Nelly wanted to confess that she would ultimately leave this world, but the words caught in her throat, and she instead said: “I… I’m very happy.” As soon as the words were out, she suddenly realized: she liked Kalsas. Even though he was the Demon King, the calamity in everyone’s mouth, she had fallen for him. Because the Kalsas she knew was just a shy young boy curious about everything in this world, yet also awkward. She didn’t think such a person would really destroy the world.
“Nelly, will you… be with me?” The black-haired, red-eyed Demon King asked softly, his tone quite reserved, kneeling on one knee with a slight blush on his cheeks. He looked at Nelly and asked seriously again: “Nelly, will you come back to Slos with me and become my wife?”
Kalsas clearly became uneasy, slightly lowering his head, speaking in a tone of grievance, like a student who had answered a question wrong: “Isn’t this inappropriate? In books, I read that the best way to express love is to be willing to give up one’s freedom for the other, to share everything and the rest of life together.”
“Ahem,” Naily made a fist and held it in front of her lips, her gaze wandering as she explained, “Although that’s true, but… but it’s too fast.” Kalsas looked up at her with blazing eyes: “I am willing to wait.” At this moment, Naily felt incredibly cruel. She was going to achieve her wish at the cost of his death, so why was she teaching him human emotions? If she agreed to Kalsas and responded to his feelings with a temporary false promise, she might be able to persuade the Demon King to let the Hero proceed, and she could return home faster. But… she couldn’t do it. The guilt of exploiting someone’s feelings was too heavy for her to bear.
If she didn’t do this, she could only completely reject Kalsas, or… stay. The Demon King in the form of a youth watched her quietly. Kalsas expressed his feelings with a gaze more poetic and gorgeous than verses. Naily could clearly read from his eyes: she was the joy of his life, the light that enlightened his dark world. Her thoughts raced, and Naily knew she had made her decision. Between going home and staying, she chose the latter in an instant.
She felt she could stop Kalsas from falling into the abyss, and she believed that as long as they worked together, they would surely find a way for the world and the Demon King to coexist.
She took the fire-like fire rose: “I understand. There’s just one condition: if one day you harm this world, I will leave.”
Kalsas’s entire face lit up because of this sentence from Naily. His joy was too easy to understand, too obvious, leaving Naily speechless for a moment.
“Can I… can I hug you?”
The brown-haired girl bit her lip, blushed, and leaned forward, embracing the black-haired boy still kneeling on one knee.
Kalsas caught a strand of hair in front of him, bringing it to his lips to kiss. He reached out to hug back, gently resting his forehead on her shoulder, softly saying: “Naily, I love you.”
Those were the happiest moments since Naily arrived in Verdea.
She bid farewell to the Hero and returned with Kalsas to the lonely fortress called Sloss.
Jumbled happy memories emerged one after another: Kalsas covering Naily’s eyes and bringing her to the library, looking even happier than she was when she saw the surprise.
They came to the long-unused cross-shaped dance hall. Kalsas just moved his fingers, and the crystal chandeliers lit up one by one.
Although they were in everyday clothes, they danced embracing each other to the music played by the familiar spirit, feeling happier and more at ease than nobles in formal attire. From clumsy to skilled, they drew endless circles with their steps in the hall, their shadows gradually drawing closer. Time seemed to have entered this circular path with no exit or end, with only happiness and being together continuing forever, undisturbed.
Their hearts gradually understood each other. She opened up a world more vivid and broader than textual descriptions with her words, and he listened carefully, asking questions like the most diligent student – the questions tricky, but his attitude good, often leaving her speechless. Moreover, Kalsas went from knowing human emotions literally to understanding, and gradually being able to integrate them himself.
He always spoke the most passionate and touching words with a casual expression, looking at Naily’s blushing cheeks seemingly confused, as if expressing emotions verbally was the most ordinary thing. Kalsas also taught Naily many things. He carefully taught her how to cultivate roses; he translated difficult ancient texts, telling her forgotten epics and legends of Verdea. He also helped her better understand what a demon is: across the entire continent, he was actually the only demon. The familiar spirits were merely products of his will, and before this, his only companion was himself.
He was a true lonely king, waiting solitary behind stone walls for the Hero who would come to kill him in the cycle of time. “But now it’s different,” Kalsas said, holding a pure white rose and turning back. He carefully gazed at her from beneath his eyelashes: “Power, castle, throne, half of which was already kept for you; if you want, I can dedicate everything to you.” How did Naily respond at that time? She gently brushed away the petals falling on his hair, lowering her eyes to reply: “I will share Sloss’s strength and loneliness with you, and that’s all.”
Karl Sas was stunned, catching her hand that had not yet left his hairline, lowering his head to place a light yet precious kiss in her palm. He looked up at her, his voice somewhat hoarse: “Do you really understand what this means, Nelly?”
“I know,” Nelly paused, breaking into a smile, softly yet firmly saying, “I am willing to give up my human status, accept the power of demons, and become a half-demon.”
Karl Sas just remained silent upon hearing this, staring at her unblinkingly, his gaze seeming to burn her. He called her name in a hoarse voice, caressing her cheek, then embracing her with a force that was heavy enough to avoid hurting her, yet light enough to fail to convey the trembling in his heart at that moment.
He picked her up, crossing through the rose-filled courtyard, his steps growing faster, until he finally spread his wings and flew directly into the bedroom with billowing gauze.
Nelly, with her arms around his neck, laughed softly: “Will I have wings too? It sounds so strange when I say it like that.”
Karl Sas lowered his eyelids and glanced at her, the corner of his lips showing an indulgent and lingering smile: “As long as you want it, you will.”
She leaned against the headboard, drawing her knees close to her body, fingers clutching her dress hem, her voice somewhat tense: “What should I do?”
He did not answer, leaning close, his gaze gradually moving down from her face. He suddenly became shy, awkwardly turning away and saying: “Un-undo… undo the collar.”
Nelly’s face flushed as she responded, raising her hand to pinch the end of the bow tie, pulling it open. Her fingertips moved towards the buttons, pausing before loosening the first button.
Taking a deep breath, she slightly sped up, the second button freeing itself from its restraint.
Karl Sas’s gaze seemed about to burn the exposed skin. Nelly’s eyelashes trembled, slightly raising her shoulders, causing the shadow in her collarbone to become more pronounced.
The demon king in the form of a youth coughed lightly, helping her undo the third button, then nervously explained: “The heart… I need to infuse power into your heart.”
Cool fingertips brushed across her skin, stopping slightly to the left of her chest.
Karl Sas gazed into Nelly’s eyes, softly saying: “It will hurt a bit.”
Nelly bit her lower lip, turning her head sideways to glance at him: “I-I know…”
