Spices prepared.

“Max, watch carefully what I’m about to do.”

Having used up all the spices for the competition, I was finally able to keep my promise to Kaius to make him a delicious steak. Since the pepper had also dried, I had come from mixing spices in the greenhouse.

When Ariel, wearing an apron, spoke to Max the chef, his face looked somewhat bewildered. But Max also knew well what their mistress had accomplished, so he nodded obediently and his eyes shone.

After some time passed, Kaius and Ariel, Lemon and Anna, Sir Carsen and Hearn, and Butler Raymond sat together in the fairly large dining room. As it was mainly a place for entertaining guests, it was notable for its ornate chandelier, carpet with unique patterns, wide windows, and fireplace with an antique design.

As wine was being poured into everyone’s glasses, everyone except Kaius and Ariel kept looking at Lemon.

“Alright. Stop staring.”

Grumbling, Lemon stood up and walked over to Kaius’s side with his plate.

“Your Excellency, please have this.”

At Kaius’s questioning look, Lemon switched the plates and spoke.

“This is what the madam grilled herself.”

“Kaius, this time it was to teach Chef Max.”

Ariel quickly added, worried he might get angry again, but Kaius picked up his fork and knife with an indifferent look as if it were no big deal. As he began eating first, everyone picked up their utensils as if they had been waiting.

Kaius focused on the meal more than usual. He cut slowly and savored leisurely. And looked at his wife once. And again. As Kaius kept looking at her, Ariel spoke up.

“…How is it?”

As careful anticipation filled her voice, his wife’s eyes shone brightly. How intently she stared, as if demanding he say it was delicious. Kaius chuckled and gazed at Ariel calmly.

“A taste I want to eat again.”

At the unexpected praise, Ariel’s face turned bright red and she couldn’t shake off the dazed feeling for a while.

“Madam, it’s the best. The very best.”

“Ho ho, it makes me think of my wife and children.”

“I’m concerned about the knights outside who can only smell this.”

As everyone offered pleasing words, Ariel felt strange at the atmosphere as if they had really become family. Even though they would part ways in a year…

“Ariel, Mopa Street seems best for the location of the shop you want to open. When the candidates are decided, let’s go look together.”

“Ah… Really? Thank you.”

“Lady Ariel, have you finally decided?”

Anna asked in a voice full of joy. It was understandable, as Anna had her own hardships writing refusal replies to each successive invitation.

“Yes. That’s the plan.”

To the others who looked puzzled, Lemon quietly added an explanation.

“…Kaius, I’ll cover all the costs that go into the shop. You understand, right?”

As she spoke hesitantly, the sound of Kaius quietly setting down his utensils could be heard. Ariel spoke carefully, worried he might be upset like with the greenhouse incident, but his expression remained calm.

Kaius looked at her with quiet eyes and nodded slightly to agree with her words, and Ariel smiled brightly. As they chatted and smiled, a somewhat urgent knock sounded in the dining room. It was a visit from a knight who had been investigating the spy’s handwriting.

***

“Your Excellency, we’ve imprisoned her in the underground dungeon.”

The one imprisoned in the underground dungeon was Ciela, the maid who had been serving Ariel.

“What was her purpose for entering?”

“I-I was told I’d be paid if I did errands. I only did errands.”

“What kind of errands.”

Kaius’s questions were short and concise.

“Delivering notes to the madam, or informing about the madam’s outings.”

Notes? Since Ariel received a note and went to meet Ludvian, is she Ludvian’s spy?

“Is the person giving you tasks someone with red hair?”

“What? No, not at all.”

Well, he probably wouldn’t move directly.

“It seems you were looking for a book, what book was it?”

“The book the madam brought from the Brandt Library.”

“For what reason?”

“I don’t know the details, I was just told to find out what kind of book it was.”

The Demon Realm Plant Guide.

He recalled Ariel’s efforts to hide that book from him. And the Viscount Beloas’s interest on top of that. At this point, it was right to check it. After coming up from the underground dungeon, Kaius found Raymond and instructed him to make another key for the greenhouse.

***

Raymond, being a capable butler, was accurate and quick in handling tasks. Kaius took advantage of the evening hours when Ariel didn’t enter the greenhouse.

Walking with wide strides, Kaius passed the path and opened the greenhouse door. He turned on the lights in the already darkened greenhouse and took unhesitating steps towards the changing room.

To find that book Ariel had hidden.

The book wasn’t difficult to find. Kaius, sitting on the bench, turned the cover. Plant drawings, then descriptions, then the next page. After repeating this several times, Kaius closed the book again and examined it vertically. To look for traces of frequently viewed pages.

Meanwhile, Ariel came out a bit late with Anna after hearing that Kaius wouldn’t be able to take their usual evening walk together. To aid digestion and see the snow that hadn’t melted yet. It was a leisurely evening. Wanting to step on the snow, she only walked where there was no path. The crunching sound pleased her like music.

“Anna, how are things going with Lemon?”

Anna’s face immediately turned red. The two became lovers when Anna gave Lemon a lucky bracelet.

“It’s going well.”

“Congratulations, I’m really happy for you.”

“Thank you.”

As they exchanged trivial conversation and reached the back garden, Ariel’s gaze stopped at one place.

“Why are the greenhouse lights…”

Ariel, who had been dazed for a while, unconsciously began walking towards the greenhouse step by step. Wondering if she had mistakenly left the door open. Or accidentally left the lights on? Or perhaps lost the greenhouse key? All possible thoughts swirled in her mind. No. Ariel knew she hadn’t turned on the lights today, and the key was safely in her dressing table drawer. Ariel’s gaze, having stopped walking, briefly turned towards the mansion then back to the greenhouse.

Kaius, who said he wouldn’t take an evening walk, as the owner of this place could easily make a greenhouse key. Judging by his attitude earlier, he wouldn’t hesitate to violate the contract terms.

As her thoughts reached that point, Ariel’s steps began to quicken.

She had thought there was still time. Her heart tightened and she couldn’t breathe.

Ariel began running towards the greenhouse beyond the darkness.

***

“Lord Ludvian, there’s been no contact from Ciela. Even though I told her to send a messenger bird if she couldn’t find out.”

Ludvian’s face frowned slightly at Kitra’s report.

“Wait a bit longer.”

Thinking it wasn’t a very important matter, Ludvian let the words slide. It was only something he had asked to be looked into out of simple curiosity in the first place.

Even for him, it was incomprehensible that he had tried to kill a knight so openly in a public place yesterday. That could have potentially caused the Demon King qualification to fail. Ludvian had thought about it all night long. What could have made him lose his solid reason that he had maintained for well over a thousand years.

In his life, he had only wanted two things. To become the Demon King and to possess that woman Ariel.

Clearly, becoming the Demon King had always taken priority in everything, but yesterday, that order was momentarily reversed.

The Iron-Blooded Beloas.

The weight of that name shattered into pieces in Ludvian’s heart as of yesterday.

“…Kitra, what do you think about humans?”

Kitra was taken aback by his master’s sudden question, but he soon laid out his thoughts.

“I think humans are subtle animals. As their lifespans are short, they live life to the fullest, and their intellectual abilities are excellent. Above all, they constantly strive. It’s something we demons who live for a long time don’t have. Nevertheless, I still think they are inferior animals.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because they even risk their lives for something called love. Unnecessarily.”

***

The calm black eyes discovered a page where the corner was slightly folded. After reading about Lilas first, Kaius began to check Zaparos next.

His gaze looked at the large Zaparos tree in the greenhouse. He lowered his eyes again to check the drawing. He frowned, then raised his head again to confirm the tree. After going through this verification process several times, Kaius’s eyes grew unfathomably deep. As he began to read the description, emotions of humiliation, anger, self-mockery, and contempt rose and fell on Kaius’s face.

“Ha…”

Kaius, whose mind had turned to mush, closed his eyes. For a long time. As time passed, even his slightly disturbed breathing returned to its original flow.

Ariel.

“Ariel von Elbartan.”

He called that name softly as if reciting, and smiled a little. When Kaius opened his eyes again, his gaze was cold.

Meanwhile, Ariel entered the greenhouse with anxious steps and slowly looked around. As she went a bit further in, she sensed something off in the changing room. A man’s long legs. It was Kaius.

Swallowing dryly, Ariel took several deep breaths. Clenching her fists so tightly that veins popped out, she gathered all her courage and began to walk.

Arriving before him, Ariel’s gaze fell on Kaius looking at the open “Zaparos” book. He had found out about Zaparos. The reason he was attacked by demon beasts every night and that he had less than a year left to live.

At Ariel’s presence, Kaius’s gaze slowly turned to her. In the silence where not even breathing could be heard, their gazes met.