Chapter 8
The doors to the meeting room opened.
Inside, a large round table stood in the middle. Around it sat Ludwig and his three vassals.
“Oh, you’re here?”
The Demon King waved casually, his face expressionless.
Three sets of eyes immediately turned to Ariella.
Gruev placed a hand on his chest, bowed respectfully, and quietly stepped back.
“This is Ariella. Like I said before, she’s my contractor. And these people here…”
Ludwig introduced his vassals one by one.
Ariella recognized their names—Gruev had already told her about them.
‘So these three are the core members of the Demon King’s castle.’
They had all lived in this land since the previous Demon King’s rule.
Meanwhile, Ludwig had only been in power for about a year. It seemed the vassals actually knew more about running the territory than he did.
‘Did I get scammed? He’s called the Demon King, but he knows nothing and owns nothing.’
Ariella felt a wave of regret swell up—but only for a moment.
She took a quiet, deep breath.
‘No, regret is useless. I need to make the most of the cards I’ve got!’
The werewolf, Lycanthrope, spoke first.
“Sniff, sniff! I knew I smelled fresh human! So the contract was real? Haha! I thought it was just a joke!”
His name was Ulken, the one in charge of security and defense.
Ariella had his info written down. According to Gruev, he was a bit simple and blunt.
When Ulken laughed out loud, the vampire next to him frowned sharply.
His pale skin and sharp fangs made it obvious what he was.
“Hmph! A lowly human girl in the presence of our Demon King?”
That must be Vepar, the treasurer, who came from a long line of family servants to the Demon Kings.
He clearly didn’t like that Ariella was even allowed into the meeting.
“Do you not remember the laws of the castle? Even demons from other lands aren’t allowed in this chamber so easily—let alone a human? If the previous Demon King were alive, he would’ve torn her apart immediately!”
Ulken scratched his furry chin.
“Hmm? But she’s a contractor. Doesn’t that make it okay?”
“No exceptions! This is a rule passed down for generations! Besides, this is an important meeting—”
Vepar went on and on, quoting history and traditions, arguing why Ariella should be thrown out.
But his tone made it obvious—it wasn’t about rules.
He just didn’t like her.
‘What is his problem? He’s more angry than necessary.’
As he continued ranting, Ariella imagined stitching his pale, blabbering lips shut with silver thread.
“—Therefore, this is completely unprecedented and unacceptable! Don’t you agree, Richmond?”
He turned to the third vassal—a skeleton in a black robe with glowing eyes deep in his skull sockets.
‘That must be Richmond. He handles everything not covered by security or finance.’
Richmond calmly replied:
“Well, she is the Demon King’s first contract… and he invited her just to introduce her to us, right? We should at least know her face.”
He glanced at Ludwig for confirmation.
But Ludwig did the unexpected.
He went even further.
“We’re starting a territory meeting now. Ariella, take a seat.”
This wasn’t just an introduction. He was inviting her to participate fully.
Vepar practically choked.
“A meeting? With her?”
Ariella was still wearing the pearl-colored dress from the day before. No one had given her proper clothes yet.
Vepar pointed at it, mocking her:
“She looks like a pampered girl with no brains. I doubt she’d understand a word of what we’re saying—”
“Yes! I’ll join the meeting.”
Ariella cut him off mid-sentence and quickly sat in an empty chair.
Vepar’s face twisted with irritation.
Ariella ignored it, calmly but firmly saying:
“The moment I made the contract with Ludwig, we became partners in fate. If this land fails, the sun disappears—and then I die too, right?”
“Still, that doesn’t mean—”
Ariella cut him off again, her sharp gaze moving across the three vassals.
“Any of you have more to lose than me? If this land collapses, at least you survive. But me? I die. If that’s not enough reason to be here, I don’t know what is.”
Richmond laced his bony fingers together and rested them on the table. The bones clicked softly.
“Fine. Let’s say you deserve to be here. But do you have the ability?”
Ariella understood exactly what he meant.
This was a serious meeting about the future of the domain. Did she have what it took to actually contribute?
Ludwig added:
“Ariella was a princess in the human realm. She’s managed a country before.”
Ulken let out a surprised grunt. Even Richmond sounded intrigued.
But Vepar just scoffed.
“A princess? Yeah, right.”
His glare was full of hostility. Then he sneered:
“If she were a real princess, why would she be here in the demon realm? She’s probably from some tiny joke of a kingdom. No nobility, no class.”
Arms crossed, he continued mocking.
“Or maybe she was like… tenth in line for the throne? Just a useless noble who couldn’t do anything herself and had to seduce the Demon King to survive!”
Ariella’s expression turned ice cold.
There was no reason to tolerate this kind of insult.
She looked Vepar in the eyes and asked:
“Seduced? You’re saying I seduced the Demon King?”
“Exactly!”
“That’s an insult—not just to me, but to the Demon King as well.”
“What are you talking about?” Vepar snapped.
“If I tricked the Demon King,” she said evenly, “then you’re saying your lord is stupid enough to fall for a ‘lowly human’ with no skills.”
She turned to Ludwig.
“Tell me, Demon King—are you that foolish? Would you make an important contract like this without thinking it through?”
Boom.
Right there, she flipped Vepar’s own insult back at him.
Now he was the one insulting his own ruler.
“W-what?!”
Realizing what she’d done, Vepar stuttered. Even Ludwig blinked, caught off guard.
Vepar rushed to explain:
“M-my lord! I didn’t mean it like that! She twisted my words with her snake tongue—”
“I wasn’t finished.” Ariella said flatly.
“Yes, I needed a Demon King. But Ludwig chose me for my abilities, too. ‘Seduced’? That only applies if one person gains everything. This was a mutual contract—we both benefit.”
Then, looking directly at Ludwig:
“Ludwig—sorry, I mean, Demon King. Have I said anything incorrect so far?”
“…No, not really…”
Ludwig mumbled, nodding slightly. He—and everyone else—was already caught up in Ariella’s logic.
“Maybe Vepar doesn’t understand relationships like this.”
It was time to strike back.
Ariella tilted her head and spoke in a mocking tone, pretending to sound sympathetic.
“Well, I guess it’s hard to understand what it’s like to be chosen for your skills. After all, I heard you only got your position because it was passed down through your family. Not because you earned it.”
“You… you insolent girl!”
Vepar turned pale with rage, practically shaking.
Then Ludwig finally spoke.
“I think we’ve heard enough. From now on, my contractor, Ariella, will attend the regular meetings—”
“My lord! You can’t do this! Remove her at once!”
Vepar exploded.
He had clearly lost his composure. Even though Ludwig had made his decision, Vepar continued yelling—practically giving orders to his king.
But Ludwig didn’t need to respond.
Someone else beat him to it.
“Excuse me. Who do you think you are?”
The room fell silent.
