[A Bright Yet Sullen Demon]

"Well, this is a problem..."

I murmured to myself under my breath as I fumbled about with the bedsheets.
This wasn't an issue that came about today or yesterday. I'm the prince of this city, or to be
more precise, I'm the king now, having deposed my rampaging father and inhered his throne
at the close of the last war. Recently, I made these details clear to Henri.
Today marks an entire week that Henri has been distant to me, isolating himself in his room.
Although he himself would likely deny that he'd been doing anything of the sort...
"Henri, exactly how long do you expect you'll stay holed up in here?"
"Enough... Just leave me alone."
"You must be running low on magic..."
"I said enough!"
His self-imposed confinement, by the way, was only at night. During the day while I'm
occupied with my duties, he paces about his room and meets with his former subordinates.
From what I'm told, he seems happy then. I think he's slowly accepting that I'm a king, but he
nonetheless has a prideful streak...
I decide that I've had enough of this, and vow to end this asylum of his today. I grab hold of
his sheets, and in one deft motion, I rip them off. Henri pouts as he makes eye contact with
me. The look he's giving me plainly asks "What on earth are you doing?". I may be deluding
myself, but I can swear a bit deeper under the surface he's really trying to say "Why didn't you
do this sooner?"
As he screws up his face to denounce me, I draw him close and crash my lips against his.
They're softer than I remembered, and despite himself,
he kisses me back.
"Mmm... mnngh..."
As usual, he can't get enough of my magic and myself as he lets out a high-pitched gasp...
"Mngh... Ohh... Idiot... What took you so long...?"
Just as expected...
"I'm sorry. I guess I just wanted to see how deep that pride of yours ran."
"What!? You fool! I don't care how lofty of a position you hold, you're still a jerk!"
"I was worried I suppose... Promise you'll only show me this side of you?"
"Huh...? I've never even... You're the only person who's ever treated me
like this before..."
For a moment, he's embarrassed and faces the floor. Then he looks straight at me with those
huge, innocent eyes and presses his lips against mine again. With each little gasp he lets escape,
I can feel him melting away. He's as vulnerable as the first time we met. I found him defeated,
beaten and bruised, with one of his horns snapped...
As I recall how close his assailants were to delivering the final blow, I unconsciously hold him
tighter. His attackers were men directly under the command of my father. Shortly after I
deposed him, I set about looking for them. They were quickly captured, and I hid Henri in a
secret room in the cellar while men still loyal to my father were about.
As I looked at his divine form, still beautiful despite his wounds, he quickly woke, and then...
"It's been like this ever since."
"Huh? What are you even talking about?"
"Don't worry about a thing. I'll protect you."
"What...!? D-Don't try and impress me with heroic lines like that... Idiot..."
"I had no idea it was this easy to get you so flustered. Shall I put a bit more effort in and really
set you on edge?"
"S-Stop!"
"Hehe. You're such a flirt, I know you'll forgive me regardless of what I do. Isn't that
right?"
"Hey! Don't treat me like some lovesick girl!"
Even though he's taller than me, and more muscular, he’s still so easy to woo with honeyed
words, stroking my cheek, letting me cradle him in my arms... Is it really any wonder why I
treat him like this?
I am reminded, however, that Henri presumably went through life with his head held high
until now.
"Sorry, I'll stop that immediately. It's comforting, really, that regardless of my status, you don't
change how you act with me."
"I never really thought about it... You're you. Humans are so obsessed with ranks and titles...
As for me... You're the one who provided me with magic, slept next to me in this nice warm
bed... That's what matters to me, not whether you're king or not."
"You're still upset I didn't tell you earlier, aren't you?"
"Maybe I am! Lord, you do what you like with my body and this is how you treat me?"
"Well, I blame you for that..."
"Oh yes, I'm just some nymphomaniac demon who can't get enough, that's what you want to
say, right?! I'll have you know that in ages past I was quite impressive!"
"Okay, okay... I'm very happy with you, though. Thank you again Henri."
Upon hearing these words, Henri stops flailing about and goes still. His entire face begins to
turn red as he looks at me. Despite his lovesickness, I know I can say anything to him and he'll
understand.
"Will you stay by my side? I pledge to make this a worthy kingdom. Not just for demons, or
for angels, but a just and unbiased realm that will stand the test of time."
"Of course I will... I'll do that and... and more..."
"I promise to love you forever... or at least as long as I live. I'll certainly pass on before you,
but until that day, you'll have my love."
"Don't make it sound so sad! Ugh... You're going to make me cry..."
My stomach drops seeing the tears fall from his eyes. I plant a kiss on his eyelids and hug
him tighter. There are many men with elf blood in my kingdom, and I am no exception. The
elf blood I've inherited from my mother will give me a lifespan exceeding that of a normal
human's... But still not as long as any demon.
"A-Are you really okay with an older man?"
"I've not met too many old demons before but... I know I don't want anyone but you, Henri."
"B-But... This body of mine is over a thousand years old! A thousand! I'm so old!"
"That old? Well... All I know is that I've never seen some as cute as you, or as alluring,
I love everything about you. I love your broken horn, how your wings taper off, how easy it is
to make you cry... All of it..."
"Ohh..."
"So, I want you and I to-"
"Fine! I will!"
"Let me finish, please..."
"Oh! S-Sorry... Ugh..."
"It's okay, I know how you are. I love you... For as long as we can, let's treasure each other
and our country..."
I take his hand and lay a kiss on it as a sign of my oath. A soft glow encompasses his figure.
(This always happens when Henri is happy, something to do with his magic leaking out. It's
adorable.)
"I... I love you too..."
"I know."
"Well go ahead and thank me then! Show some humility!"
"I am feeling pretty humble right now, honestly..."
"Ugh... Oh, by the way, your baby sister came to visit me this afternoon! She was a lot like you,
she talked so informally and kept saying she was looking forward to getting some
grandchildren? She's strange, no?"
"That... That was my mother."
"Huh? That little girl is your mother? Don't lie to me!"
"You're going to sulk for another week, aren't you?"
"What? Hey, look at me when I'm talking to y- Ahh! Don't grab onto my horn like that!"

The End