Chapter 54

I had been caught in a perfect embrace with Freise (technically, she was unilaterally clinging to me).

“…Demon King? What are you doing…?”

Angelica’s eyes were wide open.

Her face said she didn’t quite grasp what was happening. Her rational mind probably hadn’t decided which emotion to trigger yet.

“A-Angelica, this isn’t what it looks like… Everything is different from what you’re imagining… Please, stay calm and look at the situation…”

As if accepting my plea, Angelica took a long, slow breath right there.

Thank goodness. Usually, in moments like this, people reflexively scream “You’re cheating! You’re the worst!” and the misunderstanding just snowballs. Being a Hero, Angelica didn’t succumb to panic.

“I’ve calmed down, but Demon King, you are hugging another woman, aren’t you?”

Drat!

If I just stood there letting her cling to me, nothing was going to improve!

“I suppose I should just call this ‘cheating’? Though, I don’t know who’s the main wife between Mama and this person. In this big wide world, there might even be someone willing to marry a guy who cheats.”

“Wait, wait! This is absolutely not cheating! This person, Freise, just lunged at me and started hugging me! I truly haven’t done a single thing from my side!”

“Demon King, that’s not right.”

Angelica looked at me with a slightly pained expression.

“Pushing all the responsibility onto the woman is shameful. I might—at a stretch—be able to forgive the cheating, but trying to make the woman out to be the villain like that is just pathetic.”

Her logic was incredibly sound, but in this specific case, it really was entirely Freise’s fault!

“I’m sure you acted all suggestive to lead her into hugging you. That way, it wouldn’t be your fault, right? Yeah, that’s clever social maneuvering. Real clever.”

Why was Angelica wearing such a cold smile…?

Honestly, it would be psychologically easier if she just blew up at me.

“Sigh… I actually trusted you, you know? You’re so blunt that I thought you were incapable of manipulating people—that you were devoted to Mama. But I guess I was completely fooled. Getting tricked by the Demon King… I’m a failure as a Hero.”

No! You aren’t being tricked by me; you’re being tricked by Freise! That part of the interpretation is extremely important, so please don’t get it wrong!

Angelica abruptly turned her back to me.

“Sorry, but I’m canceling the Investiture Ceremony. At this rate, I’m probably just being used, too. I don’t want to live like some kind of clown. It’s not very Hero-like.”

With that, Angelica ran off.

“Hey, Angelica! Listen to me! If we talk, you’ll understand! I know you will!”

“That’s right, Hero! The Demon King is going to marry me, Freise! Specifically, it’s a shotgun wedding!”

I wanted to chase after her, but Freise was in the way and I couldn’t move!

“You, stop saying crazy things! What do you mean, ‘shotgun wedding’!? That is beyond baseless!”

“Isn’t this a great opportunity? Making a human Hero a candidate for the Demon King was a ridiculous idea anyway. If you have a child with me and make that child the Crown Prince, the story is much easier to follow. The Demon King marries a demon he likes—it’s so simple~.”

Grinning, Freise looked up at my face with an upturned gaze.

I knew full well that Freise was just messing around… but a part of me couldn’t help thinking she had a point.

Making a female Hero the Crown Prince of the Demon King was, after all, unprecedented.

Eventually, there was a high possibility that some sort of strain would emerge.

Compared to that, marrying a demon woman and producing an heir was a much more natural course of action.

“Even that Hero girl understood deep down that it was impossible for her to be a candidate for the Demon King. That’s why she said she’s quitting. I mean, we’re talking about the Crown Prince here. There’s no way a human girl can do that.”

Freise’s words rattled around in my head.

“That’s why you should marry me and have a child. Then, we should make that child the next Demon King. Hehe, then I’ll be the mother of the Demon King. I can seize as much power as I want…”

Ah, good grief, maybe that would be fine.

In fact, had everything up until now been what was actually abnormal?

“Come on, let’s stop trying to make that girl the Crown Prince and announce our marriage instead. I’ll be devoted to you! Since it leads to me gaining power, I won’t compromise on anything! I mean, who cares about the Crown Prince anyway?”

Freise’s final words hit me with a massive impact, echoing through my mind.

—Who cares about the Crown Prince anyway?

“…Exactly.”

I suddenly snapped back to my senses.

“Right? You should leave your current wife and have demons marry demons—”

I slowly pulled Freise away with both hands.

“I don’t give a damn about the Crown Prince. More importantly, I have to put my family first.”

I had been worrying about trivial things, like what would happen to the Investiture Ceremony. That was all just politics and organizational nonsense.

Wasn’t the reason I hadn’t remarried for so long because I hated living bound by such things?

First, I must tell the truth to my hurting daughter; everything starts from there.

I sprinted down the hallway to chase after Angelica.

I didn’t know if she would believe me. Even so, I had to tell her! There was no other way, and this wasn’t the kind of thing where you could just scheme your way out!

Angelica, I’m coming to see you not as the Demon King, but as a father!

I found Angelica much more easily than expected.

She was sitting in a gazebo in the courtyard, leaning on her elbows.

She likely felt hesitant about going back to where Lateia was.

“Angelica!”

I stood directly in front of her.

“I’m going to tell you everything right now. You can be the judge. That’s the best I can do.”