Kidnapped Princess C38

Chapter 38

Thud! Crash—!

The sound of someone sprinting down the hallway echoed through the corridors, followed by the sudden slam of a door bursting open.

“Demon King!”

“Rain? Didn’t I tell you to guard the elves? What are you doing in my office? And—what’s with that mess? Did someone hit you?”

Her hair was a tangled disaster, and she looked like she’d been thoroughly beaten. But who in the Demon King’s Castle could have possibly done that? Elvin had been with me the whole time, and Lenya wouldn’t dare…

“It’s the princess—she’s acting weird!”

“What?”

My face stiffened.

“Weird? What do you mean, weird? Is she hurt? What happened?”

I shot up from my chair, ready to rush to where Luminas was, but Rain’s next words stopped me in my tracks.

“She’s violent! She just hit me! I only went to say hi, and she started swinging at me!”

Her tone was half-whine, half-tattle-tale, and I couldn’t help but let out a disbelieving laugh. Then I remembered Luminas’s tense behavior around Albreto—and how she’d been on edge ever since.

Rain had been the one who indirectly caused Albreto to stay at the castle in the first place. And considering that Rain and Lenya were twins—looking nearly identical except for their personalities—it wasn’t surprising that Luminas might’ve mistaken her for someone else, or at least found her irritating.

I could easily picture it—Luminas, fuming, smacking her with a tiny fist out of pure frustration. So yes, she might’ve hit her… but still.

“You’re exaggerating. How hard could she possibly hit you? You didn’t even think about how your punches would feel, did you?”

Sure, Luminas could use holy power to subdue demons easily, but physically? She was nowhere near strong enough to actually harm one.

I stared at Rain with disbelief. She was one of our physically strongest allies—someone who’d fought beside me against Halstel himself. And yet, here she was, whining about being punched by slender little Luminas.

“It really hurt!”

“Right. And I’m the Fairy King,” I said dryly.

“Demon King.”

The door opened again, and Luminas peeked in. Spotting Rain, her eyes brightened in recognition. Meanwhile, Rain let out a terrified squeak the moment their gazes met.

“So here you were.”

“Y-you followed me?”

“When you suddenly lifted me up, I panicked and struck out by reflex. I think I accidentally used holy power… I’m sorry if you were hurt.”

Luminas bowed apologetically, looking genuinely regretful.

“Rain, is that true?”

“Uh… well, I did pick her up…”

“I told you to be careful! Luminas, are you hurt? No bruises?”

She must’ve used her full strength without thinking—Rain’s grip could crush stone. No wonder Luminas reacted instinctively. I noticed Lenya’s uneasy expression behind them but didn’t dwell on it since Rain had already admitted fault.

“I’m fine,” Luminas said softly.

“Good. I’m sorry things keep happening to you lately. I’ll have Albreto leave soon, too. His powers are tempting, but even if he’s not here, the land he purified remains fertile. It’s almost the same as if he stayed.”

“He’ll be leaving soon,” Luminas replied calmly, her tone final.

I tilted my head slightly at her certainty, but it only confirmed one thing—she really hated Albreto.

Sip—

Two people sat elegantly at the tea table, sipping their drinks with perfect poise. On the surface, it looked serene, but there was a sharp tension between them.

Behind Albreto, Rain stood stiffly—still clearly terrified of Luminas.

Honestly, it was ridiculous. She had enough strength to wrestle a dragon, yet she was scared of the princess? That kind of behavior really ruined the heroic reputation of “the warrior who sealed Halstel.” And Luminas had apologized, hadn’t she?

Still…

“What brings you here?” I asked.

“Do I need a reason to visit? We’re still in the process of understanding one another. I thought it would be good to spend more time together.”

Luminas, who had been spending time with me before the elf’s arrival, clearly wasn’t pleased to see him.

“Please don’t bother the Demon King.”

“That’s not your decision to make. Can you really say you’re not bothering him?”

Before I could respond, Elvin—who’d been watching silently from the sofa in the corner—snapped, clearly done with their bickering.

“You’re both bothering him. Get out!”

I had to agree. I was getting tired of the atmosphere.

“Albreto, I’d appreciate it if you left for now. If you have something to discuss, I’ll come find you later.”

“Are you implying you’ll only speak with me about official matters? You never visit first, so of course I must come to you.”

“You’re the one being unreasonable.”

“I’m simply choosing the best course of action available to me.”

Luminas’s expression turned cold. The tension between them was thick enough to cut, so I stepped in.

“That’s enough, both of you.”

They exchanged one last glare, then silently returned to their tea, pretending nothing happened. Honestly, they were more alike than they realized—but I wasn’t about to say that aloud.

Albreto sighed softly.

“So then, if I make it official business, you’ll listen? Demon King, didn’t you instruct the demons not to harm the elves?”

My brow furrowed.

“Well, there were some… pranks. Nothing serious. Some of my demons enjoy teasing newcomers—it’s childish, but harmless. The elves just overreacted. I’ll make sure it stops.”

“Pranks?!”

I could easily imagine the scene—demons getting carried away, startling the elves for fun. It wasn’t surprising, really. Still, if Albreto had come to me personally, it must’ve been more serious than he let on.

“Wait, don’t tell me you were startled?” I asked.

His fingers twitched slightly, and he coughed into his fist.

Good grief. What kind of nonsense were my demons up to now?

“The demons here are… unique,” Albreto admitted. “Their forms, their powers—everything about them defies common sense. That was the surprise.”

So yes, he had been startled.

“Elvin, have any demons been loitering near the elves’ quarters?”

“There are always curious ones, my lord. They like to poke around. But shouldn’t the mighty elves be able to handle a few nosy demons?”

Albreto’s jaw tightened. Elvin’s words had basically called his people weak.

“Which is precisely why a stronger successor is needed,” Albreto said pointedly.

I ignored the look he gave me—sharp, intent, almost longing.

“Fine. I’ll address it properly. No more excuses.”

I stood. Better to deal with this now than let it become another reason for him to keep visiting.

“I’ll come too,” Luminas offered immediately. “I was once bullied in a similar way. I can’t ignore it.”

Her compassion was admirable—or so it seemed.

“Alright, let’s go together.”

When we arrived near the elves’ guest chambers, several demons were huddled together, whispering like children caught misbehaving.

“What are you all doing here?”

“D-Demon King! Eek—!”

They weren’t looking at me, though. Their terrified eyes were fixed on something—or someone—behind me.

I turned slightly. The only ones following were Albreto, Luminas, and Elvin.

Albreto glanced at Luminas.

“Princess, was this your doing? Rain did warn me about you.”

My brow furrowed. His suspicion toward Luminas annoyed me. Rain’s nervousness must’ve given him the wrong idea.

“What do you mean by that? The demons don’t even listen to me. I can’t imagine why you’d think I’m involved. I was bullied a lot myself when I was younger… Maybe the demons just found the elves’ reactions amusing?”

The verbal sparring resumed. But—bullied?

My face darkened.

“Luminas, were you bullied?”

“Ah… it’s alright now. It used to be hard, but not anymore. I’m happy these days—everyone’s starting to accept me.”

Even if I watched over her constantly, there were still things I couldn’t see. Thinking of what she must have endured in my absence filled me with guilt—and anger toward the demons.

“So why are the elves being harassed? I don’t recall ever giving that order.”

“W-we weren’t harassing them! We just scared them a little…”

“That is harassment.”

“They ran away screaming just because we showed our teeth! How is that our fault?”

“Well, showing those monstrous fangs doesn’t exactly make you look friendly.”

They were beast-type demons, with sharp claws and jagged teeth—easy to imagine how intimidating they’d be.

They looked meek now, but I could guess what they’d done earlier. Drooling, snarling, probably calling the elves “fresh meat.”

“Can you blame us for being suspicious of elves suddenly showing up? And one of them’s after the position of Demon Queen! He rejected your proposal, didn’t he?”

I sighed deeply. That proposal had been his, not mine. Everyone in the castle knew I hadn’t offered marriage to Albreto—it was his idea, born out of political desperation.

Still, resentment among the demons was understandable.

“The Demon King’s bride is Lady Luminas, isn’t she?” one demon said quietly.

At least they recognized her status.

But Albreto’s calm voice cut through the air.

“That’s yet to be seen. In the end, the one who remains by his side might still be me.”