There wasn’t a scratch on the demon’s castle. The only evidence of what had happened the night before was the fact that it was just the two of them in the huge castle. The demons in the castle had all been melted by him. Not a single one had been spared.

But even after confirming this with his own eyes, he still couldn’t shake the feeling of unease.

‘Even if a devil is good to me, I must never let my guard down.’ 

Surely the demon queen would try to devour him tonight, and though he knew nothing of palace life, he understood well enough what a couple’s first night meant. 

Spending his first night with this devil was a thought Lucian wished he could put out of his mind. He felt like an animal being dragged to the slaughterhouse. 

It was horrible just to think about. 

Before things could escalate to such a situation, he had to act first.

Before she could pounce, he decided to broach the subject as soon as they entered the bedroom. 

The Demon King’s castle was so vast that it took a considerable amount of time to navigate, which gave him plenty of opportunity to review his plan and think about what he was going to say. 

“And here we are – this will be your room.” 

Lost in his thoughts, he hadn’t even noticed that the tour had already come to an end. 

“It’s a lovely room.”

As always, Lucian looked around the room and reacted mechanically. 

His entire focus was on running through various scenarios to avoid spending the first night with the Demon Queen. 

It was in this moment of preoccupation that he let his guard down. 

Thud. 

The sound of the door closing behind him snapped Lucian out of his thoughts. 

“…Your Majesty? Why is the door…?” 

Instinctively turning his head, Lucian froze like a trapped animal. 

The demon queen, now unveiled, loosened the chiton she was wearing. 

“Why else?” 

Lucian’s eyes followed something that slid down to her feet. It was pure white fabric – the very clothes Rose, the demon queen, had been wearing just moments ago. 

“It’s time to sleep now.” 

Rustle, rustle… The sound of her footsteps on the floor came closer and Lucian instinctively took a step back, stuttering. 

“…W-what are you doing?”

“Hm?” 

“Weren’t you just going to show me my room? Then why are you suddenly… taking your clothes off…?”

The demon queen let out a soft, feathery laugh at the sight of Lucian, pale and flustered. 

“Lucian, how inexperienced do you have to be with women not to understand this?” 

“Pardon?”

“We’re married, aren’t we?” 

Rustle, rustle, rustle… She closed the distance between them step by step as she spoke. 

She came closer with each step. 

Lucian, unaware that he was retreating further into the room, kept his eyes on her steadily approaching feet. Suddenly, something touched the back of his knees. 

He lost his balance and toppled over, landing on something soft. Only then did he realise he was on the bed. 

“Do you understand now, Lucian?” 

A pair of pale thighs filled his vision. 

Only then did Lucian realise what was happening and freeze. He had let his guard down. While his mind had wandered, he had somehow… 

“Husbands and wives should share a bedroom.” 

…ended up in the bedroom he was supposed to share with her. 

“W-wait, hold on, Your Majesty!” 

Lucian added hastily as he saw her lift a foot to climb onto the bed. 

At the sound of his voice, the demon queen paused for a moment, and in that instant, Lucian quickly grabbed the blanket from the bed, threw it over her and pulled her into an embrace. 

Surprised, wrapped in the blanket and now held in his arms, the Demon Queen blinked in surprise. 

“What are you doing, Lucian?” 

“…….”

“…Ah, could it be that you prefer to do it under the covers?” 

“…It isn’t.”

A soft chuckle echoed in front of him. Fighting back a sigh that threatened to escape, Lucian tightened his grip on the blanket to make sure she couldn’t slip out. 

“I have something to say, Your Majesty.”

He said, gripping her shoulders tightly through the blanket as if holding a chiton in place. 

“Something to say?”

Even though her actions were stopped, the Demon Queen seemed to find the situation amusing, a faint smile lingering on her face. Lucian looked away for a moment before meeting her eyes. 

Perhaps this was his chance. 

“I’d like to have a word with you, Your Majesty.” 

“A word? About what?” 

“About the future of our married life.” 

Lucian calmly began to recite the words he had prepared. 

“…Even though we’re married now, we’ve only just got to know each other, haven’t we?” 

“Mhm.”

“Since our races, upbringings and values are so different, I thought we should try harder to find ways to be considerate of each other.” 

“You came up with such an admirable idea?” 

“We only have a year together. It would be good to take precautions and reduce unnecessary conflicts in advance.” 

As an apostle of God, Lucian could not lie. So he decided to cleverly twist the truth to deceive the Demon Queen. 

“So I came up with an idea.”

Like this, for example. 

“Just to ensure a harmonious married life between us.” 

A harmonious married life. 

That and nothing else. 

Since it was completely in line with Lucian’s principles, it couldn’t be considered a lie. Even if it was going to be torture for the demon queen, he had no intention of spending the first night with that evil demon. Not until the day this marriage ended, no matter what. 

That was Lucian’s plan. 

“In the name of the Mother, the Goddess of Creation, Lucian Valentinius vows to be the husband of the Demon Queen Rose for one year and to fulfil his duties as her husband faithfully.” 

Whether by design or accident, the Demon Queen had not clearly defined in the contract what exactly “married life” entailed. Lucian decided to use this loophole, as well as the Demon Queen’s desire to impress him, to turn the situation in his favour. 

“So would you be willing to make an effort with me, Your Majesty?” 

“…….”

“I don’t want to spend the limited year we have together arguing about our differences. I hope we can come to understand and consider each other before we end up fighting.”

The Demon Queen’s face brightened, as if she found his words agreeable. 

“What do you want me to do?” 

“We need to set some rules.” 

“Rules?” 

“Yes. Things like boundaries we shouldn’t cross or things we want each other to respect. We can set them up in advance and try to be considerate of each other.”

“Do we really need this between a married couple?” 

“It is all the more necessary because we are a married couple.”

Lucian added firmly.

“Even between a married couple there are limits that must be respected. That’s what I learnt in the monastery about the duty of consideration in marriage” 

“The duty of consideration…” 

She murmured, as if pondering the unfamiliar phrase.

Watching the demon queen, who seemed to repeat the words as if she heard them for the first time.

After all, what need would a demon who was so fixated on marrying another man immediately after her husband’s death have to consider anyone else? 

‘Still, it seems she’s at least somewhat interested.’ 

Lucian seized the opportunity and continued his persuasion without missing a beat.  **As life partners, married couples have a duty to care for and consider each other, Your Majesty. Even if the time we spend together is only a year, we are still husband and wife. 

‘Take the bait.’ 

“I hope we can become a couple who respect and consider each other.” 

‘Take the bait…’ 

“What do you think, Your Majesty?” 

She didn’t answer his question. Fearing that pressing her further might irritate her, Lucian decided to remain silent and wait patiently for the demon queen to speak. 

After a long silence, the Demon Queen finally spoke, her tone casual. 

“Interesting. Fine.” 

Her acceptance was far more pleasant than he had expected, but Lucian couldn’t afford to relax just yet. The most important part was yet to come.