"What do you need, Esther-sama?" a maid asks as I leave the main hall.

"I need to know if Evelyn has already reached the bedroom and is there," I ask, hoping the answer is yes. About 30 minutes ago, she came to me and asked to go to the bedroom first to prepare a 'surprise,' and she enlisted the help of some servants. So, I want to know if she's really where she should be.

"Yes, Esther-sama, she is already in the bedroom and is ready to receive you," the maid confirms, and I nod in response.

"Good. Inform the servants that I will no longer be in the main hall, so they must handle everything in my place. And above all, I am not to be disturbed until midday. Anyone who interrupts will be punished," I say as I proceed down the corridor toward my bedroom.

'I wonder how she will act...' I walk calmly until I reach my room. I can sense her through the door, not too close.

"..."

'She... wouldn't be stupid enough to try a surprise attack, right?... No... I don't think even she would be that foolish.' I open the door, curious about what she will do, and as soon as I open it, I see her standing before me.

She has taken off her wedding dress and is wearing a slightly transparent white negligee. I can see the black bra and panties through her clothing as she holds a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"I-I thought we could... h-have something before we start... a-as a wedding gift from me," she says timidly, her face turning red. I can notice her discomfort; it's obvious she isn't truly excited about this, but she's trying her best.

"..." I stare at the outfit. I can see through it, and I must say, her body is more alluring than I expected.

'Is this really the body of an 18-year-old girl?... She's... hotter than I anticipated...' I must say I'm surprised, and my heart genuinely races at this sight.

"..." I enter the room, closing the door, and take the wine bottle from her hand.

'Isn't this the wine from my cellar? And it's the one with the lowest alcohol content, too.' I look into her eyes.

"Giving me my own wine as a gift seems rather stupid, but I'll accept that you're offering your body as part of the package. The outfit looks great on you," I compliment, and she stiffens.

"L-Let's drink?" she asks, not sounding very hopeful.

"Your fear of me is irrational. I wouldn't hurt my wife on the first night. You can take it easy. Let's drink the wine, and you can tell me what you want from me." When I say this, she grows even more tense.

'It was obvious she wanted something.' Evelyn doesn't love me, so her doing this is clearly for personal gain.

"..." I start guiding her to the table while glancing around my room. The lighting is perfect, and the light, floral scent seems appropriate.

'Did she have the nerve to ask my servants for favors?... It seems she's already starting to test her boundaries.' Evelyn might not have realized it yet, but by marrying me, she has gained more power than she could possibly imagine.

I am one of the most important nobles among the demons. If Evelyn wanted to, she could slap a duke's daughter, and that girl would still have to bow and be grateful for it.

Of course, it all depends on the image I project of Evelyn. If the nobles see that I defend her, then naturally, Evelyn gains incredible protection. But if the nobles see me treating Evelyn like trash, she would naturally have zero power to defend herself.

Currently, we are at the protection stage. I defended her, and the nobles at the wedding noticed. So, for now, Evelyn holds considerable influence.

"May I... pour for you?" Evelyn asks, seated at the table, as I begin to remove some of the more unnecessary jewels.

"Of course. Pour me half a glass," I say, casually tossing the jewels onto the nightstand in my room. There aren't many secrets here, so it's fine for Evelyn to spend her first night in my bedroom, since I keep my important things mainly in my room at the castle.

"..." Soon, I sit at the table with her and see that she has poured very little into her own glass—less than 30%.

'She's weak with alcohol; it makes sense to drink sparingly.' I pick up my glass and raise it slightly toward her. She clinks her glass against mine with a light chime.

"You can tell me what you want. I'll listen and see if I accept your request," I say without beating around the bush. Strangely, I feel anxious to just take her purity already, so this initial stalling is somewhat frustrating.

'Why am I so eager for this? It shouldn't be that important...'

"W-Well, Esther... I-I would like gold... and jewels... and monster cores of at least Rank B to A to strengthen my puppets... a-and I also want to create another puppet to serve me..." she says, and I see an opportunity.

"Evelyn, could you explain to me what your Blessing is? If I understand it, I can determine if your request has any problems or not." I've always been curious about how this ability works.

"..."

"I..." She stops, seeming to think about whether she should reveal her Blessing or not. But if she doesn't reveal it, I'll deny her request.

"I can create puppets... Before, I could only create small puppets, but now I can create living puppets... They can be of any race, have any class, possess any power, and they can grow stronger through various methods..."

"It all depends on the strength of the materials they are built from... and how much I fortify them over time. They are made using my magic and vitality." When she says this, I am surprised.

'That... is dangerous. Any race, class, and power? That could create powerful and problematic troops...'

"B-But my Blessing also weakens me! Because of it, I have no strength, endurance, or stamina—just a lot of magic and vitality... and I can't learn attack magic, only use threads if I want to fight... directly." When she says this, I finally understand why she was considered a failure.

'So it was never a lack of talent; she just had the misfortune of her Blessing being completely different from anything we've seen before... This Blessing... isn't it the one with the highest evolutionary potential?' I wonder, taking a sip of wine.

"You have a very... unique Blessing." It's still weaker than my Blessing, but I'd say Evelyn's Blessing is only weaker than Marie's. In other words, Evelyn possesses the third strongest Blessing among us six candidates for the throne.

"Your Blessing is from the sixth layer, then," I say, and she nods. Upon realizing how her Blessing works, I give a satisfied smile.

"Evelyn, would you like my help with your military studies?" I ask, placing my empty glass on the table. Evelyn looks at me, confused.

"How..."

"Evelyn, from what I understand, your power depends 100% on strategy. It's a strong power, but full of rules and limitations. After our wedding night, if you tell me every single strength and weakness of your ability, I can give you lessons."

"I am an excellent strategist, to the point where six of my plans and ideas have already aided in the war effort. So far, the closest to that is Lucien, who has had four plans actually used in the war." I say, picking up the wine bottle and filling both her glass and mine.

"Drink your wine, Evelyn. Leaving it sitting in the glass will make it lose its flavor." She realizes I want to get her drunk.

"..."

"Don't worry, I'm only helping you. Your fear and discomfort are obvious. I am willing to give you resources to fortify your 'puppets.' Just drink the wine; the alcohol will help you feel better on this first night," I say seriously.

She seems reluctant, but she just lets out a sigh and starts drinking the wine in her glass, which brings a satisfied smile to my face.

"I-If I tell you everything... will you really help me? Even... knowing that I want to stop you?" That's a good question.

"Yes. I can teach you many things. I will help you. Because even if you are opposed to my desire... I... think I still want some genuine closeness between the two of us," I say, tracing the rim of my glass with my finger.

"..." My heart races at my own words. It's a bit strange, but yes, it's true that I'm willing to train her in military tactics just so we can grow closer.

"...H-Hahahaha... You... are being cuter than I expected... That is... very kind of you..." she says, already flushed from the drink. Even though this drink is weak, it's still an original 1200-year-old wine with an alcohol content 200% higher than beer.

Which would be considered highly alcoholic for someone weak to drink, but it seems just one glass hasn't made her completely drunk.

"Let's stop the drinking here. You need to be conscious of your choices. If you drink more, you'll go from a conscious state to a hazy one, and I don't want that. You need to remember every second of this night." She nods as I take the wine bottle and move it farther away.

"..."

"So let's settle the agreement like this: You will be obedient and sweet, as a good wife should be, and teach me about your Blessing. In return, I will teach you military tactics to make up for your lack of formal studies, provide material support, and take care of you. All I want is for you to truly act within the boundaries I set."

"I believe this is advantageous for you, isn't it? Or would you prefer to have none of my help?" I ask, giving her a choice. She is fully aware of what this means, even though she's a little drunk.

"...I-I accept..." she says timidly, and I go over to her, grabbing her by the waist.

"Excellent. Then let's begin. You need to fulfill your first conjugal duty, and judging by your outfit, I think you were already prepared for this," I say, smiling at her.

"P-Please be gentle with me... I-I've never done this before." She says this so shyly that I almost laugh. After all, it's obvious she's never done it before, and it would be problematic if she had given her purity to someone else.

However, I already confirmed whether she was a virgin or not. The moment the ring on her finger fused into her flesh, her blood was analyzed along with her magic, showing that her purity had not yet been taken.

The reason this is important is that magic changes when one's first time is taken. The wavelength of magic is elevated and expanded when this occurs, and its variation is based on that of the first partner. I want her to be marked by my magic.

"I won't promise something I won't deliver, but I will try to be gentle."

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