To be honest, he didn’t believe that for a second, but he wanted to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings. 

“That’s the only reason I offered my hand, so don’t get any ideas.” 

But his words seemed meaningless as the Demon Queen looked up at him with a deeply moved expression. 

“Lucian… were you worried about me just now?” 

The man, completely drained of energy, sighed deeply as he looked at the woman who had gone from crying miserably to suddenly wearing an expression as if she were falling in love. 

Pressing his fingers to his throbbing temples, Lucian finally subtly changed the subject. 

“What kind of dream did you have earlier?” 

Instead of answering, the demon queen widened her eyes and blinked at him. 

“Can I tell you?”

She asked, her face watching his reaction carefully, as if seeking permission. 

Lucian slowly closed and opened his eyes. 

“A dream story…”

Why did she suddenly look so dejected again? 

“Why are you so reluctant to answer my question?” 

“Because you’re my husband, Lucian.” 

“And what has that got to do with anything?” 

“Well, it would be awkward, wouldn’t it? Things that happen in a dream don’t really happen, but if I bring them up in reality…” 

What on earth is she talking about? 

“Why should I be uncomfortable with your dream?” 

“Aren’t you upset?” 

“I have no reason to be.” 

“But I’ve been told that if you’re a husband, you should be upset about these things.” 

“Who told you that?” 

“My husband… no, my ex-husband.” 

Lucian’s voice suddenly grew noticeably colder. 

“Did he tell you not to talk about nightmares because he didn’t want to hear about them?” 

“Technically it wasn’t a nightmare, just a story about a dream…” 

“Not even a nightmare, but you weren’t allowed to talk about a simple dream?” 

“Yes.” 

As Lucian looked at the demon queen, who answered with a hesitant expression, irritation flickered in his eyes. A controlling and domineering husband who wouldn’t even let his wife share a story about a dream – for such an unreasonable reason, no less. 

“Are all demons like that?”

He wondered, but his expression hardened as he saw the defeated and uncertain look on her face. 

The soft voice he had heard that morning, like a light spring breeze, suddenly came to mind, making him feel slightly dizzy. 

“No. I was the one who killed him in the first place.” 

Could it be…? 

“I could have stopped you before you killed him, but I didn’t.”

The reason he could say such things with such a calm face – could it really be…? 

“…Lucian?” 

At the sound of her voice, Lucian snapped out of his thoughts a moment too late. 

The demon queen, half raised from her position, blinked slowly as she looked up at him. 

“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Are you feeling unwell?” 

Her eyes, slightly reddened from crying, gave her a slightly sad look. For a moment, a deep sense of despair washed over him. 

‘No.’ 

‘It can’t be.’ 

He knew only too well how demons crept into the hearts of men. Throughout his life, he had learned this lesson over and over again, to the point of exhaustion. Demons were deceitful creatures that preyed on human vulnerability, draining them to the core. No doubt this was just another trick to make him insecure. 

He wouldn’t fall for it. Never.

“My Queen.” 

‘I won’t fall for it..’ 

“Could it be…?” 

But, as always, his convictions prevailed over his will. Lucian was that kind of man. Even if it was the slimmest of possibilities. 

“Did your husband abuse you?” 

He could never ignore injustice right in front of him, not even if it cost him his life. 

A brief silence hung between them. 

The demon queen, who had frozen for a moment with a blank expression, soon let out a soft laugh. 

“What makes you think that?” 

The unexpected question left Lucian speechless for a moment. While he considered how to respond, she continued in a nonchalant tone. 

“He could be a bit mischievous at times, but abuse? He loved me so much.” 

Was it just my imagination? 

“Lucian, could it be… were you jealous?” 

“I was not.” 

“Of course you were! You were totally jealous, weren’t you? Huh?” 

“That’s not jealousy, it’s…” 

The man, who was about to reply that it was concern, suddenly stopped himself. 

No. He couldn’t give the demon queen, who was always looking for an opening to get under his skin, any more leeway. 

So Lucian brought the previous topic back into focus. 

“You can speak to me freely.”

“Huh?” 

“I mean your dreams. I don’t mind hearing about them.” 

“…” 

“You can speak freely. Whether it’s a nightmare or something else.” 

He had only said that she could talk about her dreams, and yet… 

“…Really?” 

She replied with a startled expression and Lucian looked at her with calm yet questioning eyes. No matter how much he thought about it, something still seemed strange. 

She had claimed that she hadn’t been abused, so why… 

“You won’t get angry if I tell you?” 

Why was she so cautious, as if afraid of his reaction? 

Lucian studied her face for a moment before answering cautiously. 

“I won’t get angry. Absolutely not.” 

For a moment, the demon queen’s eyes sparkled with joy, like a jewel catching the light. Her expression, more moved than he had ever seen before, made Lucian feel uneasy. 

Could it be that there really was something he didn’t know? 

“If it’s all right, please tell me, my queen. What was it in the dream that caused you so much pain?” 

His tone was unusually soft as he pressed her, and only then did the demon king finally speak. 

“Well, that was just something I said. It wasn’t a nightmare – it was actually a good dream.” 

“Do you cry like that when you have a good dream?” 

“Sometimes, when something feels so good, the tears just come out. And sometimes I even scream.” 

“What?” 

“I dreamt of a blond man. He seemed like an incubus. I didn’t see his face, but his body was incredible. He was so good at it that I couldn’t help but…” 

“Wait a minute.” 

Lucian instinctively cut her off. 

“A dream about an incubus? Are you saying there’s a living one out there?” 

“Hmm, I don’t think it was anything like that.” 

“Then why would you dream about an incubus?” 

“Why else? It’s probably because my husband keeps looking at his beautiful wife without doing anything, so all my desires pile up.”

The demon queen smiled playfully, her finger lightly pressed to her lips. A fleeting sense of futility crossed Lucian’s face. 

Ah, he’d made another foolish assumption. 

“Oh, but it felt great, it’s been so long. Maybe it’s my imagination, but even without a husband he was so rough. The more I told him to stop, the rougher he got – it was just so…” 

Abuse? Far from it. 

Listening to her now, Lucian understood. If she talked like that in front of her husband, it was no wonder he didn’t want to hear it. 

“So… you’re saying it was a dream about an incubus.” 

“Yes, it felt so good.” 

“Well… I’m glad to hear that…”  

Having promised not to get angry, he couldn’t bring himself to ruin the Demon Queen’s mood. Even though he only gave a few tired answers, the Demon Queen beamed with satisfaction and continued to chat happily. 

“This position is only possible in dreams. In reality, it’s hard on my wings… Oh, but I guess you wouldn’t understand, since you don’t have wings, Lucian.” 

“…” 

“Sometimes my wings even get torn off. It hurts a lot, but since it’s a dream, the wings grow back quickly. Sometimes I even try to run away on purpose, and the thrill of being chased from behind is just… ….” 

‘Why am I listening to this?’ 

Now he could fully understand why her husband had become angry. If his own wife had told him stories like that to his face, he’d have hated it too. 

But since Lucian had no feelings for the demon queen, it didn’t affect him at all. 

“Lucian, are you listening?” 

“Yes.” 

“Where did I leave off? Oh, right. Well, he picked me up with both arms and…” 

For a long time he listened with a soulless expression as she told her dream. 

* * * 

“So what do you think, Lucian? If you joined me in my dream, you could experience what it’s like to have wings too.” 

“I’ll pass.” 

At his curt reply, Rose blinked in surprise, caught off guard. 

“What? But you kept saying ‘yes’ until just now.” 

“When have you ever gone so far…” 

“Since I never know when you might try to force your way in like this, I can’t let my guard down.” 

She had assumed he wasn’t listening, since he kept giving the same answer. 

“Have you finally finished your dream story?” 

‘So he really did listen to everything I said.’