As the Demon Demands ✔️

Chapter Eleven

"Mother would have a fit."

"It's not just here. I-! I'm just... a commoner."

Sebastian couldn't argue with that. "The nobles are no doubt causing a stir over this."

"They... know?"

He blinked, finally looking up at her. He looked even more confused than before, tilting his head. "His Majesty announced his intentions during his monthly meeting with the court. From what I've heard, they were less than pleased-"

"He did WHAT?!"

"... You didn't know-?"

"NO!"

She couldn't believe this. It was like she was trapped in a speeding carriage with no doors or windows. Marak kept saying over and over again that she would marry him, but he just seemed to refuse to take into consideration her own feelings about all of this.

She could never be the empress, and she didn't want to be. The empress had so many responsibilities and duties that she knew she wasn't capable of handling. She knew she was expected to be a leader among the women of the nobility and exercise her influence over them. That meant being in charge of important parties and events, planning them all and delegating matters to the correct people. She knew the empress would often meet more directly with the common people to distribute charity or listen to petitions and give appropriate replies. And she definitely knew she would be attending council and court meetings and be expected to give her opinion of various matters.

Matters in which she practically knew nothing about it. She had little to no education in government or politics. She also knew very little about planning events, especially grand ones like empresses of the past had hosted. Not to mention she knew that no one from the nobility would have any respect for her. She would never get them to follow her.

She could only imagine what the nobles were saying. News was going to spread much more quickly than she thought. She would have to write home before news got to Oakenfort. She had to explain herself so Rosa wouldn't have a heart attack.

"I'll write Mother today," she finally said, going back to eating her food. "I
have to tell her before she finds out from gossip."

Sebastian shook his head. "No, I'll write her. Besides, you shouldn't have to write two letters in one day."

"Wait... Two?"

He looked up at her, matching her confused expression. "Don't you need to write to Claude? Your... friend."

Mother of the Gods, she completely forgot about Claude. She had promised to give him an answer when she returned to Oakenfort. Though, as it turned out, she wasn't going to be returning. Marak wanted to marry her, and it was becoming more and more obvious she didn't have a choice in the matter. Though she would certainly try to argue her case, even if it seemed impossible.

But until then, she would have to apologize to Claude and reject him. She had always had a feeling that she would turn down his proposal to court her, but she never would have guessed this would be how: not a "Sorry, but I can't accept your feelings" but a "sorry, but I'm getting married to the emperor of Sharith." It sounded so ludicrous that even she couldn't believe it.

"Right," she said. "Then... Yes, maybe it's better you write to Mother instead. You'll probably be more objective than I would be."

"You'll know she will want to come to the capital."

Of course she would, but they would have to cross that bridge when they got there. "I will try to handle this before she gets the chance."

"... I don't think it would be wise to argue with His Majesty," Sebastian warned, keeping his voice low so that the two maids in the room didn't hear him. "He is known for his... tenacity. If this is what he wants, then he will not change his mind. I wouldn't try either."