The Story of an Arrogant Succubus Princess Who Always Looked Down on Humans as Mere Food, Until She Fell in Love With an Ordinary Man - Chapter 17

A few days had passed since Asbel and the others left the royal capital. Along the way, there were times when they were almost caught by the knights, but each time, Asbel simply changed their route and continued to walk toward the border.

The knights likely weren’t serious about capturing Asbel and the others on their journey. It was clear that their destination was the border with the demon realm, so instead of searching randomly throughout the country, it would be more efficient to strengthen security along the border.

If the two had eloped and were hiding, there would be no means to find them. If Asbel was serious about hiding, it would be nearly impossible to find him. However, Asbel’s goal was to deliver Liliana to the demon realm. The knights would concentrate their forces at the border. A confrontation was unavoidable.

Still, Asbel never stopped walking. He aimed to eliminate any unnecessary conflicts with the demon realm, with which they had signed a peace treaty. He always acted according to his sense of rightness.

Therefore, he couldn’t understand.

“Hey, come here, Asbel! Over there, there are some really beautiful flowers blooming!”

Liliana ran up the mountain path, like a child. She always did her best to enjoy herself, no matter the time or situation.

Right now, they were on the run. They should try to be as inconspicuous as possible. They didn’t know what might happen. They should conserve their strength as much as they could.

Normally, one would think that way. Yet, Liliana was smiling as if she were sightseeing.

Asbel simply sighed. “You are…well, whatever.”

If he could understand what was in Liliana’s heart, perhaps he could also learn to enjoy something. Asbel forcefully swallowed that sentiment, which didn’t seem like him.

“What’s wrong? Why do you keep stopping? You sometimes do that, right? If you have something to say, just say it clearly.”

Liliana stopped and looked straight at Asbel. Her brilliant golden hair swayed in the wind. Asbel spoke in his usual calm manner.

“I just wondered why you always look so happy.”

“What’s that? I just decided to have fun no matter what.”

“I can’t understand how you can think that way…for better or worse.”

“What do you mean? It’s obvious! Besides, you said it yourself, right? You never know when you might die.”

“That’s true. The knights are always close to death.”

“But isn’t that true for everyone? Neither you nor I nor anyone knows when they will die. So, isn’t it a waste not to enjoy yourself a little?”

Liliana spread her arms wide as if dancing and laughed brightly. To celebrate her, the birds flying in the sky sang.

“Even if you enjoy yourself, don’t you think dying would make it all pointless?”

“Don’t you think that even if you are right, dying means nothing will remain?”

“If I die, what I’ve done won’t disappear.”

“………”

Liliana was momentarily silenced. At first, she couldn’t understand Asbel’s way of thinking at all. But Asbel was being thanked by many people wherever he went.

Even if Asbel died, what he had done would not vanish. The righteousness he believed in would continue to live on in someone’s heart.

“But if you aren’t happy, then that doesn’t mean anything.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“…I don’t know. More importantly, I saw some beautiful flowers over there, so let’s go take a look for a bit?”

Liliana forcefully took Asbel’s arm and started walking. He had told her many times to stop wasting time, but Liliana never seemed to listen.

“…Just for a bit.”

Asbel had recently started allowing some small detours, probably having given in to Liliana.

…If it came to it, he could carry Liliana and run. He would deliver her to the demon realm before the border was completely sealed off. As long as he achieved that goal, it didn’t matter how many detours he took.

Asbel changed his thoughts.

“I have a decent position in the demon realm.”

Without looking at Asbel, Liliana continued.

“I was called a princess and raised with great care since I was a child.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“No. It was just convenient for them. …Succubus Queen. A precious race that was supposed to be extinct. I was born with a special power as a mutation.”

“Then why did you become a witch who rampaged through human lands? Since the war, the discrimination against demons has decreased. But it’s still certainly hard to live, right? Wouldn’t it be more in line with what you call happiness to be a princess in the demon realm?”

The succubus, who had been oppressed in the demon realm, deceiving humans to rise to power was something Asbel could understand. However, he couldn’t comprehend why Liliana, who had originally been happy, was so attached to the human realm.

“Because that’s not me.”

“…What do you mean?”

“To act as someone someone else wished me to be and live as I’m told by others. That can’t be called living, can it? I want to enjoy various things and laugh at various things to prove that I am here, living. That’s all.”

“…You are free, huh?”

“Hm? What do you mean by that?”

“I don’t know.”

They passed between the trees. They saw a small flower field.

“…Beautiful.”

The flowers, created by nature without anyone tending to them, swayed in the warm breeze. It was indeed a beautiful sight, but at the same time, it was an ordinary landscape found anywhere.

Yet, Liliana squinted her eyes as if she were witnessing a miracle.

“I hate the demon realm because it’s gloomy, but there’s one scenery I can’t forget.”

Liliana crouched down and gently touched the flowers.

“There’s a flower that probably doesn’t exist in the human realm, a small pale blue flower. That flower has a tendency to bloom when the flowers next to it bloom, and when one blooms, the whole area becomes full of flowers. It’s as if the blue sky has fallen.”

“………”

Asbel tried to imagine that scene. However, it didn’t take shape well. For Asbel, who didn’t think anything he saw was beautiful, the flowers in front of him and the flowers in the demon realm that Liliana spoke of were equally just part of the scenery.

“I would like to see it at least once.”

Yet, naturally, those words slipped out.

“…Huh?”

Liliana was surprised and looked at Asbel. However, Asbel himself couldn’t understand why he had said such words.

“…No, I said something boring. Forget it.”

“Why not? I don’t want to.”

Liliana laughed and turned her gaze from the flower field to the awkward man, making a troubled expression.

“I’ll guide you one day. To that boring country’s beautiful flower field. Surely even you will be moved by that sight, right?”

Liliana started walking. For a moment, Asbel stared at her back while placing his hand on his chest. What caught his eye was an ordinary sunset, not the flower field in front of him or the imagined flower field.

The sunset slowly sank into the lake. It was a scene he had seen somewhere before. A beautiful landscape he had seen before losing his heart.

—Why had he forgotten it until now?

“What are you doing? Let’s go, Asbel.”

“…I know.”

Shaking off unnecessary thoughts, Asbel began to walk. The witch who could topple nations. The princess who was supposed to have perished. The Succubus Queen. While traveling with such a girl, perhaps he had changed in some way.

“…It’s sentimental.”

Yet, even so, Asbel slowly began to walk with his colorless eyes, unchanged from usual.