I Took the Demon King as My Wife

A long while after the bell announcing noon had rung, the Emperor had already emptied his third glass of wine, noting the unstoppably flowing time.
“Um… Your Majesty…?”
The minister standing in front of the platform to officiate asked, watching the Emperor nervously.
The Emperor was trying to avoid his gaze, with his young son sitting on his knee.
“Father, when will the hero arrive?”
His son Abel, sitting on his knee, asked. The Emperor put down the wine glass he was holding and smiled.
“It seems the hero is very nervous. Even the strongest man gets nervous on his wedding day.”
“Really…?”
Abel looked up at him with bright eyes. Katrina, sitting beside him, gently stroked his head and said,
“Yes, Abel? Your father was so nervous on the day of our wedding that he stumbled and fell during the entrance?”
“Father did?”
“Well… I might have….”
The Emperor chuckled and lightly lifted his son to transfer him to Katrina’s arms.
Then he slowly stood up and quietly moved to the side of the platform.
“…Sorry, please wait a little longer.”
“Ah… yes… it doesn’t matter much to me….”
At the Emperor’s whispered words, the minister trailed off and slightly turned his eyes.
The Emperor likewise rolled his eyes. Discontent was beginning to rise on the faces of the guests filling both sides.
“…Oh dear.”
The Emperor slightly clutched his throbbing forehead and called one of the escort knights standing at the stairs below the platform.
A knight wearing a splendid banquet armor approached him hurriedly, making a loud clanking noise.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Now, go and….”
Just as he was about to say, “Go and bring that tortoise of a hero here,”
-Boom boom!
A heavy drum sound echoed from the band at the entrance. Simultaneously, the ornately decorated doors began to open slightly.
“The Hero enters!”
With the resonant voice of the herald, a large figure appeared.
“That guy….”
The Emperor let out a candid laugh and gently shook his head.
Hans bowed his head to the distant Emperor, then slowly entered the hall.
“Ooh….”
“Oh my, is that really the hero…?”
“The time now is….”
“Be quiet for a moment! Honey!”
With each confident step he took, voices of admiration erupted from all around.
There were some voices mixed with slight irritation, but they soon faded, hidden by voices of admiration.
Step by step, without limping once, Hans reached the Emperor and knelt before him at the bottom of the stairs.
“Hero Hans Elbain, presenting himself to His Imperial Majesty.”
The Emperor greeted him with a kind smile, breathing a sigh of relief.
“You’re a bit late.”
Actually, it wasn’t just a bit… but such trivial matters would be addressed later in private.
“I apologize….”
Hans couldn’t easily raise his head, as if he were ashamed. The Emperor glanced at him and slightly gestured to the minister officiating.
At this, the minister called a young page guarding the terrace door to bring the preparations for the title-conferring ceremony.
A moment later, the boy who received the order brought all the preparations on a red cushion to the Emperor.
The Emperor whispered “good job” to the boy and picked up the gold and silver cups placed on the cushion.
As he returned with a cup in each hand, two escort knights approached the Emperor closely, one with a long sword and the other with wine.
“Stand up.”
The Emperor said as he slowly descended the stairs and stood in front of Hans.
At his command, Hans slowly rose.
When Hans stood completely, the stark difference in height made the Emperor look up at him.
As his enormous shadow completely engulfed the Emperor, Hans slightly bent his knees.
“No, no, there’s no need for that. It’s right to receive the ceremony in a complete posture.”
“Ah… yes.”
Hans corrected his posture again and expanded his chest.
At his imposing figure, the Emperor felt that the knotted emotions he had been harboring were somewhat relieved.
Soon, the knight on the left poured a little wine into each of the gold and silver cups.
The knight on the right slowly removed the shining scabbard and drew out a radiant golden sword.
When all preparations were complete, the Emperor took a deep breath and gently closed his eyes.
Then, immediately opening his eyes wide, he spoke in a voice loud enough to echo throughout the hall.
“Hero Hans Elbain! You have spared no effort for the kingdom during the past 15 years! Therefore, the imperial palace highly values your hard work and sacrifice and hereby bestows upon you the title of Baron!”
At his resonant voice, applause rained down from the people gathered in the hall.
The Emperor paused his speech for a moment, receiving the shower of applause. Then he continued in a somewhat subdued voice.
“From now on, you shall be called Baron Elbain.”
“I am merely grateful for the Emperor’s actions!”
When Hans answered in a loud voice, the Emperor smiled broadly and handed him the silver cup.
Hans, receiving the cup respectfully with both hands, slightly tilted his head back and drank the poured wine in one go.
Then, the Emperor tilted the gold cup he was holding in his other hand and poured the rest into Hans’s cup.
As soon as the cup was filled, Hans immediately drank it all down again.
After emptying all the cups, Hans returned the silver cup to the Emperor.
The page standing behind scurried over to take the two empty cups and backed away.
The Emperor immediately received the shining sword from the knight on his right and, holding it reverse-grip, handed it to Hans with a thrust.
Hans grabbed the blade with both hands and carefully placed his forehead against the handle.
The Emperor released the sword, and Hans slowly turned his body and raised the sword.
The sword with seven embedded jewels gleamed brilliantly in the light shining through the bright terrace.
“Waaah~!”
Applause erupted again from the guests at the dazzling radiance. Simultaneously, praise accompanied by whistles began to burst forth from here and there.
The Emperor approached Hans’s side and raised his arm higher.
“I congratulate the birth of the Elbain Baronage!”
With the Emperor’s hopeful voice, a fierce wave of acclaim rose even higher.
Hans swallowed once nervously and slightly rolled his eyes to look at the Emperor.
“Congratulations.”
The Emperor smiled and whispered just loud enough for him to hear.
“Honestly, I find it burdensome….”
“Still saying such things? Well… even if so, it’s too late to regret now.”
The Emperor muttered in a playful tone as he took Hans’s hand and lowered it.

Hans handed the sword back to the escort knight and watched the Emperor return to his seat.
“Hero!”
“He-Hero, congratulations!”
At the sight of the Empress and the Crown Prince waving their hands vigorously at him from the side, he smiled brightly and bowed his head.
As the ear-piercing applause gradually subsided, the pages guarding the front of the terrace flung open the large glass doors.
Woosh, a warm breeze poured in all at once.
Adjusting his fluttering clothes, Hans approached the platform.
“Now! Following the conferment ceremony, we will proceed directly with Baron Elbain’s wedding ceremony!”
The minister standing on the platform said in a loud voice. A page came with a large etiquette book and handed it to him.
The minister wiped his empty crown once and opened the worn and tattered book on the platform. He cleared his throat, covering his mouth with his fist.
“May the bride enter!”
Along with his resounding voice, the string orchestra at the entrance began to play a beautiful melody.
“The bride enters!”
Following this, the page holding the door shouted and began to open the door slowly and smoothly.
-Creeeak.
As the door opened wide, a flood of bright light poured in.
“Oh, no!”
“Oh my! Goodness…!”
The guests standing near the entrance couldn’t close their mouths at the bride’s appearance they encountered first.
Regardless of gender, they all had dumbfounded expressions as they craned their necks toward the entrance.
-Pam-pa-ba-ba!
With a cheerful trumpet sound, she slowly revealed herself.
-Tap.
They say a beauty is beautiful from her feet, and the bride’s feet, clad in white glass slippers, even the small feet contained within seemed like well-crafted artworks.
Finally, the bride fully revealed herself.
Eilena, with her eyes gently closed, began to walk on the red carpet with her hands neatly folded in white gloves.
Step by step, along her elegant footsteps, the trailing end of her long dress gathered people’s gazes.
Unlike earlier when everyone had applauded in admiration at Hans’s appearance, there was no one making a commotion at her entrance.
Everyone was just staring at her enchanting figure with a foolish expression, their gazes captivated.
And among these many people, one man had a particularly dumbfounded expression.
Hans, standing in front of the platform, looked at her pure white figure with unfocused eyes.
“……”
One step.
Another step.
As she, standing far away, gradually came closer, his heart began to pound wildly.
The anxious heart, the burdened mind, the worried feelings—at this moment, none of them could be felt.
When her brightly burning hair fluttered in the wind beyond the white veil, all thought stopped, and he couldn’t think of anything.
The Emperor standing behind, the knight standing beside, the guests filling the surroundings—they all began to blur in his vision.
The surroundings gradually transformed into a formless space, dyed with a reddish-white color.
In the space filled with stillness, only she was visible, and the sound of her feet gently stepping on the carpet tickled his ears.
Neither the madly pounding sound of his own heart, nor his momentarily stopped breath, nor any other sound could be heard.
Why?
Why am I like this?
Why me.
Looking at her gradually approaching, Hans continued to ask questions.
But he couldn’t answer any of them.
And so, before he knew it, she had approached his side.
Eilena came up the stairs gracefully and stood beside Hans, taking a deep breath.
She slightly opened her eyes that had been gently closed and glanced up at Hans, who had a blank expression.
“Ah w-well, now I’ll begin the ceremony.”
Everyone was in a daze and didn’t dare break the silence, and only the minister in charge of the ceremony barely held onto his senses and opened his mouth.
At this, people began to regain their senses one by one, shaking their heads and straightening their postures.
But Hans still couldn’t take his eyes off her. Unaware of this, the officiant began to recite from the etiquette book.
“Baron Elbain. Do you swear to take the demon Eilena de Mephisto as your wife and love her with all your being?”
“……”
“Baron Elbain?”
“Ah… yes, what?”
Seeing Hans not answering, the officiant asked again, and Hans, who belatedly came to his senses, turned his head and blinked.
“Do you… swear?”
The minister said.
“Ah… yes.”
Hans barely nodded his creaking head to answer. He hadn’t understood at all what he had just heard.
The minister turned his head to look at Eilena.
“Eilena de Mephisto. Do you swear to take Hans Elbain as your husband, discard your old name, and be reborn as a new woman?”
“…Yes.”
Eilena, who had listened carefully to the vow, answered immediately. As her lips opened, Hans’s eyes involuntarily rolled to the side.
“……”
Though he hadn’t properly heard the vow addressed to him, Hans couldn’t help but flinch at how clearly he could hear the words from her mouth.
After that, the officiant continued to ask questions alternately to the two.
Hans continued to give reflexive answers without properly understanding his questions, while Eilena nodded and gave neat answers one by one.
After all the questions were finished.
“Then… finally.”
The officiant ran his hand over the last page of the etiquette book and read.
“Through the kiss of covenant, I declare that the two are officially husband and wife.”
Strong bloodshot eyes appeared in Hans’s eyes, which had been wandering in the void with a lost focus throughout.
“…What?”
An unexpected situation that wasn’t in the plan had just occurred.