“What do you mean, staying in the lord’s castle?”
Julius frowned as he questioned the silver-haired priestess, who now appeared younger than her twenties. His expression darkened when Priestess Emily mentioned her need to stay in the lord’s castle.
The Lord’s Castle had been thrown into chaos by the desperate actions of Francis, who announced his master’s crisis and led them there blindly.
The heretic inquisitor, observing the castle’s gaping hole as though struck by a massive light spear, scratched his head in contemplation.
“You know, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to be here.”
“Well, you and the Count are in similar circumstances, so staying close isn’t a bad idea.”
Priestess Emily, stroking a piece of a divine beast’s horn in her hand, glanced at the butler, who stood with his handsome mustache and striking purple eyes, his expression calm
She continued, “Yesterday, while I was following the priests, I saw an interesting scene. You’ve heard about it, haven’t you?”
“Yes, unfortunately. I heard the priests of Telmere were attacked by heretics.”
Julius closed his eyes and bowed his head in silence.
“I was killed by them once too—by a devil disguised as a human and a man wearing a strange mask.”
Emily placed her hand near her mouth, mimicking the gesture of a bird’s beak.
“… A Plague Doctor.”
“Yes! That’s right. The heretic wearing a mask like a plague doctor was inciting evil.”
Whatever they were planning, it wouldn’t lead to anything pleasant.
Julius, gazing at the priestess speaking in a hushed, serious tone, lowered his head. He clenched and unclenched his fists several times before calmly speaking words that might spark concern.
“Then isn’t it simple? All we have to do is burn all the heretics with Tapnel’s flame.”
A pure white flame blossomed in his hand, and soon the golden brilliance spread through it, like paint soaking into a canvas.
Priestess Emily, who had been watching the heretic inquisitor attempt to wield the power of Tapnel, the angel of faith, patted the man’s head as if he were her own child and shook her head.
“Julius, you’re still as extreme as ever, just as you were when you were young. If you go about it like that, will you burn everything down, including the Count and his wife?”
“… I’ve tried to restrain myself.”
Perhaps it was his newfound peace of mind. The man, who once resembled a pyromaniac in his youth, cleared his throat and extinguished the flame, “So, what should I do?”
“If my assumptions are correct, the most dangerous threats right now are…”
Liliana Aran and Cecil Lionelta.
Emily spoke of the looming threat of high-ranking devils capable of turning dreams into reality and swallowing a whole mountain.
Despite the absurdity of her words, Julius nodded without hesitation.
“I understand. In that case, I’ll stay close to Cecil and the Countess.”
“Good. After so long, let’s eliminate the heretics together like we did in the old days!”
Emily clenched her fist and thrust it toward Julius.
What collided with her fist was a pure white stone, shaped into a gesture with only the index and middle fingers extended.
“… What’s this supposed to mean?”
“Please stay away from my husband.”
A woman with brown hair latched onto Julius’s back.
Cecil Lionelta glared at Emily with narrowed eyes, growling softly.
The priestess let out a short sigh, as if releasing steam, then smoothed her hair. She turned to Cecil, her voice tinged with curiosity.
“… You still seem unwell. When exactly did you start acting like a mother hen?”
“I though about it a lot, I can’t allow anyone but me to be by Julius’ side.”
The woman was always acting out the ordinary.
If you looked closely at her big blue eyes, the cloudiness had gone away a bit, enough to call them quite clear.
But when she saw the squishy obsession that lay inside, she couldn’t help but sigh. All Priestess Emily could do was lament inwardly, ‘I worked hard to raise him, but he was taken away by a fox.’
The words of Rosa, the owner of Kente’s famous clothing store, seemed to echo in her mind.
“Raising children was of no use.”
Emily now thought that was definitely true.
***
Liliana Aran.
Before she became a countess, her name was Liliana Reinich.
Born as the youngest child of Viscount Reinich, she was like a flower in a greenhouse, cherished by the Viscount’s people from her childhood.
A young lady often described as the perfect image of a noblewoman.
Although Liliana appeared to be an ideal noble, she secretly dreamed of a love marriage rather than an arranged one. She was a lovely girl who dreamed of a prince on a white horse, straight out of a fairy tale.
But her dream did not come true.
Although she was frail, she was sold by Viscount Reinich, whose ambition to enter politics burned fiercely, and she ended up with the Count of Aran.
“Young lady, you should be happy there.”
“Yes, thank you, Nanny Lenny. I will miss you a lot.”
The servant of the Viscount, who sent off the girl they treated as their own child, could only bow their heads in sorrow, their eyes red with tears.
Thus, Liliana arrived at the Count of Aran’s estate.
As she pondered her bleak future, a weak-looking boy appeared in front of her.
Rotani Aran, the next heir to the water city of Aran.
Rotani Aran, with his soft red hair and subdued demeanor, had initially resolved to refuse any arranged marriage—until he met Liliana.
“To marry someone like me…I can’t let you suffer such a terrible fate.”
Lacking ambition, Rotani only wanted to spend his life painting pictures rather than taking on the responsibilities of the eldest son of the count’s family.
To spare her any harm, Rotani planned to end Liliana’s marriage contract with a single declaration.
But the sight of Viscount Reinich’s daughter in front of him awakened a manly desire he didn’t know he possessed.
Her long blonde hair carried the scent of an unfamiliar flower, and the turquoise dress, carefully chosen by the Viscount, traced elegant lines that revealed her stunning figure.
When he finally steadied his wavering mind and looked up, an even greater shock awaited him.
Her v0luptuous figure made his heart race. Hastily averting his eyes, he shifted his gaze to her face, only to find beauty that rivaled Raynell, the Angel of Beauty herself.
His heart fluttered uncontrollably.
“Greetings, my name is Liliana Reinich, daughter of Viscount Reinich. I am to become your fiancée.”
A son who had always been without ambition and utterly lacking in any hint of manliness…
The faint desire that flickered in Rotani’s eyes made Rintau Aran, his father, smile knowingly.
“…Hello. My name is Rotani Aran, the eldest son of Count Aran.”
“…My name is Liliana Reinich. I look forward to our time together.”
Her light, slightly rosy eyes and the gentle way she lowered her head made her appear truly delicate and vulnerable.
Though Rotani had planned to reject the arranged marriage, he found himself unable to follow through.
No, he didn’t refuse.
“…I want to be loved by her.”
Enjoy reading My Wife is the Devil? Then please show your support if you are able to.
Want to read more? Become a My Wife is the Devil ($5 per month) member at Patreon and get Five or More Advance Chapters (parts) immediately, then stay 5 or more chapter parts ahead of the regular release for the month! Or, become a KR WN Bundle ($10 per month) member and have access to all the KR webnovel advance chapters on goblinslate. Get more chapters by sponsoring at BuymeaCoffee or Patreon Shop. Rate and leave a review at NU.
Check out my other projects:
Rehabilitating the Villainess
Pushover Extra Trains the Villainesses
I Picked Up an Amnesiac Witch
Transmigrated as the Butler of a Defeated Heroine
My Summons Are Special