[CHAPTER 04]
The Demon King Hides His Power
Ledenberg let slip a word of relief without realizing it, only to immediately recognize his mistake.
He knew all too well how strong the bond humans felt toward their families was.
Saying it was fortunate that her parents had died in an accident…
“I thought it better to have no family at all than to have a bad relationship.”
He said this to soften the statement, but Ehilie’s expression barely changed.
Damn it.
The ensuing silence made Ledenberg anxious.
It was the first time he had ever felt like this.
Until now, he had never cared about a person’s expression or reaction when speaking.
Whether his words hurt someone’s feelings was never something he considered.
Even if someone objected, he could simply crush them with his power.
But Ehilie was not someone he could overwhelm with force.
Not that I couldn’t if I wanted to—
But he preferred not to do such a thing.
“Ehilie, what I just said…”
As he tried to add that it had been a mistake, he saw a flicker of pity in her clear eyes.
“Yes?”
“People better off without family.”
Ah, this was it.
Ledenberg did not miss the sympathy hidden in her voice.
He slowly lowered his eyes.
“…Yes, that’s right.”
Then, he made the most pitiful expression he could muster and let out a voice that seemed to suppress emotion.
“My mother died the day I was born. My father did not care for me, left alone. I had to survive by myself.”
It was all true, though the young Ledenberg had never felt lonely for lack of a guardian.
In the demon realm, such circumstances were normal.
“When I was a child, my eldest brother often poisoned my meals to kill me. My second brother even tried to push me off a cliff.”
“…Did your father know?”
“Yes. But he did nothing.”
“Why?”
“Because he believed the strong should survive, and the weak die.”
There was no falsehood in his words.
In reality, his father had overseen his children’s fights to create the strongest demon lord in history.
Ledenberg killed his scheming brothers and his father to ascend the throne.
“…I’m sorry, Leck. I didn’t mean to bring up painful memories.”
“It’s fine. It doesn’t matter anymore.”
It truly did not matter.
He had never cared for family affection.
Rather, removing all those who troubled him felt refreshing.
But now, Ledenberg needed to appear as the most pitiable person.
Someone who had suffered from lack of familial love, who forced a smile while recalling past pain.
To cover Ehilie’s suspicion with sympathy.
And…
To satisfy his own dark desire.
“Yes?”
“I thought I was really okay now… but talking about this to someone I met today, I realize I still long for someone’s warmth.”
* * *
To suspect such a pitiful person of being the mastermind…
“Come here, Leck.”
Ehilie cautiously held him and patted his back.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
Leck’s body trembled faintly.
His breaths were rough, as if suppressing emotion.
“It’s okay to cry if you want.”
How lonely must he have been?
Ehilie empathized with his solitude.
She herself was also a lonely person.
In her past life, she grew up in a blended family.
Her stepmother acted as if she loved her and her son equally in front of her father.
But out of his sight, discrimination and torment continued.
Her father seemed aware but did nothing, not wanting to ruin the family he had rebuilt.
She had lived her entire life without feeling familial love, and had died that way.
And this life, too…
Seeing Leck with the same pain, Ehilie’s suspicions were silenced.
Thus passed a peaceful night.
The next day.
“Thank you for your care yesterday.”
Leck prepared to leave politely.
Ehilie, feeling sorry for him, said:
“If you’re troubled, come see me anytime. I’ll comfort you again.”
“Yes, I will.”
“Thank you. Until next time.”
Though she said this, she did not expect him to return.
She had noticed from his clothing and mannerisms that he was a noble.
His attire was of high-quality material, fit for a high-ranking noble.
Even his vocabulary carried the formality of nobility.
No noble would return to this rural village just to see a commoner woman.
She sincerely wished Leck happiness in his future and sent him off.
She did not know.
That very next day, she would see him again.
The day after, and the day after that.
Leck would come to her cottage every day.
* * *
“What do women like?”
Ledenberg asked, shocking Herond, his right hand and aide.
“Did you just ask what women like?”
“Yes.”
Herond was stunned.
The Ledenberg he knew had no interest in women at all.
Even bringing the most beautiful succubus in the demon realm, he would have ignored her.
And yet he was asking what women liked.
Herond scratched his black hair nervously and asked carefully.
“Your Highness… have you taken a liking to someone?”
“Are you wasting words instead of answering my question?”
The red eyes glinted dangerously.
Herond hurriedly answered.
“If women like something, it’s dragons, naturally!”
Unfortunately, Herond had never had a romantic relationship in over 500 years.
But he was confident in his knowledge of romance.
All the plays and manuals I’ve seen…
He considered himself a master of theory.
Though he had never applied it in practice.
“Dragons?”
“Yes. Women are naturally drawn to strong men! A man who gives a dragon as a gift must be incredibly strong, right?”
“Makes sense.”
Ledenberg nodded seriously.
“Do human women like dragons, too?”
“Human women…?”
His violet eyes, tinged with black, flickered sharply.
Herond swallowed nervously.
Could it be that the demon lord liked a human woman?
He quickly dismissed the absurd thought.
Impossible. Ledenberg, of all people, would never care for a mere human woman.
There must be another reason for asking.
“Of course!”
Herond answered without overthinking.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, absolutely. I, Herond, fully understand women and humans.”
Technically, this should have been “theoretically,” but close enough.
Not a big deal.
Ledenberg pondered seriously.
Dragons…
He finally found the answer to his problem.
A dragon would make a suitable first gift for her.
At their first meeting, he had unintentionally shown weakness.
The performance had worked perfectly.
She had even allowed him to visit anytime.
“One more thing I’m curious about.”
“Yes, yes. Anything! I, Herond, am ready to help with all your concerns.”
“If a man who seemed weak at first suddenly shows strength, wouldn’t a woman find it strange?”
“Weak at first? Surely, Your Highness…”
Herond shuddered imagining Ledenberg pretending to be weak.
Under Ledenberg’s sharp gaze, he quickly abandoned the thought and gave the answer expected.
“Not at all! That’s exactly the charm of the twist, isn’t it?”
Ledenberg frowned, unsatisfied with the answer.
Noticing his displeasure, Herond quickly added:
“Your Highness, have you not heard of a ‘Himsumma’?”
“Himsumma?”
“Yes. It means a demon who hides their power.”
“Why hide one’s power?”
Ledenberg seemed unable to comprehend.
In the demon realm, where strength was everything, hiding power seemed pointless.
“To show the charm of the twist! If a low-ranking demon who seemed weak suddenly reveals enormous hidden strength, of course a woman would be interested!”
“Hmm…”
Ledenberg considered for a moment, then nodded.
“…Right.”
“Yes! It starts with curiosity or interest, and ends with love.”
Ledenberg listened seriously to Herond’s words.
The idea made sense.
His chosen method to gain Ehilie’s attention had been sympathy.
But sympathy alone cannot lead to love.
To evoke stronger feelings, he would need to show hidden strength.
To turn feelings that began as pity into love.
