☀ Chapter 5 ☀
The Ruby Palace, located closest to the Diamond Palace where the Emperor lived, belonged solely to the Crown Prince, Ivan.
Even if the daughter of an ordinary Count’s family dared to insult a member of the Imperial Family and lost her head for it, no one in the Empire would question it.
After all, Ivan wasn’t called an angel because he was naïve or soft-hearted.
People called him that because he helped those in need and used his abilities for the good of the Empire.
As the only heir to the Lakis Empire, Ivan always followed the Imperial laws himself before expecting others to do the same.
Although he was surprisingly gentle for a future ruler, no one ever dared oppose him.
Because everyone knew…
He wasn’t truly “kind.”
As proof, countless palace servants lost their jobs every year.
And anyone who was caught insulting the Imperial Family was executed without mercy.
“So… that’s what you think of me.”
“May I ask why?”
Fortunately, Ivan didn’t seem offended by Rine’s answer.
He simply asked the question with a calm expression.
…Judging by his reaction, I guess today isn’t the day I’m going to die.
Rine blinked slowly.
She had expected the atmosphere to become cold, even if he didn’t kill her immediately.
But surprisingly…
Nothing had changed.
It doesn’t seem like he’s acting this way because other people are watching…
Then is it really because he wants something from me?
What could it possibly be?
The Imperial Palace was protected by a barrier that prevented teleportation magic.
Unlike last time…
She couldn’t simply run away.
Which meant she had to be careful with her words.
But…
He was the one who asked why!
It was only fair to answer.
Besides…
She had been wanting to say this for a long time.
Rine smiled brightly.
“I was actually going to tell you anyway, so I’m glad you asked.”
“…Hm?”
“You threatened to kill me the first time we met, forced a marriage proposal on me even though I never agreed, found the house I never told you about, and even threatened me there.”
She looked at him confidently.
“If that isn’t the behavior of a demon, then what is?”
“You threatened to kill me, forced a marriage proposal on me, found my house, and threatened me there. If that isn’t the behavior of a demon, then what is?”
You should apologize while I’m still asking nicely.
Ivan looked as though he had been caught completely off guard.
“Pfft…”
Behind him, Vanel quickly turned his head away, obviously trying not to laugh.
Even so…
His shaking shoulders gave him away.
…She’s right.
Those definitely aren’t things an angel would do.
After suddenly having all of his actions listed one by one, Ivan unconsciously swallowed.
Even if it was only for a brief moment…
Rine was the first woman who had ever made him nervous.
“It seems I’ve treated you terribly, Lady Astel.”
“I apologize.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
Rine smiled as if she happily accepted his apology.
Watching her carefully, Ivan asked,
“Then…”
“Are you no longer afraid of me?”
“No.”
“Where would you ever find a demon who apologizes so honestly?”
Rine calmly took another sip of her tea.
Ivan was the hidden mastermind.
Not a demon.
According to the original novel, demons were bound by certain restrictions and couldn’t kill humans whenever they pleased.
But Ivan had beheaded someone right in front of her.
Seeing how calm she looked, Ivan lowered his gaze.
“So…”
“You don’t actually believe I’m a demon.”
“Of course I don’t.”
“This world has monsters, after all.”
Demons definitely existed in this world.
The heroine herself was a Saint who served God.
If there was good…
Then evil naturally existed too.
But what were the chances that an extra with almost no presence would accidentally meet a demon who could change the entire story?
Zero.
Demons aren’t neighbors.
If they were that easy to meet, this would be the Demon Realm.
Getting involved with Ivan, the second male lead, was already unlikely enough to feel like winning the lottery.
A demon?
No way.
While Rine dismissed Ivan’s words as nothing more than a joke…
Ivan quietly looked toward one side.
Then he slowly stood up and walked over to her.
“…Your Highness?”
“May I receive the gift you prepared for me now?”
A gift?
What gift?
I didn’t bring anything.
While Rine looked at him in confusion, Ivan bent down until they were at eye level.
The moment his face came close—
“You brought holy water.”
“That’s a wonderful gift.”
Before she could even blink…
The small bottle of holy water was already in Ivan’s hand.
The clear liquid inside the thin glass sparkled like a star.
“What…?”
“How is that…?”
How did he know I brought holy water?
The bottle was tiny.
It fit easily inside her sleeve.
It didn’t even have a smell.
Afraid the atmosphere would suddenly become tense again, Rine swallowed nervously.
“Lady Astel.”
“What do you think is the most important thing in a partnership?”
“That’s… trust.”
“You’re right.”
Why is he suddenly asking that?
She couldn’t understand what he was thinking.
Feeling uneasy, Rine reached for the bottle.
At that moment—
Crash!
The sharp sound of breaking glass pierced her ears.
Her eyes widened.
An unbelievable sight unfolded before her.
“Your Highness!”
The back of Ivan’s hand began burning bright red where the holy water touched it.
Not only that—
Black ash drifted into the air as though his flesh were burning.
It was an unbelievable sight.
The holy water burned Ivan’s hand, and black ash scattered into the air like he was on fire.
He’s completely insane!
Panicking, Rine immediately grabbed Ivan’s hand and cast healing magic.
It wasn’t a conscious decision.
Her body simply reacted on instinct.
A brilliant blue light surrounded their joined hands.
“…Hmm.”
A strange sound escaped Ivan’s lips.
Feeling the unfamiliar magic flowing into him, curiosity filled his green eyes.
The blackened flesh gradually healed.
Even the deep scars disappeared completely.
As though nothing had happened.
Looking at his perfectly restored hand, Ivan smiled in satisfaction.
“As expected… you really are a Filtre.”
“Fil… what?”
Rine almost fainted from shock.
Ivan had nearly left himself with an irreversible injury.
And he had done it right in front of her.
Yet…
Why is he so calm?
The person who caused all this acted as though nothing had happened.
“Filtre (filtrer).”
“It refers to someone who can not only sense demonic energy, but also completely erase its traces.”
“And unlike ordinary magicians…”
“They can also remove holy power.”
“As you just did.”
Ivan lightly tapped the back of his healed hand.
“In other words…”
“You’re neutral.”
“You can handle both holy power and magic.”
Seeing that Rine still looked confused, he explained more simply.
“So…”
“You burned your own hand just to confirm that?”
“What if I wasn’t a Filtre?”
“Why are you angry?”
“You’re the one who wasn’t hurt.”
Ivan tilted his head.
He genuinely couldn’t understand why she was upset.
He’s definitely a demon.
No question about it.
An angel would never say something like that!
Rine didn’t even know where to begin explaining.
She quietly looked behind him.
The maids Ivan had ordered to stay far away were secretly watching them with curious expressions.
So he blocked both the sound and their vision with magic.
No wonder no one had rushed over despite the Crown Prince’s hand catching fire.
Even Vanel, who was standing nearby, hadn’t reacted at all.
Maybe he’s a demon too.
“Sir Feist.”
“Do you also think this is perfectly fine?”
“His Highness made the decision.”
“I simply follow his orders.”
Vanel answered calmly.
Nothing about these two was normal.
Rine pressed a hand against her aching forehead.
On the outside they looked perfectly normal.
But both of them were missing a screw somewhere.
“There were much better ways to earn my trust.”
“This was the quickest and most accurate method.”
“And I needed to confirm something as well.”
“To see whether I was a Filtre?”
Ivan nodded.
Originally…
He had planned to injure himself some other way.
But since suspicious Rine had brought holy water…
Things had become much simpler.
…I’d better not thank her.
Looking at the dangerous expression in Rine’s eyes, Ivan wisely kept his mouth shut.
“Then…”
“The unpleasant feeling I sensed at Count Anasia’s estate that day…”
“That was demonic energy.”
“It’s one of a Filtre’s abilities.”
“So that’s how you managed to find me.”
But…
Rine couldn’t sense the same demonic energy from Ivan now.
Which means…
The demonic energy I sensed that day belonged to someone else.
After thinking for a moment, she looked at Ivan.
There was something she needed to confirm.
“The person you killed that day…”
“Who was he?”
“He was once human.”
“But after being completely consumed by demonic energy…”
“He lost his existence.”
…Isn’t that just a monster?
“Then why did you say you were going to kill me?”
“You could’ve simply explained that you were dealing with a human-shaped monster.”
Rarely…
Some monsters appeared in human form.
That explanation would’ve been enough.
So why…
“Oh.”
“Because you ran away.”
“…What?”
“Chasing someone who runs away…”
“Is a demon’s instinct.”
“Chasing someone who runs away… is a demon’s instinct.”
Those quiet words finally broke Rine’s ability to think.
“So you really are a demon.”
“You’re the absolute worst.”
“Thank you.”
…That wasn’t a compliment.
