The Villainess Proposed a Contractual Marriage

Status: 5/week mon-fri

Illustrations: posted in discord

Kiing-!

The moment the Demon King revealed the truth, a thin barrier formed around Glen. It was to temporarily block his hearing.

The one who pulled this trick was none other than the Demon King himself.

He didn't want Glen to know the truth.

Learning how he was treated in the world before time rewound and coming to hate them would certainly be a convenient situation.

But more than creating an advantageous circumstance, he prioritized protecting the child from the cruel truth.

It was the mindset of someone who, though he might be an incompetent king, refused to be a fallen father.

"...Alright."

Elphisia accepted the Demon King's proposal. Immediately, the High Priest used his divine power to isolate Glen from the meeting space, as if they'd planned it beforehand.

Glen's figure vanished in an instant.

Harte quickly guessed where the vanished Glen would appear.

'Probably in Letitia Baskhill's room.'

It was a mother-son reunion ten years in the making. It would be impolite for an outsider like the director to interfere in their meeting.

Now, they needed to focus on the Demon King, who had revealed an unexpected truth.

"You're not surprised."

The Demon King remarked quietly, to which Elphisia responded casually.

"Rather, it's the only way everything makes sense."

Fate had changed dramatically.

Though many factors had changed since Elphisia's regression, it was ultimately limited to the human realm. There was no reason for the sabotage of the hunting festival, which hadn't existed in the original history, to happen.

However, if the Demon King retained memories of the previous world, it made sense.

All he knew about Glen was that he had suffered countless abuses from humans. That's why he'd been so fervent in searching for Glen.

The vampire's rash actions upon discovering a Baskhill descendant were an example of this, as was the attempt to raid the hunting festival at the risk of war.

"The helplessness of having your only blood relative right before your eyes and being unable to do anything... You'll never understand."

From the Demon King's perspective, Harte and Elphisia were already in a deep relationship, just like in the original history. And Glen existed under them, just as he had known.

So it was natural for him to be certain that Glen would be abused.

But Glen's attitude when they met at the spire was peculiar. The Demon King was shocked to see Glen seemingly wary of him, his father, and hiding behind Harte.

It was clear how much trust Glen placed in a man who should have been his mortal enemy. This wasn't a shallow trust built over a day or two.

They must have put in considerable effort.

It was only natural that each of their actions in twisting time had been accompanied by plausible intentions.

"So tell me your purpose, humans. There must be a reason for your abominable change in attitude towards the child...!"

---

---

Meanwhile, Glen was confused by the suddenly changed surroundings.

Compared to the Imperial Palace and the ducal mansion in the human realm, even the decorative styles were different. The chandelier-like lights were carved to resemble bright roses, and the ceiling painted with oil painting-like patterns was magnificent.

Until now, he had imagined the demon realm to be gloomy and eerie, but today, those rusty prejudices were shattered. The demon realm was also a land where intelligent beings lived.

'Where... is this?'

Even at a glance, he could tell it was a bedroom for someone of high status. Not even Harte and Elphisia's master bedroom was decorated this lavishly.

Yet this was just an empty room where only Glen stood awkwardly.

Unable to freely wander outside, Glen found himself in a predicament.

Click.

Just then, as Glen was trying to gather his thoughts, he caught the sound of a doorknob turning.

'If someone sees me, they might think I'm an intruder...!'

Instinctively on guard, he closely watched the slowly opening door. There was nowhere convenient to hide. He just hoped the person coming in would be a manageable demon.

"Whew, I don't understand why he's in such a hurry to send a fire message."

"It's not uncommon, Your Highness. I'm sure he's sent a nice gift."

"I've scolded him so many times not to waste unnecessarily..."

It was a conversation between two women. At least they didn't sound like rough guards, which unconsciously made Glen lower his guard.

And so, a long-severed connection was reestablished.

"Who are you...?"

"Ah..."

They froze.

A woman wearing an elegant dress and the maid following her stopped in their tracks. Moreover, Glen, who had been furrowing his brow in wariness, completely dropped even his minimal tension.

The maid was clearly a demon, with skin color far from human. But the noble lady she attended was different. With her distinctly black hair and eyes, she was unmistakably human.

Glen instinctively realized.

A bedroom fit for a high noble and the characteristics of Baskhill blood. Letitia Baskhill, the Demon King's companion, was the only human who fit these conditions.

"This can't be..."

Letitia Baskhill let out a gasp.

More than ten years had passed, and he had grown unrecognizably. Yet there was no need to ponder who the child before her was.

"Glen...?"

Letitia rubbed her eyes. She doubted whether she was seeing an illusion out of longing. But no matter how much she repeated the process until her eyes hurt, Glen remained unchanged before her.

"Um..."

Having deduced that the woman was Letitia, Glen tried to speak up to confirm.

"Mother..."

Mother.

Just as he was about to utter that resonant word, Letitia rushed forward and embraced Glen tightly. Seeing this, the maid tactfully stepped back.

"...I'll wait outside the door. Please call if you need anything."

"Mm..."

The maid carefully exited, firmly closing the door behind her. In the private room that was created, a reconnected bond now resided.

"Should I... call you Mother?"

"Mm, no. Mom is fine. Do you recognize me, Glen?"

"...Yes."

Though he gave a polite answer, internally he was just confused. After all, Glen had been abandoned so long ago. He only had vague memories, with no clear recollections to speak of.

'Is she... really my mother?'

All the circumstances pointed to this woman being Letitia Baskhill. But the woman's youthful appearance stirred Glen's doubts.

She looked at most a year or two older than Harte and Elphisia. It was hard to believe that he was the fruit she had carried for ten months, not an adopted child like Tina.

"You've grown so well, Glen... Your hair and eye color are just like mine, but your face shape is exactly like his. How could I not recognize you..."

"I... see..."

"How did you get here? If you had explored the demon realm on your own, I would have heard about it much sooner..."

"...The Director brought me."

"The Director? Who might that be? A human, I suppose?"

"Yes, he's human. A bit special, though..."

"I see. Well, a human would need to be quite special to come to the demon realm. I must express my gratitude."

Glen got the impression that Letitia was rambling, bringing up anything and everything. And indeed, Letitia was desperately trying to hide her anxious feelings.

No matter how much she had longed for this, the baby she remembered had grown into a handsome young man. Even for a parent, it was bound to be awkward.

But the more uncomfortable she appeared, the more uncomfortable Glen would become.

If that was the case, she'd throw away all shame and dignity. She wouldn't let go of this miracle she was witnessing after so many twists and turns. Even if it meant proclaiming her clumsiness with her whole body.

"Ah! Come to think of it, do you remember my name? It's Letitia Baskhill Rzel. Your father's name is Starke Rzel... and, and, um..."

Letitia hesitated, trying to think of what else to add, then covered it up with an awkward laugh.

"Aha... haha... Is there anything you're curious about, Glen? I've just been saying what I wanted to say."

"...It's alright."

"Actually, I still have a mountain of things I want to say. I want to hear how you've been all this time... and I'm very curious about how you came here."

"..."

"Oh, I've kept you standing too long, haven't I? Would you come over here? When you were a baby, I used to put you to sleep in that bed over there... but that would be awkward now. Let's sit in these chairs."

Letitia didn't know that Glen was naturally reticent. So his passive and quiet responses made her feel like her throat was closing up.

She sat Glen down on the sofa and immediately took the seat next to him. Then she asked about one of the topics that had been bothering her.

"Oh, right! Who is this 'Director' you mentioned?"

"He's the director of the orphanage where I was staying."

Glen's clear answer came immediately. Letitia quickly noticed that Glen seemed to like this topic.

"Orphanage... Yes, of course... I see."

But she couldn't help feeling guilty. Although the situation had been dire, the decision to abandon Glen under the pretext of evacuation had been entirely her own.

It was inevitable that Letitia's tone became more careful.

"It seems he took very good care of you. I must thank him. Even the clothes you're wearing look high-quality... At first, I thought some noble boy had wandered into my room."

"The thanks... that's not necessary."

"How can you say that? He raised you so well and even brought you here. As your mother, I can't help but be grateful..."

"Really... it's fine, Mother."

Letitia's expression hardened as she heard the subtle change in Glen's tone. It might have been her imagination, but she felt a hint of resentment.

Unfortunately, bad premonitions always come true.

Next, Letitia had to face her son's resentful question.

"If you felt such a strong sense of responsibility... why did you abandon me, Mother?"

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