"Cyrinne! Do something about him!"
Cyrinne finally emerged from the great tree lodge after several days looking entirely refreshed.
Far too refreshed.
Her silver hair flowed loosely behind her while sunlight reflected softly against ivory skin completely untouched by stress, exhaustion, or shame.
Jemina stared at her in betrayal.
"How are you glowing right now?"
Cyrinne blinked slowly.
"I slept well."
"YOU DID NOT SLEEP!"
Behind them,
the true problem continued approaching.
Isaac walked through the village smiling beautifully while half the lamias trailed after him like enchanted disciples receiving divine revelation.
"Lord Isaac! Please explain the preservation method again!"
"No, teach us the irrigation design first!"
"Can the smokehouses really preserve meat that long?"
"Your imminence, look at the baskets we made!"
Isaac laughed warmly.
"One at a time, ladies."
Jemina felt a migraine forming instantly.
Raisa and Ayine remained uninvolved in the chaos, though neither looked capable of stopping it anymore.
Meanwhile,
Rosaline quietly followed behind the group while occasionally sneaking glances toward the Demon King.
Jemina saw it.
And nearly collapsed emotionally.
"No…" she whispered weakly.
She immediately clung desperately onto Cyrinne's arm and shook it violently.
"Please! I am begging you!"
Cyrinne looked mildly confused.
"For what?"
"Look at her!" Jemina pointed accusingly toward Rosaline. "She's smitten already! At this rate Lucas is going to challenge the Demon King to a duel and die tragically!"
"I doubt that."
"Cyrinne!"
The Primarch finally glanced toward Rosaline thoughtfully.
Then toward Isaac.
Then back toward Jemina.
"…I do not think it would help even if I kissed him in front of them right now."
Jemina looked horrified.
"That is NOT reassuring!"
Isaac noticed them immediately and smiled.
That smile should have been illegal.
"There you are, my love."
The lamias instantly scattered politely to give Cyrinne space beside him.
Unfortunately,
their expressions somehow became even more excited afterward.
Jemina narrowed her eyes.
This was bad.
Very bad.
The Demon King was accidentally building a fan club.
"Fine," Jemina muttered darkly. "I will handle this myself."
Cyrinne suddenly looked entertained.
That should have been warning enough.
"Demon King Isaac," Jemina announced seriously, "I need to speak with you. Alone."
She placed tremendous emphasis on the final word while glaring directly at the surrounding women.
The lamias exchanged glances immediately before awkwardly dispersing.
Rosaline also retreated.
Though not before one final glance toward Isaac.
Jemina nearly fainted.
Isaac followed her casually toward the edge of the village.
Once they stood far enough away,
Jemina turned dramatically.
"I assumed you came here to regain Cyrinne's heart."
Isaac smiled slowly.
"Your reputation for having unfiltered speech truly precedes you, Duchess."
Jemina froze.
"…You know?"
"I recognized you immediately."
"I thought I was disguising myself magnificently."
Isaac laughed softly.
"Relax. I have no intention of exposing you."
Jemina narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"You better not. I still haven't decided how I want to reveal myself dramatically. It should be with an adequate amount of flair."
"Always searching for entertainment. You truly are Noctellis' wife."
The mention of her husband immediately ruined her mood.
Isaac noticed.
His smile faded slightly.
"What happened?"
"What happened?" Jemina repeated in disbelief. "Your kind happened!"
The Demon King blinked.
"You know what, it was always about YOU!" Jemina accused while pointing directly at him. "Everything in my marriage somehow became connected to you!"
Isaac looked genuinely confused now.
"I had to spend my wedding night alone because some demons attacked our estate!"
"…Ah."
"Our first year of marriage? Barely any dinners together!"
Isaac slowly rubbed his forehead.
"The second year?" Jemina continued furiously. "Worse! Because the emperor kept summoning him to deal with YOU!"
"That does sound inconvenient."
"Inconvenient?!"
Jemina looked one emotional step away from murder.
"Then YOU arrived here half-dead, reunited with your wife, and proceeded to desecrate the lodge we built together through continuous passionate activities!"
Isaac coughed politely into his fist.
"And after I decided to forgive everything and let bygones be bygones—"
Jemina pointed dramatically toward the village.
"—YOU STARTED SEDUCING WOMEN IN MY HOME!"
A long silence followed.
Then suddenly,
the ground beneath Isaac moved.
A mudwolf erupted upward without warning, grabbed the Demon King's legs, and immediately dragged him underground.
Only his upper body remained visible above the soil.
Isaac sighed deeply.
"…Fair enough."
Jemina marched toward him furiously.
"You are not ruining another love story!"
"You have my sincerest apologies."
"No flirting with the women!"
"Understood."
"You are here ONLY for Cyrinne!"
"Understood."
"You may only speak two out of every three words to other women!"
Isaac looked genuinely impressed.
"That is an astonishingly specific restriction."
"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"
"Yes."
"Good."
Jemina crouched slowly before him.
Now came the truly important matter.
"…Did Noctellis lose weight?"
Isaac immediately looked nervous.
"He looked… slimmer?"
He sounded unsure.
Jemina's face darkened.
"Dark circles under his eyes?"
More sweat appeared.
"A little."
He hesitated a bit.
"He looked distracted?"
Isaac visibly began calculating survival odds.
"…Possibly."
He sounded like asking a question.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Jemina screamed loud enough to frighten nearby birds from the trees.
Then stormed away dramatically, completely forgetting that Isaac is still half-buried underground.
The Demon King behaved afterward.
Mostly.
He stopped charming the lamias intentionally.
Stopped lingering around Rosaline.
Stopped smiling so devastatingly at random villagers.
Instead,
he remained beside Cyrinne constantly.
They walked together.
Ate together.
Disappeared together.
Then reappeared several hours later looking suspiciously satisfied.
The villagers collectively learned not to ask questions anymore.
One quiet night,
after another long absence from public society,
Cyrinne lay silently beside Isaac beneath tangled blankets while moonlight filtered softly through the windows.
For once,
the room felt peaceful.
No arguments.
No pride.
No ancient heartbreak.
Only warmth.
Isaac gently brushed silver hair away from her face.
"It is time for us to return home."
Cyrinne's eyes slowly opened.
"Our other castle nearest the forest has already been prepared."
Silence.
Then quietly,
"No."
Isaac stilled.
"This is my home now."
Something changed immediately in his expression.
Not rage.
Something worse.
Fear.
"Have you not punished me enough?" he asked softly.
"That is not punishment."
Cyrinne slowly sat upright.
Moonlight illuminated the faint mark resting beneath her navel.
"I simply accepted reality."
Isaac stared at her silently.
"You will never belong entirely to me," Cyrinne continued quietly. "And because of that… I can never belong entirely to you again."
The Demon King laughed once.
Softly.
Dangerously.
"Do not say such cruel things after holding me all night."
"I am serious."
"So am I."
Isaac suddenly reached downward and touched the mark on her stomach.
The symbol immediately burned.
Cyrinne flinched violently.
More lines had appeared.
Dark.
Twisting.
Interwoven like chains beneath her skin.
Her eyes widened.
"…What did you do?"
Isaac looked at her lovingly.
Terrifyingly lovingly.
"I prepared for the possibility of losing you again."
Cold dread spread slowly through Cyrinne's chest.
"You abandoned me for terribly long, my love."
His fingers traced the mark gently.
"I learned from the experience."
"What is this?"
"A stronger bond."
Cyrinne immediately recoiled.
"You altered the sacred bond mark?"
"You left me once." Isaac's smile remained soft. "I simply ensured it would never happen again."
For the first time since leaving him,
Cyrinne felt genuine fear toward him.
Isaac kissed her forehead gently afterward before standing calmly.
His demonic horse arrived outside moments later.
"I will return soon," he promised.
Then he left.
And the moment he disappeared,
Cyrinne collapsed.
Pain exploded through her entire body instantly.
Longing.
Desperation.
Need.
Abandonment.
The emotions slammed into her violently enough to steal her breath.
She transformed immediately into her wolf form,
but it did not help.
Nothing helped.
All she could think about was Isaac.
Isaac.
Isaac.
Come back.
Please come back.
Her howl shook the forest.
Villagers rushed outside in alarm.
Jemina arrived first.
"Cyrinne!"
The massive white wolf trembled violently across the ground while tears streamed endlessly from glowing jade green eyes.
Jemina froze in horror.
"Talk to me! What happened?!"
The wolf whimpered helplessly.
Then lowered herself painfully onto the floor like something broken.
And suddenly,
hoofbeats echoed through the forest.
Isaac returned.
The moment Cyrinne sensed him,
her transformation shattered instantly.
She collapsed naked onto the ground before desperately crawling toward him.
The villagers stared in stunned silence.
Cyrinne reached Isaac first.
Realization slowly dawned across her face.
Horror.
Shame.
Fury.
Yet none of it mattered against the unbearable need crushing her from within.
She clung helplessly to his leg while trembling violently.
Isaac looked down at her.
Smiling.
Satisfied.
His fingers gently threaded through her silver hair.
"There now," he murmured softly. "You suffered enough."
Jemina's stomach twisted.
Because she finally understood.
This was not romance.
Not entirely.
This was possession.
And Isaac knew it.
"You…" Jemina's voice shook with fury. "You are indeed a filthy Demon King."
Isaac slowly lifted his gaze toward her.
And smiled beautifully.
"I never pretended otherwise."