Shff, shff—
Layme of the Royal Guard’s shadow unit moved her hand, tracing a soft line along the edge of Rebecca’s eye.
It was makeup time. For an audience with the King, one had to appear in the most meticulously prepared form.
However, since being betrayed by the Church, Rebecca had ceased to trust even the royal handmaids. If makeup was required, it had to be done by Layme.
“......”
There was something she'd always wondered.
When she was alone, she often thought of herself as Rebecca’s only friend.
But to maintain professionalism, Layme always kept her mouth shut. Still, for some reason, today she felt like asking.
“Princess.”
Probably because Rebecca had her eyes closed.
“Mm.”
“Why did you agree to it? The contract marriage.”
“......”
Rebecca remained silent, eyes still closed.
“You’ve been reclusive for some time, focusing solely on your magical growth and training. But now, your time is being taken away.”
“......”
“And to begin with, isn’t Professor Dante... kind of sketchy? I mean, yes, he’s handsome and one of Hiaka’s top figures, but...”
Mentioning the past was tricky. It had once led them to lash out at each other, so it was half-and-half.
The problem was the future.
“You know it too, don’t you? He’s a dangerous man.”
“......”
Layme considered herself slow. That was how she saw herself. But if there was one sense she had that bordered on the supernatural, it was this:
She could instinctively detect people who could become enemies.
And by that measure, Dante Hiakapo was dangerous.
He was unreadable.
And he was someone who could turn on Rebecca at any time and throw her into hell.
He had the ability to do so.
“If I may be presumptuous... is there any feeling you’ve developed toward him, when he told you to pursue magic?”
“......”
Just then, the eye makeup finished, and Rebecca opened her eyes. There was no focus in those red eyes.
Her gaze, which had softened ever since she began studying magic, slowly drifted toward the window.
“No.”
Her red lips parted.
“It’s just a contract marriage.”
“I see.”
“He said he was going to do something good, and I figured I could help. Chairman Setian blocked my magical potential, so I need revenge too.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“Marriage isn’t much, is it? Just a stamp on some paper. Of course, I know Professor Dante is dangerous. I’m also thankful in some ways. I was awful to him at times too. But it’s just a contract, nothing more. Don’t say weird things.”
“Understood. I’m sorry.”
But Layme was left feeling a little strange.
“......”
Rebecca hadn’t met her eyes.
***
The day of the audience arrived. I stopped by a shop near the palace in the morning and had myself fixed up.
Rebecca appeared in something close to a dress, wearing heels.
It was the most dressed-up I’d ever seen her, but I didn’t feel anything in particular.
Still, from here on out, I had to be cautious with my words—there were ears listening.
“Shall we go, Princess?”
“Yes, husband.”
Rebecca linked her arm with mine.
Ezekiel and Layme were waiting for us. Together, we entered the royal palace.
The moment we stepped inside, the [Mini-map] lit up with noise. I could feel eyes all around the palace. Most were resident staff, but some were assassins. Elders too.
The King’s quarters were in the northern section of the palace. After several procedures, an elegant old building greeted us.
Upon entering, a breathtaking scene spread out before us.
Towering mountains and sprawling flower fields. A gentle layer of mist. It stretched endlessly into the distance.
A waterfall crashed down, creating a rainbow that looked like a painting.
At various points along the cliff, assassins—presumably royal guards—sat, observing us. Layme gave a respectful nod in their direction.
It was a stunning sight. Rebecca’s grip on my arm tightened.
This is high-level illusion magic...
It was truly illusion of the highest caliber.
Comparable even to mine.
We then headed for the building in the center of the scene.
Past the attendants, the large doors opened—and like a treasure in a chest, the King sat on his bed, gazing at us.
“We pay our respects to His Majesty. Princess Rebecca and three others have come to present greetings.”
Ezekiel's voice served as the formal cue.
All four of us bowed.
“Raise your heads.”
A heavy voice.
When I looked up, the King was looking straight at me.
Even now, I no longer got nervous in front of Constellations, but this gaze had an odd pressure to it.
It felt like standing before a dragon wearing human skin.
It wasn’t about stats or combat power.
This was what it felt like to be in front of the man who raised an entire nation on his own.
“Father...”
Rebecca gave a slight smile and tightened her grip on my arm. It was to flaunt our relationship as planned.
That was when—
“You’re wearing a mask. Acting like it’s nothing. As if you were always meant to be here. But that body... that flesh should have died and disappeared long ago...”
The King was staring at me as he spoke.
“Where did you come from?”
I froze.
I didn’t know how to answer.
“Your Majesty. I am Dante Hiakapo, husband to Princess Rebecca. I hail from the south, and came through Hiaka Academy.”
“No. You’ve misunderstood the question.”
“Pardon...?”
“Step aside. I will ask the stranger again. Where did you come from? It is not of this world, is it.”
Layme turned to look at me in shock. Ezekiel blinked in confusion.
I remained calm outwardly—but inside, I was startled.
What the hell?
Is he... talking about transmigration from the game?
“Even if you deceive the entire world, you cannot deceive my eyes. From what I see, you’ve been given a task—”
Just then: “Your Majesty! You skipped your meds again—!”
An elderly handmaid pulled open the curtain and froze. Then bowed deeply toward us.
Ah.
“I apologize for interrupting the audience... His Majesty has a tendency to skip his medication on days like this...”
“Head maid. Don’t tell me those are dementia pills?”
“Yes, Grand Magus...”
“Goddammit.”
Ezekiel pinched the bridge of his nose. The King was now murmuring while looking at a flower vase.
“Where did you come from?”
Ah, shit.
“Your Majesty... please, take your medicine...”
“Where did this medicine come from?”
“Where else? Director Harment made it...”
“I refuse. I will not take it.”
“It’s tasty medicine! Now, open wide—”
“I don’t like bitter things.”
And with that, he started running away from the bed. “Your Majesty!!” the head maid chased after him in a panic.
Ah.
I shouldn’t have gotten so tense...
I knew Hiaka III had dementia—but seeing it firsthand was something else.
This was the reality the royal family was clenching their teeth to hide.
“......”
Once he took the medicine, a subtle shift returned to the King’s eyes.
And something curious happened.
His entire demeanor softened.
His gaze became almost neighborly, like a regular old man.
“......”
He looked around at the people and scratched his cheek.
“What just happened?”
“Your Majesty...”
Ezekiel was about to say something along the lines of: 【‘So he doesn’t remember anything from the dementia episode... I should explain it’】
When a jolt ran through my brain.
I cut in before Ezekiel could speak.
“Nothing happened, Your Majesty. I apologize for intruding upon you when you were unwell.”
Ezekiel understood and closed his mouth.
“Is that so...? I see. I’m not as I once was, now that I’ve aged.”
The King looked at me.
“So, you’re Dante Hiakapo. I’ve heard of you several times before, but only now do we meet. A pleasure.”
I bowed with proper etiquette.
“Senior Professor Dante Hiakapo, at your service. To be wed to the Princess is an honor for my entire house.”
“......”
The King examined my face from different angles, then smiled faintly.
Then he murmured something inexplicable.
“A curious thing indeed...”
He spoke to everyone in the room.
“You’ve brought a good husband, Rebecca.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Father.”
“Thanks to me?”
“I grew up watching you since I was little. No ordinary man could ever measure up.”
“So it really must be close to the end for me. To hear something like that from you, and not in a fake tone either.”
“What do you mean, fake...”
The King laughed.
“I may sit on a high throne, but I hear everything. I’m not blind to the rumors floating around. My daughter, being a half-blood royal, must have gone through many difficulties. Even so, I had to bring her to my side.”
“That’s not true, Father, I—”
“It’s fine. And now, to see you having found your path, grown up, and even married... it is deeply satisfying to me. Will you come here?”
Rebecca hesitated, then unlinked her arm from mine and walked over. She embraced the King.
That was the end of it.
Smoother sailing than expected.
Of course, I knew the King was pleased with Rebecca’s marriage. Still, given the circumstances, there had been some internal concern.
But the King greeted us more like a regular old man than I’d imagined. And he was more favorable toward me than I’d anticipated.
Afterward, he spoke with a warm expression.
“Would the three of you leave us for a moment? I’d like to have a word with my new son-in-law.”
“Understood. Let’s go.”
Ezekiel took Layme and Rebecca and exited. The servants also cleared the room, leaving just the King and me.
From the feel of the magic in the air, it was a fully sealed and soundproofed space.
And then—
He reached into his robes and took something out, placing it on the table.
It was a balance scale.
“Let’s have a moment of honesty between us, son-in-law.”
I narrowed my eyes inwardly.
That item was a nationally designated artifact of the kingdom—National Treasure No. 25, the “Scales of Truth♣.”
A scale that could detect lies.
“Do you love my daughter?”
A sudden headwind.
It was hard to believe that things had been smooth sailing just seconds ago—the wind had turned sharply against me.
From this point on, lies would not fly.
So I stayed silent.
“Why aren’t you answering?”
“......”
“I asked you. Do you love my daughter?”
But...
I’d expected this.
Even in the [Hard Difficulty] version of the game, the King was a top-tier AI. From the player’s standpoint, he was impossible to deceive.
I knew that and still came here.
“I apologize, Your Majesty. I do not love her.”
In the next instant,
the King’s expression shifted drastically again.
Just like when his dementia surfaced. A monstrous, draconic gaze returned.
“You have other motives. And you’re using Rebecca for them.”
“Yes.”
“You know what this item is, don’t you? It’s never been shown to anyone outside our nation.”
“That’s correct.”
“I’ve heard the Elders weren’t thrilled about this arrangement. If you loved my daughter, I’d have left things be. But that’s not the case, is it. So what makes you so confident, that you would show up before me like this? Are you banking on the Empire opening its arms to welcome you?”
Seems I really have become a big shot.
Even the King considered me a core executive who could transfer to another empire at any moment.
“That’s not it, Your Majesty. I live solely for Hiaka.”
“You do speak well.”
“My relationship with the Princess is the same. Though I may lack that chemical reaction called ‘love,’ I have no intention of betraying her. The marriage is real. I intend to maintain a good relationship with Princess Rebecca.”
“Very well. Then your purpose.”
My purpose.
This was the branching point.
That the conversation had continued this far was because the King was far more of an adult than I had expected.
He was old.
He held a powerful position.
He carried weight well.
But those who make snap judgments tend to make mistakes.
This King, however, chose to hear me out before judging. Because he was mature.
But... I didn’t know if he’d still listen after hearing what I had to say.
“There is a demon among the royal family, Your Majesty.”
“Who.”
“Someone very close to you, Sire.”
At that moment, both the King’s and my eyes dropped to the Scales of Truth♣.
The King’s expression twisted into something terrifying.
The scale didn’t move.
Whether what I said was true or false, the scale showed I believed it to be true.
“Leave.”
“Your Majesty, I still have more to say—”
“Out.”
His voice was firm.
I bowed my head and backed out ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) of the room.
That was the end of my first audience with the King.
Out in the corridor, Rebecca entered next, and then returned with a calm face.
“What did you two talk about?”
“......”
Rebecca shook her head. It was a secret, apparently.
I asked again if that meant the marriage was off—but the answer came back:
“He says it was a good marriage.”
“I see.”
That was it?
A bit unsatisfying.
I wanted to know how the King reacted.
It probably wasn’t easy for him to accept.
This was about someone he’d spent nearly a hundred years with.
And the person who told him that truth was me—currently the most influential figure on the continent when it came to eradicating demons.
That he didn’t annul the marriage meant that, even though my words were hard to swallow, he wasn’t going to ignore them outright.
That was all I needed. I could begin doing what I had to do within the royal palace.
Whether or not the King would aid me... that was entirely up to him.