Chapter 109

EP.109 The Encounter at the Castle #2

Yuria and Meril sat at the wide dining table in the castle.

Yuria picked up the bread Meril had made, eyeing it with slight suspicion.

The smell was fine. She had watched until the end, and there was no sign of any poison.

Let’s just eat it. What’s the worst that could happen?

Having made up her mind, Yuria took a bite and chewed slowly.

Then, her eyes widened.

“It’s… delicious…?”

As she said, the bread Meril made was truly delicious.

Enough to make a bakery successful.

It was dense, soft, and perfectly seasoned.

“Right? It’s good, isn’t it? Hehe…”

Meril, her mouth stretching into a wide grin, wiggled her upper body as she took another piece of bread to eat.

Yuria chuckled at Meril’s antics, and the two silently began inhaling the six pieces of bread.

The plate was soon empty.

Having eaten three pieces, Yuria looked at Meril, who was patting her round belly, and thought her appetite was impressive.

“Haa… I’m so full…”

How could such a small body fit three large pieces of bread? If she grew up, she’d probably eat thirty.

Now, thinking it was time to gather information, Yuria called out to Meril.

“Meril.”

“Yes?”

“Shouldn’t you treat me with respect? Answer my questions properly?”

“That’s right.”

“Who lives in this castle? Excluding the demons guarding outside.”

At that, Meril spread out five fingers and began listing names, folding one finger at a time.

“The Demon King, and Lady Yuria… Umm… Should I mention the servants too?”

“No, exclude the servants.”

“What about the prisoners in the dungeon?”

“Prisoners? Tell me.”

“A few human knights, and… a pretty woman…”

A pretty woman.

Yuria immediately thought it must be her mother, Margaret.

Feeling tense, Yuria interrupted Meril.

“Wait, what’s the pretty woman’s name?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then what does she look like?”

“Umm…”

Meril cutely looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought, then stared at Yuria closely.

Suddenly, she clapped her hands.

“She looks like you, Lady Yuria!”

It was definitely her mother.

There might be women who resembled her, but in this place filled with demons, there was only one person—her mother.

Yuria shot up.

“Where’s the underground prison?”

Meril, startled, hid under the table, trembling.

Realizing her mistake, Yuria softened her expression and crouched down.

“Meril.”

“Lady Yuria… I’m scared… Please don’t kill me…”

“Why would I kill you? I have no such intention.”

“But you said you would when you covered my mouth in the kitchen… Sniff…”

“That was just a slip of the tongue. I was nervous someone might hear… I’m sorry.”

Hearing Yuria’s gentle tone, Meril sighed in relief.

“Haa… Lady Yuria… You scared me so much…”

Yuria felt a strange emotion welling up inside her.

She used to think demons were bloodthirsty murderers, pure evil. But seeing Meril, who trusted and followed her words, more human than humans, that thought began to blur.

“Was I just prejudiced…?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Meril’s confused question.

Yuria shook her head and asked instead.

“Never mind. Can you tell me where the underground prison is?”

“If you go outside the castle and head north a bit, you’ll see it.”

Tairat had said she could roam freely inside the castle but never go outside.

If she broke that warning, her mother’s head… would be shattered.

Yuria bit her lower lip.

Rescuing her mother now was impossible. She’d wait for the right opportunity.

“Thanks, Meril. Can I ask one more thing?”

“Sure, as many as you like.”

“That pretty woman in the dungeon… does she have any wounds?”

“Not at all. The demons treat her well.”

Her mother, Margaret, had exceptional physical abilities like her.

Could it be that the demons acknowledged her? No.

No matter how strong, she couldn’t compare to demons.

This was definitely Tairat’s doing.

“Did the Demon King order it? To treat her well?”

“Yes.”

“Then why is she in the underground prison?”

“I heard she wanted to be there.”

“From whom?”

“The head chef. But sometimes she comes here to eat.”

“…Really? That pretty woman?”

“Yes, really. I’ve seen her eating soup here from a distance a few times.”

So, she freely moves between the dungeon and the castle… This is confusing.

Should I just ask Tairat directly?

As Yuria pondered, Meril asked.

“Was I helpful?”

Yuria smiled brightly and nodded.

“Very helpful. Thank you so much.”

“I’m glad! Hehe…”

Meril, delighted.

Yuria couldn’t help but feel pleased.

Why is she so cute…? Is this Tairat’s scheme to torment me with an adorable demon?

“Let’s get along well from now on, Meril.”

“You too, Lady Yuria!”

“Let’s do our best. By the way, do you live here too?”

“No. I live alone in the mountains.”

“The mountains?”

“Yes, outside the castle. I can come and go freely for cooking practice. The Demon King specially allowed it. Sometimes I sleep here too.”

“I see… Were you always alone? Or…”

“I used to live with my parents. But…”

“But?”

“They passed away two years ago.”

Though she tried to speak calmly, Meril was on the verge of tears.

Yuria felt she had brought up something unnecessary and gently patted Meril’s head.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay… If it weren’t for the Demon King, I might have…”

Meril’s voice trailed off, and one of her ears twitched.

She looked panicked and stared at the dining room door.

Yuria, puzzled, followed Meril’s gaze and watched her.

A moment later,

Creak…

The dining room door opened, and Tairat appeared.

Yuria was shocked.

Meril had sensed Tairat’s presence just by twitching her ear, something Yuria hadn’t even noticed.

It seemed Meril had a special ability.

Could it be the ability to sense her own kind?

Meril, shyly bowing her head, greeted Tairat.

“D-Demon King! Hello…”

Tairat smiled kindly.

“You’ve been practicing cooking.”

“Yes… That’s right… I made bread… and ate it with Lady Yuria here. Should I make some for you too?”

“No need. It’s late, so stay in the castle tonight.”

“C-Can I really…?”

“Of course. You know where, right?”

“Yes! The middle room on the second floor!”

“Correct. I have something to discuss with Yuria, so head to your room.”

“Understood…”

Meril bowed her head, bid farewell to Yuria, and scurried out of the dining room with her small legs.

Tairat looked at Yuria, who was on guard, and chuckled.

“You were hungry, weren’t you?”

Yuria’s face turned red.

She felt unnecessarily guilty.

“N-None of your business…!”

Tairat, shaking his head, sat on the main seat and crossed his legs.

“Sit beside me.”

“Why should I?”

“I’m bored, so keep me company. Meril is a talkative child, and you must have asked her many questions. Don’t you have a lot to ask me?”

“……”

Yuria, seeing Tairat who knew exactly what she had been doing, was reminded of Jihyuk again.

His deep insight was similar.

The more she looked, the more her aggression faded.

‘Ah, no…’

Struggling to regain her composure, Yuria slowly walked over and sat in the chair beside the main seat.

Then, she immediately asked.

“Why are you treating my mother… so well? Is it because she’s a high-ranking prisoner?”

“Ask her directly.”

“Don’t play word games! You locked her in the dungeon! And you told me not to go outside!”

“Ho… You follow my orders well. Unexpected.”

Yuria was flustered.

“N-No… It’s because you threatened me… Just answer! How can I ask her directly?”

“Margaret comes to the castle whenever she wants to chat with me. Didn’t Meril tell you? She visits occasionally.”

“I heard that, but… my mother chats with you…?”

“That’s right.”

The idea of her mother laughing and talking with the Demon King… was unbelievable.

But Tairat, who held her and her mother as hostages and possessed immense power, had no reason to lie.

“You didn’t order a demon like Amon to hypnotize her, did you…?”

“If I wanted something, I’d do it myself. Why would I bother with such nonsense?”

“……”

Indeed… with his overwhelming power, he could do anything he wanted.

Yuria’s face turned even redder.

Suggesting he ordered Amon to hypnotize her… even she thought it was absurd.

“W-When is my mother coming?”

“I told you. She comes when she feels like it.”

“I don’t believe you. I need to see if she’s safe, so take me to the dungeon right now.”

At that, Tairat’s eyes darkened.

“You said it yourself. The weak have no honor. But I’m showing mercy to you, the weak. If you have a request, ask politely.”

“You…!”

Speechless. Yuria trembled but couldn’t say anything.

After glaring at Tairat for a while, Yuria forced out her words.

“Please… take me… to the dungeon…”

“More politely.”

“…I can’t…”

“You can’t? I’m starting to doubt if you really care about Margaret.”

“How dare you…!”

“Dare? Only I can use such arrogant words.”

His voice, filled with confidence and authority, exuded an overwhelming sense of dominance.

If someone said his voice carried charisma, you’d believe it. That’s how much power Tairat’s words held.

Yuria unconsciously took half a step back.

“Ugh…!”

She hated to admit it, but she couldn’t help but agree. She felt utterly pathetic.

Her resolve to oppose Tairat was crushed by fear, disappearing without a trace.

Yuria’s legs trembled on their own.

Tairat, with a relaxed expression, observed Yuria’s state, then glanced outside the dining room and stood up.

“A guest has arrived. Let’s stop here for today. Be kind to Meril. She’s a pitiful child and gets lonely easily. If you’re bored, keep her company. It’s the middle room on the second floor.”

With those words, Tairat opened the dining room door and left.

Yuria, her strength drained, slumped to the floor.

After sitting dazed for a while, she remembered Tairat glancing outside and struggled to get up.

He said he’d keep her company, but left as soon as a guest arrived. Who could it be?

‘Could it be Aron…?’

Before being forcibly teleported from the royal palace, Tairat had said that.

If Aron came, it might be fine. If he had the courage, he’d come on his own.

The Aron she knew was a man full of courage.

Though weak in strength.

Honestly, she didn’t care if he lived or died, but Yuria thought Aron might be of some help and left the dining room.

If Aron had come, he’d be causing a commotion outside.

If she went out, Tairat would be furious, so she decided to watch from the second-floor window.

If necessary, she could throw something to help Aron.

Just as Yuria was about to move,

-…. Ahh! …. Ngh!-

‘Huh?’

From the audience room at the end of the right corridor, a woman’s coquettish moans could be heard.

Yuria thought the Demon King had left for that reason and let out a hollow laugh.

It wasn’t because Aron had come, but because he was going to do *that* with a female demon.

Disgusting… but understandable.

With such power, he could satisfy his desires whenever he wanted.

Relieved it wasn’t her, Yuria suddenly grew curious.

What kind of sex would that brutal Demon King have?

Driven by curiosity, Yuria was led to the audience room.

-Ahh♡ Demon King…! So rough…!-

The woman’s moans grew clearer.

Reaching the large, ornate gray door of the audience room, Yuria noticed it was slightly ajar and swallowed hard.

‘I won’t get caught, right…?’

Surely, he’d be too distracted by sex to notice.

Summoning her courage, Yuria peeked inside.

The audience room was too dark to see clearly.

The narrow gap didn’t help, so Yuria pressed her ear to the door and focused.

Amidst the slapping sounds, the woman’s voice could be heard.

“Hyaa…! Kyaaah…♡ I… I’m already close…!”

The moans grew louder, indicating intense sex.

Hearing the moans, Yuria suddenly remembered her own intimate moments with Jihyuk, and her throat tightened.

Shaking her head to dispel the thoughts, Yuria suddenly had a realization.

‘Her voice… sounds familiar…’

Though the tone was too high to distinguish, the woman’s voice was definitely familiar.

Yuria strained her ears.

And at the woman’s next words, her eyes widened.

“Demon King…♡ Do you like Margaret’s pussy…? Transformed by your form… Hyaah! Fill this married woman’s pussy… with your seed…♡ Purify this vulgar body of mine…♡!”

To be continued―――――――――――――――――――――

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