Slave of the Demon King’s Castle 74

## Chapter 74 – Charlotte. The Promise of That Day #2

Charlotte, after leaving Arwen’s castle, thought her connection with her ended there.

She would close her eyes and sleep in a suitable place, spend a day, and then melt back into the darkness of her usual, unchanging life.

But the next day, and the day after that, Arwen quickly found Charlotte, seemingly knowing where she was.

If Charlotte was on the ground, taking a wallet from the twitching loser, Arwen would approach from behind, watching with interest, and naturally start a conversation.

“Still fighting? Don’t waste your time so meaninglessly, why don’t you become my right hand?”

“Get lost.”

Charlotte consistently rejected Arwen’s advances with a cold attitude, but Arwen didn’t know how to give up. It seemed her words about having to get what she wanted to feel satisfied were not a lie.

At first, Charlotte was genuinely annoyed. Unable to shake her off with force, Charlotte either cursed or ignored her completely. She thought that as time passed, Arwen’s interest would wane, and when that time came, she would leave on her own. She spent her days with that naive thought.

Contrary to Charlotte’s expectations, Arwen approached her every day, talking to her in a friendly manner.

Even though Charlotte said she didn’t want to listen, Arwen kept chattering, and before she knew it, Charlotte was slowly opening her heart. She still didn’t respond, but at least she didn’t curse.

Arwen smiled contentedly at that small change. Every time Arwen visited Charlotte, she told her everything about her life, from her travels outside District 7, to her battles and victories against the other Demon Lords, to her crushing defeats, to how she first met her husband, and even about her first time.

Later, when she ran out of things to say, she even talked about what she ate for breakfast or lunch, evaluating the taste.

Charlotte, who had always lived alone in the darkness, found herself longing for the warm light of connection that Arwen offered. Sometimes, when Arwen was late, she would bite her nails anxiously or wait, shaking her legs.

After that, Charlotte no longer ignored her. She laughed cheerfully, chimed in, and asked questions when she heard interesting stories, making great progress compared to the beginning.

That time continued every day for days and months, until Charlotte became so close that going to Arwen’s castle alone to eat became a daily routine.

As usual, Charlotte passed through the unguarded castle gates and headed to the kitchen, where Arwen was already eating. She spoke briefly.

“Hey, give me food too.”

Arwen, sitting at the table, propped her chin up and ate listlessly, but greeted Charlotte as if it were natural.

“Now you come and go like it’s your own home without saying a word? If you’re going to do that, why don’t you just work at the castle?”

“Do I look like someone who would work under someone? That will never happen, so hurry up and give me food.”

Charlotte, putting the food brought by the familiar-faced chef into her mouth, fixed her gaze in the direction of Arwen’s stomach. After swallowing all the food in her mouth, Charlotte said admiringly.

“Your belly has gotten quite big, huh?”

It looked like a round mountain. Charlotte, who had never been pregnant and had no intention of becoming pregnant, found the changing human body as the moment of birth approached to be mysterious. Arwen, having finished her meal, put down her knife and fork and gently stroked her belly, saying in a voice that was softer than before.

“Yeah, it’s uncomfortable to move or sleep now. Wouldn’t you win if we fought now? It’s the perfect opportunity, don’t you think? You’re at 0 wins and 305 losses right now. You need to add at least one win before I die, right?”

“I don’t have a hobby of fighting pregnant people. And even if we fought when you were healthy, I think I would win now.”

Arwen burst out laughing at Charlotte’s confident appearance. That unfounded confidence was one of the reasons why Arwen liked Charlotte. Just yesterday, she had been miserably defeated and lying on the castle floor for a while, a sight that was still vivid in her mind.

Charlotte stopped eating and sat next to Arwen, placing her hand on her belly. Thump, thump – she felt a vivid pulse, as if she were touching a heart. She stroked the belly very slowly so that the baby inside wouldn’t be surprised.

Arwen playfully said to Charlotte, who was being unusually kind.

“Your touch is a bit suggestive, isn’t it?”

Charlotte scoffed in disbelief and cursed as usual.

“You’re the craziest bitch I’ve ever seen.”

As if hearing her mother being cursed, the fetus suddenly nudged Charlotte’s hand, and Charlotte was so startled that she jumped up from her seat so violently that the chair fell backward, and shouted.

“D, did you just see that?!”

“It does that often. It’s proof that it’s healthy, just like me.”

Charlotte, returning to her seat, was captivated by the small movement that still lingered in her hand. Placing her hand on her chest, as if overlapping the lingering pulse with her own cold heart, Charlotte spoke to Arwen, who was about to clear the table, in a voice that was quite different from usual.

“Arwen, what do you think it would be like if I wasn’t by your side when you die?”

Unlike usual, it was quite a profound question, and Arwen didn’t joke around, but answered in a rather serious voice.

“Well, I’d probably be lonely, wouldn’t I? You, the chef, and my child are all I have left. And you’d probably be lonely too. Vampires are a pitiful race cursed with eternal life, after all.”

The corners of Charlotte’s lips faintly turned up.

“Okay, then I’ll have to stay by your side until the end.”

As soon as Charlotte finished speaking, Arwen gasped and fixed her gaze on Charlotte. Her lips trembled.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been wanting me to say that so much, why are you pretending not to know now? Okay, your right hand. You can’t live without me now, can you?”

Arwen was rather flustered by Charlotte’s attitude, which had suddenly become proactive as if she were changing masks.

“That’s true, but…”

“And I want to see the baby in your belly up close too. If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to stay by your side than to wander around outside? So please take care of me from now on.”

“Those are my lines.”

Arwen stood up and shook Charlotte’s hand firmly. Hoping that this connection would not be broken until the day she died.

But was it because of the words Charlotte uttered while making the vow? Her meeting with the child came much sooner than she expected.

The dawn of the day she officially started living in Arwen’s castle. It rained as if a hole had been torn in the sky, and labor began.

On the day of the premature birth, there wasn’t even a decent doctor in the castle.

Only the chef, who always stayed by Arwen’s side, and Charlotte were there. Fortunately, the old chef, who had experience with delivering babies, calmly led the situation.

Would there ever be a day when I would hear Arwen scream? I always thought there would never be such a day, but it seemed like today was the day.

“Aaaaaaah!”

Arwen, grabbing Charlotte’s hair next to her, had a painful expression on her face, her face drenched in cold sweat. It felt like her hair would be pulled out along with her scalp at any moment, but if the pain she was feeling could be alleviated even a little by this act, she would gladly give up this much hair.

Besides, she couldn’t let her suffer alone. She wanted to share the pain with her in this way.

Arwen’s scream, which showed no signs of stopping, suddenly stopped, and at the same time, the hand holding Charlotte’s hair lost its strength.

Could it be that she couldn’t bear the pain and stopped breathing? Seeing her chest rising slightly each time she breathed, it didn’t seem to be the case.

Then…?

Instead of Arwen, who was silent, the baby’s loud cry echoed in the room. The chef held the baby in his hands and approached Charlotte, saying.

“It’s a princess.”

It was the first time she had witnessed the moment of birth. Charlotte, receiving the baby from the chef, barely opened her mouth in a voice filled with emotion.

“It really came out…”

Arwen, catching her breath, said to Charlotte, who was standing there blankly.

“What are you doing…? Cut the umbilical cord quickly.”

“Can I do it?”

“Who else would do it if not you?”

Charlotte, barely cutting the baby’s umbilical cord with her hands trembling as if she had tremors, looked at Arwen, barely suppressing the tears welling up in her eyes. She smiled faintly and slowly closed her eyes.

●

“Hey, come over here quickly.”

Charlotte, moving her steps slowly against her will, muttered a small complaint.

“Do we really have to take a picture? It’s annoying.”

“Of course we have to take a picture. Today is the day you officially became a maid.”

To think that the first picture she would take in her life would be in these uncomfortable clothes, she couldn’t understand at all. If possible, wouldn’t there be an outfit that suited her better? Maid outfits were not Charlotte’s taste. The tight top that squeezed her chest was stuffy, and she couldn’t even walk properly because of the skirt that reached her ankles.

Arwen had no intention of listening to such minor complaints.

“Okay, look over there and smile.”

Arwen put her hand around Charlotte’s neck, who was slowly slipping out of the camera’s angle, and forcibly pulled her towards her, and at the moment of ruffling her hair, the camera shutter clicked and a light flashed. With the photographer saying it was over, Charlotte was finally released from Arwen’s arms.

“Rest for a bit. I’ll go change my clothes.”

Charlotte wanted to follow her and change her clothes right away, but rest was her top priority right now.

Charlotte sat cross-legged on the bench in the yard, looking up at the sky to rest, but she soon discovered Aser approaching her with her arms outstretched. She pressed Aser’s forehead with her finger to prevent her from approaching her further, and spoke in an indifferent tone.

“I’m tired right now, so don’t bother me and go away.”

Aser grabbed Charlotte’s hand pressing her forehead with both hands, and raised her voice as if she was whining.

“Ah, please play with me! Mom is busy and won’t play with me. You’re my servant!”

“Who’s a servant to a brat like you? Tsk, you don’t have a cute side at all.”

She frowned and spoke harshly, but her body was acting in the opposite way. Charlotte stood up, grabbed Aser’s armpits with both hands, lifted her high, and put her on her shoulders. Unlike what she said, Aser was frightened by the sudden height and wrapped her hands around Charlotte’s hair, gripping it tightly so she wouldn’t fall to the ground.

“It hurts! You little brat!”

As if they weren’t mother and daughter, her hands were already spicy.

Charlotte reached up to grab Aser, but the more she did, the more Aser twisted Charlotte’s hair and gripped it tightly, trying not to fall. Aser had already lost her fear and was laughing gleefully as she watched Charlotte struggling.

Arwen, who had only put on a white bathrobe over her naked body and came out into the yard again, smiled at the sight.

“Oh, are you playing with Aser?”

“Does this look like playing? Take her away quickly.”

“Hey, don’t be so stingy. Oh, the weather is nice, should we go for a walk together? You’re always the one who suggests it first.”

Arwen didn’t even listen to Charlotte’s answer and immediately went up the mountain behind the castle where the valley was.

Arriving at the valley, Arwen started playing with Aser, splashing water. She occasionally gestured for Charlotte to come in, but Charlotte, who had no intention of disturbing them, only waved her hand and rested in the shade.

If she hadn’t met Arwen that day, how would her life have been different? She would have certainly lived in a dark back alley where light didn’t even shine, extorting the lives of others.

Even for Arwen, who had given her light, she thought it wouldn’t be so bad to dedicate this insignificant life to the lives of the two mothers and daughters.

She was hoping that there would be no end to this warm sunlight, the sound of splashing water, and the laughter of Aser and Arwen.

But peace was bound to be shattered without any warning.

The unprecedentedly large-scale war broke out exactly one month later.