"So by King of hell do you mean, 'That' King of hell, Lucifer?" I asked, my voice hopeful for a denial of what I was thinking.
"Yes, yes," she confirmed my worst expectation. "My Papa is the infamous Devil who fell from heaven in rebellion."
God damnit.
No, grandfather-in-law, damnit.
Seriously, did God want me in the family so much that he made me marry his granddaughter? No, it's definitely that 'Author' after all. According to his words, he is the writer and overseer of this reality.
"So I'm the Devil's son-in-law, huh?" I still found it hard to believe this.
"How long are you gonna ponder on that? My father isn't important here. Focus on me, dummy," Liliana pouted and pinched my cheeks.
No, no, he is the Devil. How is he not important? I mentally argued, but knowing there was more important information yet to be revealed, I focused on her words.
"So as I told you, I am a demon princess and royal, but that's not what you want to know, right?" she said, continuing her explanation. In response, I simply nodded, and she turned around to begin preparing our meal.
Damn it still feels wrong.
"We're married. That much is clear to you, isn't it? The strange attraction you feel to me is normal," she told me, confirming the suspicions I'd had from the first time we met. Usually, I wouldn't be so tolerant of an unknown woman getting this close to me. But for some reason, I felt attracted to her despite this being our first meeting.
"That's because of a marriage ritual which is also a Racial change ritual," she dropped a bomb I never expected, not even in my wildest dreams. I mean, being a super soldier was one thing, but becoming something else... that was too much.
"Why did you do this with me?" I asked, a sense of solemnity tinged with worry in my voice as I hugged her tighter.
"Actually... ahhn~... It's not me," she said, letting out a small, breathless sound as I tightened my hold. It's not her. What does that mean?
I loosened my hold on her waist, and she continued with a blush on her face. "As I said, it wasn't me who arranged that ritual. It was actually someone else, a vampire princess who is totally crazy about you," she said, a hint of dislike in her voice. "Usually, she is an arrogant princess who is very prideful, but she surprisingly hired me to help her capture a man. You."
I processed her words, trying to understand what this meant. Is she who I think she is?
"Don't tell me it's a redheaded girl with similar red eyes and an annoying personality," I spoke out, hoping it would be someone else.
"Huh? You... know her?" she sounded surprised, which confirmed my suspicion.
"You could say that's a part of my life I'd rather forget," I said with a gloomy expression. "Anyway, I still don't know how we're married then."
How could Liliana and I be married if it was that girl who orchestrated it? Did she develop a liking for NTR or something?
"There was a mistake in the ritual... ah, screw that. Actually, I had a different goal when I decided to help her," she said, giving me a curious glance. "You do realize your eyes are special, right?" She tried to move my bangs, but I immediately stopped her. "So you do..." she concluded.
I understood what she was referring to. My eyes. I always knew they were different. Aside from my handsome face, they not only bewitched others but also increased my understanding of the world. I could understand someone's feelings with just a gaze.
"You're quite popular in the upper echelons of the supernatural world because you have the Legacy of a god," she muttered words that I refused to understand.
"So you mean my entire life, I was stalked by supernatural perverts?" I blurted out in shock, making Liliana let out a soft chuckle.
"Haha, so that's what you focused on," she said, her eyes trying to find mine under my bangs. "Valerian, your eyes are possibly inherited from a god or a divine being. That's what a Legacy is: the remains of a god, a legendary figure, or a mythical beast who is either dead or forgotten through time."
"And you should be glad that a Pact of Ceasefire binds us supernatural people, preventing us from kidnapping you before. But because that stupid woman decided to break it first, I planned to blame it on her after I took you for myself," she explained with a scary expression, which reverted to a helpless one as she sighed. "But alas, she was too strong, which I didn't expect. But fortunately, or unfortunately, she messed up the ritual and made all five of us married to you."
I understood now. So I was like a Holy Grail in a Holy Grail War.
Wait... five? Why five? Shouldn't it be two?
"Five? What do you mean by five, Liliana? Explain," I asked with a solemnity that made her tremble.
"Um... did I not say there were five women involved?" she muttered sheepishly, rubbing her head. But my gaze made her even more scared. "Okay, okay. Just understand that you are now married to five women," she said, desperately avoiding my gaze.
Sigh... No point in being angry at her. Besides, this strange feeling is making my anger towards her less and less.
"So I am like what now? And what race are the other three?" I asked.
She pursed her lips and said, "As you know, I am a succubus, and there's that leech. The other three are a Witch, a Werewolf, and a Druid."
I sighed in relief. No, should I really be relieved? No. At least there were no weird races mixed into it like a banshee or a ghoul or a zombie.
"So am I a hybrid of five different races now, according to your words about that ritual being a race-changing nature?" I speculated. Am I a Demonic-Vampire-Witch-Druidic-Wolf now?
But my speculation was halted by Liliana's next words.
"No, not yet at least. The ritual is still ongoing," she spoke the words which should have relieved me, as there could still be a way out. But my instincts told me this was not going to be the way I wanted.
"For the ritual to be completed, you have to fulfill your duty before the next full moon, or we both would die." She dropped another bomb I wished I hadn't heard. I wished it was all a dream, because...
It's too much for my sanity.