Beleth looked into her eyes as if he wanted to see deep into her soul.

And then, he slowly closed and opened his eyes.

“I must have misjudged.”

Apologizing softly, his hand wrapped around her shoulder.

“I now know a bit more about what you want.”

Beryl kept her eyes fixed on him, unable to guess what he was about to say.

What in this conversation?

“That you don’t want to be alone, that’s also one of your desires.”

At that, Beryl slightly opened her mouth. That was also true.

As he dug a little deeper into me, Beryl’s heart started beating more violently.

Being this close, would he also hear my heartbeat?

Would he know I am tense?

Beleth then smiled.

“This is an easily fulfillable desire.”

He said, pulling Beryl’s body into an embrace. A low chuckle resonated in Beryl’s ear.

“I’ve never given up on what I have. So.”
He pulled back slightly and looked directly into Beryl’s eyes.

“Rather, you should be afraid that you won’t be able to escape.”

You won’t be able to leave this land.

Hearing such words, Beryl felt an odd sense of comfort. Unbeknownst to her, she had already grown quite attached to this land.

Beleth kissed her as she closed her eyes, letting out a low chuckle.

“Is it really that good to be unable to escape from a demon?”

“…….”

She couldn’t bring herself to say it was good. However, her hand gripped his shoulder tightly as if to affirm it.

Beleth’s laughter grew louder.

“You worry that you might ask too much of me, yet you only ask for what I can give.”

He kissed her forehead again, spreading warmth across it. As their hot breaths mingled, blurring Beryl’s mind, he whispered.
So I wonder if I can satisfy you, if you can properly learn desire here.

The next morning.

Lonobe was in Beleth’s office, looking at the clock with a troubled face.

“It’s time for him to arrive.”

Beleth should have been in the office several hours earlier, attending to his duties.

But lately, Beleth, who had been struggling to focus on his work, was now nowhere to be seen.

Finally, Lonobe headed towards Beleth and Beryl’s bedroom. In a mansion where bedrooms were unnecessary, this room had been made specifically for Beryl.

Even so, Beleth was someone who had no reason to sleep.

—Thump, thump.

“Your Majesty, it’s Lonobe.”

Having arrived in front of the room, Lonobe cautiously knocked.

“…….”

There was no response from inside. After hesitating, Lonobe was about to knock again.

—…….
Then the door opened silently. It was clear that someone had used magic to open it.

Lonobe cautiously stepped into the room. The area around the bed was concealed by more veils than usual, making it difficult to see anything even with a demon’s good eyesight.

Only a faint silhouette of the person lying down was visible.

More than that, what reached Lonobe’s ears was the sound of gentle, even breathing. In a similar rhythm, a reassuring tapping sound could be heard.

As if someone were patting a sleeping person comfortingly.

If the demon who entered this room was not even slightly familiar with human society, they wouldn’t have had the slightest idea what this situation was.

But Lonobe was different. He paused. This scene looked exactly like a morning for human newlyweds, didn’t it?

However, the person involved was that demon archduke Beleth.
He who had understood love as nothing more than a desire for possession, and who had considered lust not as desire but as foolish behavior.

Yet the traces left by Vizion last night were… Lonobe was in the midst of organizing his confused thoughts when he spoke.

“What’s the matter?”

A very low voice echoed, quiet enough not to wake the sleeping person.

“…Your Highness, there are urgent matters.”

Lonobe unwittingly lowered his voice to match.

—Swish.

After a brief silence, the silhouette rose. A slight movement of magic revealed the figure behind the veils to be Beleth, somewhat disheveled.

He looked very uncomfortable.

“You should start your work now.”

“……”

It was when Beleth let out a short sigh.

“Uh-huh……”

Beleth quickly turned his head at the sound coming from the bed.
Lonobe noticed a silhouette that appeared a bit clearer than before, beyond the veils that Beleth was pushing aside as he walked out.

“……!”

Unconsciously staring at it, Lonobe soon found himself under Beleth’s icy gaze.

A chilling aura grazed him, making his entire body shiver.

“!”

Lonobe bowed his head deeply as if to plant it into the ground. Only then did the chilling aura seem to disappear.

“Was I too loud?”

He wanted to say that it was at a volume humans wouldn’t be able to hear, but he suppressed his breath finely instead.

His instincts were telling him to just keep his mouth shut.

“No, it’s just… the bed moved.”

He felt Beleth’s gaze on him again. Lonobe broke into a cold sweat.

That gaze seemed to say that had he not come here, the bed wouldn’t have stirred, and it was his fault that Beril woke up.

“Who’s here?”

A drowsy small question was softly spoken by Beleth.
“It’s Lonobe.”