Kidnapped Princess C21

Chapter 21

Good, good.

The peculiar air that lingered through the Demon King’s Castle pleased me.

“Honestly, they only ever understand when you spell it out with force.”

“Indeed, Your Majesty. How dare they question your words in the first place.”

Just beating half the life out of the demons who had insulted Luminas was enough to make the rest think twice before speaking. And since those culprits happened to be the grandsons of Elders, the lesson had an even stronger effect. From that day on, the way demons treated Luminas became notably cautious.

At last, the castle had become a place safe enough to walk around with the child.

It had been over a month since Luminas first arrived, and she had now grown familiar with the castle’s layout. With time, her timid nature had bloomed into liveliness—a direct result of steady care and affection.

She roamed the halls freely, mingling with demons, no longer shrinking away from them. I had personally taken her around to greet the demons and even told them bits of her past—how she had lived before. Perhaps that story had stirred sympathy, for they began to look at her differently.

Not all of them, of course. Most preferred to simply watch from afar. Still, those who befriended Luminas were powerful or influential enough that the others dared not oppose her presence.

‘It’s good she has people looking out for her, but seriously—are these really the only types of demons in this castle?’

Some days, she learned etiquette and service from Nyx; other times, Lilith of all people tried to teach her “nightly skills”; and occasionally, Elvin would regale her with tales of my heroic achievements.

Then there were the more ridiculous moments: some brute of a demon handing her a massive battle axe and telling her to “grow stronger,” or others boasting about their gory trophies to an utterly wide-eyed child.

I worried she might end up corrupted at this rate. Renya, at least, was somewhat normal—but even she had her own questionable philosophy, claiming “the world runs on money.”

Was this really the environment in which a child was supposed to grow up?

“Your Majesty,” Elvin announced suddenly, “a group of priests is advancing toward us.”

He spoke as if describing ants crawling underfoot.

At first, the demons had relished the war, laughing that it had been too long since their last proper fight. But the battles had become so one-sided that the thrill evaporated. Many were growing bored, frustrated that their enemies were too weak to even make the blood rush.

Fine. Luminas could wait a little longer. I needed to end this quickly so I could go see her again.

“If the humans are losing so badly, it’s no surprise they’d send priests,” I said. “At least priests can slow us down.”

It was an expected move. Priests from the human world were naturally aligned with humanity—and they were among the loudest voices labeling demons as evil.

“We’ll need to deploy high-ranking demons as a precaution,” I said.

Depending on their ability, a low-ranking demon might not even survive the first encounter. A proper commander was necessary. I flipped through the documents on my desk.

“Hmm… I need someone who doesn’t care much for war—someone who won’t go overboard killing humans but will act when needed… anyone like that?”

I rifled through the pages for a long while before an idea struck me.

“…I’ve decided.”

“On what, Your Majesty?” Elvin asked.

“We do nothing.”

“Pardon? But if we do that, the Demon Realm will suffer losses! They might not reach the castle, but they’ll breach the border!”

Elvin objected sharply, calling it shameful. I lifted a hand to calm him.

“Think carefully, Elvin. They’re just stepping one foot onto our lawn. It’s perfect, actually. Remember what Dylan said? He mentioned movement among the priests—meaning that particular demon must be moving too.”

Even I had to admit—it was a clever plan. Let them come. The poison marsh alone would stop most. Beyond it lay a massive forest crawling with beasts. The marsh itself was a warning: turn back or die. Anyone who dared cross it would soon meet hell itself.

Could humans even survive there? Doubtful. Even lesser demons struggled to handle the creatures that roamed those woods.

And if they somehow made it through, they’d reach the outer demon villages—populated by demons who were not exactly the accommodating sort.

“If those traitorous demons really allied with the humans,” I mused, “they’ll be distracted by the war anyway. That prophecy—they’re the ones who used it to ignite this, after all. While they’re busy, I’ll flush out the demons who slipped into the human world.”

“Excellent strategy!” Elvin said eagerly. “But… do you know what that demon’s true objective is?”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? To rule the world. Same as the rest. We’ve had plenty who tried to challenge me before. If I recall correctly… about a century ago was when the stirrings began.”

Three hundred years ago, my war with Halstel had raged. The demons had split into two sides: those who supported him and those who didn’t.

Those who dreamed of world domination followed Halstel blindly, calling those who opposed him cowards afraid of humans. They never cared how reckless his orders were—only that they could fight.

But others disagreed. They despised the arrogance of humankind, yes, but they also saw no point in conquering the human lands. Killing every human would only bring chaos. We didn’t need their territory, nor did we intend to move there.

Even then, there were demons who respected the ingenuity of human civilization—those who saw cooperation as the wiser path, though others mocked the idea and said, “If not coexistence, then slavery will do.”

The conflict escalated. And when Halstel’s rage exploded, countless demons died, our lands were scarred, and many turned against him—not for humanity’s sake, but to protect our own realm.

The line between survival and destruction had never been thinner.

The gods had asked me to intervene, yes—but truthfully, I’d fought Halstel because I wanted coexistence. Humans made fascinating, useful things. Their inventions made life easier. Why destroy that?

Those who insisted on slaughtering humanity were disciplined. Those who wouldn’t listen? I crushed them. Some of them wanted to kill me and seize the title of Demon King to restart the war.

Could the current traitor be one of them? I couldn’t recall the face.

“I still remember how you crushed them with sheer power,” Elvin said, nodding in admiration.

“Maybe those who couldn’t beat you fair and square fled to the human world to gain strength,” he added bitterly. “As if borrowing human power will make them stronger! Pathetic fools.”

He snorted derisively, but I shook my head. “They were strong enough to challenge me. Don’t underestimate them.”

“Still, you won easily, Your Majesty!”

“Perhaps,” I said with a smirk. “But they did manage to graze my cloak.”

“No way! My eyes saw no such thing!” Elvin protested, puffing his chest out proudly.

I chuckled at his unwavering loyalty.

“In any case,” I said, “if this war was sparked by that demon, we’ll need to catch him first. Dylan’s already risking himself in the human world—I can’t just sit back. If I don’t help, he’ll be furious.”

Elvin’s brows furrowed. “He dares get angry at you? Preposterous! A subordinate losing his temper with the Demon King—that’s treason!”

The two of them were like oil and water. No matter how long they’d worked together, they just couldn’t get along. And yet, strangely, when they did cooperate, they worked in perfect sync.

“…I wonder what Luminas is doing right now.”

“She’s flourishing, Your Majesty. It seems she’s been inspired by her surroundings. I thought humans were all weak, but she has surprising determination. She’s slowly growing into her role as your bride.”

“Why do you sound so proud?” I muttered.

“Because I’m one of her instructors, of course.”

“Oh, please.”

Nyx was teaching her about divine energy; Lilith, about history; and Elvin handled her reading and training.

“If you’re her teacher, then maybe stop her from learning strange things. Do you know how shocked I was when I found out?”

Nyx and Lilith—those two were hopeless.

Nyx teaching her how to serve tea and behave was fine. But Lilith teaching her nightly techniques? To a child?!

Lilith had insisted that she was simply passing on her “area of expertise”—an advanced field of knowledge that even most demons couldn’t handle.

I realized when Luminas’s academic enthusiasm had begun—right after she’d declared she wanted to become a bride worthy of me.

“So diligent… yet so questionable,” I sighed.

Was it really okay for her to find that kind of lesson interesting? I wanted to stop it, but by then, Luminas was already fascinated.

Every time she learned something new—something she could use to help me—she beamed with pride. With each new bit of knowledge, her confidence grew, her expressions brightened, and her very presence seemed to glow.

Even if I didn’t like what she was learning, I couldn’t deny how much she’d grown. Children found joy in everything. Perhaps those experiences would shape her for the better someday.

“The more I think about it, the more I miss her…” I sighed, slumping over my desk.

Maybe I should take a break. I’d worked nonstop like an ox—no naps, no distractions, everything done on time. Surely I deserved a little reward?

But I knew the truth: skip one day, and the paperwork would double. Better to finish quickly and go see her afterward.

Elvin knew my routine complaints by heart, so he said nothing. I melted into my chair but kept my eyes on the documents, reading diligently.

Knock, knock—

A visitor. I straightened immediately. After all, I was the Demon King.

“Luminas?”

To my surprise, it was indeed her. I spread my arms with a smile—but froze when she ran toward me, her face crumpled in sorrow.

Footnotes

Halstel (할스텔) – A former Demon King who sought to conquer both the Demon Realm and the human world; Suhyeon (current Demon King) defeated him 300 years ago.