Valen, who had resolved not to react no matter what Nadol did, flinched momentarily. It was Argen who withdrew her hand first.
“Every sign points to the two of you being destined to fall in love!”
“Who would believe such nonsense…”
“But I refuse to accept it!!” Nadol shouted with the resolute conviction of a revolutionary leader. Valen, who had been radiating exhaustion, flinched at the corners of his eyes.
“I, no, we… cannot accept you, No Name, as Argen’s lover.”
Argen let out a small sigh beside him. One could imagine how much she’d been tormented by those idiotic demons since morning.
Valen leaned his torso back against the chair. His long, sturdy frame stretched out languidly. His face, previously twisted with irritation, now bore no emotion. “I have no desire to engage in sickeningly sweet lovey-dovey nonsense with those demon scum either.”
But—.
“Who the hell are you to talk about acceptance? How presumptuous.”
What Valen couldn’t stand was being disrespected by demons whose intelligence was on par with preschoolers. They should be begging him to to take pity of Argen just once, yet they dared to discuss acceptance?
“What’s your reason for not accepting it?”
“Your violence! The demons in the kitchen are still groaning about the pain in their backs from your beatings. They’re only 200 years old, prime for recovery. You’ve turned those young demons into a mess… Don’t you feel sorry for them?!”
Valen is twenty-eight.
“There’s more!” Finn interjected.
He rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a scroll. Unfolding the tightly rolled paper, it stretched endlessly, reaching all the way to the floor. It rolled along, stopping just before it touched Argen’s shoe.
““I wrote this from the first day Argen brought that bastard in. I knew that one day I would have a chance to bring this up. Wash your ears clean and listen carefully. What I mean is… Argh!!”
Valen lit the end of the paper with a candle on the table. The innermost thoughts Finn had diligently written for over three months vanished in an instant, consumed by the flames.Finn gathered the ashes in his hand, overcome with frustration. Nadol patted Finn’s shoulder.
“Hey, you. Your looks aren’t bad, but our Lord Argen can’t spend her whole life just staring at your face. Among us demons, including myself, there are quite a few handsome ones. Your biggest problem is your character.”
“Ah.”
It wasn’t exactly surprising, as he’d expected it.
“I’ve looked high and low, but I couldn’t find a single trace of kindness in you. Our Lord Argen is someone raised with such precious care… She’s far too good for a cold-hearted, insensitive fool like you!”
“Hey, aren’t you going to eat this?” Zepher gestured toward the steak Valen had left uneaten. Before waiting for an answer, he swiftly speared it with his fork and shoved it into his mouth. Valen had lost his appetite after the sudden, uninvited guest arrived.
“But if you show us you couldn’t live a single moment without our Argen, we might change our minds.” Nadol spoke as if granting a favour.
But what a shame. He’d picked the wrong target. Desperate people dig wells, but the one eager to advance the relationship beyond the contract was someone else. The one who should be digging the well wasn’t Valen, but Argen.
‘Your master should be pouring his heart and soul into seducing me.’
Valen pretended to rest his chin on his hand, studying Argen’s expression. Her already pale face turned even whiter. She sighed repeatedly, out of character, occasionally pressing her fingers to her temples. That forehead was something only Valen used to press day and night.
Watching the anxious Argen, the situation that had only made him irritated became slightly interesting. Valen gave her a wicked look and tapped the table lightly with his fingertips. “What am I supposed to do?”
“What do you mean? You have to devote yourself! Devote yourself!”
“So what kind of devotion? How?”
“Do you know which is the most important among faith, hope, and love? Lace. Lace.”
The hand that had been tapping a rhythm stopped moving. “Are you telling me to wear a lace dress or something?”
Valen’s brow wrinkled faintly. Yet, though Valen was the one insulted, it was Nadol who flew into a rage. “What kind of perverted remark is this…! Lord Argen doesn’t have such bizarre tastes!”
“I said lace.”
“Isn’t that short for ‘failed love’?! You foolish human…! Please, study! Read books! If you don’t constantly improve yourself, you’ll inevitably be left behind!”
“Wow, this… People really come in all shapes and sizes.”
The number of times he’d been shocked by the demon race’s intelligence level was beyond counting… Hearing those creatures lecture him about studying made the back of his neck tense up. Valen cracked his neck sideways.
Finn brushed the ashes from his hand and stood up. “The pinnacle of romance, the fruit of devotion. A doomed love. I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment. Show your devotion to Lord Argen by dying. Then Lord Argen will scatter your ashes somewhere in the north or south, gather some to make a necklace, and remember you.”
“Regardless of romance, you lot just want me dead, don’t you?”
The demons spewed nonsensical words without rhyme or reason, but the conclusion was clear. Just do your job and rot away beside Argen.
Even if they begged him to stay, he’d leave without a backward glance. Why all the fuss?
“Show us your devotion!”
“Yeah! Prove we can trust you. Do it!” The demons clenched their fists and shouted.
But Valen wasn’t the type to fall for such childish provocation. It’s easy to make those guys angry enough to flip their white bellies up on the water and float(*T/N below). All I have to do is leave Argen in my bedroom and send everyone else away.
At that moment, Argen turned her back to the demons and looked at Valen. His gaze naturally fell on her face. Argen didn’t speak, only her lips moved silently.
‘Wish.’
Argen bit her lower lip and sent Valen a look. He understood the embarrassment caused by a subordinate making a fuss without grasping the situation. But even for Argen, who rarely showed emotion, she seemed excessively troubled.
The embarrassment was momentary. She could have just ignored it. Why waste a wish on this?
Valen stared at Argen with an expressionless face. Then—.
“All of you, get out.”
He issued the order to dismiss them, still holding Argen’s wrist.
Just as Valen had expected, chaos erupted outside. They were barking questions about why he wanted to be alone with Argen in the bedroom. Valen sat on the sofa, unbuttoning his shirt to make himself comfortable.
Argen sat down beside him as if it were her designated seat. “I don’t remember what state we were in this morning. I tend to wake up slower than others.”
“You don’t need to remember.”
“I’m fine with it, but the goat and the others aren’t. They were pestering me, asking what happened last night, making a huge fuss.”
So they made such a big deal over just one hug. Well, since it’s come to this, maybe I’ll just hug her every morning from now on. If it meant seeing those demon bastards foaming at the mouth and collapsing, it was worth the effort.
Valen unconsciously scanned Argen from her neatly gathered feet to her knees, her tidy body, and the soft, downy skin. It was an offhand thought, but she seemed quite decent.
“I don’t wish to cause you trouble. But just this once, I’d like you to do as the goat said.”
“Don’t speak as if you’re begging. You won the bet.”
But there was one problem. The ‘devotion’ the demons spoke of meant death. Leaving only a small amount of bone ash behind to make into a necklace, and parting from Argen forever.
idiom that means to helplessly get carried away with a situation.