The dining hall door opened.

While the doors yielded easily to Rubellan’s touch, they remained stubbornly closed to Rael’s hands. She deliberately walked slowly down the corridor, taking her time.

“Are there no people… or rather, demons coming and going here?”

The castle was unnervingly quiet. Beyond Rubellan and Joseph, she hadn’t seen even a shadow of another living being—that said it all.

“Various beings do come and go,” Rubellan replied.

“Various beings?”

His peculiar word choice sparked her imagination.

“Creatures that might make you faint if you saw them?”

“I think I’ll stop being curious now.”

When Rael shuddered, Rubellan watched her with a slight upturn of his lips. Throughout their walk down the corridor, her eyes moved restlessly, examining each door they passed and peering intently through windows. Considering the unremarkable scenery outside, she clearly wasn’t admiring the view.

She’s probably plotting her escape while pretending to make casual conversation.

The current Rael had transformed into a much more adaptable person than the naive academy student she once was. Come to think of it, even back then, she had maintained her composure while harboring suspicions about him.

Rubellan also pretended not to notice, outwardly maintaining an expression of surprise.

“Are you surprisingly the type to give up easily?”

“Did you expect me to cling to your pant leg, crying and begging you to let me go?”

“Hmm. I hadn’t specifically imagined it, but that doesn’t sound bad.”

Rael flinched at Rubellan’s serious expression. If he actually had that kind of preference, it would be quite troublesome.

“Well, your crying in bed is quite sufficient.”

She recalled the previous night’s lovemaking, when she had nearly begged him to stop, almost grabbing his pant leg. This accursed demon wore the mask of a normal demon, but clearly harbored a lustful devil inside.

Their slow pace suddenly halted.

“Why, what is it?”

“On second thought, that doesn’t seem like a bad idea.”

“What?”

“You begging me while crying.”

Insane. She had no desire to awaken new fetishes in this perverted demon.

“Don’t casually change your preferences. That’s very dangerous behavior.”

“Of course. Our 23-year-old senior must be right.”

Having revealed that he was over 400 years old, he was now openly mocking her, treating her like an infant.

“I’ve prepared a gift for you, senior, so you won’t feel bored.”

“If it’s a warp scroll, I might even reward you with a kiss of gratitude.”

At Rael’s words, Rubellan released a small laugh, finding her joke adorable. Then he took her hand and led her forward.

Rael followed him without resistance. She needed to see more of the Demon King’s Castle, and it was best to hide any signs of escape attempts to lower his guard.

“What is this?”

The place Rubellan had brought her to was a greenhouse located in the center of the castle. Inside the transparent glass structure flourished all manner of plants and flowers. Several fairly large trees emphasized the considerable size of the greenhouse.

“There isn’t much to do here, so you can grow flowers and herbs, and even make potions you like.”

“And how long would that take?”

While some ingredients used in magical potions were easy to obtain, most were rare and difficult to find. They often came with descriptors like “10-year-old” or “100-year-aged.”

“We have plenty of time,” Rubellan said gently, touching the leaves of a plant that had grown to his height.

“Even if what seems like an eternity to you is merely a moment to me.”

Rael snorted at Rubellan’s words. It was absurd. He was essentially telling her to spend her life trapped in this castle growing plants. Was she supposed to be grateful that he had built a greenhouse to keep her from getting lonely?

“I don’t understand why a great demon who lives for eternity would force a worthless human with a fleeting life to waste their time.”

“Whether worthless or not, I must have your time for myself.”

His tone was resolute.

“Don’t you think that’s selfish?”

“I probably thought so until winter.”

Rubellan’s gaze remained fixed somewhere on the green leaves.

“Why did your mind change during spring?”

“Because life was boring.”

His face truly reflected an emotion of complete tedium.

“What?”

“Life was disgustingly boring.”

Rubellan’s long fingers slowly stroked the green leaf.

“Hard to believe, but until winter, I thought I’d repay the kindness of the compassionate human. Let her live quietly and ordinarily for the rest of her life.”

“Why didn’t you maintain that mindset? Why did you change your mind?”

It was frustrating that her life had to be dictated by a demon’s change of heart.

“Would a demon be called a demon for nothing?”

Rubellan merely smiled, but for a brief moment, Rael detected something unusual in his sunken eyes.

“How would you feel if you gained immortality, senior?”

“I’d be thrilled.”

She spoke without much thought.

“To endure an endless life?”

“Then why did you go through all that trouble to obtain an immortal body?”

If only she hadn’t gone to the academy, if they had never met, if she hadn’t pitied this demon. Then they wouldn’t be facing each other now.

The hand caressing the leaf dropped away. Rubellan took a step closer to Rael.

“They say God tests humans.”

His hand lifted her chin.

“Seems that God is interested in demons too.”

For the first time, Rael suspected that Rubellan, who had always appeared composed, might actually be in a state of confusion.

“So that’s why He made me meet you there, then.”

Perhaps this demon was also confused by the sudden change in his life, unable to adapt to it.

“You are the question God threw at me.”

The scent of grass rose from Rubellan’s fingertips. Despite his intense gaze, the fragrance was refreshing.

“A test.”

His face slowly approached hers, close enough that she could see his lowered eyelashes in detail.

“Or perhaps a joke.”

The breath mixed with his voice tickled the tender flesh inside Rael’s lips. For some reason, she felt a chill.

“So I want to take your fleeting time. I think then I might find the answer to the question.”

What nonsense was he talking about? But one thing was clear: this demon was justifying his forceful actions with elaborate talk of gods and tests.

“Demon bastard.”

“I told you not to compliment me.”

Rubellan curled his lips upward. A single curse from her stirred pleasant emotions in him. Any reaction from her struck his hardened heart—how could he let this fleeting ecstasy slip away? Something that should rightfully be seized, whether through coaxing or by force.

Rubellan’s tongue parted Rael’s soft lips. Despite their long separation, it was a kiss that had become familiar in just a few days.

Rael took a small step back from Rubellan’s advance, but his hand supporting the nape of her neck held her firmly in place.

“Ha…”

The kiss, which always seemed to drain her senses, quickly left her breathless.

The blood in her veins heated up intensely. Something inside Rael’s body cried out from various places, seemingly in anger.

Hurry, hurry and embrace the demon.

The truly unfortunate thing was that she didn’t dislike their intimate acts. Perhaps if this man had been just an ordinary human…

Enough to create confusion, making her wonder if she might have loved him.

“Ah…”

As his hands caressed her skin, Rael set aside her complicated thoughts.

Whether this was God’s joke or a demon’s trick, she decided to surrender to the pleasure for now and observe how things unfolded.

Rubellan’s hands were undoing Rael’s clothes, completely disregarding that they were in a greenhouse rather than a bedroom. Her clothing was light and simple, designed to be removed like a robe by untying a single string below her chest, but Rubellan roughly pushed it aside even that seemed cumbersome to him.

“Mmm…”

As the kiss deepened and his firm hands stroked her waist and sides, Rael’s body twisted with pleasure. The mere touch of his hands made her feel wet below.

Rael was once again diligently adapting to the pleasure the demon provided. Rubellan seated her on a stone wall, then knelt before her and pushed his body between her legs.

“Nh…mm…”

Rubellan’s lips traveled down her neck to take her peach-like, fair, rounded br*ast into his mouth. Rael’s body trembled delicately. Like shivering from cold, her fragile movements delighted Rubellan.

“Haah…”

He sucked on her br*ast, which seemed so sweet it created the illusion of juice flowing from it. When her er*ect n*pple caught on his tongue, Rubellan grabbed her br*ast with his hand and persistently explored the protruding peak.

“Haah, ah!”

Her n*pple, rolled on his tongue and sucked, felt like it was on fire. Rael looked down at Rubellan, who was kneeling before her and sucking on her br*ast.

Holding her white br*asts with both hands and moving his mouth between them, Rubellan looked like he was satisfying a hunger.

“I wonder if something coming out of here would taste better.”

“Ah… d-don’t talk such n-nonsense.”

Though she knew he was saying it deliberately to tease her, the suggestion that he wanted her to lactate made her mind snap to attention. Rubellan’s hands, which had been kneading her br*asts, moved down her waist past her navel.

“Ah!”

His fingers immediately probed into her wet crevice.

“Hnng…”

From their frequent intimacy, her lower part yielded easily. Rael’s body had become quick to prepare, allowing two fingers to enter without difficulty. With just one insertion of his fingers stirring inside her, his hand became soaking wet. He spread the moisture up and down her opening.

“Ahh!”

Each time his indiscriminate finger movements brushed against her cl*toris, Rael’s body tensed. Before she knew it, she had spread her legs wider for a more comfortable position. Rubellan supported her knees with his arms, helping her.

“Mm…nh, hm…”

Her juices flowed down to the cleft of her b*ttocks, and Rael, gripping Rubellan’s shoulders tightly with both hands, focused on the sensations below while her eyelashes trembled.

Squelch, squelch, splash, splash—the sounds of splashing water were loud.

Just as she was becoming intoxicated by his touch, lost in ecstasy, Rubellan’s body shifted.

Focusing her blurry vision on him, she saw Rubellan untying his pants and rubbing his exposed manhood against her womanhood.

“Ah…”

His dark red, formidable organ, intimidating whenever she saw it, slowly moved from the bottom of her opening up to her cl*toris. The rigid member glided over her opening, slippery with Rael’s abundant fluids.

When the hard, uneven manhood rubbed against her outer flesh, fluid suddenly gushed from inside her v*gina.

“Your body welcomes its master.”

As the hot fluid soaked his organ, Rubellan chuckled deeply and spoke mischievously.

“What…!”

Just as she was about to protest indignantly that she was no slave and he was no master, that weapon-like thing pushed apart her closed flesh and thrust into her inner walls.

“Ha, senior’s hole is all mine.”

“Ah… ungh, haah.”

Though he had only inserted slowly, it felt like being struck by lightning, making her head ring. Forgetting what she had been about to say, Rael wrapped both arms around Rubellan’s neck.

“Look at you. Enjoying it so intensely.”

Watching Rael gasping for breath while lifting her hips to perfectly accommodate his manhood inside her, Rubellan smiled deeply.