Kidnapped Princess C14

Chapter 14

Back in my office, I slumped into my chair, completely drained. The unexpected skirmish had eaten up far more time than I’d planned.

My thoughts drifted to Luminas, who was probably waiting for me.

I should finish this paperwork quickly and go pick her up.

I couldn’t help worrying whether she was doing all right. Nyx wasn’t a violent sort, so that much was reassuring—but he was mischievous, and that meant unpredictable things could happen.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Were we expecting anyone?”

Elvin looked confused, shaking his head. When he opened the door, I caught a glimpse of golden hair—and there, peeking shyly through the doorway, was Luminas.

“Luminas?”

I’d told Nyx repeatedly to take good care of her, so seeing her here alone instantly irritated me.

That damn Nyx—he can’t even look after one child properly?

But my anger faded almost immediately, replaced by surprise.

Luminas wasn’t empty-handed. She was holding a tea tray in her delicate arms—arms that had barely been able to lift a spoon earlier. Her hands trembled as she struggled to carry it, and droplets of tea spilled everywhere.

I winced instinctively and shot to my feet, taking the tray from her.

“What are you doing?”

My tone came out sharper than intended, and Luminas’s face fell at once.

“I-I thought you’d be thirsty from working on papers,” she said softly. “I thought you’d like some tea…”

Her eyes glistened with tears, and I instantly regretted my tone.

“N-no, that’s not what I meant…”

“Your Majesty, I’ve brought Nyx as you ordered,” Elvin interrupted, dragging in the white-feathered fool.

“Good.”

Time to deal with him first.

Elvin shoved Nyx forward. The fallen angel shrugged, grinning like an idiot.

“You told me to teach the kid, right? I’m good at serving people, so I just taught her the basics of service.”

It was clearly out of spite.

“I told you to watch her, not teach her nonsense.”

Seeing my irritation, Nyx flinched and started babbling defensively.

“Hey, she didn’t even listen to me! She wouldn’t stop whining about wanting to see you! I couldn’t even sleep!”

The fact that he’d tried to nap in the middle of babysitting said it all. No wonder he’d fallen from grace—he lived like the world owed him rest.

“That’s not what I asked,” I said coldly. “So you’re telling me you tricked her into leaving because she was disturbing your nap?”

While I scolded him, Luminas lowered her head, looking guilty even though none of this was her fault. I sighed and quickly turned to her instead.

“Thank you for the tea, Luminas. I was just getting thirsty.”

“Hehe…”

I patted her head gently, and her pale cheeks flushed with warmth. She looked so pleased that I couldn’t help smiling too.

“Huh,” Nyx muttered. “No wonder the succubi couldn’t seduce you. Turns out this is your type.”

My hand froze mid-pat, and I shot him a glare sharp enough to cut.

What an idiotic thing to say. Why did they all think like that?!

“She’s adorable like a daughter, that’s all!”

“Oh, really?” he smirked.

I wanted to sew his mouth shut.

Then Luminas tugged on my sleeve. “Daughter? What about your bride?”

“Huh?”

“Bride?” she repeated.

I blinked, confused. Why was she fixated on that word again? She looked oddly anxious.

“You promised you’d always stay with me,” she murmured. “I’m going to be your bride.”

Ah. She’d misunderstood “bride” as a symbol for staying together forever.

“A daughter’s the same,” I said softly. “No—labels like that don’t matter. I’ll stay with you until the day you die.”

“Really…?”

“Really.”

Her eyes flickered up at me shyly, and I almost melted. How could I not adore this child?

Nyx snorted, watching us with mock amusement. “You shouldn’t make promises like that. They’ll come back to bite you.”

“How dare you speak that way to His Majesty!” Elvin barked, seizing one of Nyx’s wings. His hands tightened, clearly intending to rip it off. Despite his lean build, Elvin was monstrously strong.

Nyx’s face went pale. “Wait, wait! Stop him! Tell him to stop!”

I ignored him completely.

“Did Nyx play nicely with you, Luminas?”

“I didn’t like him. He wasn’t you.”

The words hit me square in the heart. How could I not feel touched?

“Well, paperwork’s done anyway…”

“Elvin,” I said.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

He released Nyx, who collapsed dramatically to the floor. I glanced down at him and smirked.

“Is Luminas’s room ready?”

“I ordered it to be completed within three hours, so it should be finished by now.”

“My… room?” Luminas asked, blinking.

“Right next to mine. You’ll like it.”

“Really? Yay!”

Before taking her there, I added a quick reminder.

“You can wander around freely—but… maybe not with Nyx. I’ll assign someone else to keep an eye on you.”

I had thought Nyx would be fine as her instructor, but this outcome proved otherwise. Still, he was the only one in the castle who could handle divine power, so he had to remain in that role.

For daily supervision, though, I needed someone else—someone reliable enough to care for her and keep Nyx under control.

“Elvin, what about Renya?”

“She’d be a fine choice, Your Majesty.”

I whistled, and a small bat fluttered into the room. Lifting a pen and parchment with magic, I wrote a brief note in the air.

The message was simple: I need a favor. Come immediately.

Renya was strong enough to handle any demon who might try to mess with Luminas. That alone gave me peace of mind.

“Good. That’s settled. Let’s go.”

I led Luminas to the door beside my own. “This will be your room,” I told her, pushing it open.

“My… room?”

Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stepped inside.

Had she grown up as an ordinary royal, she wouldn’t have been surprised by the spaciousness. But she’d lived alone in a crumbling palace, so this was overwhelming.

She wandered the room in wonder.

“The furniture… looks nice,” I noted.

Thankfully, Elvin had followed my request—not too extravagant, tasteful, yet warm. The only issue was scale: everything was just a bit too big for her.

The bed, the sofa—she could climb up with effort, but not easily.

I glanced down at her small frame.

She was said to be around ten, but to me she still looked so young. She walked and spoke clearly, but she was tiny. Maybe I’d just lost perspective after centuries as a demon.

“Want to try the bed, Luminas?”

She approached with cautious steps, her short legs barely lifting her onto the edge. She reached up, arms trembling—but couldn’t quite make it.

“Here, this will help.”

I placed a small footstool in front of her, and she climbed up easily this time. Her eyes went round as she took in the massive bed.

She looked like a doll sitting in the middle of it.

“From now on, this will be your room. We’ll add more things little by little. You’ll need clothes, too.”

Luminas buried her face in the blanket. The soft fabric must have felt heavenly—her expression melted into a sleepy smile, and her eyelids fluttered.

“Tired?”

“No!” she said, jerking her head up—but her heavy eyelids betrayed her.

She’d had a long day: rescued from an abandoned palace, brought to the Demon Castle, showered, fed, named. It was no wonder she was exhausted.

“Rest well,” I said, brushing her hair gently.

“Aren’t you sleeping, Uncle?”

“Not yet.”

Demons were nocturnal by nature. Nighttime was when I was most active.

“The Demon King isn’t as weak as you. I’ve still got work to do.”

“I’m weak?”

“You’re a child,” I said with a smile. “Not exactly strong, right?”

She pouted, glancing between Elvin and me, cheeks puffed up in protest.

What a temperamental little princess.

“Good children go to bed early and wake up early. Now, lie down.”

I laid her down and patted her chest gently until her blinking eyes finally closed. Despite her earlier protest, she drifted off with a small sigh.

“Humans are so fragile,” Elvin murmured. “She’s already asleep…”

“When you’re that young, eating and sleeping well is enough. What more do you expect?”

“She should at least know how to defend herself. What if a demon tries to harm her? She doesn’t even have claws or fangs.”

His tone was half disdain, half concern.

“I won’t let that happen,” I said calmly. “The demons who’d target her are predictable—they’re either after my throne or simply resentful that I rule this world.”

The position of king was always a dangerous one. And when you had someone weak to protect, that danger only multiplied.

“Many have challenged me, Elvin, but none have defeated me. You know that.”

He nodded firmly. “I know better than anyone how powerful you are, my lord! Even if they used your bride as a weakness, none could defeat you!”

“Demons are inherently weak against divine power. Once Luminas learns to control it from Nyx, she’ll be able to handle most threats easily. You might even lose to her someday.”

“Hah! A human defeating me? She’d have to live another thousand years first!”

“No human lives that long.”

“Exactly!” he said proudly.

I sighed. His confidence was exhausting sometimes.

“We’ll leave her daily care to Renya. She should also learn about demon history and language. You’ll keep an eye on her too, right, Elvin?”

“If that is Your Majesty’s will.”