episode_0029

Episode 29

One of the most frequently heard phrases by Princess Penelope since her childhood was, “I wish I could pick and choose men as I please.”

While humanity tends to have a somewhat equal gender ratio, it cannot be said that all women can have their pick of men.

First, factors like appearance and family background must be considered, followed by meeting conditions such as abilities or strength.

Men are extremely picky, and especially the men of the Dweor Kingdom are notorious for lacking even basic manners, making it exceedingly difficult to satisfy all these conditions.

However, Penelope possessed all of these qualities from birth.

“I am a queen.”

Yes, she is a queen. Moreover, she is the ruler of the mightiest nation of humanity.

Nevertheless, Penelope had never shown much interest in men until now.

“If one were to say she had no interest, that would be a lie, but perhaps it was a bit annoying.”

Although many men approached her as a queen, she found them lacking not only in sexual appeal but also in human charm.

In fact, rather than charm, what was repulsive was the sight of men trying to fulfill their vanity solely with the elements she possessed.

But one day, when she met the husband of a friend’s daughter who was older, Penelope felt fluttering emotions towards a man for the first time in her life.

“Perhaps falling so deeply for Edward is because I have seen too many of those kinds of men.”

Relationships are relationships, and the Bell family is a place where even a queen cannot act recklessly, but after witnessing what he accomplished in the Law Kingdom, she could no longer hide her feelings.

Things like being the husband of a friend’s daughter no longer mattered. Even if someone found out, there was no one who could dare say anything to a queen.

“After all, leaving one or two heirs behind is not such a strange thing.”

Queens who did not particularly want a husband often established a suitable government to receive seeds and produce successors, and her mother was one such case.

She was terrified when she directly told Edward and Laila, but after establishing a relationship, those fears disappeared.

The remaining emotion was an intense obsession with Edward that she could not control.

With her innate queenly temperament added to the mix, she naturally came to see him as hers.

Therefore, she cannot tolerate the idea of Edward leaving her side.

“Laila can go back, but not Edward. Stay here. Don’t go anywhere else and stay by my side.”

She was almost unconsciously revealing her queenly temperament, but her tone was akin to a child’s tantrum.

The problem was that no matter how childish her tone, she was still a queen. Whatever she said carried authority.

However, Laila, who had grown up preparing to become the next duchess and nurturing her passion for love, overwhelmed Penelope from this point on.

Laila had prepared herself to make realistic compromises regarding sharing Edward from this point on, but it was impossible to simply endure the queen’s behavior.

With a sudden change in expression, Laila shot back at Penelope.

“Don’t force it. Your Majesty’s words may differ from what you personally think, and if you keep acting like this, I might have to reconsider conceding Edward to you.”

“…Oh. So because you conceded your husband, I should just shut up and follow along?”

The atmosphere became tense. If the Bell family clashed with the Dweor royal family, it could potentially escalate into a major incident that could shake the entire kingdom.

“What are those two doing right now?”

Edward wouldn’t just stand by and watch.

“Edward! The king’s words are different from before!”

“It doesn’t matter what you say! Edward must stay here!”

As the children ran towards the adults, pointing at each other and scolding like there was no difference between them, the next Duke and the Queen of the strongest nation on Earth, Edward sighed as he watched.

“I don’t like mean girls. I don’t like girls who speak with a forked tongue.”

“Hmph!”

“But…!”

Each had their own words, so they couldn’t retort to Edward’s words.

In response to both of them, as if urging and warning at the same time, Edward spoke.

“I’ll make it clear now. If fights like this continue, neither of you will be seen. It’s useless to try to confine me. I’ll just leave.”

“That’s absurd! Even me?!”

“Yes!”

Leila panicked, while Penelope’s face became despairing.

Edward’s words and expression were so irritating that there was no room for doubt, but naturally, Edward had no intention of leaving at all.

Even in the worst case scenario where women fight to the death, he had the power to stop it even by force if necessary.

However, if he were to openly declare that they would be beaten if they fought, these two would undoubtedly cry.

Crying meant no conversation. No conversation meant a high likelihood of the same situation happening again.

So deliberately delaying things, Edward thought that despite saying it, it seemed to go down quite well, almost as if handling children.

“Where are you going?!”

“Yes! I am the Queen of Dweor! Wherever you go, I will find you and bring you back!”

It might have been a nuanced statement suggesting that they might actually do that, but they were speaking as if Edward was about to leave immediately.

Edward hadn’t expected to be taken in this easily, but since it worked, he decided to go along with it.

“There are many places to go, right? There’s the Kingdom of Law, the Amazoness Kingdom lacking men, or other tribes that will welcome me. Among them, the best is still the Demon Realm…”

The Demon Realm. Unlike before when his goal was to escape, if Edward were to enter on his own accord, even the Queen of Dweor or Duke Bell wouldn’t be able to touch him anymore.

Thinking up to that point, the crazed Leila and Penelope soon rushed to Edward, crying and pleading.

“We won’t fight! We won’t fight, I promise!”

“Don’t go! You can’t go to the Demon Realm under any circumstances!”

Watching the two women who had become desperate, Edward laughed.

—

He had thought it might happen soon, but thanks to Leila’s words, Penelope’s jealousy and possessiveness flared up instantly.

It seemed like a good opportunity to train her, but thanks to Leila’s outburst, it ended more blandly than expected.

Since he could now handle Leila easily as well, maybe it was okay. It was handled much more amicably than initially considered.

It’s hard to guarantee how long the effect will last, but for now, it seems fine.

“Well then.”

I am currently back at the Bell family’s territory. Penelope was hanging onto me in tears, but I managed to soothe her appropriately.

I also made sure to visit Maria, who will be visiting Dweor, and then come to the Bell territory. She needed some reassurance, especially since her mind seemed unstable.

Anyway, having barely managed to return properly, I was wandering the territory alone.

It wasn’t like last time when I left without permission. I properly sought Leila’s permission before coming out.

I had become much stronger than before, and although temporary, my horns had disappeared. It had already been proven that trying to forcibly suppress it would only backfire, so I could freely roam around.

Of course, I didn’t come all the way here alone just for a walk. I heard it from Lumaniel when I was in the Demon Castle.

Bell Yeongji always guards and monitors the demons. So, if you wander around alone like this, it’s obvious.

Oh, am I in luck?

“Long time no see, right, Chris?”

“It might be for me, but I’m not sure about Edward’s perspective. I hope he feels the same way as I do.”

I turned my body and laughed at the sight of my wife’s sister transformed into a demon, confidently revealing herself in broad daylight.

“Aren’t you being too careless? What would you gain by ambushing the territory army? ”

“I don’t want any unnecessary trouble. You said you would give me a reward. That’s why I came to receive it.”

As expected, that’s what you start with. Maybe she volunteered for the mission to monitor Bell Yeongji for that reason.

“I remember not being much help when the plan went awry, right?”

“You must have heard it from Layla. If I hadn’t turned a blind eye, I wouldn’t have been able to reunite with Layla or escape so easily.”

I understand. I’m not going to regret it now. I was just teasing lightly without much thought, but her serious response made me quite uneasy.

So, I drew my sword. Chris’s pupils shook greatly.

“…What are you doing?”

“Please don’t misunderstand. This is like a prelude to giving you a reward.”

“Prelude?”

“You lost to Chris last time. I’m giving you a chance for revenge by offering a reward.”

Above all, I was curious about how much power I had now. Chris would be a good opponent, I suppose.

No need to hold back.

Understanding my intentions, Chris confidently smiled and drew her sword to face me.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Edward may have become a demon, but I’ve been training extensively in the demon army for a long time. I’ve been actively involved in real combat recently.”

“Huh? I heard there hasn’t been any conflict with humans recently?”

“The demon army’s business isn’t just about war with humans. Anyway, fine. I’ll crush Edward and make sure I get the reward myself!”

With a burst of energy, Chris leaped forward.

The once frail woman now moved with a freedom and beauty beyond imagination.

Like a bird.

Ah.

I want to break those wings.

—

“Cough, cough!”

Using the sword as support, Chris staggered and eventually fell backward, collapsing.

It was unexpected. He hadn’t imagined Edward would become so strong.

‘No, this is natural. They said he was incredibly strong from the beginning.’

He thought he had become much stronger than before, but having undergone the same transformation as him, he was much stronger.

‘But strangely, I don’t feel any resentment. It’s almost beautiful?’

Even though she had become inferior to the man, she didn’t feel the same sense of inferiority as before.

Wondering why, he was lost in thought when Edward approached her with a sword in hand.

“Phew. That was fun. You’ve really gotten stronger. I almost thought horns would sprout from your head if I made a mistake.”

Edward raised his sword, but Chris did not panic or feel fear.

Was it because she didn’t think he would kill her? No.

Even if he were to kill her now, she felt she could be satisfied.

The sword descended.

The blade passed precisely in front of Chris, cutting through only the air.

“…Huh?”

“Why are you surprised? There’s only one thing the winner does to the loser in battle, right?”

“Huh? Huh? Oh, no, isn’t it usually the other way around…?”

“You know what I mean.”

Bowing down, Edward climbed on top of Chris, tearing her clothes apart with both hands.

“So, Chris. It’s time for humiliation.”