“The groom has entered!” 

With a weary face, the man looked up from a distance, and Rose approached him, smiling brightly. 

“Now the bride will enter -!” 

Having shouted it herself, Rose walked backwards down the aisle and onto the platform, while the holy knight watched her with a look of disbelief. 

Regardless of his reaction, Rose stopped in front of the man and added with a solemn expression, 

“Do you, the bride, Rose, vow to love and cherish the groom, the holy knight, with all your heart?” 

“……” 

“Yes, I do.” 

Rose talked to herself, answering her own questions, while the holy knight looked at her as if she were mad, but she ignored him. 

“Then you two will share the vow kiss…” 

Before she could finish, the holy knight quickly covered her lips with his hand. 

“Aren’t you skipping the ceremony too much?” 

“Um…” 

“Please don’t rub your lips against my palm.” 

As soon as the soft touch pressed against his skin, the holy knight quickly withdrew his hand in obvious disgust. Rose shot him an annoyed look, her eyes focused on the red lipstick mark on his hand.

“Why won’t you kiss me? I did everything you wanted.” 

“What exactly did I want?” 

“This isn’t how we usually do weddings. I worked hard to prepare it this way because I thought you’d be uncomfortable.” 

“That’s unnecessary. I’d rather bite my tongue and die than marry a demon like you.” 

Rose’s eyes widened at his cold answer. He’d rather die than marry her? 

“You still hate me that much?” 

When he looked at her as if she was talking nonsense, Rose wore an expression of disgust. 

“Even after everything I’ve done for you?” 

“You think you’ve done anything for me?” 

“Of course. I let the first night slide, prepared a wedding for us and even wore this outfit just for you.” 

“None of your actions have been for me.” 

“That’s not true. We don’t do things like that in the demon realm. I told you, the clothes and the wedding were all for you.” 

“Who asked for any of this? Dragging me here and forcing a wedding without my consent – what kind of consideration is that?” 

“But in the demon realm…” 

“It’s coercion and intimidation. It’s an unforgivable sin.” 

At his curt reply, cutting off her words, Rose’s expression went blank with shock. 

At the sharp reaction that interrupted her, Rose froze, stunned. 

The kindness she had shown the Holy Knight was unimaginable for a demon. Had it been her husband, Pluto, who had captured him instead of Rose, the Holy Knight would have been tortured mercilessly by now, unable to speak and begging for his life. 

But the Holy Knight claimed that even that wasn’t enough. Rose could not understand his words. 

Where do you find a couple who fall in love right from the start? 

In the demon realm, it was common for couples to develop affection over time, whether they liked it or not, as they lived together and their lives became intertwined. For Rose, this was natural, and for thousands of years she had never doubted this truth. 

Of course, before she became a demon, she might have shared a similar perspective… but now that time felt like a distant memory to Rose. 

Like a cliff eroded and crumbled by the rain, those feelings had long since eroded and disappeared from her. 

Just as no one feels deeply connected to the time when they were a crying infant, Rose, now a demon, couldn’t really empathise with the emotions he was experiencing. For her, it was like saying, “Ah, I had a time like that,” while looking at it as if it were someone else’s story. 

“It’s OK, that’s how it is. It’s normal for this time.” 

“What?” 

“When you’re young, your emotions are more sensitive. It’s quite natural. But one day, when you’re older, you’ll see that I was right.” 

“Why are you talking like an older person all of a sudden?” 

‘What I’m saying is true.’ Rose thought. The knight simply didn’t understand because he was young and inexperienced. Even though she had tried to give him well-intentioned advice, his reaction remained the same. 

As she looked at the holy knight, who seemed to be pondering how to deal with her, Rose let out a deep sigh. If it had been her impatient husband, he would probably have resorted to violence to resolve the situation. 

“Very well, Sir Knight.” 

Rose had tired of her husband’s rough and violent love, so she killed him. Having gone to the trouble of finding a new husband, there would be no point in remarrying if she were to taint him with the same methods as her late husband. 

So she chose to tolerate the insolence of this arrogant mortal. 

“If you don’t want to marry me right now, let’s make a contract.” 

“……” 

“Ten years. Just be my husband for ten years.” 

The holy knight didn’t answer. 

Rose stared silently at his hardened, motionless expression. It was clear that even this carefully considered proposal didn’t sit well with him, but she didn’t care. 

“If you marry me, I’ll give you anything you want.” 

“There is no way I would want anything from a demon like you…” 

“Isn’t your goal to kill me and return to the surface world?” 

He froze and stopped speaking. Seeing his reaction, Rose suddenly remembered the dream she had the night before. 

Now Rose began to understand what she had to do to have this man, and she was fully prepared to give it if it meant making him hers. 

“If you marry me, I’m willing to die at your hands.” 

She remembered the light that had appeared before her, and the first dream that had swelled in her heart at that moment – all the while imagining the end with a sword at her throat. Had it not been for that man, her life would have been destroyed that very day. 

If that was what he really wanted, the man who had come to this dark hell, Rose was ready to give her life. From the beginning, her life had had no meaning or value to her. 

In a soft, almost airy voice, Rose added, 

“I swear it on the river Styx.” 

A vow sworn on the River Styx was unbreakable, even by the gods. For this man, it would undoubtedly be an offer he could not easily refuse. 

When Rose stopped speaking, there was a long silence between them. 

As she quietly met his gaze, which seemed to assess her intentions, the holy knight finally broke the silence after what seemed like an eternity. 

“A year. No more than that.” 

Rose blinked in surprise at his unexpected reply. A year? 

“Isn’t that a bit much to cut tenfold?” 

“…….” 

“What am I supposed to do with just one year? No, I refuse.” 

Seeing the knight’s expression harden slightly, as if caught off guard, Rose added her answer firmly.

“For you, marriage ends there, but for me? I have to die afterwards.” 

She had originally planned to suggest a hundred years, but considering the lifespan of a human, she had already reduced it considerably. How arrogant of him. 

In truth, a year or ten years made little difference to Rose, who had lived for thousands of years. But she refused to give in to the holy knight’s shameless demands. With a sullen expression, Rose turned her head away. 

A short silence followed. 

“…However, Your Majesty, the Demon King.”   

Hearing the title for the first time, she looked back at him. The holy knight hesitated, as if choosing his words carefully, his lips moving silently for a moment before he finally added in a serious tone: 

“…for a happy married life, one year would be much better than ten.” 

There was an almost solemn determination in his face. 

“Why?” 

Curious to hear what he might say, she locked eyes with him. The weight of his answer left Rose momentarily stunned. 

“I think I could somehow tolerate you for a year or so, but ten years would be impossible.” 

What did this man say? 

“Ten years… I couldn’t bear it.” 

Seeing his face turn pale grey, as if the very thought had drained him, Rose was at a loss for words. It was so absurd, she couldn’t even bring herself to be angry. 

“…Sir Knight, don’t you think you’re being a little too honest for someone in your position?” 

She replied in a tired tone, slightly delayed. The holy knight, however, met her gaze directly and replied, 

“An apostle of God cannot lie.” 

Was he seriously trying to justify himself? It was so ridiculous that she was again at a loss for words. 

Not that she was always the most considerate of speakers, but this man was even worse. He seemed completely incapable of softening his words or phrasing them in a way that would be easier for others to hear.