The Strongest Bride in Another World, But It Seems I’m Stronger in Night Battles ~A Harem Chronicle of Rising to Power Using Strategy~ (Dropped) - Chapter 24
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- The Strongest Bride in Another World, But It Seems I’m Stronger in Night Battles ~A Harem Chronicle of Rising to Power Using Strategy~ (Dropped)
- Chapter 24 - His Majesty The Demon Lord
I gave orders for domestic affairs to Milevis and Irene, and I entrusted the castle to Lator and our guest, Rishel. We had arrived at the Emperor’s residence in the capital.
“Ah, it seems we’ve arrived. Uncle, we’re getting off,” I said as I stepped out of the carriage after Marida, who had alighted with the ease of someone familiar with the place. Brest followed suit.
Before us stood the Imperial Castle, also known as the Demon King’s Castle in some circles, the residence of the Emperor of the Elancia Empire. It was a magnificent palace adorned with opulent furnishings, displaying the epitome of luxury.
Its official name was Arakusara Castle, known as the place where the first Demon King of the Elancia Empire, who had declared himself the king of the demi-human races persecuted by humans, established his rule from scratch, annexed the surrounding lands, and built the formidable Elancia Empire within a single generation.
According to the remaining historical records, there were many descriptions that seemed almost too overpowering, leading to suspicions that perhaps my mentor could be the first Demon King. However, the current Demon King seemed to be from a collateral branch. He was the 10th Demon King of the Elancia Empire, Christ von Shugemori.
Through political maneuvering, he had risen from a minor branch of the Shugemori family to become the head of the Four Noble Houses of Shugemori, and subsequently, he had run in the imperial election to claim the position of the current Emperor. He was a young monarch with ambitions for territorial expansion.
To meet this man, I followed Marida into the audience chamber of the palace. As I bowed my head in deference, I sensed someone sitting on a slightly elevated throne.
“Everyone, raise your heads.” A voice with a dignified tone, carrying both youth and authority, resounded from above.
“Yes!” We had been bowing, but upon hearing the command to raise our heads, we complied, and I finally saw the speaker.
Seated on the throne was a man who, despite his fair complexion and slender build, was rumored to be proficient in martial arts, according to what I had heard from Marida. His golden hair and ice-blue eyes added an aristocratic air to his appearance.
“This time’s battle… Marida, you’ve done well. I commend you. Feel free to accept your reward without hesitation; it’s a pre-celebration for my upcoming wedding,” he said.
I had initially thought that the generous reward for a defensive war was somewhat extravagant, but it seemed that it also carried the meaning of celebrating Marida and my engagement.
“Isn’t it a bit much to celebrate the engagement between my sister and your brother? A simple ‘congratulations’ would have sufficed,” Marida said, ceasing her formalities and casually sitting down in the audience chamber, crossing her legs and resting her chin on her hand.
Marida’s lack of proper etiquette, which was completely unexpected given the circumstances of addressing the Emperor of a nation, caused cold sweat to trickle down my back.
Despite being the Emperor and the highest authority in the land, Christ, who was our half-brother, seemed unusually lenient toward her behavior.
“Christ, you still spoil Marida, as always. Remember the last time she nearly beat your fiancée half to death? I had to arrange for the exile of the vassal who fled with her,” I couldn’t help but comment, mirroring Marida’s informal posture as I took a seat in the audience chamber. It almost felt like chatting with a distant cousin.
My back sweated twice as much while witnessing this scene.
This was supposed to be a formal audience, and our interlocutor was our liege lord.
“Marida, Brest, have you forgotten that this is a formal audience?” The icy-blue gaze of Christ, the Demon King, pierced through them with a chilling intent.
Wait, was this the point of no return? I seriously hoped it wasn’t. If I allowed such disrespect in an official setting, not only would I lose my dignity, but I might also be forced to choose the option of execution to save face.
“Forgive us! While Marida and Lord Brest have certainly been disrespectful in their manners, they never meant to show any disrespect toward Your Majesty!” I interjected in my capacity as a retainer. It might have seemed like I was overstepping, but if I didn’t act now, Marida, my betrothed, and her uncle Brest might be charged with disrespect, which could lead to dire consequences.
“Albert, why do you bow your head like that? My brother is a magnanimous ruler,” Marida said.
“Indeed, as Marida says, the Lord Christ is a ruler with great magnanimity,” Brest added.
“Hahaha! Marida, you’ve found an interesting man. It seems he was prepared to be executed for your sake,” Christ descended from his throne and, just like Marida and Brest, sat cross-legged on the ground, laughing while looking at me.
“Huh?”
“Oh, I understand that this might be confusing for you, especially on your first visit,” he said, “but I don’t expect formalities when it comes to oni-folk. Besides, watching Marida try to greet people with all those stiff etiquettes would give me nightmares.”
“Brother, that’s cruel! If you ever saw how I can mimic the manners of a noblewoman, you’d be surprised!”
“My fiancée is no ordinary noblewoman; she nearly beat up a noblewoman who looked at me the wrong way!”
“Brother! That woman was a pig in human form! Trust me, if you saw Albert, you’d know he’s quite selective!”
The atmosphere in the audience chamber shifted from formal to casual, and my back, which had been drenched in sweat, finally began to dry. It seemed that, at least in this context, I wouldn’t be facing execution anytime soon.
Christ had softened his earlier stern gaze and seemed to enjoy conversing with Marida as if they were true siblings.
“Thanks to you, I had quite a difficult time,” he said with a light-hearted tone.
“Brest, you also did a commendable job. When I had to exile Marida from the family head position, it wasn’t an easy task. As a gesture of apology to the other party, I even refrained from participating in the battle, and I still feel remorseful about it. But I’m sorry for using your abilities again for Marida’s sake,” he continued.
Well, he’s saying some surprisingly sensible things.
Considering how reluctantly Brest had taken on the role of family head, it was clear that everyone cared deeply for Marida. Well, I cared the most, though!
Christ seemed to have integrated well with the people, to the point where a strange sense of jealousy crept in.
“I understand. It’s my duty to protect Marida, who is your most precious treasure, Lord Christ. And besides, I’ve acquired an excellent rider to handle this wild horse, which has lightened your burden,” Brest said, looking at me and bursting into laughter.
The “excellent rider” he mentioned was apparently me. It’s true that I spent my nights both riding and being ridden… Ahem, ahem.
“Oh, that’s right. You were the man who tamed the Empire’s wildest horse,” Christ said with a smile as he looked in my direction.
He seemed like such a normal guy. I had been so nervous, fearing the worst, considering he’s the highest authority in the land. It turns out I worried for nothing.