Though it was a brief encouragement, it helped more than expected. Her slightly downcast mood improved.

Barmas knew that making a bigger fuss would only embarrass her, so he changed the subject.

“Now that you’ve eaten, how about getting washed? And changing clothes too.”

“…Should I?”

“Walking will still be difficult, so I’ll carry you there.”

He withdrew his hand that had been embracing her arm, stood up, and lifted Romei in a stable position.

With the sudden sensation of being lifted into the air, Romei considered wrapping her arms around his neck but decided against it.

Her arms still ached from having just finished eating. Instead, she rested her head against his chest.

After ordering the servant to clear the meal, Barmas headed toward the bathroom while saying:

“I’ll tell the servants to select some clothes while you bathe. Is there anything in particular you’d like to wear?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure.”

“How about something with a similar design to what you’re wearing now? It seems comfortable enough for clothing.”

Barmas suggested this on behalf of Romei, who didn’t seem to have strong opinions about clothes.

She felt awkward about wearing clothes because he had rarely dressed her. The nightgown was sleepwear, designed to be softer and more comfortable against the skin compared to outdoor clothes.

And judging by her request, she probably wouldn’t be going out today, so that’s what he thought.

Fortunately, Romei nodded in agreement.

“Let’s do that, then.”

“Good. I’ll tell them to select very pretty clothes.”

Barmas pulled up the corner of his mouth into a grin. It was a smile filled with triumphant pride.

Romei, who had been quietly looking up at him, asked:

“By the way, did you buy the clothes?”

“Of course I bought them. Did you think I picked them up from somewhere?”

Barmas retorted, finding her sudden question quite absurd.

“Did you think I would get clothes for you from some strange place?”

“You did that before.”

“…”

“Weren’t those from some strange place?”

At Romei’s question, Barmas had no choice but to close his mouth. His past actions, done out of spite because she had rejected his attempt to cover her with a blanket while she slept, flashed through his mind.

Though they weren’t picked up from trash cans or streets, they certainly weren’t normal clothes either.

“…I’m sorry about that time. I did make you wear strange clothes, but they weren’t from strange places. Some were from the mansion’s storage, but many were purchased.”

“…You bought them?”

Romei asked in surprise.

It was surprising enough that there were places selling clothes that looked patched together from leftover fabric scraps, but even more surprising that he had bought them.

“I thought there wasn’t enough to fill the entire room, so I ordered more. Outside, such clothes are everywhere. Finding ones that match your taste is difficult, but obtaining them is easy.”

“Everywhere…? Are there people who buy such things?”

It didn’t make sense to Romei. The fact that places selling such embarrassing clothes were common.

“Many do. Sexually seducing humans is one of the things demons do, so of course they exist.”

“Ah…”

Only then did Romei remember that this was the demon realm and understood what he was saying. For a moment, she had forgotten where she was.

“The quality of life energy extracted from humans varies depending on what clothes you get. That’s why everyone searches frantically. Sometimes multiple demons fight over a single garment.”

“Because they want to buy that clothing?”

“Yes.”

“What happens in such cases?”

“Naturally, the stronger one takes it. Sometimes they fight to the death if they’re determined to have it.”

Listening quietly to Barmas’s answer, Romei added a brief observation:

“…Then you could have taken all the clothes if you went there.”

Since this was essentially acknowledging and praising Barmas’s strength, he responded with an arrogant smile.

“Of course. I could sweep them all up, but I’ve never bought any myself. Never worn them either.”

“Why not?”

“Because I could easily obtain both humans’ life energy and souls without wearing such scraps of cloth.”

“With that trap?”

Romei recalled the deep trap of pleasure she had fallen into while investigating the forest in Picardin and asked.

With such a meticulous and secretive trap, there was no need to go around buying provocative clothes. He could drain plenty of life energy and then cause death by excessive pleasure, cleanly consuming the soul as well.

Although Romei asked casually, Barmas’s expression became strangely distorted. He didn’t seem upset, but somehow pained.

“…Did I say something wrong?”

Though she didn’t think so, Romei carefully asked, wondering if he might unexpectedly feel guilty, just like during his confession.

Barmas answered with a face that was clearly not fine.

“It’s okay. It’s true that I set those traps for that purpose.”

“…”

“But unfortunately, that’s not the correct answer. There was a time when I was like a novice who had to seduce humans directly with my body.”

Novice.

When this word, second only to “reformed” in terms of not matching Barmas, came out of his mouth, Romei stared at him blankly.

Though she didn’t know about his childhood, he emanated an arrogant and oppressive aura that suggested he had always possessed absolute power and looked down on others.

Noticing what Romei might be thinking while staring at him, Barmas said:

“You may not believe it, but I really did have a ‘novice’ period. Demons originally climb up from the bottom of nothing. If you fall behind there, you die.”

“…”

“Life energy, though not as valuable as souls, is a source of power and staple food, so the competition is fierce. It’s one of the easiest ways to increase power.”

“…”

“So everyone was desperate to buy the most vulgar clothes, but I… well, I lived by extracting women’s life energy without needing such things.”

“How?”

Regardless of whether she believed in his novice period or not, Romei was curious about the answer and asked.

Barmas then asked back in a voice full of pride:

“How do you think? Try to guess.”

“…”

And with that, Barmas thr*st his smiling face toward Romei.

Feeling that the atmosphere might become awkward if she didn’t guess, Romei desperately racked her brain, drawing on knowledge she had forgotten from her time as a holy knight.

First, the method he used would have been from when he was much younger. So excluding complex magic and…

Given that he said he extracted life energy without the help of clothes or tools, it meant he used something he naturally possessed to sexually appeal to others.

‘If there’s something Barmas excels at in bed…’

Tracing back through memories of countless intimate encounters with Barmas, Romei soon reached one conclusion.

“Ah, were you good at s*xual t*rture?”

“…”

Barmas’s footsteps stopped abruptly in the corridor. He looked at Romei with a face that seemed quite shocked.

“…Are you serious?”

Only when Barmas was momentarily speechless before asking did Romei realize her answer had completely missed the mark.

“It wasn’t that…?”

“…”

“Then what was it?”

“Was it a lie when you said I was sensual?”

Barmas said with a hurt expression. His crimson eyes, looking at her with disbelief that she would lie to him, were filled with betrayal.

She hadn’t known he could be hurt, but Barmas’s expression was unmistakably that of someone who felt slighted.

Though Romei knew there was nothing to apologize for, she somehow felt sorry for Barmas. And she belatedly realized what the answer to his question was.

“What I said then wasn’t a lie. But…”

“But what?”

“You may be enchantingly handsome, but to me, you felt more evil and intimidating, so I didn’t think you would have seduced with your appearance.”

“…”

“And you were always rough in bed. Plus, there’s even a t*rture chamber in the mansion… So I think those two words got mixed up in my mind.”

Romei tried to soothe his feelings with words that could have been excuses, comfort, or persuasion.

Thanks to this, Barmas seemed slightly appeased, and though he didn’t respond, he resumed walking toward the bathroom after stopping in the middle of the corridor.

Of course, he didn’t forget to grumble in a self-deprecating voice:

“Fine. You don’t have to say it like that. Anyway, you’re right that I’m just a crazy piece of trash who does s*xual t*rture. I guess this is what they call divine punishment.”

And his additional words were quite considerate:

“And all the clothes I put on you were bought with you in mind. I just bought them for you to wear, so just wear them without thinking too much.”

“…”

“And find your taste while choosing. Does it make sense that you’ve never chosen a pretty outfit in your life?”

While Barmas grumbled in front of Romei, they had already arrived at the bathroom.

He seated Romei, whom he had been carrying, on a nearby chair, then called the servants and instructed them to bathe her. He didn’t forget to order them to keep her feet from touching the ground.

The servants skillfully filled the bathtub with warm water and sprinkled it with fragrant oils and flower petals.

After checking the water temperature by hand, two servants approached Romei, removed her clothes, and carefully lifted her into the bathtub, treating her like a delicate porcelain that could break with the slightest impact.