Finally, Valen told her to stop talking and just sleep, then held Argen close as if imprisoning her in his arms.
As their different body temperatures slowly merged, they spread into a similar warmth. Argen’s head settled comfortably onto his forearm. Falling asleep happened in an instant.When she opened her eyes again, the midday sun was warmly filling the bedroom.When did she pull the blanket up over her head? Argen rubbed her heavy eyelids and pushed the blanket down. Valen sat on the bed, muttering a fierce curse under his breath. His ears were burning red, and the bedroom door stood wide open. Someone had clearly come and gone.
Another nightmare?
Argen patted Valen’s thigh, but the irresistible wave of sleep washed over her again, and her eyelids drooped.
“You said you hated it—that it was disgusting.” Enrit teased as he placed food before Valen.
His eyes, sharp as blades, fixed on him, and Enrit snapped his mouth shut. But he couldn’t hold it for long, bursting into a mocking laugh again.
Rumours spread throughout the Demon King’s Castle that Valen and Argen had been found embracing under the same blanket. It was an act of affection qualitatively different from the bed-sharing done out of mutual interest. Yes, affection.
Argen, who had never known unrequited love, and Valen, who only ever carried a bloodstained club. A fluttering romance between two people so distant from love? The Demon King’s Castle was turned upside down. The front page of the Demon King’s Castle Daily was lavishly decorated with a picture of the two in a tender embrace.Even when Valen growled for them to shut up, everyone would only say ‘Yes!’ to his face, but behind his back, they’d blush bright red and whisper, ‘Looks like he’s embarrassed.’
“Oh dear, I should go fetch some hot water.”
“Why the sudden need for water?”
“Because honey is dripping from No Name’s eyes, I thought I’d collect some. Hehehe!”
“Seeing them like this, No Name is kind of cute. Now I understand why Lord Argen kidnapped him.”
The cause of this pink disaster was Valen himself.
Falling asleep in the heart of enemy territory, right beside a succubus—the most dangerous type! And twice! Since every demon here was a complete nutcase, he felt like his own head had gone haywire too. He hadn’t even sensed Nadol opening the bedroom door to wake Argen until it was too late.
Seeing them asleep with their limbs tangled together, Nadol tiptoed backward and summoned every demon he could find.
By the time Valen snapped his eyes open, the bedroom was already packed with demons.
‘Got a show? Get lost!’
As he hurled his pillow, the demons scattered with a chorus of “Kyaaah!”—innocent screams like children running through a flower garden.
Damn it, are these really guys who’ve undergone their coming-of-age rites?
Aren’t they supposed to be at least a hundred years older than Valen, who’s barely twenty-eight? Yet their behaviour was indistinguishable from freshmen just enrolled in the academy.
Valent massaged his throbbing temples.
From now on, after bathing Argen, he must return to his bedroom like clockwork. Getting needlessly entangled led to this mess. He retracted the thought that he was the cause of the disaster. When you think about it, it was all Argen’s voice’s fault. That sweet-sounding intonation, whispering so intimately—of course he’d end up listening to every single word of nonsense.
Those eyes, shining excessively like they held stars, were also a problem. And why was her neck so pale and delicate? Seeing the marks he’d left plastered all over it gave him a strange sense of satisfaction. The skin was soft and supple, tempting his hands to keep touching it…
Anyway, Argen is just one big problem.
As he stared straight ahead with eyes brimming with irritation, Enrit, standing beside him, gasped and drew in a sharp breath.
“Your fiancée is approaching.”
“Bring the club.”
“I hope you enjoyed your meal. Since I sense Argen’s presence, I shall take my leave.”
As Enrit opened the bedroom door, Argen truly stood right before them. Valen instinctively averted her gaze. And immediately regretted it.
One crucial element in battle against an enemy is seizing the initiative. He had never once lost a psychological battle, yet now he retreated as easily as a candle before the wind.Why did he do that?
“Found you. You thieving bastard!!” Finn, appearing from nowhere, burst into the bedroom before Argen.
When Finn slammed both hands down on his table with a ‘CRASH!’, the tableware rattled and shifted. Valen’s gaze froze colder than the chill of a snowy mountain. “What the hell are you doing?”
” I won’t accept it. How dare you, how dare you do this to our Lord Argen…!” Black mist swirled into Finn’s whites like rising smoke. His red pupils flashed sharp as sharpened blades, his fangs growing beast-like. Just as Valen, sensing the killing intent, raised his knife to drive it into Finn’s exposed gums,
“Finn, you mustn’t interrupt the meal.” A soft voice floated over.
It wasn’t a tone of firm rebuke, yet the dangerous aura retreated like a startled mouse, darting swiftly into a dark corner. Finn’s eyes turned white again, his eyebrows arching in disgust.
“But, Lord Argen…”
As Argen lightly tapped Finn’s forearm, something heavy thudded over Valen’s chest. It was impossible to describe, but one thing was certain: it wasn’t a pleasant feeling.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt your meal.” Argen’s hand gently covered the back of Valen’s hand, which held the knife.
The fire crackling near his solar plexus instantly died down. Valen’s hand went limp, and he quietly felt the warmth of her palm.
“What brings you here so early in the morning?” His tone remained frosty, contrasting with his demeanour, now as calm as a well-trained beast.
“They said they had something to tell you.”
“Not you?”
Argen shifted her body. He could still see Finn, Zephyr, and Nadol, still pounding their chests and raging with fury. Those bothersome fellows had tagged along. Don’t they have anything better to do?
Nadol shoved Finn aside and donned the furry turtle with a grim expression. The turtle, who had been eating cucumbers for breakfast, irritably thumped its tail down. Though the cheek being struck hard must have hurt, Nadol remained serious.
“Everyone found out you and Lord Argen became… that sort of couple.”
“If you’re gonna spout nonsense, get lost.”
“The shock was less than I expected. Truthfully, it was a result I’d anticipated. There have been several reported cases of contract spouses being drawn to each other.”
“What kind of country is this where everyone and their dog is in a contract marriage?”
“There were even similar cases that I would have believed you made it up.”
Nadol rummaged through his inner pocket and pulled something out. He plopped it down on the table with a heavy sigh.
Valen moved only his eyes to confirm this ‘similar case’. It was a book with a deep red velvet cover. It was covered in drunkenly crooked curves. The book’s title was…
“I’ll Never Like You, You Piece of Shit.”
What the hell is this? Valen’s face darkened.
“The gender’s different, but this character Serena in here has a lot in common with you. No, not just a lot—it’s long-haired guy number 38.”
“And Argen is the spitting image of a man named Maximus!” Zephyr, who had been listening with his arms crossed, suddenly chimed in. “Especially, you know. That seemingly indifferent yet affectionate part is exactly like Argen. Right, Nadol?”
“According to the vast amount of data we’ve gathered, when a man and woman who dislike each other at first sight enter into a sham marriage, there’s a 70% chance they’ll fall in love. Add to that the fact that you, No Name, declared, ‘I don’t like someone like you!’—that boosts the probability by 20%. And now you’ve even reached the point where you sleep comfortably under the same blanket?”
“It’s over.”
“It’s over.”
“What’s over!”
Even as Valen scowled and protested, the elders were already convinced. It was astonishing how they could bring a novel written in delusion as an example and blindly trust it as verified data.
“I’ll never like someone like you—that’s what you said, No Name No. 38!” Nadol pointed his index finger straight at Valen.
“Argen, who doesn’t care much either way!” Next, he pointed straight at Argen. Pointing at his superior? He clearly needed some proper discipline.
“But No Name is gradually getting used to Lord Argen’s affection. After using separate rooms, suddenly spending more time in each other’s bedrooms. Constantly trying to get all up in each other’s faces with skin contact that’s so sweet it’ll rot your teeth!”
The last place Nadol pointed was still at Valen and Argen’s hands, pressed together.