"Haha... You really told him that?"
"...Yes."
In the government hall, Priscilla couldn't help but laugh out loud upon hearing Anko's slightly frustrated report.
"An ordinary human... As far as I know, only he himself would describe himself that way."
Seeing Priscilla's rare lively smile, Anko silently sighed and her heart-shaped tail drooped a little dejectedly.
Losing face in front of Mr. Lister, the current Demon Queen candidate, was a great shame for the head maid.
"However, Demon Lord, I still don't understand... I just analyzed this thing Mr. Lister gave me, it's just a solidified mixture of beeswax and honey... Why would it have the effect of expelling miasma?"
"Ah, well... It's also my responsibility, after all I never mentioned the details about him to you before."
Priscilla smiled and took the pill, peeling off the outer sugar coating layer by layer.
"What's effective is not these outer things... but what's inside."
In the end, nestled within the yellow, lay a pinch of white powder.
"I don't quite understand the specifics either, but according to Lister, he calls this the active ingredient of the medicine."
"Moreover..."
A smile appeared on Priscilla's face.
"These are just the tip of the iceberg of Lister's 'magic'."
Her smile was one of heartfelt pride and admiration for her beloved.
"..."
At this moment, the door to the government hall opened and Lister, who had just changed into a new set of clothes, walked in.
"Priscilla, Anko said you were looking for me?"
"Yes, my dear, come here~"
Priscilla immediately stood up from her seat and walked towards Lister, making a move to hug him but Lister quietly dodged.
"Don't, Anko is still here..."
"You mean it's okay if Anko isn't here?"
"No, I mean we can start with the basics first."
"For example?"
"For example, holding hands when no one is around..."
Hearing Lister's soft-spoken words, Priscilla burst out laughing, her eyes filled with doting affection.
"I didn't expect you to be so pure, esteemed Mr. Lister."
"Isn't this how normal male-female relationships are?"
"Hehe... Male-female relationships..."
A glimmer flashed through Priscilla's eyes and her smile became gentler.
She hugged Lister without hesitation, but her movements were very gentle. With her tall stature, she could feel Lister's entire existence in her embrace.
"I really like this term..."
"..."
Anko, who had been left aside, subconsciously raised her eyes and pretended to be distracted, starting to ponder whether it would be better for her to disappear immediately now.
But after a while, Lister, whose face was slightly red, broke free from Priscilla's embrace.
"So, what did you want to see me for?"
"Of course it's something important."
"Demon Lord, then I shall take my leave first..."
"Wait, Anko, this matter requires your opinion."
Priscilla stopped Anko, who was about to leave to give the couple some space to be affectionate, and had the two sit down together.
"Anko, for this next matter, I need you to give an objective opinion."
"Yes, Demon Lord."
"Even if it's just within the scope of the Demon Lord's Castle for now, I want to hold a wedding with Lister first. What do you think are the chances of that?"
Priscilla's words stunned both Lister and Anko for a moment, but Anko quickly recovered and began frowning as she considered the possibilities.
"Demon Lord, even if you plan to limit the scope to within the Demon Lord's Castle, the castle itself is a place where various races converge and interact. It will basically be impossible to keep it from the monsters of other regions, unless you issue a strict gag order."
"However, issuing a gag order for this matter would be a bit too absurd, and would instead make Mr. Lister's human identity stand out too much. In the long run, it would do more harm than good."
"What if I insist on it?"
"If you insist, it's not completely impossible..."
"I don't think it's a good idea, Priscilla."
At this point, Lister calmly interjected into their conversation, and both Anko and Priscilla looked over.
Especially Priscilla, her eyes were now filled with complex emotions, making it hard to discern what was in them.
"...You don't want to?"
Priscilla asked Lister.
"I don't want to. At least not at this time."
Lister also responded quickly, while looking straight into Priscilla's slightly dazed eyes.
"Is it related to Aurola?"
"...Huh?"
This time it was Lister's turn to be stunned.
"What does she have to do with it?"
"Because, because, isn't she your first..."
"...I always feel like a lot of you misunderstand my relationship with her."
Lister sighed, then looked straight at Priscilla while holding one of her hands.
"!"
Priscilla was startled by Lister's unexpected initiative, and her arm stiffened imperceptibly for a moment.
"It's about you, Priscilla."
"...About me?"
"Yes."
Lister nodded.
He looked out the window. In the darkness, under the illumination of the twin moons, only the silhouettes of the Demon Lord's Castle and the various surrounding buildings could be seen.
"You, who single-handedly established this Demon Lord's Castle, must understand and be familiar with it even more than I do, right?"
"But even I, who has only been here for two days, can see that in order to accommodate so many races and so many conflicts and contradictions, you must have spent countless efforts and painstaking care on the Demon Lord's Castle."
"..."
Of course she knew this.
But if she didn't even have the right to marry the person she liked...
Then what was the point of being the Demon Lord?
Indeed, as Lister said, this Demon Lord's Castle, which showed signs of loosely connecting the demon realm that had been in a scattered state for thousands of years, was the only thing she had worked hard to accomplish since becoming the Demon Lord.
It was precisely because of this Demon Lord's Castle that she, an unrecognized and illegitimate Demon Lord, gained the tacit approval of the vast majority of the demon realm's populace.
Most demons only knew that she was the Demon Lord and had a Demon Lord's Castle under her command.
But who knew... how much time it took and how many detours she made when she built this place alone back then?
"I guessed right, didn't I?"
Seeing Priscilla's expression, Lister softened his tone and reached out to stroke her rough dragon horns.
"I am human, you are the Demon Lord. Although the two of us have cast aside all prejudices, your subjects have not."
"If you suddenly announce this news, it will undoubtedly be a huge blow to you and your fledgling Demon Lord's Castle."
It was only in the demon realm, where the Demon Lord's fist was big, so her power was big.
In the human world, if it was exposed that a king married a monster as his wife, he would already be burned to charcoal on a cross by the church the next day.
"I'm a normal male, so I don't want to see the person I like get hurt because of me. It would make me sad... Do you understand what I mean?"
Lister looked earnestly into Priscilla's scarlet pupils. Under his silent gaze, Priscilla could only let out a low "Mm".
"Good girl."
"..."
This adjective made Anko's eyelids twitch beside them.
"But just like how you accepted me, Anko accepted me, and Airu and Ai accepted me. Priscilla, as long as you treat the masses with sincerity, the masses will also treat you with equal sincerity."
"Moreover, when I went back earlier, I also thought that since I already agreed to your... um, proposal... I should also do some things befitting my identity that can make me like you more."
"How about starting with getting the people of the Demon Lord's Castle to approve of me as your demon queen... eh..."
"!"
Upon hearing this, Priscilla could no longer hold back. She pulled Lister into her arms, constantly nuzzling and sniffing his neck, while emitting an unsettling heat from the gaps between her scales. The entire dragon seemed to become scorching.
For some reason, Lister felt that if he was exposed to Priscilla in her current state... it would be very dangerous!
"Demon Lord, please calm down."
Anko interjected in a timely manner. A purple light flashed in her eyes, and Lister clearly felt Priscilla's unsettling state in his arms subside.
"Also, Mr. Lister... if you are not prepared, please do not provoke the Demon Lord so blatantly."
If you do that, you will be very easily violated, you know?
Anko silently added in her heart.
"..."
Was I provoking her just now?
Really?
Finally, Priscilla slowly released Lister, looking at him reluctantly as he sat back in his seat.
"I understand... Then, where should we start?"
"Of course, starting from where I'm best at."
Lister smiled at Priscilla, then softly spoke of his plans for tomorrow.
"First do this, then that..."
"..."
After listening, Priscilla nodded vaguely, then looked at Lister with hazy eyes.
"I think we can start by sleeping together tonight."
"Please allow me to refuse."
...