Ch.93Two Women (1)

While Isaac and Adelia were having their subtle encounter with the Teres royal family, Marie and Cecilly, who had left the gathering, arrived at a secluded location on the outskirts of town.

Even with the Empire’s substantial support, there were still scattered places throughout the Mayshall territory that remained untouched by human hands. This was especially noticeable the further one went toward the outskirts of town.

The town and its outskirts were separated as if they were two distinct spaces, abruptly disconnected from each other. This created many suitable places for hiding.

Marie and Cecilly stood facing each other at the edge of town. A massive tree that had been nourished by the earth for decades shielded them from the harsh sunlight.

“So what did you want to talk about that required bringing me all the way out here?”

Marie crossed her arms and addressed Cecilly with a curt expression. Her mood was extremely uncomfortable.

Originally, she had wanted to enjoy the exhibition alone with Isaac, but her plans were ruined because of the woman standing before her, and now they were completely separated.

For Marie, who had been looking forward to a sweet date, it was natural to feel beyond annoyed. She wanted to ignore Cecilly’s words completely, but the atmosphere made that impossible.

Besides, she sensed that Cecilly would have called her out separately sooner or later anyway. It was both a woman’s intuition and Marie’s characteristic sharp instinct.

Deciding that it was better to resolve annoying matters quickly, she had obediently followed Cecilly. And this tree was where they ended up.

“I’m sorry. But I needed to talk to you about something important.”

Cecilly stared at Marie, who was clearly displeased with her, then smiled sweetly. It was a beautiful and refreshing smile that naturally dissolved any wariness.

But Marie didn’t relax. Instead, her eyes narrowed, showing that her guard had only heightened.

She quickly looked Cecilly up and down, then let out a long breath through her nose before placing her hand on her chest and declaring:

“Let me tell you in advance, I have absolutely no intention of giving Isaac to you, not even the slightest bit. I confessed to Isaac first, and Isaac likes me too. Got it?”

Marie’s statement was firm, clearly drawing a line. She revealed her unwillingness to yield to Cecilly.

An ordinary person might have flinched at Marie’s assertiveness, but Cecilly showed no such reaction.

On the contrary, she nodded with a faint smile, as if she had expected this.

“I know. I’ve watched how much you like Isaac. I was a bit surprised when you used me for that chest conversation. It felt like I’d been caught off guard for once.”

“Good, as long as you understand.”

“But Marie, have you heard of polygamy?”

“…What?”

When Cecilly mentioned polygamy, Marie’s eyes widened as if she thought she had misheard.

Cecilly maintained her small smile and continued in a gentle tone, confirming that Marie had heard correctly.

“You heard right. It’s the custom where one man has multiple wives. It’s common not only in your human society but also in Helium and even in Animus.”

“Hey, you…”

Marie was so dumbfounded that she opened and closed her mouth like a fish.

This was absolutely not a topic that a princess, especially one destined to be the next Demon Queen, should be discussing.

Someone in Cecilly’s position would normally practice matrilocal marriage rather than polygamy. While Helium had been unable to engage in diplomacy until now, its national power alone was strong enough to rival Alfheim.

Above all, polygamy was mostly entangled with political reasons rather than romantic love. Like when a weak nation sends a princess to marry into a powerful country to establish strong ties.

For Marie, beyond everything else, she couldn’t accept the part where Cecilly would use Isaac as a political tool. She would never allow polygamy or anything of the sort.

She let out a scornful laugh and spat bitter words at Cecilly.

“Ha. I thought you were different from Rina… I misjudged you. I never imagined you’d be hiding such dark intentions.”

“…”

“Do you really think Isaac would accept that? Someone who hates politics so much?”

Marie prided herself on knowing Isaac better than anyone, except for his family of course.

In any case, Isaac was a simple, considerate young man who enjoyed writing.

His reason for writing the Biography of Xenon was purely a hobby, nothing more than bringing another world from his mind into a book. That’s why it took him so long to realize his own popularity.

Well, he did have a tendency to fixate on strange things sometimes, but Marie didn’t mind. She actually liked seeing different reactions from the usually stoic Isaac.

From the beginning, her relationship with Isaac had started with pure goodwill and developed into love, not with political intentions. She could confidently say that her love for Isaac was purer than anyone else’s.

“Hmm… I don’t know what misunderstanding you have, but that’s absolutely not the case. Politics is just a secondary factor; my feelings for Isaac are genuine.”

Despite Marie’s continued harsh words, Cecilly maintained her composed attitude. She even smiled brightly and blushed slightly.

It was the reaction of a woman confessing her love shyly.

This actually confused Marie. As mentioned before, she was born with the ability to instinctively distinguish whether someone’s words were true or false.

And her heart was telling her that everything Cecilly had just said in her gentle voice was true.

There were no political intentions at all, just very pure feelings exchanged between one person and another.

Marie could feel that vividly.

“…Since when?”

“You believe me? Really?”

When Marie believed her without any doubt, Cecilly asked with a bright expression, clasping her hands together in delight.

Marie responded with silence, not even nodding. Whether Cecilly’s heart was sincere or false didn’t matter. There were various kinds of sincerity.

If her sincerity was impure, Marie would flatly reject it, and even if it was pure, she would do the same.

Marie had not the slightest intention of sharing the genuine, unaffected Isaac with anyone.

She wanted to see his face every day, beyond that, she wanted to embrace him all day long and share various forms of love. But the moment she had to share him with someone else, that time would be cut in half.

Having experienced betrayal from someone she trusted in the past, Marie could never give up on Isaac.

“Thank you for believing me. And as for when… it’s a bit ambiguous. I became interested in Isaac at the beginning of the semester, and that turned into love after the 9th volume of the Biography of Xenon was published. To be precise, it was when I had that conversation with you alone. Remember?”

“…”

Of course she remembered. After that, she became somewhat impatient and had a private conversation with Isaac, which led to their relationship starting with Marie initiating a kiss.

Although the process was strange, like a snake slithering over a wall, the result was good, so there was no problem.

“At that time, you told me this: If trust can only be formed by sharing secrets, then to hell with it. That’s just liking the person’s secrets, not liking the person themselves.”

“…You remember it clearly.”

“Thanks to that, I realized clearly. That I genuinely like Isaac.”

What was she talking about now? Marie’s eye twitched at Cecilly’s explanation, which she couldn’t understand at all.

Seeing Marie’s expression, Cecilly gave a gentle smile and placed her hand softly on her chest.

Perhaps thinking of Isaac’s face, her heart beat more strongly than usual.

It beat so strongly that even the demon race’s characteristic patience couldn’t suppress it, and she could feel desire rising strongly, perhaps because her evil cycle was approaching.

‘It’s coming earlier than expected…’

Originally, the evil cycle comes at regular intervals, but in special cases, it can come earlier. This happens when “desire,” which is like a drug to the demon race, builds up.

The more strongly one feels desire, the redder the horns become, and if one can’t endure it, the evil cycle arrives. And if one can’t endure even that evil cycle, one becomes a demon.

Cecilly was in a similar situation. Before, she would have just acknowledged it and moved on, but since realizing her feelings for Isaac, desire had been creeping up.

Even she didn’t know how this desire would manifest. Until now, it had approached indifferently like a physiological phenomenon, but now it came suddenly, like taking a drug.

Fortunately, she could be certain that she would never become a demon, but like how human women become aggressive during their periods, she might experience a similar phenomenon.

Cecilly closed her eyes tightly, barely stabilizing her pounding heart, then slowly opened them again to look at Marie.

“At first, I was confused too. Is this feeling directed at Isaac himself? Or is it directed at the savior of our demon race? But the conclusion came surprisingly easily.”

“…What conclusion?”

“Both.”

It was a very clear but simultaneously difficult to understand conclusion. However, Marie soon understood what she meant from Cecilly’s subsequent explanation.

“What I fell in love with is Isaac, and Isaac is the author of the Biography of Xenon who saved us. Who do I love? That’s a meaningless question. They’re the same person, so isn’t it strange to place more value on one aspect? The one who saved our demon race is the author of the Biography of Xenon, that is, Isaac. That’s why my feelings for Isaac are genuine.”

As this miraculous logic flowed from Cecilly’s lips, Marie became speechless. In reality, everything she said was correct.

No matter how much one tries to separate them, the fact that Isaac is the author of the Biography of Xenon is an unchangeable truth. So it’s not strange for Cecilly to have romantic feelings for Isaac.

After all, the Biography of Xenon was a salvation sent from heaven for demons like Cecilly. It was a treasure of immeasurable value that instantly resolved the harsh persecution and discrimination that had continued for 1000 years.

Seeing Marie close her mouth tightly and listen to her words, Cecilly smiled brightly and, with her hand still on her chest, got to the main point.

“I had feelings for him from the beginning, and now I know he’s the author of the Biography of Xenon too. Even if he weren’t Xenon, I would have fallen for him eventually, albeit more slowly. Isaac’s view of demons was different from others from the start. That’s why he could depict demons that way in the Biography of Xenon. When I realized that, I thought there was no need to hide my feelings anymore.”

“…”

“So I’m going to love the man I love. Honestly, I don’t think I’m at all inferior in terms of feminine charm. You agree, don’t you?”

“…I agree.”

She had to agree. Marie carefully examined Cecilly’s appearance.

Her jet-black hair flowing like silk and her mysterious red eyes. She had a beautiful appearance that generally exuded a mature image, and her cherry-like lips emitted a subtle sensuality.

Above all, what stood out most was undoubtedly her figure. Her chest, which boasted an overwhelming presence, was needless to mention, and the soft curves of her waist and hip line also radiated an almost blinding charm.

It hurt her pride, but in terms of feminine charm, Cecilly stood above Marie.

Feeling upset at this objectively undeniable fact, Marie hastily opened her mouth.

“Still, I have absolutely no intention of sharing Isaac with anyone else. And I have even less intention of losing him to you.”

“I’m sorry, but your opinion doesn’t matter. Isaac’s opinion is what matters.”

“Are you picking a fight with me right now?”

Marie cornered Cecilly with a voice full of sharp edges in response to her provocative statement. She was increasingly displeased with Cecilly’s behavior of ignoring her will.

To this, Cecilly smiled a different smile than before. It was a very sinister smile that somehow looked lewd.

Then, looking at Marie, who was hissing like a cat with its fur standing on end, she said quietly:

“You talk as if you’re already the legal wife. You’re just dating; you haven’t formally gotten engaged or married yet, right?”

“You…!”

“And I can be of great political help to Isaac too. Although it’s still in the early stages, our Helium has started to establish exchanges with other countries, and since our demon race is inherently powerful, there would be diplomatic benefits.”

Although Helium had taken a somewhat forcibly closed stance, Cecilly was still a princess of a country.

While Marie might be the daughter of Duke Reckyless, who held power second only to the Emperor, she was still somewhat lacking compared to Cecilly.

Both as a woman and as a power holder of a country.

Being inferior to Cecilly in both aspects, she couldn’t help but feel anxious.

‘…Absolutely not.’

This was a declaration of war. Cecilly’s declaration of war to secure Isaac by any means.

And Marie had to fight a siege battle to protect Isaac at all costs…

‘…Huh? Wait a minute.’

A question floated up in Marie’s mind. While it’s true that Cecilly is charming, she is a demon and Isaac is human.

Basically, there’s a lifespan difference of more than three times, and Cecilly would definitely know this. Moreover, demons turn into devils when they feel unbearable anger or sadness.

They couldn’t expect a poignant story like the master and the elf queen in the Biography of Xenon. Isaac is not an extremely powerful figure who has mastered mana like the master; he’s just an ordinary human.

Even if he lives long, it’s only 100 years, which for demons is equivalent to about 20 years for humans. Moreover, Isaac is currently 17 years old, so even if he lives long, it’s only 90 years.

Could Cecilly endure being left alone after Isaac dies due to lifespan issues? Marie couldn’t help but wonder.

“…Cecilly.”

“Yes, Marie.”

“Do you really think the time you spend with Isaac is worth more than the time after his death?”

“…You finally noticed.”

When Marie asked a question that pierced to the essence, Cecilly smiled as if somewhat relieved. Then she raised her head.

Though covered by the tree, a flat blue sky could be seen through the branches. It was even blocking the warm sunlight.

She looked up at the sky for a while, then lowered her head to look at Marie again. Marie was quietly waiting for Cecilly’s answer.

“You’re right. I am a demon and Isaac is human. Nothing in this world is eternal; someday, Isaac and I will part.”

“It will be painful.”

“Yes. Of course it will be painful. That’s why I said your opinion doesn’t matter, but Isaac’s does. Even the gods couldn’t solve the lifespan issue between different races.”

Living beings naturally run toward death. That is the law of nature.

People, including humans, know this well, which is why they strive to leave a “legacy.” This permeates in the form of “knowledge” and further develops people.

This is also why humans develop faster than others. Long-lived races like elves and demons have a leisurely mindset due to their long lifespans, while humans are the opposite.

Cecilly shifted her gaze from Marie and turned her head toward the town. Even without sensing it with mana, the bustling energy reached all the way here.

“After seeing that demon earlier, I’ve been thinking about something. How can I remember him? What can I do?”

“…”

“Even if Isaac doesn’t accept my feelings, I’ll support his territory to remember him. No matter how much the secret is hidden, eventually people will learn that Isaac is the author of the Biography of Xenon. And his territory will naturally develop into a cultural city.”

“So when you said you’d help politically…”

“That’s right. I’ll protect it so that greedy individuals can’t freely exploit his territory. This won’t just be me, but other demons as well.”

If that happens, the Mayshall territory would be safe for at least 200 years.

If diplomatic deals are made with the Empire of Minerva, there would be no problem with Helium’s warriors being stationed in the Mayshall territory, and it would be beneficial for both the Empire and Helium to have such sturdy allies.

Marie was momentarily impressed by Cecilly’s foresight that looked into the distant future, but somehow felt sorry for her. Despite such devotion, there was the very large wall of lifespan standing in the way.

Of course, even if that wall were overcome, Marie would never give up Isaac. Feeling as if her insides had been hollowed out, Marie let out a deep sigh, then regained her confidence and said to Cecilly:

“I understand your feelings. But I’ll never give Isaac to you, so keep that in mind.”

“Hmm~”

In response to Marie’s declaration, Cecilly let out a sensual hum and half-closed her eyes. Just as Marie sensed something ominous, Cecilly began to walk slowly toward her.

“Well~ I wonder about that?”

“Wh-what are you saying? You clearly said earlier…”

“Even if I can’t have his heart, I can have his body, right? So…”

Eventually, just before passing by Marie, Cecilly whispered softly in her ear.

“I might take him first?”

Cecilly’s seductive words penetrated Marie’s ear canal. Those words struck Marie’s brain.

“…!!”

Marie’s body jerked violently, and her blue eyes widened like saucers. Her mouth also gaped open, showing that she was greatly shocked by Cecilly’s words.

Soon after, her snow-white skin began to redden gradually, until finally her ears turned as red as the sunset. She clearly understood what Cecilly meant.

She couldn’t dismiss it casually because it was Cecilly, of all people, who said those words. She really seemed like she would do it if she set her mind to it.

“Well then, I’ll be going now.”

“…”

After playing what was not really a joke, Cecilly tapped Marie’s shoulder lightly and passed by her. Despite Cecilly having passed by, Marie remained standing in place as if nailed to the spot.

By the time Cecilly was far away, Marie seemed to have regained her senses and turned her head sharply. Cecilly was already about to enter the town.

“…Alright. So that’s how you want to play it?”

Marie grinned meaningfully and muttered:

“Who do you think will lose?”

A strange passion blazed like flames in her blue eyes.