Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Prologue: The Final Boss’s First Love

  First Act: The Villainess’s Plot

  Second Act: The Villainess Poses as a Sweet Young Thing

  Third Act: The Villainess Refuses to Fall for Nothing

  Fourth Act: The Common Sense of the Villainess and the Final Boss

  Fifth Act: The Villainess’s Magnificent Clandestine Maneuver

  Final Act: The Final Boss’s Family

  Afterword

  Copyright

  Yen Newsletter

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Prologue: The Final Boss’s First Love

  First Act: The Villainess’s Plot

  Second Act: The Villainess Poses as a Sweet Young Thing

  Third Act: The Villainess Refuses to Fall for Nothing

  Fourth Act: The Common Sense of the Villainess and the Final Boss

  Fifth Act: The Villainess’s Magnificent Clandestine Maneuver

  Final Act: The Final Boss’s Family

  Afterword

  Yen Newsletter

  Prologue

  The Final Boss’s First Love

  He hears voices.

  It isn’t that his hearing is especially good. He isn’t using magic, either. He hears them talking behind him, just after he passes them; for humans, that’s a perfectly normal thing.

  “There’s no telling when he will show his true colors.”

  “Letting him strut about the palace when Prince Cedric is here… What can His Majesty be thinking?”

  “Prince Cedric is still young. Who knows when he might be killed.”

  “Really! How long will they call that thing the crown prince…?”

  …Do they think the demon king can’t understand human speech?

  “Master Claude, the room is to your right.”

  A voice cuts through the chatter. Claude, who’s been all but bolting down the corridor, stops in his tracks. His attendant has followed him, wearing his usual gentle smile.

  “…Ah, right. Of course.”

  “Yes. Even if she is your cousin, she is a princess of the Kilvas Empire. Arriving late because you got lost would reflect poorly on you, the crown prince of Ellmeyer.”

  His attendant stresses the words crown prince, and Claude’s eyes skate away from his smile. “I know. I’m just not looking forward to this. I hope she hasn’t come to complain about Mother’s early death.”

  “It isn’t wise to display such obvious hostility to someone you’ve never met before.”

  “What, are you saying I’m in the wrong?” Claude glares at him with cold red eyes. A single look is all he needs to silence his father, to elicit both fear and loathing. And yet this attendant never shuts up, no matter how withering Claude’s gaze.

  “Yes, precisely. This is a case of misplaced anger and prejudice.”

  The things he says are also never wrong.

  It’s as if he’s saying, When these words stop getting through to you, you’ll be truly lost.

  “…I’ll pray that my anger and prejudice are actually misplaced, then.”

  “Please do. We received a very gracious letter from her before this meeting.”

  “She could have had someone else write it.”

  “You’re on edge. Would you please believe me about this? I have already investigated her character. She’s a relative who is your age. There’s a chance you two could become friends.”

  This meeting with Claude’s cousin has been permitted for purely diplomatic reasons. It’s to prove that “although the young lady who married into our family from yours has met an early death, we are not mistreating her son, even though the second empress has produced a second prince.” There’s also the fact that Claude is the demon king, so there’s also a thinly veiled hope that, if the stars align, this cousin may take the walking time bomb back with her.

  Since the birth of his half brother, Cedric, the number of people trying to oust Claude has been growing by the day. However, Claude’s indecisive father can’t bring himself to get rid of Claude nor accept him fully; he’s a man whose primary concern is keeping up appearances. The most he’ll do is take temporary, stopgap measures, which only sow the seeds of future trouble. And of course, he hasn’t noticed the empress dowager’s covert maneuvering.

  Even the family of Duke d’Autriche, the most powerful of the aristocrats, seems ready to abandon Claude. If they do, he’s sure to be stripped of his titles and rights.

  However, if he really has the good of the nation at heart, he can always voluntarily abdicate.

  His half brother, Cedric, is healthy and thriving. Claude was moved when the boy called him “Bwother”; Cedric didn’t quite manage to say the word properly. At this rate, a battle for the throne will be inevitable. Even if the two of them don’t want to fight, the people around them will force the issue.

  And so before that happens…

  …Why must it always be me?

  “Master Claude.”

  It’s the second time his attendant, Keith, has called his name, and Claude returns to himself with a jolt. The older boy takes Claude’s clenched fist and gently uncurls his fingers one by one.

  “I’m well aware that it isn’t my place to say this, but please don’t abandon humanity.”

  The way he says it makes the words sound like a prayer. Claude exhales and lets his shoulders fall. “…I know. I’m sorry.”

  “Good. Now come with me, Your Highness.”

  The imposing door that leads to the reception room meant for entertaining honored guests opens with a ponderous noise.

  Although it’s broad daylight, the location of the room and the angle of the sun have cast such deep shadows that they have completely swathed the visitor in darkness. The moment Claude is visible in the doorway, she comes forward.

  She reminds me of pure-white snow, he thinks. Is it because she’s from the north? Her silver hair gleams a radiant white when it catches the sunlight.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Prince Claude. I am Cattleya Tsar Kilvas, first princess of the Kilvas Empire.” Her voice sounds slightly mechanical, giving a cool, dispassionate impression that Claude finds rather pleasant.

  The heat that was smoldering in him just a moment ago slowly subsides, and his tone is milder than before. “An honor, Princess Cattleya. Have I kept you waiting? My apologies.”

  “No, there’s no problem. You’re right on time. Ah, thank you.”

  She takes the chair that Keith has courteously pulled out for her, sitting down without any sign of contempt or mockery. Claude sits down at the other end of the long, narrow table; they’re seated too distantly to present any sense of intimacy. “May I ask the purpose of your visit? There were no details in your letter.”

  “I simply wished to see you in person, so I didn’t think it was necessary to explain in writing.”

  Black hair, red eyes—these are the iconic features of the demon king, and it isn’t unusual for Claude to attract gawkers, but no one has ever told him right to his face before. That didn’t make it any more enjoyable, however, and Claude frowns.

  It’s her next words that make his furrowed brow relax.

  “You see, my little brother also has black hair and red eyes.”

  Keith seems startled; he’s been skillfully making tea, but he freezes mid-motion.

  “…Black hair and red eyes? Your brother? I hadn’t heard…”

  “It’s only natural you wouldn’t know. Vica has only just begun to walk. He still only has wisps of hair, and as we aren’t truly certain it’s black yet, we haven’t disclosed any information to the public. The strong red cast to his eyes may not be permanent, either. At present, we’re simply watching and waiting.”

  “Can two demon kings exist at once?” Keith interrupts.

  Cattleya doesn’t rebuke him. She seems placid, but perhaps she is actually quite anxious. “I came here because I wished to confirm that myself… In secret, since I couldn’t wait for the Queendom of Hausel to grant permission.”

  “You didn’t use Hausel’s sea routes? That’s reckless,” Claude says.

  The ocean splits the land into northern and southern continents, with the islands of the Holy Queendom of Hausel at its center. From Hausel, where the queen dwells, Imperial Ellmeyer is to the southwest, while the Kilvas Empire is one of the nations in the northeast of its continent. Some poet somewhere once likened the world to “a tilted hourglass.”

  When crossing between the northern and the southern continents, the stablest and safest route is the one that passes through the Queendom due to the tides and the convenience of resupplying on long voyages. To that end, if the nations in the southwest and the northeast wish to interact, by default, they need the Queendom of Hausel’s permission.

  As a result, visits from Kilvas to Ellmeyer happen only once a decade, if that. Commoners from either empire might not even know the other nation’s name; to them, it’s probably “that big country on the other side of the Queendom.”

  “True, the trip was dangerous, but our empire’s newest steamship is well built. Besides, it’s too much work to secure the Queendom’s permission, and it takes too long. Even my father is caught between those who say we should simply wait and others who claim we s

hould seek guidance from the Queendom; he’s bewildered, and I didn’t get a chance to speak with him at all.”

  “Even so, not getting Hausel’s permission must have required courage, particularly for you.”

  The Kilvas Empire is a large nation with a thriving steel industry, but the cold climate is harsh, crops are difficult to grow there, and demons are very active. As a result, for long years, the Queendom of Hausel has slain demons for them and provided humanitarian support. Although it is referred to as an empire, it’s no exaggeration to say that the position of emperor is conferred by Hausel. Its queen can see the future, and her existence gives the Queendom godlike authority.

  “I will be undergoing the Valkyrie surgery soon, so there were no issues with my leaving the country.”

  “Valkyrie… You’re going to become a warrior who wields a magic lance? But you’re a princess.”

  “Fighting demons is the duty of the Kilvas imperial family… Given that you are the demon king, perhaps I shouldn’t mention it to you. However, I came here because I wished to know.”

  Her gaze is straight and unerring. Feeling strangely drawn by those eyes, Claude stares back at her. At that point, he realizes Cattleya is taller than he is.

  “Would you tell me about yourself?”

  Although they’re close in age, that she asked the question feels like a sign that she is the more adult of the two.

  “…Not about the demon king?”

  His response makes him sound like a recalcitrant child.

  “They’re the same thing. You are the demon king as well as the crown prince. You have a dual nature, and I wish to know how you view humans and demons. Especially if my brother may also become a demon king.”

  “…What’s the point of knowing that? Besides, he and I are different people.”

  “Yes, you are. However, I would like Vica to be as strong as you are. Even if those around him treat him coldly, I want him to have the strength not to misjudge what he must do.”

  Claude’s eyes widen slightly as the girl makes a simple, genuine appeal.

  “Your circumstances and my brother’s are very similar. Our mother died soon after she bore Vica. For the moment, my father and those around us are attempting to hide my brother. However, there are limits to that. Whether or not he proves to be a demon king, no matter what the truth of the situation is, he’s sure to be treated unfairly. People will say heartless things to him… No matter how I try to protect him.”

  “……”

  “But even if he is the sort of being others will call a demon king, I want my brother to become someone splendid—and happy.”

  Claude is silent. Quietly, Keith sets a cup of black tea in front of him. Steam rises gently from it. The shadows in the room, which had been so deep, seem to be growing softer and lighter.

  “And so I have a question for you, Prince Claude. Are you happy?”

  “……”

  “If you are not, is there anything I can do? That is what I want to know.” For the first time, her lips curve into a clumsy smile.

  “I…,” he starts, but his voice has gone hoarse, and he can’t get the words out.

  He looks down, pressing a hand to his closed eyelids. More than tears or anything else, a feeling threatens to spill over. He’s jealous of her little brother. She isn’t wishing for the boy to become happy. She’s decided that she’ll make him happy, and that’s why she’s here.

  In my case, just having a woman like you by my side would be…

  But Claude is still too much of a child to say the words aloud. She said she considers him strong, which only convinces him all the more to refrain from saying anything pathetic in front of her.

  Instead, they simply exchange a few words that day, followed by a few letters later on.

  To prove the strength she was kind enough to acknowledge, Claude relinquishes his inheritance rights, averting a struggle for the throne. Not long after, a letter inviting him to the Kilvas Empire arrives, but he declines. He doesn’t want to flee to her country and be an object of pity.

  However, communication between the two nations has always been patchy, and that is the last he hears from her.

  All he has to remember her by is their singular meeting and a handful of letters. Those memories are tinged with pain and loneliness that fade with the passage of time, eventually disappearing like so many bubbles.

  That is how his first love ended.

  First Act

  The Villainess’s Plot

  The hall is filled with articles of clothing in all the colors of the rainbow. Blouses made of silk, vests, trousers, cloaks—even accessories like cuff links and ties and shoes. All men’s clothing. It almost seems as if no one wants to go to the trouble of tidying them up, and there’s hardly any room to do so, even if someone felt the urge. The bureaus and the door to the dressing room have also been left wide open, and garments lie atop couches and chests in stratified layers.

  They’re all one-of-a-kind pieces of clothing made by Imperial Ellmeyer’s tailors and designers, who have put the nation’s prestige and their pride as artisans on the line and spared no effort in materials or design.

  “Master Claude isn’t fond of gaudy items, so we’ll keep the accessories to a minimum… Let’s see. What if he casually wore those diamond-studded cuff links over there?”

  The woman who’s issuing instructions while lounging on a sofa at the back of the room is Empress Aileen Jean Ellmeyer, mistress of the imperial castle.

  “What about these?” asks Aileen’s lady-in-waiting Rachel. Working quickly but taking the utmost care not to damage any pieces of clothing, the servants hold them out for Aileen to examine.

  “Yes, I think those cuff links would pair well with other shirts, too. That should be enough everyday wear. How many formal outfits will we need?”

  “Between the wedding, soirees, and balls, there are five occasions that will require formalwear.”

  “In that case, let’s go with seven, just to be safe. We’ll choose versatile pieces to err on the side of caution. Oh, but Master Claude is oblivious about these things. Master Keith will be there, so he should be fine, but…”

  Aileen’s husband possesses such matchless beauty that he could be mistaken for a work of art even if he were dressed in rags, so he has never paid any attention to fashion. The man can’t even change clothes on his own. Without Keith, his brilliant adviser, he’d end up spending every day in the same random outfit, donned effortlessly by magic.

  As Aileen ponders this, Rachel makes a suggestion: “If that is a major concern, shall we assemble several sets of outfits here in advance? Since you won’t be attending, Lady Aileen, there should be space in the luggage.”

  “Oh, but wait. It’s colder over there, isn’t it? Will we need fur cloaks and coats that can keep out the chill?”

  It would be poor form to become preoccupied with her husband’s appearance and end up letting him catch a cold.

  Rachel tilts her head. “I wonder. The Kilvas Empire may be in the north, but it’s midsummer. I assume clothes meant for early spring would be more than enough.”

  “But Master Claude will be staying for half a month, and I hear autumn doesn’t visit them over there…”

  “I see. I’ll check.”

  “Please do.”

  Gazing at the intense sunlight that streams in through the window, Aileen leans against the sofa’s armrest with a sigh.

  “Are you tired? How are you feeling?” Rachel asks.

  “No, I’m all right. Thank you.” Accepting a glass of fruit-infused water, Aileen takes a sip. Then she grumbles, “Honestly, simply sending him is so much work… I’m glad I no longer need to make preparations for myself as well.”

  She’s currently packing for her husband, who will be crossing the ocean to attend the wedding of the emperor of Kilvas in one week’s time. Both the emperor and the empress of Ellmeyer had originally planned to attend, right up until Aileen began carrying a child. They’d sent their response before learning of her pregnancy, and there was a good chance that any refusal they sent would not make it in time. Moreover, missing this opportunity would be an extremely unwise move diplomatically, as it could impact future ties between the two empires. They ultimately decided that Claude would attend by himself.

  An invitation to a wedding. At first glance, it seems like a simple occasion to celebrate, but Aileen suspects it’s likely also a full-fledged diplomatic affair that will determine international relations in the wake of the queen of Hausel’s passing.