Chapter 43: A Sweet Over-the-Shoulder Throw

Wade, adhering to the principle that food should never be wasted, meticulously finished everything Lamia had prepared. Both the main course and the dessert, which had arrived in two brimming boxes, were entirely consumed by the time they were returned.

Lamia, unaware of the extent of Wade’s appetite, had prepared the food based on what the housemaids thought was appropriate for him. The two lunchboxes weren’t particularly large; for an adult man, it was just enough to feel pleasantly full, about eighty percent satisfied.

Bathed in the warm sunlight, savoring the bento box meticulously prepared by his wife, Wade could even feel the envious gazes of those around him.

Perhaps, in that fleeting moment, Wade’s long-held bachelorhood wavered.

For a man constantly juggling overt responsibilities and covert operations, wasn’t this precisely the kind of tranquil moment he yearned for?

Such was human nature: vehemently protesting with ‘no, no, absolutely not,’ only to assume a reluctant ‘oh, fine, I suppose I’ll accept it begrudgingly’ expression once the object was thrust upon them, then proceeding to enjoy it thoroughly.

“Does it taste good?”

Lamia began tidying Wade’s finished utensils, carefully placing them back into their velvet pouch. With this experience, she now had a better idea of how much food to prepare next time.

“Mm, delicious.”

True praise for food often required no elaborate words; merely emptying the bowl and displaying a look of contentment was sufficient.

‘Hmph… I knew it. Capturing a mere White Knight is child’s play!’

‘Haha, those around us are surely looking with envy, aren’t they? Come on, envy us fiercely! After all, I am the most perfect wife in this world. How is it, White Knight? Aren’t you quite comfortable under my service? It’s fine! Feel free to revel in their envious gazes! This is the confidence I, your King, can bestow upon you!’

Lamia’s inner monologue elicited a soft chuckle from Wade; he had long grown accustomed to her unwavering confidence.

Nevertheless—a sigh—he had to admit, a sliver of pride did stir within him.

This feeling had already begun that morning. Upon his arrival at the Knight Order, his colleagues, while greeting him, had spoken of Lamia. They praised what a wonderful wife he had married, how delicious Lamia’s cakes were, and how eagerly they anticipated her next visit.

Hearing such remarks, Wade naturally felt a surge of happiness. Though the compliments were directed at his wife rather than himself, a quiet joy still blossomed within him.

However, this happiness proved fleeting, for…

‘What do you mean, ‘want to see my wife’?’

‘And ‘anticipate my wife’s next arrival’?! Even if she comes again, she’s still *my* wife! Don’t you dare circle around her!’

Thus, after only a brief moment of contentment, a subtle, yet disquieting, sense of crisis began to stir within him.

Indeed, if one disregarded her true identity, Lamia had been nothing short of perfect so far—

‘No, no, no—it absolutely *must* be considered, mustn’t it?’

Lamia was a dangerous individual now! She absolutely could not be maliciously coveted by others!

“~🎶”

Wade glanced at Lamia, who was tidying the lunchboxes beside him. Perhaps buoyed by Wade’s praise, her mood was exceptionally bright. She hummed a tune, just as she had before, her inner voice joining the cheerful melody.

‘…Yes, that’s right.’

Extremely dangerous, indeed.

In merely three days, Wade’s perception of Lamia had been subtly altered—no, was it truly subtle? It felt more like an abrupt shift, didn’t it?

The girl’s innocent appearance certainly made it easy for one to lower their guard, and… Lamia indeed possessed an uncanny ability to elicit praise.

‘As expected of the Demon King… truly formidable.’

‘Ahem, but then again, I’m not so bad myself, am I?’

‘After spending time with me, Lamia must… surely feel some degree of affection for me, right?’

‘Absolutely—she must, right?’

‘Though I’ve never been in a relationship and haven’t interacted much with women, surely I possess the ability to win people over, don’t I? In the past, on the matchmaker’s list, I was quite the catch!’

‘Alright… I’ll just assume that. Lamia must have developed a slight fondness for me… even a tiny spark is a new beginning!’

‘Before she can plot against me or strike me down, I’ll turn you to my side first! And I will remain absolutely clear-headed, manipulating you within the palm of my hand!’

“…”

Such were his thoughts, filled with declarations of maintaining clarity, yet any passerby who cast a fleeting glance would discern the distinct difference in Wade’s gaze toward Lamia.

It was a look of tenderness, appreciation, and even a touch of doting affection…

A gaze so intense, it seemed to stretch like melting cheese.

“By the way, Wade.”

“—Ah.”

Wade hadn’t even realized he had become so engrossed in these emotions. Only upon hearing Lamia’s voice did he shake his head, pulling his wandering attention back.

“What is it, Lamia?”

His feigned seriousness was like burying his ears while stealing a bell, a performance for himself, to prove that he hadn’t yet fallen into the Demon King’s love trap.

“I suddenly remembered, your grandfather… hmm—he always insisted I call him ‘Grandfather,’ so I don’t quite know his name.”

“Ah, yes… he’s Osias… Osias Parama, the former Pope of the Church…”

Hearing Lamia, Wade spoke his grandfather’s name.

Few people remembered the old man’s full name because it was a bit difficult to pronounce. In the past, he was simply called ‘Your Holiness’ or ‘Lord Parama.’ Even after retirement, people still referred to him as the ‘former Pope,’ as the old man had always been a moderate, appearing the most approachable amidst the nobles’ intrigues. His impression was deeply etched in people’s minds; thus, even in retirement, they were willing to call him ‘former Pope.’

Wade, of course, knew the name well, but he preferred to call him Grandfather, a habit formed since childhood. Even when teasing him, he’d call him ‘old man’ or ‘old geezer.’ It was rare to hear him use the full name, unless it was for a formal occasion.

However… the old man had always insisted Lamia call him Grandfather… besides making their relationship more intimate… surely this old rascal wasn’t taking advantage of the Demon King? He had quite the nerve…

“Ah, well, your Os… um, your grandfather said that after you finish lunch, you should go see him. He has something to tell you.”

“…?”

Listening to Lamia convey a message from his grandfather, Wade felt a subtly strange sensation.

The former Pope asking the Demon King to summon the White Knight…? What kind of situation was this?

However, if he was being called, it must be for something important.

Was he asking about his current situation or did he have another strange idea? Regardless, it wasn’t far.

“Wait for me here then; I’ll be right back.”

“Alright, go on.”

Before Wade left, he didn’t forget to listen to Lamia’s inner voice. After all, this was a large area, comparable in importance to the Knight Order, and he worried Lamia might wander off after he left. However, judging from her thoughts, she truly intended to stay put for a while.

As he walked away, Wade’s thoughts continued to churn.

Was his worry perhaps excessive? Normally, when he went to work, it was natural for Lamia to wander around alone at home. He couldn’t always be by her side, and he couldn’t control where she went or what she did. Was getting so tense every time truly effective?

He couldn’t possibly assign someone to monitor her; she was the Demon King, after all. Who could monitor her? It would be counterproductive if the monitors were harmed instead.

Perhaps he should… give her more trust?

But…

Alas…

****

The old man’s quarters were not far from the central courtyard, so before Wade could ponder much further, he arrived at his grandfather’s office.

More accurately, it was his residence. After retirement, the old man hadn’t left, simply moving his belongings to a side building and settling there. He had accumulated considerable goodwill in his youth, so no one would refuse his continued stay.

*Knock, knock, knock.*

“Come in.”

Knocking and opening the door in one fluid motion, Wade had intended to ask his grandfather why he had been summoned. However, upon entering, he saw Zelin, who had just been taken away.

“…?”

“Oh, my heavens, Brother Wade, you’ve come to rescue me, haven’t you?”

Zelin appeared to have been thoroughly chastised, lying weakly on the sofa. He called Wade’s name with a hoarse voice, a piece of blueberry cake in his hand, taken from the table.

—Blueberry cake?!

Both the style of the cake and the box on the table confirmed it was Lamia’s creation. This fellow—how dare he touch a cake made by *his* wife?!

“Brother Wade, quickly take me away from here! I was—whoa! My cake…!”

“—Who says this is your cake?”

Zelin pleaded with Wade as if seeing a long-lost relative, but Wade’s eyes seemed fixed only on the very item he had just inwardly declared ‘not to be coveted by anyone’—Lamia’s blueberry cake.

He snatched the cake from Zelin’s hand, shoving it into his mouth before Zelin could take a bite. Though his words were muffled and one cheek bulged from chewing, his menacing expression from above startled Zelin.

Just moments ago, he was talking about changing wives every two or three years, and now he was eating a cake made by someone else’s wife? Absolutely not!

Wade even picked up the entire tin box from the table, eating the piece he had just snatched while cradling the whole box in his arms.

“Look at you, clutching it like that. This is from my granddaughter-in-law to me. What kind of behavior is that?”

The old man, puffing out his mustache, walked over to Wade and directly snatched the tin box from his arms, placing it on the table—more precisely, on the side closer to himself.

“…”

Wade could only purse his lips at this, not daring to be too presumptuous in front of Osias.

Wade was a man who understood gratitude. The old man had once given him a path to life, an identity, and a name; that was his life-saving grace and nurturing kindness. So, no matter what, he would always side with his grandfather.

“What did you call me for?”

Wade sat on another sofa, maintaining a distance from Zelin’s side.

“Is it appropriate to discuss it here?”

He said this, glancing at Zelin, who was still groaning on the sofa, as if questioning why he was being kept there.

“Of course… *Phew*, Wade, I just saw you interacting with Lamia—how was lunch? Was it delicious?”

“Ah… um.”

At the thought that his grandfather had witnessed his recent actions, Wade felt a blush creep onto his face. After all, he had undoubtedly been staring at Lamia for quite some time. It was one thing if no one knew, but for someone to know, especially the old man, Wade couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.

“Good that it was delicious. I saw her come in with the things, saying it was your lunch, so I quickly brought her in. Food wouldn’t taste good if it got cold, you see.”

“Next time you bring her over, please inform me or give me some sort of hint or signal… Her sudden appearance startled me.”

Lamia’s sudden presence had indeed startled Wade. If Lamia hadn’t been so innocent and easy to appease, the situation might not have ended so simply.

“Oh, wasn’t I just trying to create a surprise for you two lovebirds~”

“It was more of a fright, Grandfather…”

“Alright, alright, I didn’t call you here for anything else. I heard—you’re engaging in domestic violence?”

“—?!😨”

Wade jumped, startled by his grandfather’s sudden shift to this topic, his voice now much graver than before. Even Zelin beside him flinched.

“My goodness, Brother Wade… even I’ve never hit a woman…”

“—No, no—a misunderstanding! This is a misunderstanding!”

Seeing Zelin’s shocked expression, who had been half-dead moments ago but now propped himself up on his arms, looking as if to say, ‘I must sit up for this,’ Wade was at a loss.

“This… I…”

Wade didn’t know how to explain. With Zelin still here, what could he say? That Lamia had transformed into her Demon King form in the middle of the night and fought him? *I did slice her with a sword, true, but she… she also kicked me off the bed!*

“Did you give her an over-the-shoulder throw?”

The old man narrowed his eyes at Wade, his expression somewhat stern.

“An over-the-shoulder throw?!”

Zelin, who had been half-sitting, immediately sat up straight, completely shedding his previous half-dead demeanor.

“An over—ah…”

At that, Wade immediately understood.

“You mean… the incident at the Knight Order…”

“Yes, precisely. Lamia even called it a ‘sweet token of affection’—I don’t think that’s quite right, is it?”

“Wow… a sweet over-the-shoulder throw… I certainly didn’t feel sweet when I was thrown just now…”

Zelin, on the side, spoke with deep understanding. Yet, he was so engrossed in the gossip that his pain seemed to have vanished.

“No, it’s a misunderstanding… In short… it’s a misunderstanding…”

Wade didn’t know how to explain. He couldn’t very well say he was just testing his skills and accidentally threw Lamia, but he caught her anyway, so nothing happened, right?

“Even a misunderstanding is unacceptable. Lamia now considers this over-the-shoulder throw a ‘proof of love.’ Whenever ‘sweet contact’ is mentioned, that’s what she talks about. I say, young man, can’t you leave her with a more normal impression? I know your character isn’t bad; you shouldn’t do violent things like that. But you can’t just do this. What if she tells everyone she meets about it?”

Wade listened, feeling a pang of guilt, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint which specific words caused it.

“—So, I’m keeping this fellow here.”

Seeing Wade fall silent, the old man abruptly changed the subject to Zelin.

“Hmm? Me? Is it me? 👉🏻😧”

Zelin tensed up, hearing that he was involved.

Looking at the two of them, they seemed to have a grandfather-grandson dynamic. The elder had thrown him over his shoulder, and the younger had thrown his wife over his shoulder. What kind of genes did these two inherit? If they both threw him, could he even survive?

“Yes, that’s right. Neither of us has much dating experience, so I’ve found a young man with plenty of experience to help you.”

“Huh?” The old man’s words made Wade frown and voice his confusion. “You want him to tell me about dating experience?”

Just now, he was talking about changing wives every two or three years. You want me to learn from *him*?!

“Huh?”

On the other side, Zelin echoed Wade’s confused sound.

“Aren’t I famously a scoundrel? You want your child to learn from me? Don’t you want him to be good?”

He was quite self-aware.

“The fact that you can say that proves you still know right from wrong. So, set aside your scoundrel tendencies. We want to hear, normally speaking, how should couples interact?”

The old man appeared to be asking with complete seriousness. Zelin’s face showed embarrassment and confusion, but he seemed genuinely to be pondering the question.

Only Wade looked left and right, muttering inwardly:

‘…No, what does ‘normally speaking’ even mean… Lamia isn’t normal at all… A normal romantic relationship is impossible with her, isn’t it?’