Kidnapped Princess C15

Chapter 15

Bang! Bang!

“What… what’s that noise?”

Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I glanced around the room. The sunlight was just beginning to peek through the curtains, spilling across the floor. It was that hour when the sun began to raise its head—and I half-regretted ever asking the god for sunlight in the first place. It was beautiful, sure, but not when I needed more sleep.

With a groggy groan, I rolled back under the blanket and lazily flicked my finger, summoning blackout curtains to block out the “attack” of sunlight.

Demons, after all, were not morning creatures. Most of them hated the morning hours—closer to nocturnal owls than early risers.

“I barely slept anyway…” I mumbled.

At first, I thought I’d have less paperwork to deal with. After all, the usual troublemakers were gone.

But instead, something far worse cropped up.

War.

It was easy enough to say the word—but when it actually began, I was buried in things to handle.

The office had been swarming with messenger bats delivering news of the front lines.

Deployment of troops, reinforcements, supply management, training, weapon replenishment… chaos.
And then there was money.
So much money.

Of course, war was expensive. That was common sense. But we weren’t even invading the human realm—so why were expenses this high?!

To make matters worse, the different species all had unique diets and habits, which complicated logistics. And apparently, even training and weapon repairs required more funds.

When I’d asked why, Elvin had offered a painfully simple answer.

“Did Your Majesty not intend to annihilate them? If not, we must match their level. Unless, of course, you do wish to destroy them entirely—then we could simply unleash the weapons from the royal vault and—”

“Don’t you dare!” I’d cut him off immediately.

Those weapons had been locked away precisely because they were too dangerous. If unleashed, the human lands would be reduced to ash within minutes.

“So all this cost is to keep the destruction minimal, huh… Fine. I suppose that’s better than reshaping the landscape by accident.”

“Wait a minute,” I muttered, burying my face back into the pillow. “Am I… creating my own misery here?”

No, no—this was all for world peace.

“Still, who’s making that racket?”

The persistent knocking had interrupted both my thoughts and my nap. I groaned and finally rolled out of bed.

Usually, no one but Elvin ever knocked on my door. And knowing how slow I was to wake, even he tended to come later in the morning. He never pounded like this.

Well—unless I’d overslept way too long.

I opened the door.

“Uncle!”

Bright, shining eyes looked up at me—Luminas.

The scolding I’d prepared instantly evaporated.

How could I possibly get angry when the culprit was her? She’d even come to see me first thing after waking.

Which meant… she wanted to see me as soon as she opened her eyes.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“Mm-hmm! What about you, Uncle?”

I couldn’t bring myself to lie and say yes. I was exhausted to the bone. Yet her wide, lively eyes made me feel sluggish and lazy by comparison.

“…Did you come here alone?”

Her room was right next door, so technically she could—but the doorknob was too high for her small frame. Someone had to have helped her open it.

Sure enough, I sensed another presence.

Behind Luminas, a tall figure bowed respectfully.

“Your Majesty, it has been too long. I came immediately upon hearing that you required my presence.”

“Renya—it’s been a while,” I said, smiling. “You got here early.”

Standing before me was the very person I’d summoned to serve as Luminas’s attendant. It was good to see her again.

Her skin was dusky, and her long silver hair shimmered like threads of moonlight. She was a Dark Elf, a race of elves who had crossed into the Demon Realm after losing their homeland to humans—transformed by the dark mana here.

Once, she and her sister had traveled with me to defeat Halstel. Renya had always been competent and reliable—cold on the surface but meticulous in her duties.

During that journey, she’d handled all the essential chores—cooking, pitching tents, building campfires. In short, she was the definition of capable.

“I was delayed only because I had to part from my sister,” she explained.

“You’re right on time,” I said. “Thanks for coming. I know you’ve been busy.”

She nodded modestly. As a high-ranking member among the Dark Elves, she held significant responsibilities. Usually, she oversaw the migration of elves escaping the human world into the Demon Realm—a dangerous, thankless job.

For me to suddenly ask her to babysit a human child, well… she could’ve easily refused.

“If the Demon King calls, I answer,” she said simply. “My sister wanted to come as well, but she thought it would be… inappropriate. She asked me to tell you she misses you, though.”

“Rain, huh?” I chuckled softly.

It really had been ages since I’d seen her, too. We’d exchanged letters, but face-to-face meetings were rare, except at the occasional summit between species.

“Are elves still asking for protection these days?” I asked.

Renya’s expression turned grim.

“The World Tree is dying, and human oppression continues. Many have decided it’s better to become Dark Elves than to live as slaves. Moving to the Demon Realm is the only wise choice left. Those who remain are… stubborn, clinging to outdated ideals.”

“Humans really are the problem everywhere,” I muttered, shaking my head.

“Uncle…”

Luminas tugged on my sleeve, reminding me she’d been standing there the whole time.

“Ah, right—let me introduce you two properly.”

They’d already seen each other, but a formal introduction was better.

“Luminas, this is the person I told you about in the letter. Her name is Renya—she’ll be your attendant from now on. If you need anything, ask her.”

The meeting was as heartwarming as I could’ve hoped. Luminas bowed shyly, while Renya responded with a graceful nod.

“Very well then,” I said, stifling a yawn. “Now that that’s settled… time for me to get some more sleep—”

Before I could shut the door, Luminas blocked the way.

I couldn’t bring myself to order her aside; her little face was too earnest.

“I’m sorry, kiddo,” I said weakly. “Uncle’s just… really tired today. Stayed up late working last night.”

I obviously couldn’t tell her it was because humans had declared war and I’d been up all night managing the chaos.

But she still didn’t move.

“Are you hungry?” I asked.

She shook her head.

“Do you not like Renya? I can assign someone else if you want.”

Another shake.

“Then what’s wrong?”

Ah—so this was what child-rearing felt like. Three hundred years old, and I was just now learning how confusing kids could be.

Finally, Luminas fidgeted with her fingers and murmured, “When I woke up, you weren’t there… I missed you. I wanted to be with you.”

Then she raised her little arms toward me—clearly asking to be held.

Sleep vanished instantly. My heart melted on the spot. Without hesitation, I scooped her up. She wrapped her arms around my neck and hummed contentedly, her tiny body warm against mine.

So this was what it felt like to raise a child.

I suddenly remembered an old friend who’d once begged me to help raise his demon baby. I’d refused back then, calling it a hassle. Thinking about it now, I felt a pang of guilt.

Then again… those demon brats had been nothing but trouble. I shook my head.

“Feeling better now?”

“Mm-hmm!”

Her body was soft and warm—far better than any feathered blanket Nyx had ever made. Her warmth alone was enough to lull me back to sleep.

“If you’re not hungry, how about we nap a bit longer together?”

“But… we’re supposed to wake up early…” she mumbled sleepily.

She wasn’t wrong. But three hundred years of nocturnal habits don’t change overnight.

I laid her down beside me and gently patted her stomach. My eyelids grew heavy again as hers began to flutter closed.

“One hour… no, three…” I murmured.

In the fading haze of sleep, I heard a small whisper against my ear.

“How dare you…!”

Huh?

Was it time to wake up already? The shouting sounded close. I groaned, eyes cracking open—just in time to hear Elvin wailing like his world had ended.

He was kneeling by my bed, tears streaming down his face, while Luminas stood clutching what looked like… a filthy rag.

My brow furrowed. I glanced between the two of them.

“Okay… I just woke up. Anyone mind explaining what exactly I’m looking at here?”

The only person calm enough to answer was Renya, standing quietly at the side. She raised a hand slightly.

“Summarize it in three lines,” I said flatly.

“The princess,” Renya began, “was watching Your Majesty sleep. Then she said that one must work hard and repay kindness—and began cleaning your room.”

My eyebrow twitched.