we’d send some as a gift.]
What’s with that reluctant smile?
You made the promise. Hey, I dropped my apple. You think I can’t pick it up off the floor?
“You two talked that quickly? You can understand each other?”
Even I found it strange how naturally we seemed to communicate, though I guess my pronunciation had improved a bit compared to before.
My tongue isn’t as wild as it used to be.
[It’s not exactly that we understand each other…]
The man trailed off awkwardly, unable to continue.
“I was worried she didn’t have any friends, but this works out well. Come visit when you’re bored. Be her friend.”
[…Pardon?]
How are a predator and prey supposed to be friends? Be serious, you demon.
The man seemed to think the same and smiled awkwardly.
See? Even he thinks so…
[Lady… you do know I’m well over the age of adulthood, right?]
“You’re basically a kid if you’re half my age.”
[That half is 1,500 years.]
“That’s still younger than your other siblings.”
Ah. So it was about age.
True, 1,500 years isn’t exactly playdate age.
My age isn’t either, but I still don’t want to be friends with him.
“Shiro!”
“Riri, let’s meet him first before deciding. You can’t just reject someone before even meeting them.”
That’s not the issue!
The issue is being friends with a 1,500-year-old demon!
Common sense, please!
Ah. Why am I expecting common sense from this demon anyway?
Neriewen grabbed my small hand and waved toward the screen.
“Take care. See you next time.”
“Anya!”
[…Yes. If she wants to see me that badly, I’ll make time.]
What? Since when did I say that?
“Good. That’s a good decision.”
[Then rest well, Lady.]
“No! Ah!”
I flailed my arms, but the screen had already turned off.
That rude bastard… I was still talking!
Even if my speech was limited thanks to this wildly free tongue.
“Rie. Shi-ro!”
“It’s fine. He’s trustworthy. And kind.”
He’s only kind to you!
Forget personality—how is a 1,500-year-old my age at all?!
But this demon probably thought I was just being stubborn, so as usual, he shoved food into my mouth.
‘Do you think I forget everything just because you feed me?’
Of course, I ended up chewing on soft bread from who-knows-where and completely forgot about Neriewen’s younger sibling until night.
That Night
These days, Neriewen had started some strange early education program, and that night was no exception.
We were struggling over a thick encyclopedia she insisted on showing me.
“Jige! Cheo!”
“It’s just a normal plant encyclopedia this time.”
How is that normal?
This place in the demon world had carnivorous plants, creepy plants, plants with eyes—those were all apparently “plants” and neatly drawn in the encyclopedia.
I tried to shut the book because it was gross, but it was too heavy and my face slammed into it.
While we were struggling—
Knock knock.
Someone knocked at the door.
Perfect timing.
“Sonny!”
“Who would come at this hour?”
True.
She had cast an illusion spell around the area because she found it annoying dealing with nearby villagers.
“Still, I heard knocking. Was that an illusion?”
Knock knock.
Polite knocking again.
It wasn’t an illusion.
“Sonijana!”
“Hm. Strange. The barrier is intact.”
She tilted her head and placed me on the sofa before heading to the door.
“Kids? But Veril should take time to find a contractor…”
She opened the door abruptly—
And something dark lunged at her.
I knew it! You go around beating people up, of course you’d get ambushed!
But don’t die! I’ll die if you die!
I jumped up in panic, losing balance.
Huh? I’m going to die before her!
“Riewen!”
Just as I panicked, Neriewen used magic to place me back on the sofa.
Phew…
I was relieved I wouldn’t end up with an epitaph saying “died falling off a sofa.”
When I calmed down—
There she was, along with a large man.
Thankfully, it wasn’t an assassin. He was hugging Neriewen tightly like she was precious.
Neriewen waved at me to ignore them.
“Veril.”
Ah. So that’s Veril?
The demon who sent handwritten letters to Neriewen?
The so-called romantic interest demon?
“Veril, what’s wrong? I heard you were coming, but it’s been less than a day. Did you already find a contractor?”
“….”
“Speak up, I can’t hear you if you mumble like that.”
“…Who is it?”
“Hm?”
The man slowly lifted his head from Neriewen’s shoulder.
From the side, I could see a sharply handsome profile matching his deep voice.
“Tell me who irresponsibly left you and the child behind. I will find them and kill them.”
Uh oh. Something about this feels off…
“You’re misunderstanding.”
“I understand. How could I dare interfere with your choices…”
“Hey, Veril!”
Neriewen grabbed his cheeks and forced him to look at her.
“Have I ever been away from you for more than a few hundred years?”
“No.”
“The child is four years old. That means I would’ve had to secretly meet someone behind your back for at least four years. Does that even make sense? I’ve been stuck in the demon castle working nonstop.”
“…No.”
“Right. If there was a child, it would be yours. And do you think I’d get pregnant after meeting someone just a few times? We demons aren’t that fragile.”
The man finally seemed to think properly.
Neriewen sighed softly.
“And we’re not in a one-sided relationship. If you can interfere in my affairs, then I can interfere in yours too.”
At that, Veril widened his eyes.
“I would never do such a thing. I would rather die.”
“Same here. I love you too. If you cheat, I’ll kill you too.”
…Whoa.
So this is—
That kind of relationship, huh?
A demon talking about love. What a strange world.
I slowly climbed down from the sofa, expression cold.
