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“Wow. I never dreamed I’d come back here again.”
With disbelieving eyes, Eun-yeong looked around.
The traces of that fierce battle remained intact, vivid in her memory.
“Be careful. You’ll get hurt.”
An arm wrapped firmly around her waist, stopping her careless steps. The ground was riddled with piles of stones and deep holes.
Eun-yeong turned to see the owner of the arm around her waist.
The merciless voice and red eyes, still vivid in her memory.
But now, it was different.
The voice was full of affection, and the red eyes were endlessly tender.
“Doesn’t it feel strange?”
“Not really.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Even looking at the blood pool on the floor?”
Following Eun-yeong’s finger, Tan turned his head.
In the center of the hall, before the grand and magnificent throne at the innermost part, was a huge hole.
It was the trace of an explosion caused by the mixed magic of divine power and dragon’s power.
The two were currently inside the Demon King’s castle.
The place where Eun-yeong had fought fiercely with the saviors to defeat him. The place where Tan had fallen.
The reason for coming here was simple.
The two, who had married yesterday, left the Grand Duke’s castle to go on their honeymoon.
However, before going to the sea, Tan remembered telling her that there was a very clear and clean lake behind the Demon King’s castle, so they stopped here first.
After looking at the lake, they happened to be behind the Demon King’s castle, so they decided to go inside.
The castle, having lost its master, had its time frozen, remaining as it was on the day of the last battle.
It felt like only yesterday that they had been at odds and joined forces against each other, but who would have guessed? The two who had rushed at each other as if to kill each other finally got married yesterday.
The seemingly perfect facade of Celonia Vesin had disappeared without a trace, and he had returned to his original form. He could live under his real name.
It was true that you never knew what would happen in life. That saying was true.
“I almost died back then…”
At Eun-yeong’s voice, mumbling with a face soaked in memories, Tan’s broad and solid shoulders, which seemed like they would never shake, trembled.
Because he was the very culprit who had almost killed Eun-yeong.
“It was intentional, but it wasn’t my true feelings.”
Touched, Tan rested his forehead on Eun-yeong’s shoulder and fiddled with the ring on her slender finger.
He was the one who put the ring on her beautiful hand, but who was he pointing his sword at back then…? It was something he couldn’t even imagine now.
“Hmm?”
Eun-yeong, who was wondering why Tan was crouching down and rubbing his head against her shoulder, suddenly burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! Are you worried about what happened back then? Now?”
She knew that what he was saying was a lie because she knew that he had been 100 percent sincere in trying to kill the saviors during the subjugation [a military campaign to suppress rebellion].
But she couldn’t help but laugh at him for making up a lie that it wasn’t his true feelings, just in case she was upset. She could feel his heart for her so much.
“Don’t do that. It’s okay.”
Turning halfway around to face Tan, Eun-yeong reached out her hand.
Her palm rested on Tan’s firm chest.
It was now covered by clothes, but inside was a scar that would never be erased. The one she had left.
It was a past full of scars for each other. The past could not be changed.
“I’m the same way. But we’ve changed, and we’re together now.”
In the end, we chose to stay by each other’s side. That was enough.
“…You.”
Tan paused, looking at Eun-yeong, who was smiling beautifully after uttering a gentle voice.
A tingling sensation ran deep within his chest. Unlike himself, who was making ridiculous excuses, how could she always say such beautiful things that he wanted to hear?
He couldn’t stand it and immediately lowered his head, wanting to swallow the red lips that uttered those lovely words into his mouth.
“Wow. Is that your seat?”
But she changed the subject and subtly avoided him, unable to face him with a flushed face.
Tan chuckled, tightened his arm around her waist, and moved in an instant.
“Eek!”
When she screamed in surprise at the sudden movement, she was already sitting on the huge throne.
“How is it? How does it feel to be the Demon King?”
Tan, standing two steps below the throne, bowed his head to her with a mischievous smile.
Eun-yeong, who was bewildered, understood the situation and accepted the joke.
“Not bad? It might even be good.”
“It suits you. It looks like your seat.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“It’s the truth.”
The Demon King’s throne suits her. Shouldn’t that not be true if it’s the truth?
She was wondering how to respond to this.
“Tan?”
Surprised by the sudden sensation, she lowered her gaze.
Tan, who was already kneeling at her feet, was gently holding her foot, which was revealed under her raised skirt.
His rough and clumsy hands carefully and tenderly took off her shoes.
He then kissed her white instep and ankle, a noble and heartfelt act of worship.
“Ugh, Tan… Why suddenly…”
She bit her lip as if all her nerves were focused on her feet, and the tingling sensation made her face flush, and she covered it with her arms.
“If you want, I will put the world at your feet.”
“…”
“If you want to put me under you and rule the world, do it. You can take anything I have. Everything I have is yours.”
“…What will you have left if you give it all away?”
At the hot confession filled with sincerity, she stared at him with eyes reddened with heat.
Her heart was pounding.
The huge man, who had no need or reason to bow to anyone, the man who could command the empire, was standing before her, giving up everything.
“You.”
Tan slowly took his lips off her foot and opened his mouth again.
“I only need you.”
The red eyes captured her rapidly shaking brown eyes with an intensely persistent gaze.
“…Aren’t you sad?”
“Of course not.”
Tan chuckled and shook his head.
What he had newly grasped after letting go of everything he held was her. An irresistible force that neutralized everything he had.
In the first place, he had a lot, but she was the one who completely filled him, who had been empty.
The smile that bloomed on her face. With just that, his life was complete.
“…”
In the end, her eyes turned red at his answer. Her emotions surged. The sincerity he was crashing into her was so great that her heart overflowed.
She was the same. The reason she desperately survived and finally put everything back in its place was entirely because of her desire to be with him.
“Come here. I want to hold you right now… Ugh…!”
As her trembling voice pleaded, he, whose patience had reached its limit, grabbed her chin and swallowed her lips in one breath.
Hot breaths intertwined more intensely than ever.
“Ugh, Tan, wait, heu…”
He tilted his head as if he would devour her lips, allowing only a little breath.
As the uncontrollable force pressed down, Eun-yeong’s posture, who was sitting on the chair, collapsed almost as if she was lying down.
He quickly wrapped his arm around her waist and pressed her closer to his body.
On the wide and cold throne, he was already on top of her.
“Haa, wait…!”
Knowing that he wouldn’t stop like this, she gathered as much strength as possible and pushed his shoulder.
There was no way he would be pushed away with this much force, but Tan took his lips off and raised his head, worried that she might get hurt.
However, the desire contained in his vivid red eyes was not contained, but rather intensified.
“What is it? I’m not letting you go this time.”
“Haa, haa… We can’t continue here, so we need to move quickly.”
Tan’s eyebrows, which had been twitching unhappily, returned to their place. He smiled contentedly and hugged her tightly.
“As you command.”
The two disappeared from the castle in an instant.
It was the beginning of their honeymoon.