When I'm finally dropped off at the room, the Heroine hugs me as tight as she can manage before leaving, casting a couple glances back at me before I shut the door, flopping onto the bed unceremoniously.

This bedroom kind of reminds me of the Heroine. Beautiful and incredible on the outside, but with someone cruel on the inside.

I shake my head to escape from the dark poetic words, rolling back over to stare into a mural on the ceiling depicting a king doting over his queen, the thoughts from before immediately coming back, every little thing reminding me of her, leaving me unable to forget what just happened.

So I'm not going to really get to see her much anymore, since she'll be busy with her harem... A pang of jealousy and envy flares up in my heart before getting snuffed out by the gloom, causing me to sigh in frustration.

So the only people I'll get to meet are some servants that are going to look at me like I'm some sort of monster again, though I can't really say they're wrong. I step up, heading to the door to lock it firmly, ensuring none of them can enter while I explore the room.

Looking around, every bit of furniture is made of extraordinarily valuable woods, all lined with gilding, a range of sheer whites and natural darks combining together surprisingly well, at least from close up.

There's also another door in my room that I'm not quite sure what it's for, upon opening though, it reveals a fully kitted out bathroom with a large bath, albeit not as large as the others in this castle.

... Wow, so she really just wants to give me everything in here so I can't leave, huh? My attempt at distracting myself immediately gets pulled back into the dark reaches of my mind, tempting me to just lay on the floor and give up.

I mean, why else would she just suddenly pivot to 'loving' me if it weren't for some other reason? Was she just trying to say it to make me feel better? I...

My thoughts stop short, grabbing one of the bottles of soap and just reading the label with a morose expression on my face, slowly making my way through every single one of them in an effort to suppress the thoughts.

After finishing a couple, I can hear a knock on the door, my heart wavering at the thought it might be the Heroine again momentarily before a stranger's voice calls out.

"Lady Ilvia, we've come to introduce ourselves and check up on you." ... 'Ourselves?' There's multiple people out there? I chew on my lip while I ignore them, wondering if they were informed of me in advance.

I mean, clearly they were given the fact they know my name, but... They probably haven't seen someone like me before, they'll likely just look at me like all the other humans do.

I have a seat in the bathroom silently despite their repeated knocks, even a few attempts at opening the door.

"Lady Ilvia? Are you alright?" I close the door to the bathroom, having a seat against it to make sure that even if they get into my room, they can't get in here, my face buried into my knees while I hug them to my chest, moving onto ignoring them.

What am I supposed to do? Just be the Heroine's eye candy whenever she wants now? I can't live without her since demons and humans both are going to be willing to kill me... So, I guess that's just what my life is now.

She probably won't let me leave, anyway. She only wants me for someone who cannot leave her at all, so that if everyone else leaves her, she can always have me... Maybe I could make everyone leave her. Make her all alone so she has nobody to rely on except for me.

I immediately nix that thought, the idea of doing that to the Heroine creating an even greater knot in my stomach, while tempting, I don't want her to be unhappy.

A sudden knock and call out from the door behind me nearly causes me to jump out of my skin. "Lady Ilvia, are you in there?" The voice causes my heart to pound incessantly, making me wonder whether or not I should bother to say anything. I could probably hold my own against them if they tried to push them open, but why do I have to live like this in my own room?!

"I'm in here, I'm fine, just... I just started taking a bath, so I'll be out later!" I can hear a couple of words of dissent from the outside, clearly annoyed that they had come here for nothing before that same voice responds.

"Alright, Lady Ilvia, if you need anything there's a button by the door you can press to call one of us. We hope you have an enjoyable bath." After a few quiet scoldings, I can hear everyone being shepherded out of the room, the door closing with a click, leaving me all alone with my thoughts once again.

Since I'll be in rooms like this for the rest of my life, do I take up a hobby or something? Maybe I'll ask for some books...

I don't know if I want to read anymore, though, all of those fictional romances... None of them compare to how cruel they are in reality, all it will do is make me pine for more, right? Be satisfied with what you have, because it's what you're stuck with. It's just the same motto I had in the demon realm, anyway. I couldn't really get much higher than I was, and if I tried to make any erroneous movements they could all have me killed in a heartbeat. I don't have a debt here, anymore, at least!

Maybe I could get into sewing so the Heroine can't mess with my wardrobe anymore, I'll put that as an option, I guess.

I rest my head against the cabinets of the bathroom, letting out a lifeless sigh as my heart stings with every thought, reinforcing the realization that the Heroine has just been dragging me around by her whims all along.

Pride? What's that? I've spent my entire life groveling at the feet of others, it's no different now, I wish I was born as a Wrath demon or something, they have the easiest life.

Even before I became a Demon General, my entire point was serving people's desires for my livelihood, barely escaping people trying to use me for their snuff fantasies by fucking them unconscious.

My life really is just a series of one misfortune after another, perhaps this is just a plan the Demon God has laid out for someone as weak as me. He was with me for my entire life, and then suddenly thrusts me out of his arms and into someone else's the moment he gets the chance.

"-urry up, damn you! An idiot needs my help!" My thoughts are suddenly interrupted by the Goddess's voice, pulling me out of my dark thoughts long enough to hear the door open.

"Hm, what's this room? I don't know why I suddenly had the urge to bring this here, but... It has to be for a reason." I can hear Fluffy's voice echo through the chamber, nearly causing my heart to stop as I suck in a breath, almost instinctively trying not to be heard.

"Ilvia, you idiot! What are you even thinking?! You made me waste so much energy just to come and call you that!" The Goddess's scolding voice enters my ear from right behind me, the sound of something being set down resounding before the pair of footsteps takes off, the door closing once again.

I don't want to talk to you, you rotten pretend-goddess! I open the door grabbing the idol to toss it out only for it to firmly stick to my hand no matter what I manage to do.

"Hah! Can't escape this, now, can you!" I pull at it as hard as I can, my other hand only managing to stick to it as well, leaving me holding it with a firm grasp.

I try to push at it with my foot instead, leaving me awkwardly tumbling to the ground as that sticks to it as well, groaning in frustration as I roll around the floor.

"Seriously, Ilvia, stop. I want to have a talk with you." I fight for a few more moments after she says that before finally giving up, sighing as I'm forced to listen to her speak. Sure you want to have a talk 'with' me and not 'at' me.

"Yes, with you. You're... Ugh, I almost don't know how I got such a negative-nancy for a saintess, but at the same time I do. The Heroine has kind of... Well, broken you in her own way." I've not been broken! I'm just stating the abject truth! There is nothing-...

"Alright, I'm going to stop you right there. Seriously, calm down, take some deep breaths." I do my best to ignore her orders, huffing miserably against the floor.

"Me dammit, just take a deep breath! I can't waste any more of my energy on you!" I want to keep ignoring her, but I know she's not going to shut up if I don't do it, so I take a couple of deep breaths, shame flooding through me as I'm forced to even listen to the orders of this thing.

"Keep taking deep breaths while I talk to you. You're doing fine, the Heroine isn't trying to throw you away at all or use you. She was being fully serious with everything she said... Much to my annoyance. Even the Demon God part, ugh. You're just taking everything in an extremely negative light because you're just... Well, wholly insecure about everything. None of what you're thinking is true, okay?" Me, insecure? I am literally the Demon General of Lust! Or... At least, I used to be, who are you calling insecure!

"You, idiot. It's obvious, you're insecure so you're lashing out and trying to push everyone away before they can push you away. Fortunately, quite literally for now, you're stuck with me. I can't push you away, you can't push me away, so let's talk." I don't want to talk with you!

"If you don't talk with me, I'm going to spend effort into giving the Heroine an oracle that tells her that you're crying over her thinking that you-" I'll talk with you, fine! "That's better."

Ugh... Rotten goddess.

+Ilvia... Um.+

(Yes... I know, say it.)

+No, I just... I really want to hug you right now.+

(What, why?! Stop hugging me!)

+You're so... So insane, but I love you so much anyway, even if I could say it every day for the rest of my life starting now it wouldn't be enough. Please don't be insecure over our relationship.+

(I'm not! I... I'm not...)

+I'm not believing you anymore! I'm gonna tell you I love you forever and ever! Even if the world ends, I'll still keep telling you I love you until the very last moment!+

(Shut up...)