DSB 22

“Please don’t misunderstand like that. A marriage on paper? I never even thought of that. It’s just… I was a bit embarrassed, that’s all.”

“What?”

“Because I didn’t know how Your Highness would feel if I called you ‘wife’…”

“I told you to call me whatever you want.”

Yutis’s nape turned red. Lebel watched quietly. He had thought it annoying whenever Yutis touched his reddening skin, but now he understood why he kept doing it.

Seeing the white skin flush red made him want to touch it too.

“Ah, right. There was something I wanted to say.”

“…Do you have something to say to me?”

In the Demon Realm, there were those who challenged Lebel to fights.

Sometimes one at a time, and sometimes high-ranking demons leading their subordinates.

Each time, his subordinates stepped forward in Lebel’s place. And he would say to those subordinates who brought victory.

“Welcome back.”

Lebel stroked Yutis’s head. Since he was kneeling, his head was perfectly within reach.

The softly fluttering silver hair felt good to touch. Yutis’s eyes widened slightly, but soon they curved gently in a soft smile.

“…I’ve returned.”

***

When Yutis returned, Lebel’s daily life changed entirely.

Lebel, who used to sleep and wake up only when hungry, now had no choice but to be forcibly woken by Yutis.

Yutis was more persistent than Karon.

If Lebel wouldn’t get up, he would carry him directly to bask in the sunlight.

Even though that he had become human, being scooped up into human arms and moved around like that wounded his pride as a demon.

Moreover, being helplessly carried by a power he didn’t want was even worse.

In the end, Lebel had no choice but to walk on his own two feet.

He glared at Yutis, questioning if such walks were really necessary, but he remained steadfast.

He couldn’t figure out what the physician had said to him, which was frustrating.

Though they were legally married and Yutis’s room was right next door, he came in and out of Lebel’s room at all hours.

In the mornings, he woke Lebel, made sure he ate on time, and even watched until he took the bitter herbs prescribed by the physician.

With such persistent urging, Lebel had no choice but to gulp down the decoction.

The bitter taste hit his tongue the moment it touched it, making him furrow his brow.

He had even told Yutis that if he planned to poison him, he should say so in advance.

Such days continued.

“Wife, have you woken up?”

“…Do you know that you woke me?”

Yutis chuckled softly.

Ever since Lebel had asked why he didn’t call him ‘wife,’ the word stuck to his lips like glue, he used it every time.

So Lebel had tried calling him ‘darling’ or ‘husband,’ but Yutis froze on the spot and asked to be called by name, so he held back.

Instead, he used it occasionally.

Like now.

“Husband, it’s cold outside. I’m sleepy, can’t I sleep more?”

Silence fell. Lebel quickly closed his eyes.

“No. Please get up.”

But Yutis didn’t fall for it. He didn’t interfere with naps or occasional rests, but he was strict about meals.

“You’re planning to make me take that bitter medicine again.”

“It’s medicine for you, wife.”

“What on earth did the physician say to you?”

“…….”

“Ha, fine. I understand.”

Lebel sighed but got out of bed.

Consider it an honor that I’m letting a human look after me like this.

As Lebel was about to fully get out of bed, Mahan quickly brought his shoes.

The first thing Yutis did upon arriving at the castle was to buy every piece of clothing that fit Lebel’s measurements.

Once Lebel was ready, Yutis guided him to the dining hall.

As always, a lavish feast was laid out today. It must be hard to prepare new dishes every day, yet they set the table with so much food he couldn’t even finish. Lebel recalled his first time in the dining hall.

‘…Did you ask what this is?’

‘It’s my first time seeing it.’

Lebel knew nothing of human food. He stared blankly at the golden-brown grilled steak on the plate and the vegetables meant to accompany it, then said:

‘Ah, I know the green one is called salad, but…’

‘I hoped it wasn’t true, but…’

Demons had no concept of meals, so he only knew the names of foods a maid had once prepared for him in the imperial palace.

Just then, when Mahan offered bread, he recognized it as the bread the maid had given him and ate it, assuming that was all there was.

Lebel had asked meals only when he wanted and only as much as he could eat, so he hadn’t noticed anything odd.

However, seeing Yutis clench his teeth tightly and Mahan’s shocked expression, he realized something was wrong with what he said. But knowing didn’t change anything.

How could I know human eating habits? Because of that, it seemed his husband had misunderstood.

He had yelled that the servants weren’t properly caring for him, and even scolded Mahan severely.

If Lebel hadn’t defended Mahan when he offered to replace the attendant, he would have been demoted on the spot.

Because of that, Lebel could feel that the way people around him looked at him had changed a lot.

The marriage papers were submitted, and this man knew all about his purpose, why did he cherish him so much?

Clearly, this man knew the reason he proposed the marriage. Wasn’t it because opposing the current empire was dangerous, so he had no choice but to accept?

As Yutis pulled out a chair, Lebel sat down. And not just that, the plates with appetizing food were gathering toward Lebel.

“This is a steak grilled from the meat of a Barcan demonic beast. Among demonic beast meats, there are some that humans can safely eat. The texture is tender, and there’s no gamey smell, so I enjoy it too. I discovered it by chance…”

Yutis, who had been explaining at length, finely sliced the steak and then wrapped minced meat inside a cabbage leaf before handing it to Lebel.

“Eating meat first might be too heavy, so have this first. It’s layered with various vegetables…”

Lebel chewed the food while listening to Yutis’s chattering explanation.

He had thought he was a quiet man, but he was quite talkative.

Lebel ate the dishes he introduced for a while, then noticed that Yutis hadn’t taken a single bite.

This again.

“Don’t just take care of me, eat some too. This feast was prepared for you more than for me, right?”

“…It’s for both you and me. You are my wife. The food the chef made is also for you.”

Yutis had been observing Lebel closely all along. By clashing swords with demonic beasts, he had analyzed attack patterns and minor habits, and he was convinced of Lebel’s issues.

The biggest first problem: his wife didn’t take care of himself.

He didn’t point out odd things or voice discomforts.

The bigger issue was that he didn’t even see strange situations as strange.

That was because he knew so little.

He thought he didn’t need to eat unless his stomach growled, and he didn’t know that besides water, there was tea for when he was thirsty.

He didn’t know the types of food either, so it was only natural.

There were many other things.

From getting burned if too close to fire, to cutting his hand if he grabbed something sharp carelessly, and so on.

He even did dangerously reckless things.

That meant his lack of experiences was like a stab to the heart.

It seemed the years he was called the Foolish Prince weren’t entirely false.

That’s why the physician’s words felt half true.

What the physician said was that the reason he was an incomplete omega was related to his physical health.

Lebel was a dominant omega, but he was called half-baked because he had no pheromonal scent and couldn’t detect them either.

The physician said it might be because Lebel hadn’t been properly nourished since childhood, so his pheromone glands weren’t functioning correctly.

His body lacked so many nutrients that it only minimally performed survival functions and discarded the rest.

It was just a hypothesis that it could be that way, but it didn’t seem wrong.

And indeed, while everyone said they couldn’t smell anything from him, Yutis was different.

He had smelled that intensely floral fragrance that clouded his mind multiple times.

“You’re lost in strange thoughts again. You eat too.”

Lebel shoved food into Yutis’s mouth as he was deep in thought.

Sometimes, he would zone out with a serious expression right in front of him, what on earth was he thinking?

Yutis’s eyes widened, but he soon chewed slowly, savoring it.

“How is it? Tasty?”

“Yes, it’s good.”

“If it’s tasty, you eat too.”

Lebel pushed the plate toward him. Thanks to Yutis preparing a full feast for every meal yesterday and the day before, urging him to try each one, there was no chance for his stomach to feel empty.

“You’re not eating more?”

“I’m full.”

Lebel set down his utensils. With a clink as they hit the table, Yutis stopped urging.

He used to feel like he was dying of hunger, but now he felt like he might die from being too full.

‘Eating too much isn’t good either.’

But Yutis, who didn’t back down easily, offered something.

“Can’t you at least try this one?”

“Hm?”

“I prepared fish since it’s probably your first time.”

“Fish?”

“Fish that live in the sea.”

Things that live in water.

“I’ll debone it for you.”

Yutis busied himself removing the bones from his portion of fish. So he didn’t notice Lebel’s action in time.