TMD - Chapter 25 < The First Night of the Saintess and the Devil (7) >






Whoosh, the wind lightly swept through her dark green hair.

The place where I was standing was the space where the Vine family used to fly pigeons. There were usually several birds waiting in this space, but there was only one in Vine, which was unusual.

There were many cages. As if that bird had chased them away.

Are even the birds in Vine different?

I picked up my pen as I thought. The pen I was holding slid across the paper without hesitation.

[To the High Priest.

I have examined the inside of the Vine family in various ways. At least, I do not sense any demonic energy in the Vine family home yet.]

It would be suspicious if I said that I had already looked around the entire Vine family home. For now, this was the best I could do. Then, the people in the temple would think that they should look for demons not just in the Vine family home, but in the entire Vine territory, and would let down their guard a bit against the mansion.

“Hmm...”

Is there anything else to write? It was the last time I checked.

Tick.

The only remaining bird flew in front of me. I, who smiled faintly without realizing it, reached out to the bird.

Tick!

Suddenly, the bird took the letter I was writing in its beak and flew up.

“Huh?”

Before I could stop it, the bird flew into a dark hallway. My heart pounded as if it were sinking.

Tick.

And the next moment, I heard the clear sound of shoes. It was Belled emerging from the darkness.

“Ah...”

I let out a breath without realizing it. The bird was sitting on his shoulder and handing him the letter I was writing.

Flicker, a stiff notepad shook in his hand. If I asked for the notepad, I would be caught writing a letter outside, so I had brought the notepad provided in the room.

Tick, tick.

The sound of his shoes got closer and closer. I could see his jet-black hair shining in the moonlight.

It was always night, but since it wasn’t daytime, the lights were turned off, so the surroundings seemed particularly dark. That was why the moonlight was the only thing that illuminated him.

His gaze went down to the letter. His dark green eyes, which had slowly scanned the letter, turned to me.

“What were you writing?”

A soft voice dug into my ear. I felt my heart pounding.

There was no need to answer, as he had already seen the letter. I repeatedly recalled what I had written.

There was no content regarding Vine as a demon. I had no intention of accusing them of being demons in the first place.

So even if the demon Belled read the letter, there would be no problem. If the letter went like this, their true identities would not be revealed.

However.

“I don’t sense the aura of the demon..."

Belled muttered and met my gaze.

“Really?”

As if I knew the truth. I opened my eyes wide.

Belled continued in a low voice.

“I saw your expression at the funeral. I thought I knew what you were curious about.”

My heart trembled with anxiety. Belled looked straight into my eyes and said.

“Aren’t you curious about our relationship with the demons?”

“...No.”

I shook my head unconsciously.

Of course, I was curious. Was the demon called Kilatia originally like that? Or what kind of relationship did it have with the demons?

But I couldn’t ask. I was the one who shouldn’t know even if I was curious. Belled’s smile only deepened at my answer.

Tick.

He came a little closer. My thoughts seemed to stop as he approached.

Of course, I had no intention of reporting Vine. However, I didn’t know that I would be caught sending letters like this when I still didn’t know whether the demons would trust the Saintess and become my allies.

No, it’s okay. If I just said I couldn’t find any evidence...

‘He saw my expression at the funeral.’

...That wouldn’t work. I bit my lip. In the meantime, Belled’s steps stopped right in front of me.

“I’ve been curious since you came. From the moment we first met...”

He placed my letter on the wide railing and tilted his head toward me. Our eyes met at a very close distance.

“Why are you acting like you’re blindfolded?”

I realized at that moment.

This person already knew that I knew the answer.

He pretended not to know. That I didn’t intentionally accuse Vine of being a demon.

Belled continued speaking to me, whose mind was blank and unable to open my mouth.

“If you have trouble answering this, let me start with this.”

His voice pierced my ear, soft as a breeze, yet clear.

“Did you know that you can only send a messenger with the permission of the head of the household?”

I paused at those words. This was something I really didn’t know. It had never happened in Orobas or Yubar in my previous life.

“I didn’t know.”

“You didn’t know, but you said you left Decarabia behind and came alone, as if.”

He looked at the letter and said.

“As if you were going to accuse me of being the devil.”

It sounded like he wasn’t denying that he was the devil. I gripped the hem of my dress tightly. My hands seemed to be sweating.

“Or is there a reason you had to send it secretly?”

He came a little closer. It was close enough to feel the heat. It was enough to make me forget that we were at the end of a corridor with no windows and an open view of the outside.

With a thud, my body touched the railing. The cold and the heat coming from him mixed together, making me dizzy.

“Sending a carrier without the permission of the head of the household is considered a crime equivalent to rebellion in Vine, depending on the circumstances. Those who plot secretly use carriers.”

Of course, this was not the case in the present era when Belled had subdued the demons, but I could not have known about it.

“...I didn’t know, really.”

“Everyone says they didn’t know.”

Belled immediately answered my words. Of course, who would simply say it was their fault after committing a crime, but this was truly unfair.

I shook my head.

“I must interrogate criminals. So tell me, Beryl.”

He smiled with narrowed eyes.

“Do you want me to interrogate you as the Duke of Vine, or as your husband?”

The answer seemed to be set. Wouldn’t the latter be a little more humane?

I couldn’t even imagine what a demon would do when ‘publicly’ interrogating someone, so I eventually answered.

“As my husband, I will answer if you ask me.”

At least I wasn’t plotting a rebellion or trying to reveal the secrets of this place, so it would be okay. Above all, didn’t Belled see the letter right there?

Belled laughed softly when I said that. Then he completely pressed his body against me.

“...!”

He gently hugged me, so that my waist lifted off the wall. Then, a warm arm came in and wrapped me.

His hand reached down to the lower part of my arm, where it was not easy for a human hand to reach.

It was a delicate yet intimate touch that reminded me of last night. I let out a breath without realizing it.

“Then I will ask, Saintess. What are you thinking?”

“Yes?”

Belled continued, caressing my cheek. As he had said, his touch was gentle, like a husband loving his wife. However, the question was sharp.

“I knew you were suspicious of us from the moment you first came.”

“That’s right.”

I'm about to say that I thought it was only natural that he would, since he'd demonized them, but Beled wasn't done.

“...So I was curious as to what made you walk in here, and I was going to wait until you revealed your thoughts...”

He narrowed his eyes.

“It’s hard to bear. It’s been a while since I’ve felt such stimulation.”

Stimulation? He smoothly raised the corners of his lips in front of me, who was blinking.

“What on earth are you thinking?”

He asked repeatedly.

“Doesn’t this place seem suspicious?”

“Ah...”

I had to say no to these questions. However, Belled’s eyes were sparkling with a strange light. 

“Doesn’t this place really feel like a den of demons?”

Swish.

A faint wind swept through the surroundings along with his question, lightly pushing the paper I had been writing on.

I was unable to answer even as the paper fell from the railing and fluttered to the floor.

Belled’s gaze turned to the letter.

“Is this really so?”

Those dark green eyes were already asking, knowing everything. The moment I met those gazes, I realized many things.

Kilatia’s funeral.

He had shown me that on purpose, too. Knowing that I knew that Vine was a demon but pretended not to know, he was telling me to hold onto the evidence and go.

It was as if he told me to report him if I wanted to.

How did you know that I knew the truth? No, before that, why did you insist on getting caught?

My eyes, full of doubt, met Belled’s strangely sparkling gaze. Belled laughed.

“I saw it from the first time I saw you. My eyes are the ones that see things like that.”

Something like that?

“What...?”

Belled looked into my eyes for a moment at my question. As if reading something. Then he opened his mouth calmly.

“The first death was in Orobas.”

“...!”

I forgot to even breathe at that moment. The word “first death” meant that he already knew that I had died several times. He even knew exactly where Orobas was.

“The second death was as a sacrifice at the temple while wearing Yubar’s clothes.”

It was all true. I inhaled with goosebumps.

“This is your third life, isn’t it?”

His smooth voice rang out in surprise at me.

“Have you heard about the unique abilities of demons?”

He was directly revealing that he was a demon. The moment my eyes widened, Belled said,

“I am a demon of the mind’s eye. I can see the end of my opponent. I don’t know how you went against the divine providence, but at least, I know one thing for sure.”

The hand that was covering my cheek lifted my chin so that I could meet his gaze.

A low voice flowed out from his mouth.

“You already knew the answer and came to this land.”

Knowing but pretending not to know.

The dark green pupils seemed to have sunken completely into the black. It was as if the gaze was catching the person, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.

My breath caught in my throat.


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