The Demon King's Paladin

Chapter 140. Ruby's Guard Duty

                                                                     Ruby Flameskin's Point of View

Had you told me I'd be so concerned about the actions of a Human man, I would've told you to wake up since you were clearly still half asleep. I've lived my past 34 years working solely to keep Paradise afloat and make my family proud. That meant training and hunting in the swamps. My life went like that for so long, that I'd practically forgotten the talks that had occurred when I had first reached my teenage years and suitors appeared from around Paradise. I grew bored of having to pretend I was listening to the words of these fragile men, they hadn't the first idea how to properly hold a sword or hunt effectively. Finally, after growing more and more frustrated at the amount of time that was being wasted in my eyes, I asked my father to give a condition to the men who wished to marry me. He allowed it and like that, I began to fight my suitors with the idea that if they defeated me once, I'd marry them. Some were more spirited than others, but by the age of 20, I no longer had to deal with annoying men and marriage interviews. I lived my life simply, until that bastard had been caught syphoning funds from Paradise to his own personal funds. Since then, the world became harsher.

" Ughhh..."

I couldn't help but let my sigh escape. My father and Rodrick had to bow their heads to the neighboring Lords and beg for aid as the grains that the government had given us couldn't substitute the fruits and vegetables that were needed to sustain ourselves. When asked why the government didn't ship it...

" Not cost effective."

That was the 3-word response Paradise received from the top logistics secretary. We couldn't help but feel slighted. The Lords laughed behind our backs; more people left Paradise for greener pastures after the news. Eventually, we were left with around 30 people to manage a town. The stress of that for over a decade started to mount. Then news came our way finally.

" Big Sis! We're getting a new Lord!"

Flare informed me with a happy tone. She was my little sister, 15 years younger than me. She's grown up to be a great woman. We tried our best to hide the suffering of the adults from the children, but Flare was never spoiled. She's always been a smart girl, so I wonder why she was so happy about this? I asked for more information.

" He's a Marquess and he's backed by the King!"

" Oh? I feel like I heard about a new Marquess that was recently given his title..."

" Yes, it's that one! He married Princess Sarah as well!"

" Wait! That Marquess is a Human isn't he!?"

" Yeah! Isn't it great?"

" What could be good about a Human coming to rule our land? The Lords will just look down on us even more."

I questioned what Flare thought was so great about a Human coming to rule us. I mean... What could be good? What if he tries to make us more like Promethia instead of following the ways of Diablos? While I thought about this, Flare answered my question.

" But Big Sis, think about it! A Human and a Demon Princess, through a bond of mutual love were able to marry! Isn't it so romantic!?"

Here she goes again. Flare is.... how can I put this... Rather girly. She's been obsessed with romance since she was a little girl. In particular she likes a story about a Human Prince and a commoner girl falling in love. We had the book in our family library and she's more or less claimed ownership of the book since she was around 7 years old.

" Just because he was married to a Princess, that doesn't mean it was for love. Didn't they fight off Promethia's Hero? Maybe they only married as compensation for his help dealing with the Hero."