In the heart of the castle, a stunning woman walked with the grace of a queen. Her loose black hair swayed with each step, and her simple black robe framed her slender body, highlighting her sharp curves. Her beautiful red eyes looked forward as she walked through a corridor. Atop her head, twisted black horns caught the light of the crimson moon glowing in the sky of her domain. She spared the moon a glance before her focus returned to the man following a few steps behind her, his head lowered, expression somber.
The man was none other than her lover, Lian. His medium-length black hair was still messy from the play they had shared, and even his robe barely clung to his frame. Beneath the sadness on his handsome face, there was heavy fatigue. Miria smiled at that. She hadn't asked him to follow her to the bath, but to say she didn't enjoy it would be a lie.
Miria wondered what Lian was thinking at that moment. And just as she was about to intrude on his thoughts to see, she stopped herself at the last second. She wouldn't do that with him—not anymore. If she wanted to know what he was thinking, she could simply ask.
"So, dear Lian, what's on your mind?" Miria asked, glancing sideways at him.
Lian lifted his head slightly to look at her, sadness clouding the blue of his beautiful eyes. He let out a long sigh and said, "I was just thinking… what am I going to do without you? It'll be so lonely."
He quickened his pace just enough to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with her and continued in the same sorrowful tone, "Honestly, I was thinking about how lonely you must've been when I wasn't here."
Miria looked at Lian for a moment longer, a gentle smile forming on her face. She truly felt… something for this human who cared for her more than she did for herself in many instances. She didn't understand where his love for her came from, and she didn't want to question it either. So now, she settled on answering his question to ease his worry.
"There's a lot to do here. You can do anything you like—just avoid what you shouldn't," she said.
Miria brushed her shoulder against Lian's and took his hand in hers. "As for me, I'm quite good at filling my time. You'll learn the same skill eventually. But unlike me, you won't have access to any sexual activity, so with that in mind, you'll just have to wait for me~"
Miria watched Lian's expression shift at her teasing. But unlike what she expected, his reaction was a deep scowl. The hand in hers took the lead and gripped hers tightly.
"I'd rather you didn't do that," Lian said. His steps came to a halt as he cut off her path. His eyes stared intensely into hers, as if his words were a command, not a request.
Miria was surprised by his reaction, but she quickly recalled a similar incident. Back then, Lian hadn't been as vocal about his thoughts as he was now—Miria had simply read them from his mind. The point was, Lian didn't like her talking about the relationships she'd had with other heroes. It was a very human way of thinking, but Miria didn't dislike it. And now, he wanted her to restrain herself until she returned to him.
Miria chuckled softly and pulled Lian in for a kiss. His lips tasted sweeter than usual, likely because he had indulged himself in every possible part of her body. As for Lian's concern, it wasn't really a concern—for now. He had misunderstood her words, their meaning lost in the way she phrased them. Miria would never allow herself a distraction outside of her domain, because outside of it, she was what she was destined to be… a Demon Queen.
Miria pulled away from the kiss, their lips parting. With a charming smile, she opened her mouth and said, "Then I won't."
Lian looked at her hesitantly for a second before nodding, smiling a small, uncertain smile. He said nothing, but stepped aside to let her pass. Miria did just that and continued toward the anchor of her domain. That was her destination—for her departure.
And in no more than ten minutes, Lian and Miria stood face to face in front of what Lian called the basement gate. Miria saw the sadness in his expression deepen, and strangely, that made her feel both happy and hesitant. Miria had never liked the reason for her existence, but it had always been something she was destined to do. She never doubted that. But today, she found herself disliking it even more. And those feelings only grew deeper the longer she looked at her beloved Lian.
Miria pushed those feelings aside and opened her mouth to speak. "You can't follow me from here. I won't be able to protect you from the spatial distortion if I'm not physically with you."
It was the moment of farewell.
Lian nodded and, instead of replying, stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug, his arms enveloping her completely. "I'll miss you," he whispered in her ear with a longing tone, as if he had already lost her.
Miria sighed softly, a gentle smile on her lips. She allowed herself to remain in his embrace, but she felt it only right to return the hug and the sweet words. "I'll miss you too," she said, her hands wrapping around his waist, allowing her to shift beneath his hug.
The two of them stayed like that for a long time. But the main reason was that Lian didn't want to release his hold on Miria to let her go. "You know you're only delaying my return the longer you hold me?" Miria said in a voice that held no trace of annoyance—at least, not for anyone in her place. She could easily free herself from his grip, but that would be unkind of her. And it wasn't like she didn't enjoy being loved.
"But I still have you for now," Lian replied, his embrace tightening with more passion, pressing her body deeper into his.
Miria let herself relax for another moment in his arms before she said, "I'll give you this—if you let me go now, I'll let you do whatever you want with me when I return, just like earlier." And it wasn't like Miria didn't enjoy that, so she didn't hesitate to offer herself.
Lian's grip loosened for a moment, but then returned with the same firmness. That surprised Miria for a few seconds… or at least until he let her go.
"I didn't let you go just for your offer," Lian said, not meeting her eyes. "But because I don't want to delay you… I'll still take the offer though."
Miria smiled, not believing his words one bit, but she didn't call him out on it. Instead, she leaned in for one last kiss before leaving. This kiss didn't last as long as the one before, but it held the most meaning. It was the final comfort she allowed herself before throwing herself back into her role as Demon Queen.
With one last glance at Lian, Miria said, "I'll see you when I return. Expect a gift." Then she turned her back to him and walked toward the door leading to the domain's anchor.
The moment the door closed behind her, Miria didn't bother descending the spiral staircase, instead she teleported directly in front of the anchor, the space around her shifting aimlessly. The calm and relaxed expression she had shown Lian shifted into something cold, serious, and indifferent. Miria now radiated an aura of incomprehensible power. Her presence within the dark space made the darkness seem small and insignificant, as if she illuminated it—not with warmth, but with death and inevitable fate.
And yet, such a presence was already overdue. While the Demon Queen—before she was Miria—had often appeared late, she had never been three years behind the hero's arrival in the fated world. Miria wondered why… but she knew the reason still stood waiting behind the door she had just passed through. She wondered again: how powerful would the hero awaiting her be? But all she needed to do to find out… was step through the door in front of her.
Miria sighed, a flicker of sadness crossing her cold face. But she did not hesitate to open the door and step into the darkness that awaited her.