<CHAPTER 48>
I Was Not Satisfied
Ehilie felt embarrassed because it seemed that Herond had also realized what had happened the previous night.
Just as Herond had said, it was not something to be ashamed of.
Rek and I are in a relationship, after all.
So it is natural, but….
Even so, she could not help feeling embarrassed.
“Ah, Rek, I came to give you this.”
Ehilie held out the cup she had been carrying carefully.
“This is….”
“It’s a potion.”
It was a special potion that Ehilie had made especially for Rek.
“Since Rek is also part demon, I didn’t include any ingredients that would harm demons.”
“…None at all.”
“Yes. Not a single one, so trust me and drink it!”
She had made it using only ingredients good for restoring energy, filled with her sincere wish for Rek to become healthy.
“L-Lady Ehilie!”
Herond, who had been watching quietly, hurriedly stepped forward.
“His Highness seems to have an upset stomach right now!”
“R-Really?”
“Yes, yes. That potion….”
“Is poison?”
“N-No! It’s aftereffects! Aftereffects! That’s right! We have been traveling long distances for several days, so His Highness has been overworking himself. Why don’t you just leave the potion here!”
If his stomach was upset, there was nothing she could do.
Ehilie placed the cup on the table.
“It’s best to drink it while it’s warm, so if it gets cold, please heat it before drinking.”
“Yes. Thank you, Ehilie.”
Ehilie turned around reluctantly.
***
“Phew.”
As soon as Ehilie left, Herond whispered.
“Your Highness, that isn’t the poison you made me drink before, right? It’s something like a fatigue recovery potion, isn’t it?”
Ehilie had said she had not included any ingredients harmful to demons.
But this potion contained the most harmful ingredient for demons.
Holy Power.
It had been infused unconsciously by Ehilie herself.
“Gasp. Judging by the scent, it seems to contain even more Holy Power than last time.”
Herond sniffed the cup and nearly fainted in shock.
Redemberg understood Holy Power well.
The Holy Power contained in the tea was Ehilie’s heart.
It was likely her desperate wish and affection for him to become healthy.
“Your Highness, I will dispose of this quietly.”
“Leave it.”
“Pardon?”
Herond, who had been about to secretly remove the cup, stared at Redemberg in shock.
“S-Surely you are not planning to drink it?”
“Your Highness! Please think rationally. Before, you even collapsed after eating food made by Lady Ehilie. Even now, every time you eat her cooking, you suffer while detoxifying the Holy Power. Your body is not in good condition right now, so please do not drink it for no reason.”
Herond was right.
He was quite exhausted at the moment.
If he drank tea filled with Ehilie’s Holy Power in this condition, he would definitely suffer terrible pain.
But even so, how could he throw away Ehilie’s love and sincerity?
“Lady Ehilie isn’t watching anyway.”
Herond tried to persuade him with his own clever reasoning.
If he secretly threw away the tea and said he had drunk it, Emilie would never know.
But—
I do not want to deceive her any further.
Redemberg intended to be as honest with her as possible.
Except for the matter of his true identity.
Therefore, he could not throw away the tea.
It is not like it will kill me.
“I will handle it myself, so instead of wasting time talking nonsense, go buy a bed.”
“Pardon?”
Redemberg added while looking at Herond, who blinked blankly.
“A reasonably large and sturdy one.”
***
After that, Rek remained ill for several days.
He insisted that he was fine, but it was impossible not to notice that his condition was poor.
Rek is more fragile than I thought.
I need to be careful from now on.
After that, Ehilie tried to restrain herself from being physically affectionate with Rek.
At least, she tried.
But the moment he recovered even a little, Rek began tempting her sweetly.
“Ehilie, did I do something wrong?”
“If perhaps I failed to satisfy you… I will try harder.”
“N-No, that’s not it. It’s not that I wasn’t satisfied.”
In fact, it had been far more satisfying than she expected.
“That is a relief.”
Rek smiled slyly and whispered softly.
“However, Ehilie, I was not satisfied.”
With that single sentence, Ehilie’s resolve collapsed instantly.
The day after every sweet night together, Rek would inevitably fall ill again.
Every time she saw him struggling, Ehilie felt guilty.
Next time I absolutely must not give in.
Even though she made that resolution—
Ehilie always lost to Rek.
During the day he easily yielded to her wishes in everything.
But strangely, at night he was incredibly strong.
Not long afterward, Ehilie honestly told Rek what she had been thinking.
“Rek, I think I want to return to my home soon.”
With Rek’s help, she had successfully dealt with Cain.
So she felt it might be time to return.
“Is living with me uncomfortable?”
“N-No! That’s not it. I just want to go back and do my own work now. And we are not married yet, so continuing to live like this makes me feel uneasy.”
Rek spoke with a gloomy expression.
“…It seems I failed to give you confidence, Ehilie.”
“What?”
“I had naturally been imagining a future with you. It seems I got ahead of myself alone.”
No, why is the conversation going in this direction?
Ehilie panicked.
It was not as if she had never imagined a future with Rek either.
Although she still did not know his true identity, she too had been imagining a future with him.
But living like this while depending on him feels uncomfortable.
Ehilie wanted to do something on her own.
Living like an unemployed person forever did not suit her.
“Rek, I do not want to be someone who is only protected. I want to be someone who can stand proudly beside you. I think I would feel more comfortable if I had my own home and work. Besides… staying inside the house all the time feels a little suffocating.”
When she had lived in the cabin, she often visited the village to sell potions or buy necessities.
But since coming to Cameldot, she had only stayed inside the mansion.
Even if she went outside, she had nothing to do.
Rek said I could use the teleportation stone whenever I wanted to go to the village.
But using such an expensive teleportation stone just to go out once felt like a waste, so she had never used it.
“That cabin was the first house I ever obtained, and it is also the place where I met you, Rek. To others it may just look like an old house, but to me it is filled with precious memories.”
“Even though it burned down… if we try hard enough, we should at least be able to repair it enough for someone to live there, right?”
“I understand. If that is what you wish, Ehilie.”
Rek nodded.
“Thank you for understanding.”
Thinking about building new memories again in that small cabin made Ehilie’s heart flutter.
***
After Ehilie’s sudden declaration, Redemberg fell into deep thought.
He had planned to deal with all the troublesome matters and spend peaceful days alone with Ehilie.
But an unexpected obstacle had appeared.
How can I keep Ehilie here?
Redemberg wanted to confine Ehilie forever.
But he could not do that.
“I like people who respect and cherish me. I really hate it when someone kidnaps me, watches me constantly, or acts forcefully just because they love me.”
He did not want to be hated by Ehilie.
“What should I do….”
While he was deep in thought, Herond coughed and interrupted.
“Your Highness, shall I offer some advice?”
Redemberg had already experienced failure once after listening to Herond’s advice.
“No need.”
“Oh come on, Your Highness. I am very knowledgeable about matters like this! Please just listen!”
Well, if it was useless advice, he could simply ignore it.
When Redemberg gave a small nod, Herond spoke excitedly.
“You should get married!”
“Marriage?”
“Yes, Your Highness. What are husband and wife? They are a community of fate that spends their entire lives together. A married couple naturally lives in the same house. And it is only natural for a husband to care about everything his wife does.”
The idea sounded appealing.
Come to think of it, Ehilie had said something similar.
She had said she felt uncomfortable living together when they were not married.
That meant if they were married, there would be no problem.
“So you are saying I should get married right away?”
“Not quite! Your Highness, before marriage there is something you must do first.”
“What is it?”
“A proposal!”
“Ah.”
Redemberg exclaimed as if he had gained enlightenment.
Of course.
To get married, he had to propose first.
“Did you know there is a proposal method that humans can never refuse?”
Redemberg’s eyes sparkled.
“Tell me.”
Herond leaned closer and whispered as if sharing a secret technique.
“It is a public proposal.”
