It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 126

They were all pretty in their own way, but none of them had any real charm. Maybe it was because they weren’t given one by one, but all five at once.

“……”

“Is something wrong?”

“Are you leaving today? Or in a few hours?”

“I’ll be at the Magic Tower until tonight.”

He simply said Magic Tower, he didn’t say he’d stay by Charlize’s side. The moment she heard that, Charlize realized Achilles must have business there too.

‘He left his subordinates or disciples at the palace. Is he planning to recruit help from the tower?’

Or maybe there was some magic he needed to borrow. But Charlize didn’t dwell on it. Instead, she brought up the topic he seemed to be avoiding.

“How long are you going to stay with me?”

“I’ll be with you until you fall asleep, Princess.”

That was a bold statement. Could he really promise that? Charlize stared at Achilles, wide-eyed.

“If you say it like that, I’m going to stay up all night just to keep you here.”

“You’ll fall asleep. You don’t have as much stamina as I do.”

Hearing that from a mage was a bit of a blow to her pride. Though, thinking about his abs and chest, it was hard to argue…

But then Charlize realized her irritation wasn’t really because of that. She just didn’t like the idea of Achilles leaving her behind in this unfamiliar place.

‘This isn’t the time to be selfish.’

The Imperial Palace might have felt safe to her, but not to him. She’d been stabbed by assassins there before, and almost attacked by a noblewoman carrying a fragment of the Demon King. And recently, the capital had come under attack by demons.

“When you come back…”

Charlize leaned into Achilles’s chest and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

“…Stay with me all day. Don’t go anywhere else.”

“I will, my rose… Now, shall we take a look at the bedchamber?”

When she nodded, Achilles lifted her up in his arms. Normally, she’d have been worried about the maids seeing, but here there were only mechanical dolls.

“You seem like you don’t want to let go.”

“Yeah. I like this.”

She liked resting against his chest and being close enough to see his face clearly. When their eyes briefly met, Achilles looked like he was about to say something—but then pressed his lips shut.

‘What was that?’

There was no one else here. Just the two of them. There was nothing holding her back. When she reached up and touched his cheek, Achilles looked straight at her.

“What is it?”

“You’ve been a little clingier than usual.”

She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not, so she just stared at him. With a soft look in his eyes, Achilles added,

“It means you’re cute, Princess.”

“Or maybe you were about to pinch me.”

“…That wouldn’t be so bad either.”

He leaned his face closer to hers and murmured,

“Go ahead.”

“I’m going to pinch you hard.”

“Please be gentle.”

He sounded so serious that Charlize couldn’t help but laugh.

Darkness was something Cernadis knew well. All demons were born from darkness and shaped by it, so even the pitch-black kind that made it impossible to see a step ahead felt like a cradle to them.

The staircase ran down a long way along the wall. Judging from where the office had been, it seemed like it led underground.

He looked around in the complete blackness and lit a small blue flame in the palm of his hand.

‘Almost there?’

Just as he was about to send the flame up to the ceiling, a voice he hadn’t expected called out to him.

—Cernadis…

He jumped like a cat burned by fire.

“Arcade?!”

“…To think you came all the way here. That’s surprising.”

From the shadows, a giant, hunched figure slowly appeared, revealed by a spreading gray flame. Cernadis tensed instantly, refusing to believe it.

There was no way this could be real. Arcade wouldn’t have chosen such a poorly hidden place as a hideout. He had stayed hidden for nearly a thousand years—there was no chance someone like him would be found so easily.

As Cernadis quickly turned his head in all directions, he spotted a magic circle etched into the floor. Only then did he feel a bit of relief.

“Damn it, that sneaky bastard!”

Of course, it wasn’t the real Arcade. Cernadis had already sensed that something was off—there was no demonic energy, no real presence. It looked like Iaolos had spoken with Arcade’s projection here.

He didn’t know where Arcade was actually hiding, but the magic circle on the floor was definitely projecting his illusion. And Cernadis was sure his own image had appeared in front of Arcade as well.

“Weren’t you the one hiding like a rat not too long ago?”

Arcade mocked him, and Cernadis responded with a twisted grin. They were both high-ranking demons—but Arcade was undeniably stronger.

That was why Arcade had been able to threaten him, and why Cernadis had been dragged into helping steal a fragment of the Demon King.

As a result, Arcade had been cursed by the goddess and received divine punishment. Cernadis, on the other hand, had pleaded that he was forced into it—and got off with a light punishment.

“Arcade, you know I didn’t have a choice. Who could’ve expected the goddess to intervene? Isn’t it better for only one of us to go down instead of both?”

“Preferably, someone other than you, right?”

Cernadis couldn’t deny that. Trying to keep his lips from twitching into a smirk, he put on a sympathetic face.

“If it had been me, I would’ve been completely wiped out. But look at you—you’re still standing. You’re stronger than me, after all.”

“So you cut off my leg because I’m stronger?”

“You were about to smash my head in! My face is way too pretty to get crushed like that. Ah… and right now, you don’t even have fists, do you? I guess you’re stuck in your true form while you recover.”

Cernadis grinned as he taunted him, and a bone-chilling grinding noise—grrrk…—echoed from Arcade’s illusion. Holding back a chuckle, Cernadis asked,

“You still haven’t healed? I thought for sure you’d be back to full power by now.”

“Are you here to check in on me?”

“What, do I look suicidal?”

Cernadis was sure that if he went anywhere near Arcade, his head would end up inside one of the demon’s three mouths. Arcade possessed the power of Gluttony, after all.

“I’ve got other things to deal with right now, so I can’t drop by. But… I did hear something that might help you get your strength back. Interested?”

“Are you trying to trick me the way you tricked Iaolos?”

“What are you talking about? Trick Iaolos?”

“Don’t play dumb. I know you used him to lure the Tower Master and got a bunch of demons to attack the capital.”

Arcade’s voice burned with anger, but Cernadis barely held back a laugh.

“Hey, I really did lure the Tower Master! We were in the middle of a great fight when he just up and vanished. How is that my fault? I almost died too!”

If anyone had heard the way he shouted, full of frustration, they might’ve actually believed he was the victim.

But Arcade wasn’t human—and he knew exactly what kind of demon Cernadis was.

‘You knew the truth and still went along with it, didn’t you, Arcade?’

Even while deceiving Iaolos, Cernadis had been sure Arcade wouldn’t interfere. Demons like them thrived on pain and chaos.

Why would he stop hundreds of demons from attacking the capital? Because of casualties? High-ranking demons could create more demons if they wanted to.

That’s why Arcade had allowed Iaolos to go through with it, even knowing it was doomed. Besides, if left alone, one of the Demon King’s fragments entrusted to Iaolos might’ve been lost.

“So what happened to Iaolos?”

“No idea. He hasn’t contacted me. I figured maybe he ended up here, since the capital is still holding out with the Tower Master and imperial army.”

Cernadis was almost certain Iaolos was dead—killed by the Tower Master or some human. But he didn’t bother saying it out loud. Arcade probably suspected as much anyway.

‘What he really wants to know is what happened to the Demon King’s fragment.’

But Cernadis didn’t say a word. Truthfully, he didn’t know either.

“Arcade, seriously. Are you just going to sit around like this? You should focus on healing and bringing him back.”

“You’re talking like you actually know how to do that.”

“I do. Arcade, you’ve got the power of Gluttony. You can heal yourself and grow stronger by devouring others. So why not eat a human strong enough to restore your body?”

“…And where would I find someone like that?”

Though his eyes were filled with suspicion, Arcade’s illusion couldn’t hide his interest. Cernadis’s eyes lit up as he answered:

“The Tower Master—Achilles.”

“You…!!”

“Just listen! Achilles is insanely powerful—but right now, he’s weaker than usual. Did you hear the news? He got engaged to the imperial princess.”

Arcade looked like he was about to curse Cernadis out right there.

“And did you know as a wedding gift, he gave her half of his magic power?”

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