It Seems the Demon King Has Returned to a World Where Gender Roles Are Reversed - Chapter 13

Chapter 13 :

*Tap, tap, tap.*  

“…I said it. I actully said it. What do I do? I didn’t think I’d say it today.”  

On her way back to the lodging, Seria’s quick footsteps echoed as her mind raced with thoughts.  

As Ragna had pointed out, their relationship wasn’t that old.  

Maybe she’d been a bit hasty.  

She knew that herself.  

But in that moment, when she held the necklace now carefully tucked close to her heart she’d realized something.  

She really did like Ragna.  

It was the first time she’d felt this way, and she wasn’t sure if it was love or just affection.  

But one thing was certain: when the feeling struck, she couldn’t hesitate.  

Perhaps it was her parents’ influence.  

Seria recalled the story her father had told her about how he and her mother met.  

According to him, her mother was a frail woman, plagued by illness since childhood.  

She survived only because her family was a prominent noble house with considerable influence.  

If she’d been born into a commoner family, her frailty would likely have claimed her life early on.  

But even with her noble lineage, her life was far from easy.  

As a sickly woman born into a prestigious family, no expectations were placed on her.  

Worse, her condition prevented her from undergoing the coming-of-age ritual a ceremony exclusive to women in this world.  

This ritual awakened superior strength and the ability to control golems, a gift granted to women.  

The only exceptions were the priestesses of the church, who abstained for religious reasons.  

But her mother, due to her frailty, was denied even this.  

It meant she wasn’t recognized as an adult, unable to act as a full member of her family.  

As a result, she lived in obscurity, supported by her family and hidden away in a secluded estate.  

It was there, by pure chance, that Seria’s father met her mother.  

The two fell passionately in love.  

It took only half a day for them to become smitten with each other.  

And it was her father who summoned the courage to confess.  

By the standards of this era, that was an outrageous act.  

A man confessing to a woman he’d just met?  

It was the kind of thing that would be condemned as scandalous, no questions asked.  

In the context of 500 years ago, it was akin to a woman throwing herself naked at a man she’d just met.  

Yet, her mother was moved by his audacity and chose to be with him.  

Perhaps it was inevitable.  

Her fate was to waste away in isolation, cut off from the world.  

Rather than that, she chose to spend her final days with a man who loved her fiercely.  

But their decision caused a massive uproar in both families.  

A man and woman from respectable houses falling in love and acting on it?  

Worse, the woman was considered defective, incapable of bearing children, and dismissed as irrelevant.  

And the man? His actions were deemed disgraceful for someone of his lineage.  

There was no way they could be together through normal means.  

So they chose to elope, to live together in seclusion, far from society.  

Their new life began in a remote mountain cabin.  

It was there that Seria was born.  

But her mother’s health deteriorated, and she passed away when Seria was young.  

In Seria’s memories, her father was always mourning her mother.  

Yet he cherished her final words that she was happy and had no regrets about choosing him.  

And while sharing this story, her father always told her:  

Love comes like fate.  

When it arrives, you must seize it, or you’ll never grasp it again.  

If you miss that first spark, no matter how many similar moments come later, they’ll never be true love just shadows of that initial feeling.  

So, he told her, if you meet someone you can’t bear to lose, someone you never want to part with, you must stake everything on that feeling.  

As a child, Seria couldn’t fully understand.  

She’d just nodded, her heart fluttering at his words.  

But now, she felt she understood.  

It was because of Ragna.  

The dying boy she met in the forest.  

From that first encounter, she felt something strange.  

She couldn’t explain why, but he stayed on her mind.  

Was it his striking appearance?  

No, it wasn’t just his black hair or red eyes.  

Then what was it?  

She didn’t know herself.  

But she couldn’t stop thinking about him.  

Through their cautious conversations, her questions began to unravel.  

(Oh, that’s what it was.)

It was simple.  

She’d been searching for a friend her age, someone she could laugh and cry with.  

Surrounded by older superiors in this place, no one treated her with warmth.  

Even Karen, her supposed guardian, was always strict with her.  

Perhaps it was unavoidable, given Karen’s role as an overseer.  

But for Seria, it was suffocating.  

She’d grown up in the mountains, lost her father, and entered the academy knowing nothing of the world.  

Everything was unfamiliar, and her environment kept changing abruptly.  

It was overwhelming.  

Ragna’s presence was a lifeline the only person she could open up to.  

Naturally, she grew fond of him.  

That fondness grew day by day, leading to this moment.  

At first, she thought it wasn’t love, just friendship.  

But under the dark moonlight, seeing his smile and holding the necklace he gave her as a parting gift, she realized she’d have to leave him.  

That realization made her emotions explode.  

She didn’t want to part with him.  

That was her true feeling.  

She couldn’t bear to be separated from the boy in front of her.  

She’d been lying to herself, ignoring the reality of their inevitable parting.  

But the moment she received the necklace, she understood her feelings, broke down, and let them burst forth.  

She confessed her love.  

“…Ehehe.”  

Thinking back on her words, Seria’s cheeks flushed again.  

Now that her head had cooled, she realized how bold she’d been.  

But her mind, still tinged pink, wasn’t thinking straight.  

She was overwhelmed by the happiness swelling inside her.  

Perhaps her explosive reaction when she sensed Ragna’s scheme was a backlash from these deep feelings.  

Her affection was so strong that, if she ever realized what he’d done, she might not be able to suppress the urge to kill him.  

But for now, her memories were buried deep, hidden by Ragna’s suggestion.  

All she recalled was a faint fragment Ragna looking at her with an expression like he might cry.  

So, she was nothing more than a girl in love.  

But because of that, she failed to notice something critical.  

The person on night duty at the lodging tonight was—  

“Seria?”  

“…!”  

A familiar voice from behind made Seria freeze, her spine stiffening.  

“What are you doing out here in the middle of the night, Seria?”  

“…”  

The voice came again.  

Seria let out a small sigh, her face rigid as she turned.  

There stood Karen.  

Seria had forgotten Karen was on night duty tonight.  

(What do I do? What do I do?)

Seria panicked.  

Karen’s brow furrowed as she looked at her.  

“Uh, well, you see…”  

“…?”  

“I-I just went for a quick walk, Lady Karen!”  

“A walk?”  

“Yes, exactly! I couldn’t sleep, so I thought some fresh night air might help!”  

“…”  

Karen didn’t respond.  

Seria’s back was slick with cold sweat under her piercing gaze.  

“…”  

“…”  

An awkward silence stretched between them.  

Karen’s sharp eyes seemed to bore into Seria’s soul.  

Unable to respond, Seria managed only a nervous laugh and scratched her head.  

“…Is that so? Fine.”  

“…!”  

It worked!  

Seria inwardly cheered, waiting for Karen’s next words.  

“It’s late. Don’t wander outside anymore. Get back to your room.”  

“Yes, ma’am!”  

Seria quickly saluted and, after Karen’s nod, rushed to her room.  

*Thud, thud.*  

Karen frowned at Seria’s retreating figure, then sighed and resumed walking down the corridor.  

*Click, click.*  

She suddenly stopped, as if something occurred to her, and glanced back toward where Seria had disappeared.  

“…”  

Pausing, she frowned, glaring down the corridor.  

She recalled Seria’s appearance.  

Light casual clothes, inexplicably dirty.  

Covered in soil and grass.  

“Could it be…”  

Karen’s mind flashed to the worker boy she’d met before Ragna, was it?  

Had they been meeting just now?  

If so, what could they have been doing to get Seria’s clothes so dirty?  

“…”  

Karen shook her head, dismissing the thought.  

It was impossible.  

She was overthinking it.  

But what if there was even a slight chance?  

What would she do then?  

“It’s obvious…”  

On one side of the scale was a girl carrying the kingdom’s expectations.  

On the other, a lowly worker boy who’d stumbled into this lumberyard.  

The balance was clear.  

Seria was a promising candidate for the White Knights, a position that would boost the kingdom’s influence in the alliance.  

No matter what, they couldn’t let some filthy insect latch onto her.  

She’d probe Seria’s intentions soon.  

And if her relationship with that boy was real…  

*Click.*  

Karen’s hand unconsciously brushed the longsword at her waist.  

If it came to that, she’d have no choice but to draw it.  

They couldn’t let a maggot like him ruin a national treasure.  

With that resolve, Karen’s blue eyes glinted colder and sharper than ever.  

_______________________________

Translated by Reversalnovel.web.id