“Please accept this. It’s from Darlian-sama.”
“Thank you…”
Taking the Wooden Box from Ailus’s hands, Finihiya felt its considerable weight, and the hands supporting the bottom of the box sank a little under its heft. “What is this?”
“Open it and see.”
“I’ll take my leave then.”
“Oh, alright.”
After exchanging a few brief words, Ailus turned on light feet and left.
Gazing after Ailus’s gradually receding figure, Finihiya placed the Wooden Box on her lap.
The box’s shape resembled a brocade case, yet it lacked any carved or painted exquisite designs, giving it a simple, ordinary appearance.
A faint fragrance seemed to emanate from around the box.
It wasn’t the pleasant scent of flowers or herbs but a smell that stirred appetite within her stomach.
Curious, Finihiya opened the box lid.
Cookies?
Inside the box lay pieces of cookies in various shapes, packed full to the brim.
Staring at the scene before her, Finihiya’s delicate cheeks showed a hint of surprise, and her lake-blue eyes gleamed faintly.
She picked up a small cookie from the box.
The warmth conveyed through her fingertips caused more surprise to appear on her petite face.
These cookies seemed to have just been taken out of the oven.
Bringing the cookie to her lips, Finihiya took a shallow bite.
“…Delicious.”
Savoring the rich aroma of wheat spreading inside her mouth, she covered her cherry lips with one hand and softly sighed.
Judging from the lingering warmth and good taste, these cookies clearly weren’t sent to tease her deliberately.
Her lowered eyes stared at the cookie’s small bitten edge as her mind drifted back to what Darlian-sama had said to her that morning.
(You seem to really like sweets.)
(I just saw you eating quite a bit.)
Now that she thought about it, when she had no water to moisten her throat after eating, Darlian-sama had quietly pushed her own share of tea over to her.
Remembering this, Finihiya’s impression of Darlian-sama improved slightly.
Recalling Darlian-sama’s face with its faint chill, a gentle smile crept onto Finihiya’s lips.
“You’re not so bad after all.”
Just as she reached to take another small bite of the cookie in her hand, voices from outside the rattling carriage suddenly broke through.
“Hey! Do you know why Darlian-sama hasn’t married?”
The first demon soldier spoke with a hint of excitement.
From his tone, it was clear he hoped the other would say “No,” so he could explain further.
But the soldier he spoke to either didn’t catch on or didn’t want to play along, replying on his own, “Darlian-sama is just too formidable; she doesn’t want to marry.”
This little exchange piqued Finihiya’s interest somewhat.
During this dull “journey,” hearing some amusing gossip might be the only way to find a sliver of joy.
Peeking through the gap in the swaying carriage curtain, Finihiya saw the two demon soldiers speaking outside.
“No, no, no…” The soldier on the left shook his head emphatically. “That’s not the real reason.”
“What is the real reason then?”
At this, the left soldier glanced furtively around, then lowered his voice to answer.
“Actually… Darlian-sama likes women.”
“…Huh?” The soldier on the right was stunned for a long moment before quietly asking, “How do you know that?”
“I saw it.”
“Saw what?”
“Did you know about Lady Laili?”
“Of course. She’s one of our demon cadre.” The soldier on the right furrowed his brow seriously, seemingly expecting what was coming next but unable to contain his curiosity. “What about Lady Laili?”
“I often see Lady Laili leaving Darlian-sama’s room early in the morning, her clothes all disheveled and her face unnaturally flushed.”
“Flushed…”
“Yeah, exactly that…” The soldier on the left explained while clapping his hands for emphasis, “The kind of flush you get from love. You know what I mean?”
“Got it.”
Originally listening to the demon soldiers’ conversation out of amusement, Finihiya’s petite face now displayed a complex expression.
It was a mixture of unease, anxiety, and something like a black foam of strange emotions.
This made her recall the succubus woman she’d seen in the corridor outside the room this morning.
The succubus who had come out of Demon Lord Darlian’s room, her clothes in disarray and cheeks unnaturally flushed.
At the time, she had vaguely suspected such a possibility but dismissed it as too unlikely.
Hearing the soldiers’ chat now, she immediately understood the situation from before.
But what stirred anxiety deep in her heart wasn’t that Demon Lord Darlian liked women, but rather…
Her perfectly shaped brows knitted deeply, and she repeatedly bit her cherry-petal lips.
The cookie, now close to her lips, was slowly set down.
Looking again at the cookies in the Wooden Box, her heart, muddled and restless, found no pleasure in them.
Recalling Darlian-sama’s attitude toward her that morning and the “kind” gift of cookies now, a wave of melancholy rose within her.
What if…
What if the Demon Lord liked her?
Perhaps she was overthinking it, but even the slightest possibility made her uneasy.
She was a captive, after all, and could not afford to be tormented by such uncertain feelings.
A long, stifled sigh escaped from Finihiya’s cherry-red lips.
Her already colorless and despairing captive life now seemed to be painted over once again in black ink.
“I hope I’m just imagining things…”
After a low, dry murmur, Finihiya placed the half-bitten cookie back into the Wooden Box and closed the lid again.
Given the delicate nature of the situation, she decided to cautiously accept Darlian-sama’s goodwill.
You take what’s given with no right to complain.
This simple truth was not lost on her.
Drawing aside the pure white curtain hanging down, Finihiya gazed toward the desolate plains in the distance.
Two thin, vulture-like birds circled back and forth in the sky, as if waiting for their next prey.
After watching quietly for a moment, perhaps to calm her anxious heart, Finihiya clasped her hands as if in prayer.
This was likely her most sincere prayer yet.
“Lord, you are the Master of Life. Have mercy on the souls in Purgatory, that they may soon be freed from suffering, ascend to Heaven, and behold Your compassionate countenance.
Grant us a deeper understanding of life’s brevity, that we may resist temptation in this world and, after death, join the Saints and faithful in the Holy Court.”