Part 2 - Caelia

“Ah, I love the smell of the forest,” Caelia said as she took a few deep breaths.

“Is our city life such a problem for you?” Martel asked back.

Caelia shook her head. “No, it’s fine. However, it’s nice to come out every once in a while. The small area of trees we have at home doesn’t match up to this.”

Martel made a slight nod as he figured she had missed the woods, which was why their date was a forest trek. He knew she was quite happy as her expression lit up when he revealed it to her. 

During the entire trek, Caelia was engrossed in learning about the different plants and animals. Martel, being a walking encyclopedia, was more than happy to tell her.

“What’s a treehouse doing here?” Cali asked after nearly a day’s worth of hiking.

“Why don’t you go and find out?” Martel asked with a smile.

Caelia hesitated for a moment, but since Martel was acting as if he already knew the answer, she decided to check it out. She climbed up the rope ladder and into the treehouse that was supported by multiple trees. There she found it to be a tiny home, equipped with the most basic of necessities. Someone had appeared to have prepared dinner already as it was currently being maintained warm in the small kitchen. When she looked over to the corner of the room, she recognized a teleportation magic circle engraved on the ground, so she knew Martel was responsible.

“Is this dinner ours?”

Martel nodded. “Of course,” He said as he prepared it. “As is this cabin. I own this piece of land so you can come here whenever you wish if you want to spend time in nature.”

Caelia made a shy smile. “You didn’t have to go so far for me.” She said softly.

Martel made a slight smile as they both sat down to eat. “For you, it’s not far enough. Caelia, I’ve noticed you have been far more reserved since Freyja returned. Do you want to talk about it?” He asked as he motioned for her to hold hands, which he did.

“No, it’s just… When Freyja died, I tried to take her place; support you as best I could. It felt weird to me, and I had very little confidence in being supportive enough. Now I just... Don’t know what to do.”

Martel gently stroked her hand. “Caelia, you only need to be yourself. That is more than enough. You aren’t the most social person around, and everyone understands that. Like you support me, you support everyone, and everyone also supports you. Don’t forget that, okay?”

Caelia nodded slightly, buried herself in her meal out of sight embarrassment. Martel said nothing, but focused on his food and stroking her hand.

After they had finished eating and had cleaned up, Martel teleported back home to shower. The house had a small bathing facility, but Caelia was unwilling to share it, so he went back home. After a quick cleaning, he returned to the treehouse.

Caelia made him turn around and close his eyes, given that she had yet to finish showering before she embarrassedly got changed. Once that embarrassing moment had passed, Martel took her to the small adjacent bedroom.

“Press the button there,” Martel said, pointing to a button on the wall.

Caelia obliged, and the roof above, made of SRIN, slowly started to split apart, which revealed the dusking sky. “Beautiful.” She could not help but say.

“Yes, you are,” Martel replied cheekily.

Caelia blushed. “That’s not what I was talking about.”

“I said it seriously. Speaking of saying something seriously.” Martel began before he got down on one knee. “Caelia, will you marry me?”

Caelia’s jaw trembled. “Is someone like me really worthy of you?”

Martel made a gentle smile. “Caelia, it is I who is not worthy of you. Besides, if you feel that way, then just say yes.”

Caelia made a tearful smile. “Yes!”

Martel gently slipped on the ring engraved with ‘My Love, My Half-Elf, My Moon’ on her finger before he brought her onto the bed. They lay there in each other’s embrace as they watched the ever-darkening sky. Well, Caelia was watching the ever-darkening sky. Martel was watching her ever-darkening skin.

“Caelia, do you know what happens next?” He asked her gently.

Caelia’s expression froze for a moment before her eyes started darting around. It seemed as if she was panicking. 

Martel, didn’t seem completely surprised by this, he brought out some soft rope and quickly tied her up to the bed.

Caelia’s eyes went wide with surprise, a little fear, and a hint of excitement.

Martel, who was slightly expecting this, gave her a slight smile before he whispered in her ear. “Caelia, do you remember what today is?”

Caelia’s eyes started to the sky as she saw the appearing full moon.

“I won’t let you go for the rest of my life.” Martel continued before he lip-bit her ear.

The slight squeal she gave made it impossible for him to stop.

End of Day 45

Reminiscence – Caelia

I remember when I, Caelia, was growing up. My parents and I lived slightly separate from everyone else. When I asked my parents why this was, it was because my father wasn’t well-liked because he was a human. I thought this was strange because my father was nice to me and loved me very much. My mother said the same; that she didn’t care that he was a human, but some did. Moreover, it wasn’t just him they disliked.

I am a half-human half-dark elf. Given the history of conflict between the humans and the demihumans, I ended up becoming someone who was shunned and even hated by both. I saw many other demihuman children playing together, but none wanted to play with me. Many of them did not because their parents had instructed them not to, and others simply followed suit. I really couldn’t understand it. I wasn’t any different from them. At least, not in my eyes. I felt despondent and very alone, but thankfully, that did not last for very long. 

My parents had become good friends with a young Demihuman couple, and they soon gave birth to a cute and adorable little girl. When I asked what her name was, they said they wouldn’t give her one yet. Some of the Demihumans will wait until their children reach the age of 12 before they name them. This was an old tradition from before we came to this continent and lived in a low resource location. It was slightly sad to think about, but the reason why was because the children were not guaranteed to live to their twelfth year because of malnutrition. Luckily, we had no problem with that in this continent, thanks to our low numbers and abundant resources.

However, they had to identify her in some way, so they called her Little One. I called her Little Sis, and I was so happy when she called me Big Sis for the first time.

I was nearly inseparable from Shiro from the moment of her birth. I spent almost all my time helping take care of her, and I watched her grow up, though I have trouble remembering it because I was so young myself. She learned very quickly, and we quickly became an inseparable pair of sisters.

One day, I was bullied by a bunch of Demihuman boys. It was the first time I ever received direct spite from anyone else as it had always been handled secretly before. I felt heartbroken. I always tried to be a good person, but they didn’t care. To them, I was this disgusting thing. It was then that Shiro came, beat them up, and got angry because they were bullying her Big Sis. It was then that I promised myself never to separate from her, but bad luck seemed to follow me.

My mother died from sickness, and my father and I were both devastated. There was only a small group of people who were adamant followers of my mother that continued to even associate with us. Luckily, thanks to Shiro and her parents, we weren’t completely alone. Then, one day, they didn’t come back from hunting.

My father and I quickly went out to find out what happened to them. We discovered that Shiro had run away, and her parents had died. I was absolutely heartbroken. We spent many days looking for Shiro to no avail. It was then that my father decided to go back to Roxburghshire in an attempt to end the war. He didn’t want this to happen again. His wish was for us to live in a place where I could live a happy life. A place where I could go outside the street and not be hated. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

The King of Roxburghshire, my uncle, hated my father. He used my father as a pretense for an assassination attempt to justify intensifying the war effort. No matter what, the two of us seemed to be rejected by everyone. However, my father did not give up.

In an attempt to force peace negotiations, my father and a few others captured an enemy fortress. My father took me with him as he did not want to leave me alone, both worried for me and untrusting of others. It was there that I heard a voice I couldn’t believe. Shiro had suddenly appeared. I was beside myself with joy that she was alive, though she was dressed rather strangely. After talking with her and my father, we found out about Martel, a person from another world. Shiro’s said that he was a powerful and kind person and that he had protected her from the other bad humans. I was extremely skeptical. Could a human really like a Demihuman? (It would only be much later that I found out that elves and catgirls were incredibly popular on Earth.) My father asked Shiro to make a meeting between Martel and us, which she obliged.

The next morning, we met Martel. The very first thing Martel said when he saw me was that I was beautiful. I was taken aback by this, but I was also pleased that someone had finally called me beautiful. I always wanted that, but I only brush it off as to him being a strange human. After all, I hadn’t met a human besides my father. Maybe this was how they were.

After that, my father and Martel decided to fight. Some nonsense about speaking with their fists. I didn’t understand, but I could only continue to watch them. When Martel controlled lightning, all the air was sucked out of my chest. I never heard of such magic before. It was incredibly scary. Luckily, my father only had minor injuries, and Martel healed them.

Martel then went to talk to the kingdom of Roxburghshire on our behalf, requesting peace. It didn’t go well. It seemed that my uncle wanted my father dead no matter what. I didn’t understand why he would want his brother killed. Was he jealous? Did he see my father as a threat? Was he just furious at my father? Were humans different than the Demihumans? These thoughts flooded my mind, but that was pushed aside. My father decided that he would die for peace in a duel with a hero. I couldn’t understand. Why would he do this? I wasn’t paying attention when they explained it, but I remember them mentioning that my father’s existence was the justification for war. If he died, then Martel would have a much easier time ensuring peace would be made and maintained. The only other thing I remembered was Martel being extremely angry and saying that another option could be chosen, but my father was obstinate.

The next thing I also couldn’t believe. I was to travel with Martel, with the man who was going to kill my father. However, Shiro insisted on going with him. I didn’t want to separate from her, so I could only quietly accept. I was so distraught over this that I did notice some clues I probably should have.

Then, my father and Martel had a duel, and my father died. Peace was quickly announced as the preface for the dual was to kill the demon king for the kingdom’s safety. We quietly made our way back to Camelot and stopped at an inn for the night. It was there I almost killed him. However, I couldn’t go through with it because I knew how much he meant to Shiro. I did want her to go through any more suffering. It was only later that I found out that he was still awake.

When I saw him the next morning, apparently having sleepwalked into his bed, he did something I could hardly comprehend. It was as if he devoured my sadness and took it upon himself. To me, it was an act of kindness I could not understand. It was then I realized that he genuinely cared about me; cared about how I felt to the point that he was willing to take on my sadness. Although I did not know at the time, a seed of love had begun to sprout. It was soon after that the King of Roxburghshire, my uncle, heavily insisted I come to see him.

It was then that my uncle revealed that he knew about me and that he wanted me dead. Martel would have none of it, and he profoundly threatened the king. We left soon after, but I felt much calmer and safer now that I knew he would protect me no matter what. Eventually, we made our way back to Camelot, and I met Freyja. At first, I was a little hesitant to get to know her, but she knew who I was, and she quickly became my first and best friend.

Eventually, it was revealed that Martel and Freyja were engaged. I felt an incredible pain in my chest as if something had been ripped away from me. I couldn’t understand what was going on, I just didn’t want to be there, so I ran away. A little after, Freyja found me, and we had a long talk. It was then that I realized that I was in love with Martel. My emotions became complex, as I also felt guilty. In the end, I decide to let Freyja take care of everything quietly. At least that was the plan before something terrible happened.

The king and queen of Camelot, along with Freyja, were assassinated. Martel was devastated, and I could tell he blamed himself. I didn’t know what I could do, so I decided to try and take Freyja’s place as much as possible and support him. 

Time passed, and our relationship became subtle. Eventually, we made our way up to Mount Etna, and we ran to the Red Dragon, Fafnir. It was at this time that I cursed my weakness as I could only flee with the others. Luckily, he survived. When I saw him, he felt as if a weight had been left off my shoulders (though there was suddenly a weight between my chest), and I couldn’t help but say ‘thank you for living.’

Eventually, we all went back to his home planet, Earth. There I began to meet many people who didn’t discriminate against me. Instead, many became excited when they found out I was part elf.

As for my relationship with Martel, we became closer, and he was able to be more open with me. He heavily insinuated that we would be together in the future if I wished for it, but he needed some time, so I gave him time.

It was then that he got transported to other worlds and brought back other girls. I can’t say I was happy about it, but when the girls told me their stories, I accepted them. After all, I wasn’t exactly in place to deny other girls as I did not come first.

Eventually, we made our way back to Albion because another Dragon was about to wreak havoc. Martel wanted me to go and get help, which made me confused. The only people that I knew were the Demihumans, but they wouldn’t listen to me. As I was thinking this, Martel teleported us in front of the log cabin, and I couldn’t believe my eyes who appeared from the door. It was my father. Shiro and I broke out into tears as we both ran up and hugged him.

As it turned out, Martel had dug a pit and had created a false body. This had allowed my father to give the illusion of his death. My mind quickly back over past events, and I realized that Martel hinted that he hadn’t killed him, and it made me feel guilty, but I wondered why he hadn’t told me.

As if my father had read my mind, he told me that he had instructed Martel to remain silent. His reason was that he knew that I would have insisted on being with him. Instead, he preferred with me to be with Martel. Embarrassingly, this was because he had tried to pair me up with Martel, being the first guy that I expressed an interest in and didn’t inherently reject me. I sent him a punch when he asked me if I’d been successful, and he only grinned.

Surprisingly, the Demihumans readily agreed to help. This was thanks to the people who remained close to us due to my mother’s influence. However, many also understood the seriousness of this issue. If humans failed, we would only be next. Our best bet for survival and peace with the humans was to assist them in their time of need. I could relax, knowing that what Martel had asked was accomplished.

We managed to push back the enemy, but Martel disappeared. It was then all of us found to our horror that he had gone to kill Nidhogg, and would die in the process. However, we cannot allow that, so we banded together to save him. 

When I heard Miyuki’s plan, I immediately agreed because I experienced something similar. I had given him my feelings when he had taken my sadness. Luckily, we were all able to save him and live.

Time passed after he returned to Earth, and Martel had obviously changed. He was definitely far happier, especially when he started to take the girls on dates. Then, it was my turn.

I was quite happy when we went out for a hike in the forest. Though I never specifically mentioned it, I had missed the forest and enjoyed it quite a bit. I was happy that he understood me so well. We had a wonderful dinner in a treehouse that I could call my secret home, and he abated my worries and expressed his feelings for me. Then, he brought me to bed, and I happily became his wife under the stars.

Part 3 - Lucibelle

“This breakfast is quite delicious,” Lucibelle said with a smile as she and Martel were sharing breakfast in a café.

“It’s one of my favorite places to get breakfast... Are you doing all right?”

Lucibelle smiled. “Of course.”

Lucibelle knew full well what Martel asked. She was getting many glances from the other customers. Many looked at her warily, but she was mostly bothered by flirtatious and greedy glances. She didn’t want Martel to misunderstand, so she ignored them. After all, she wanted nothing to ruin their first date.

“So, the girls tell me you’ve been working very hard,” Martel said with a smile.

Lucibelle cocked an eyebrow. “Why do you sound surprised?”

“You seem more like the type that would take it easy whenever possible.”

“That’s only when I don’t have the proper motivation.”

“What’s your motivation?”

“Well, since the number one spot is already taken, I’m naturally trying to secure my position as number two.”

Martel made a bitter smile. “You know I don’t want a hierarchy amongst my wives.”

Lucibelle nodded. “I understand that, but that’s impossible. You understood that yourself when you emphasized Freyja as being the principal wife. Someone needs to have the authority. Well, in our case, the authority comes in tiers. You have the principal wife who has the final authority, the vice-principal wives who assist the principal wife, and the normal wives.”

“Oh? And who decides who belongs to what tear?”

“Freyja. Shalgana, Miyuki, and I brought it up to her, and she agreed, so we became vice-principal wives.”

Martel rolled his eyes. “Sounds like you wanted to raise your position.”

“Of course. Don’t underestimate a girl’s ambition.” Lucibelle remarked with a chuckle.

“Have you finished eating?” Martel asked to change the subject.

“Yes. What’s the next plan?”

“Follow me,” Martel said with a smile as he paid and exited. “You don’t mind if something happens to these clothes, right?”

Lucibelle nodded as he had previously mentioned it with her, so she was dressed in fairly casual clothing.

“Okay, I’ve got a whole bunch planned out for you, but it might be uncomfortable at first, so bear with it,” Martel said as he created a teleportation circle underneath her.

“Uncomfortable?” Lucibelle managed to ask before she disappeared.

The next thing Lucibelle saw was nothing but blue as she immediately fell into the ocean below. “What the hell!” She exclaimed when she finally got her bearings. Slightly ticked off at Martel, but believing that he had something good in store for her, she swam to the nearby shore. Goosebumps appeared on her skin as the cool sea air-dried the water from her body. It was at this time that she suddenly heard a horse whinny. When she looked towards the sound’s source, she saw a white horse with someone clad in black armor riding towards her.

Lucibelle felt a strange feeling of déjà vu. She was sure she hadn’t experienced this moment herself, yet it seems so familiar. Then, it dawned on her. The scene was almost straight out of one of her favorite romance novels, The Duchess and the Black Knight.

Her mind swam as she gathered the relevant plot information until the horse eventually stopped in front of her. Lucibelle was immediately able to tell that it was Martel behind the helmet thanks to his eyes. This realization almost broke reality for her. The character she was portraying also knew the Black Knight but did not realize it until near the end, even though he always gave his trademark line.

The two of them stayed there for a short time before Lucibelle finally spoke. “Sir, what is your name.”

“… Black.”

“Sir Black, if you are a wandering knight and are not too busy, could you please take me home?”

“As you wish.” He said as he extended his hand to her and helped her onto the horse.

Lucibelle was very happy that Martel had gone to such lengths to please her, but something bothered her. Driving those thoughts out of her mind, she recalled the plot of the book. Her character, the Duchess, grew up in a relatively poor area. Her father was a first-generation duke who attained his position due to strength, as was normal amongst devils. It was there that the young Duchess became childhood friends with a shy and quiet stable boy who would always reply ‘as you wish’ whenever she asked him to do something. However, as they grew up, they eventually had to part ways. She missed him for a time, but eventually forgot him. The same cannot be said as a stable boy who wanted to become strong enough for her.

One day, while she and her parents were at sea, their ship was attacked, and she was the only survivor. The stable boy, who had become the Black Knight, had learned what was to happen too late. Unable to rescue her, he approached the coast near where the attack was to take place. There, they ran into each other as had just been played out. Currently, the Duchess was consumed with thoughts of revenge as she knew who had killed her parents. Lucibelle had no such thoughts. She was slightly confused; she felt she should feel more excited, but something just felt off.

They continued for quite some time, jumping around different points in the novel. Lucibelle felt quite flattered when she realized that the other girls were also in on it as extras to give her a better date. She did her best to enjoy herself, yet something still felt off. Besides that, she was surprised just how serious the girls seem to be taking it. She almost thought Kuromi was going to stab her a few times…

Martel teleported them around a few times to get to different locations before they Dimension Doored, and she suddenly found herself within a castle. It took her a second to realize, but they had gone to Camelot’s throne room. On the throne was Duran, and no one else was around except for his wife, Sarah, who was staring daggers from the side.

It took her a second to realize what scene this was. A Devil King was to offer her his assistance in revenge in return for her hand in marriage.

Clearing his throat and looking extremely awkward, Duran began to speak. “Duchess, so long as you marry me, I promise to take revenge for you.”

Lucibelle’s eyebrow slightly twitched because Duran’s delivery was terrible. Additionally, she could practically feel daggers coming from Sarah. At this point, the Duchess would ask the Black Knight what she should do as she had developed some feelings for him. However, his response, which sounded apathetic, prompted her to accept.

Lucibelle turned to the Black Knight. “What should I do?”

“A-as you wish.” The Black Knight responded.

Lucibelle cracked a smile at Martel’s slight stutter. There was no way he did not know that it was supposed to come out as apathetic as possible, but he didn’t seem to like the concept of her accepting a marriage proposition, even only to pretend which made Lucibelle happy. After all, he wasn’t the Black Knight. Then, Lucibelle realized what had been bugging her.

Martel was not the black Knight, nor was she the Duchess.

Lucibelle turned back to Duran. “Thank you for your offer, but I’m unable to accept it.”

Duran flinched as she had gone off-script. “Why?” He asked, more so asking her why she went off-script.

“Because I am not the Duchess.” Lucibelle began as she took off Martel’s helmet. “And you are not the ‘Sir Black’; you are my Sir Black. Martel, let’s go home.”

Martel was a little surprised, but wordlessly Dimension Doored them away.

“Sorry, did my slip up destroy the illusion for you?”

Lucibelle smiled. “No, it just woke me up.”

“Did you not like it?” Martel asked a little despondently.

Lucibelle replied with a sneak attack kiss. “It was way more than I was expecting, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. However, such stories should only remain that way. After all, I wouldn’t change my romantic story for anything.”

“I see. Well, it’s getting close to dinnertime anyway. Shall we eat?”

Lucibelle smiled. “Of course. By the way, did you dump this Empress in the ocean earlier?” She said as she pinched his side with feigned anger.

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” Martel quickly said with a smile.

The two of them shared a wonderful meal and continued to chat and flirt. 

Afterward, Martel escorted her to the balcony and started some music. “My Empress, may I have this dance?”

“Of course, my Sir Black,” Lucibelle said with a laugh.

“I am honored. So much so that I want to make this special.” He said with a smile as a pair of draconic wings made of Ki appeared behind his back.

 

“Do you hear that music?” Morgan asked the other girls who were doing various things in the same room. Some were reading, others played board games together, but only Freyja looked outside the window.

Freyja smiled. “Yes, and it’s quite beautiful.” She said as she continued to look out the window.

Curious, the nearby Shalgana also glanced out the window as Freyja continued.

“A dragon and devil dancing amidst the stars illuminated by moonlight. It seems almost poetic.”

“Are you jealous that it’s better than your simple date,” Miyuki said with a smile as they had all been involved in Lucibelle’s grand date.

Freyja shook her head. “No, not at all. What I wanted most was a simple date so that I could experience what it was like to be a normal girl, and he could experience what was like to date one. Besides, who says the dates end after marriage?”

“Yep, we’ll make him woo us for the rest of our lives,” Miyuki said with a chuckle.

Freyja turned to the sad-looking Shalgana. “You have nothing to worry about as you are most likely next.”

“Are you sure? Unlike you, I barely got to know him before he brought me back. And he brought me back more out of responsibility than of feelings.”

Freyja gave her a soft smile. “Perhaps, but you had the time to let those feelings grow and continue to have more. You have claimed something that no one else here has; you are his prize, his reward. Do not think that isn’t appealing to him. Besides, you are not the one that should be worried about that.” Freyja continued as she glanced over to Angelica, who was learning how to play Shogi with Miyuki. “You mean more to him, then you know, so don’t doubt yourself.”

A smile with some confidence appeared on Shalgana’s face as she nodded.

 

“That was a lot of fun!” Lucibelle said happily and slightly out of breath. “I’ve never gone dancing in the skies before.”

“Me too... I’ve always enjoyed my time with you.” Martel said sincerely.

“Yes, me too.”

“In that case, we should definitely spend some more time together.”

“Of course.” Lucibelle nodded happily.

“How does the rest of your life sound?” Martel said as he suddenly got down on one knee. “Lucibelle, will you marry me?”

Lucibelle flinched for a moment before she stared at Martel as tears formed in her eyes. She had longed for this moment, his acknowledgment of her feelings. She imagined all the ways this could happen, none were this simple, but all of them paled in how she imagined it would feel.

“Yes, you fool.” She finally managed to say.

Martel smiled as he stood up and kissed her before he slipped the ring engraved with ‘My Love, My Empress, My Romantic’ on her finger. He scooped her up in a Princess carry and brought her to the bedroom. Perhaps she could’ve thought of all the romantic possibilities of this night, but this was the one aspect she had never fantasized about due to her laziness. Most of her fantasies lacked any specific information. After all, the devil is in the details.

End of Day 47

Reminiscence – Lucibelle

I remember when I, Lucibelle, was very young, training was always rigorous. My mother was the strongest devil in existence. She had reached Peak Rank 10 Ki at a very young age and was the only devil ever known to be able to dual cast magic. It seemed as though this talent was genetic, as I could also do it after some training. This made my mother proud, but also made her want to train me harder. It was at this time that I tried to find an outlet to escape reality. I found that in my reading. 

I read a lot of different books, but the ones that stuck with me the most were the romantic ones. Soon, I began to read almost exclusively romantic books. I would often put myself in the heroine’s position and hope that those foolish fantasies would become real. Before that, I even had a chance to happen, my mother passed away, and I became Empress. I was supported by many who looked up to my mother. However, many did not like it.

Even though I was quite young, I was relatively strong, but I was not the strongest. Many wanted the position, but my mother’s allies kept them in check. However, as time went on, it wasn’t as easy for them. There was a faction that wanted to fight the humans, but I didn’t want to do that. Wars happened in a lot of my romance novels. Often it was a loved one that never returned. I didn’t want that to happen to somebody, so I didn’t want war. However, I also knew that we need to be strong enough to defend ourselves, else war would find us.

One day, we caught wind that the human kingdom at our borders was planning on summoning the heroes for another world. These heroes would quickly become quite strong, so I needed to counteract them in some way. Luckily, we also had our unique summoning magic, and I decided to use it.

As I prepared the circle, I fantasized about who might come through, what he would be like, assuming it was a he. I also know he would need to have motivation and reason to stay. So long as it was a man, I would offer myself. It was a gamble, but it couldn’t be much worse than that annoying fly trying to usurp my throne. I took a deep breath and began the summoning.

From the summon, a man appeared. Aesthetically, he wasn’t as handsome as I imagined, but he had his charm. From an objective point of view, he was totally my type. Moreover, I saw something in his eyes that was rare amongst my peers, calmness. Most men, when they saw me, couldn’t hide their desire in their eyes. Not only was I physically attractive, but my position made me appealing. It was the first time that I could recall a man looking at me as more than a pretty lump of flesh or their doorway to power.

I told the man, whose name I found to be Marty, about my situation. He didn’t seem to be fazed by my being unable to send him back, so it seemed as if it might become successful. However, if he was going to leave everything he had behind, I had to give him something, so I offered him what was most valuable to me. It was at this moment that the accident occurred and he disappeared.

I was heartbroken. I had no idea what had just happened, and it seemed relatively violent. He seemed like a nice person, and I can only hope nothing had befallen him. I thought about summoning him back, but would he trust me? Would he hate me? Even though I only had a brief conversation with him, I didn’t want that. So, I could only brace myself and prepare for whatever the humans would throw at us. However, before the humans attacked us, I got a surprise visitor.

A man, who claimed himself to be Sir Black, appeared and offered me help. I was a little excited because one of my favorite novels involved a Sir Black, who I always thought was one of the more ideal protagonists for me. Given the contents of the story, I should’ve figured out his identity right there. That would’ve been so funny as Martel would’ve had no idea about the story or how he had been revealed, but I didn’t think about it.

Lucky for me, this black night wished for peace as much as I did, and he helped bring the other devil’s into submission to support me and came up with the idea of a tournament to be held later. This gave us some time to prepare, but, more importantly, gave Sir Black and I some time to talk. At first, it was only about plants, but it soon became more. We became friends after having many conversations about bearing topics. Inwardly, I could help but sigh as; if I hadn’t promised myself to Marty, I would absolutely do everything in my power to seduce him. However, one of the qualities I admire most is loyalty.  This is why I liked Sir Black’s character so much as he was so loyal that he would sacrifice everything for her. I also want to be that loyal, even though I would probably never see the man again.

It was a pity, but I could only resolve myself to that; to live on my beliefs.

Eventually, the competition that Sir black had created began. I was slightly curious as to who the new Archmage was, but it hardly crossed my mind until I saw him. I couldn’t believe it was Marty, he was fine. A sense of relief washed over me, as a little expectation, as did a little guilt. It was then that I realized how much I liked, no, loved my Sir Black. I realized how precious it was to have someone who didn’t see me as a beautiful woman, someone who didn’t see me as an Empress, someone who saw me simply as Lucibelle, but I could not go against my word. I was so distraught over this information that I missed the simple fact that only my sister picked up.

My sister discovered, as their voices were the same, that Marty and Sir Black with the same person. When she mentioned it, my body felt as if it was struck by lightning, and I knew she was right. I became ecstatic as I realized that I could fulfill both my responsibility and my heart as I watched the Dracul descend.

Upon Marty’s victory, the Duke, who wanted to overthrow me, attacked me, but Martel had left protection, and the Duke failed, which resulted in the death of the king and his capture and eventual beheading. Luckily, Marty was close with the crown Prince of the humans, so it was much easier to control public opinion and begin peaceful coexistence. The crown Prince, soon to be king, also seemed quite enamored at first sight with my sister, who didn’t refuse his advances as the same had happened to her. Happy with this development for my sister, I wanted to focus on my own love life, but prospects soon did not look too good.

Marty was going home. Because he had been affected by the humans summoning magic, which could allow those summoned to return, he could also. My heart nearly broke when he told me this information. My romance was beginning to turn into a tragic one. However, I understood.

He had people back home who he could not give up. I was the same. Even though I could throw all of my work as Empress on my sister’s shoulders, I definitely could not abandon her. With a weary heart, I could only resolve to see him off with a smile on my face, no matter how hard or painful that could be. Two of the heroes went home without a problem, but the same cannot be said for the third. As we discovered once he had left, he had given a child to his attending maid. At first, I took some pity on the poor woman. I immediately decided to help her so that her romance would turn into a tragic one. However, Marty soon broke out into righteous anger, and he did something he wanted to keep secret from me.

To my astonishment, I watched as Marty personally opened a magic door to where the hero had just left and brought the maid to him. I barely heard the brief conversation they had before he returned as I came to a simple realization. He didn’t care about me being unable to send him back because he could go anytime he wanted, and he could take someone with him. He could take me!

Time seemed to freeze as this realization gripped me, and my body moved on his own as quickly as it could to stop him from leaving. I tackled him and refused to let him go unless he took me with him. It was unsightly for an Empress, but I was desperately grasping at straws. Luckily, my desperation, my feelings got through to him. What the blessing of my sister who would take up my role, the two of us left for his home.

I must say that I was a little surprised and disappointed to find him living with so many women. However, I accepted it very quickly as it was very normal for me. The strong would easily attract the opposite gender. To put it in perspective, if a rich man wanted a woman, he only needed to ask for him to be swarmed. At the very least, I could spend my days with him. Maybe, someday, my feelings would be reciprocated.

Time passed, and a lot of different things happened. The woman who had placed a lock on his heart had returned, and, to my relief, she was fully supportive of him, and all of us loved him deeply. Finally, my feelings would be reciprocated.

After we returned to Earth, there was an accident. We went and rescued a bunch of people, but many were more frightened of me. I felt so discriminated against and so unappreciated, and it really hurt. I just wanted to help. Marty discovered this and gently comforted me. When he made his declaration, I realized just how crazily I loved him. I realized how much more romantic he was to me than all the books I had read. I was happy that he also went out of his way and tried to be romantic for me.

I must say, getting suddenly dumped in the ocean, even though it was warm, was not a fun experience. The rest of the experience was interesting, but I’m feeling too lazy to extrapolate on the rest. After all, the devil is in the details.