Chapter 416: A Quiet Moment in the Palace
Meanwhile, Yumiko and Yuina who became empress, remained in the beast kingdoms, although Asmodeus would send them frequent letters. The pair became anxious and missed his presence, slowly making plans to capture him.
After the morning meeting to decide several issues, Yuina sat in her private room, massaging her temples.
"These nobles, only a month ago they were about to be wiped out, now they are back to seeking profit even in the most disgusting ways!"
Normally, the former royal members would return to their homeland.
However, after becoming close friends with the two sisters, the former princess Juliet Fenrir became a Duchess, thanks to Yuina's choice to become her close ally. She thus swore to protect the royal family and usually stayed in her mansion close to the imperial palace.
"Do you miss your husband?" Juliet loved to ask them about Asmodeus and their romance because she also wanted to marry a man she met and fell in love with. Instead of following the family's decision to marry a stranger.
"So much~ he always sends letters, but I know that he's having so much fun just from the writing."
Yuina's eyes shone when speaking about Asmodeus, although he offered to come to see her in person. She didn't want him to see her before she sorted the empire out and put it on the right track. This was her pride, even if she regretted it.
'That man probably met many pretty elves, right?'
She couldn't hide her nerves and anxiety, wondering if Asmodeus would have more women after leaving that place.
Because Yuina was someone he met in the beast kingdom during his stay, she knew very well how charming that man could be and just how lustful and hungry he was.
"Don't worry, Asmodeus wouldn't hide that from us, so if he didn't mention anything in the letters we have nothing to worry about." Yumiko sat near the window, drinking a fruit tea, her stomach slightly larger but not too big, while she wore a frilly but loose green dress.
"If you say so, sister."
"Of course, that man isn't a good liar and the others would probably have told us too, right? Like with Alice finally becoming his lover. He always tells us honestly."
"True, he's a bit stupid, but I love him."
"Seeing you both being so affectionate makes me jealous…" Juliet pouted because of her jealous feelings, before she stood from the seat and bowed to the empress and Yumiko. "Your Majesty, Your Highness. I am going to return now, the knights likely need to keep training and might become lax if I leave for too long."
"Take care, Duchess Juliet."
"Thanks for coming, Juliet."
"It was my pleasure." Juliet gave one last bow, before leaving the room, noticing the two demon knights at the door, giving her a faint smile as she left the royal chambers.
"Yuina, do you miss him?"
"You know I miss him, sister! We even considered kidnapping him…"
"Haha, well, I didn't know my sister could be so cute and jealous."
"Yumiko~ you are worse."
"Hahaha~ ouch, my legs… being pregnant isn't all sunlight and rainbows like they tell you."
Yumiko's lips distorted in a grimace, as she started to breathe deeply, attempting to ignore the cramp in her thighs from sitting down all day. Because she couldn't train, both Yuina and Asmodeus banned it. Yumiko started putting on a bit of weight and became less healthy, causing her to panic.
'Asmodeus might hate me like this…'
Thoughts like that sometimes crept into her mind, part of the reason both girls asked for him to wait before coming.
"Sister, do you want me to call Fredricka or a maid?"
"No, it's fine, it'll pass soon."
"Phew~ what will we do about those annoying nobles, Baron Gillon and Marquis Evander, keep pushing for the development rights to the slums."
"I don't trust them…"
"Right?" Yuina added to her sister's muttering.
"Well, we cannot deny them without someone else in mind. Let's consider the other candidates, wasn't there a talented commoner who offered a detailed proposition?" Yumiko's eyes narrowed, thinking about the meeting and trying to remember those who seemed trustworthy and those with sly and devious auras.
'This skill is great.'
Thanks to Asmodeus becoming a Demon Emperor, her powers as a saint also improved, allowing her to see the alignment and general atmosphere of a person. Yumiko could tell if they were someone she could trust, or someone with the potential to grow further.
Thus, she stated, helping her sister in earnest. Not that they were seeking someone to take the throne so they could run to Asmodeus… not at all.
Yumiko and Yuina already started to draft the idea of a council, much like the ones in her former world. Where even a common beastkin would stand a chance of getting elected to the parliament if he was chosen by the people.
"How is the Imperial newspaper coming along, Yuina?"
"Ah, it's great, they have finally started delivering to the entire empire."
"Good, this is the first step."
The imperial newspaper was the start of their plans, spreading information and knowledge to the people, and with the first big project Yuina undertook being schools and basic education for all young children whether rich, poor or homeless.
As expected, the pushback from nobles was extreme. So intense that the first stage hadn't finished. But Yuina, Juliet and Yumiko worked hard behind the scenes, searching for like-minded nobles and skilled commoners to make it a reality.
"I feel a little sleepy," Yuina whispered, her eyes fluttering before they closed.
"What will I do with you? Come here, let's get you into bed."
Yumiko took her sister's hand and guided her to bed. Despite being the job of maids, she would rather not bother others when she could do it. She slipped off Yuina's shoes and jewellery before tucking her into bed, the half-written letter on the nightstand entering her vision.
"My cute sister, how do you struggle writing to him like this each time?"
Yuina's letters were normally a few days later than Yumiko's because she worried about how to speak and tell Asmodeus what she wanted, sometimes hiding the things nobles said to avoid him worrying about her.
'To think that my sister ended up falling even deeper than me, such a lovely girl.'
"Phew…"
Although crazy about Asmodeus, Yumiko's atmosphere matured soon after she realised there was a child inside her stomach. Instead, she gave Asmodeus his space and spent time educating herself, and found that seeing him smile was enough for her right now.
'That doesn't mean I don't miss you, please come visit me… I will write that next time for sure.'
Before she realised, Yumiko also became tired, and with a yawn, she climbed into Yuina's bed and fell asleep beside her, at first only resting her head on the pillows.
"Just a moment… that's all… zzz…Zzz…zzz."
Meanwhile, at the edge of the Eldorai plains, Asmodeus suddenly looked to the west. He could feel a voice, as if someone was calling out to him.
'Hmm?'
"What's the matter, Asmodeus?" Velvet asked while wearing a thick fur robe.
Because of the rain pelting them, they were forced to wear thick clothes, even though they were close to Grigor. The journey became easier thanks to the meat from deer providing everyone with a boost of energy, even if the humans considered the taste too thick.
"I'm not sure… I think I heard Yumiko's voice."
"Master?" Levia looked at him with a strange look, while the other women also peeked at him like someone with a mental illness.
"I'm not crazy."
"We know, Dear husband." Ciela's hand slipped into his thick raincoat. As they reached a small place to rest, the sight of Grigor's castle appeared on the distant horizon.
"Ciela?" Asmodeus noticed something different in the way Ciela spoke and acted around him, before realising.
"Mm, you are right… I can feel Yuina and Yumiko's magic lingering on your body."
Ciela's lips curled into a slight smile as her eyes shone, gazing at her partner with passion. She wanted to get closer to him. Ciela felt she could do anything if Asmodeus ordered it.
But part of her wanted to control him from looking at other women.
A feeling that only recently started to appear at the same time she learned to smell and sense the magic of other women that lingered on his body.
'He slept with Alice and Velvet… not long ago.'
She didn't like those two smelling like him. Because she could smell their scent mixed together in a sweet aroma.
However, Asmodeus's body did not hold Yumiko and Yuina's aroma for long. It was a fleeting scent with a soft citrus scent, Ciela found didn't make her jealous.
Instead, she missed her friend. 'Yumiko…' Ciela's eyes narrowed, her thought about the strange beastkin who normally treated her well.
"I see, well, my lovely elven wife is very perceptive. It's cute to see your jealous expression." His hands grabbed onto Ciela's body and lifted her, throwing the Elf princess over his shoulder and grabbing onto her butt while his hands moved and touched it. This caused her face to glow red as the rest of the group watched.
"Sorry, this girl is feeling jealous of you two, so I'll be back in a bout twenty minutes, tell the knights to have a break or something."
"Ack! Darling… Husband, stop… It's embarrassing!"
Although Ciela protested, her hidden face was ecstatic and her cheeks bright red, with a deep, almost distorted smile.
Though she wanted to protest more, with her thumping heart and the delight that he noticed her feelings, Ciela remained quiet, and thanked Yumiko in the back of her mind.
As the cold air touched her skin, once again she enjoyed the divine enjoyment of a devil ravishing her in the wild.
'I'm glad I was born to be this man's spouse~'