“Sister, how could you make that person the Empress?”
“I felt like it.”
“This is no joking matter! That Seth is just an ordinary human. What right does he have to be the Empress?”
“Without her, we would still be hunters in the forest. Also, her name is Sephine.”
“Sister, you will regret this one day. Do you know the limit of a human’s lifespan? It is merely 100 years! Meanwhile, we of the Demon Race can live for over 1,000!”
The words of Daphne Weier’s younger sister wrapped around the Demon King’s heart like thorns, making it tremble.
This was the topic Daphne least wanted to discuss.
“If those people sent you here, then our conversation ends now.”
“Sister! I am thinking of you! What will you do when she dies? Are you going to be lonely for the rest of your life? Maintaining the purity of our bloodline is what matters most!”
“What do you mean by that? Are you suggesting I marry you instead?”
“I mean, it is not out of the question…”
“Get out of here and go play elsewhere!”
“Humph! Just wait until I get Father to deal with you!”
The younger sister ran out of the Imperial Palace in a fit of pique.
“Your Majesty…”
A minister entered just as the sister left.
“Is it the south this time?”
“Yes, and the north is also saying that their supplies are completely insufficient.”
The Demon King propped up her head with her hand and eventually could only wave them away.
“Send a bit more to the north, and some to the south as well.”
“But it seems the funds in our national treasury are running low…”
“I will find a way. Just go when I tell you to!”
The Demon King was angry, so the official naturally did not dare to linger.
The Imperial Palace was empty, with only the Demon King sitting alone on her throne.
Her sister’s words troubled her immensely.
Sephine would certainly die before her, and she would be alone for a long time after that.
Perhaps their offspring could alleviate that loneliness, but Sephine was irreplaceable.
The Demon King’s Blessing could change Sephine’s gender and her appearance, but it could not change her identity as a human, nor could it change the fact that she was a member of a Short-lived Species.
Perhaps one of the reasons Sephine worked so hard was that she wanted to achieve something in her lifetime so that others would remember her.
No previous Demon King had ever sought the Art of Longevity because the Demon Race was naturally a Long-lived Species.
A myriad of coincidences had led to the multiple dilemmas the current Demon King now faced.
The previous conceited Demon Kings had disdained diplomacy with neighboring countries, resulting in the Magical Kingdom being isolated and helpless, unable to maintain domestic capital circulation.
Because no member of a Short-lived Species had ever become a Demon King before, no one had ever delved into the Art of Longevity.
The Demon King could not make her beloved companion stay by her side for longer.
“Sigh.”
The Demon King let out a long sigh and dragged herself back to the Inner Palace.
Today, she had finished all the government affairs left over from the previous few days.
It might not have been perfect, but she had managed to get through them.
Exhaustion.
No wonder previous Demon Kings chose to be decadent rulers who spent every night in revelry.
After becoming the Demon King, Daphne Weier felt true fatigue for the first time.
***
Perhaps Sephine was more suited to be the Demon King, but Seilin had refused, and she had done so quite bluntly.
Alona seemed to be very good at all the exercises on this test paper; she even finished the paper faster than Sephine.
‘I’m done… The Lady Empress doesn’t seem to be finished yet. I’ll wait a bit longer.’
Alona glanced at Sephine, who was still writing furiously.
The more Sephine wrote, the more things felt off.
‘Are these really the questions I came up with? Why do they feel so unfamiliar… The difficulty is actually a bit high. I should probably lower it.’
Seilin finally finished the test paper.
Since two-thirds of the personnel responsible for this system were already stuck in the mud, Seilin was no longer willing to trust the people grading the papers.
She planned to take these two test papers back to the Imperial Palace, where the original draft of the exam was still at her workstation.
“Do you have a place to stay here?”
“I do, Lady Empress! I live in the stables on the east side of the city!”
“This is the key to my house. The address is Number 234 in District 35.”
“Lady Empress, is this really okay?”
“True.”
Sephine thought for a moment.
Her house was probably full of men’s clothing.
It wouldn’t be good if Alona misunderstood something.
“Actually, I have a brother at home, but he hasn’t returned lately. I was hoping Miss Alona could help me look after the house. Would that be alright?”
“This is five copper coins. Consider it your payment.”
“No, no, no, I can’t accept this! You have already done so much for me, Lady Empress. I shouldn’t take money for helping with such a small favor!”
“All right then. Thank you.”
“Yes! I won’t let you down, Lady Empress!”
See?
Now the young girl was going to stay there obediently.
This trick was called diverting attention.
“Let’s go, Astina. We are heading back to the Imperial Palace.”
The fastest way to return was to have Astina fly her back directly.
Teleportation circles were not allowed to be set up in the Imperial Palace.
In the blink of an eye, Astina delivered Sephine to the front of the Demon King’s Inner Palace.
Sephine pushed open the door to find the Demon King already lying in bed.
‘She seems to be asleep… I’ll take a bath and go to sleep too.’
After her bath, Sephine only wore a nightgown.
It was no big deal; she had already accepted Daphne’s proposal and was even carrying her child.
There was no need to be bashful anymore.
‘Just like this… gently…’
“You’re back?”
“You’re awake? Go back to sleep. You have to work tomorrow morning.”
“Why are you back so late?”
“I had some things to handle. I have to go again tomorrow.”
Sephine lay down on the bed.
The scent of her hair wafted toward Daphne’s nose, and the Demon King took a deep breath.
“It smells so good~”
“Can you loosen your grip? I’m not going anywhere.”
Daphne hugged Sephine from behind, inhaling deeply, unwilling to pull away for even a second.
“Wife, tonight… can we?”
“No!”
“But I… I finished all my work.
Just think of it as a reward for me, okay?”
The Demon King leaned in closer.
“My dear wife, I’m so tired… I feel like I have no motivation to rule the country anymore.”
“I really can’t deal with you.”
“Hehe, thank you, my dear wife!”
“Ugh… can you let go a bit first…”
“No.”
The Demon King could not wait to take things a step further.