380
Inside the sunroom at Red Rose Manor.
The butler was asked to leave. Hearing the door close, Edessak slowly exhaled. "Trissy Cheek. Heh, you prefer to be called Trissy. I know you're a Demoness. The person helping you buy Beyonder ingredients didn't succeed. Everything you obtained was supplied by me!
"I don't care whether my princess is a 'Witch' or a 'Demoness.' I've even seen your wanted poster!"
Trissy froze at first, then gave a mocking smile.
"You know quite a lot..."
"Then do you know that I used to be a man, and that my real name is Tris?"
"...What?" Edessak's eyes widened, and he tilted his head slightly, as though he couldn't believe what he had heard.
Seeing this, Trissy burst out laughing, doubling over with violent laughter like a lunatic. "Hahaha, you heard me right. I used to be a man! I used to be just like you! But the 'Witch' potion forcibly changed my sex!"
"Isn't that disgusting? Have you broken out in goosebumps already?"
She vented the words she had kept bottled up for so long and took two steps forward.
Edessak instinctively backed away, his throat bobbing involuntarily.
"No, that's not it... You're a real woman... There's nothing wrong... I can be absolutely certain of that!"
He first muttered to himself, then raised his voice. "You've been a real woman ever since I met you. I don't want to know what you used to be like! I can pretend nothing like that ever happened! The person I like, the person I love, is you as you are now!"
Trissy stared blankly for a moment, then raised a hand to wipe away the tears from her laughter.
"You're truly a pitiful man."
"Don't you understand yet? Our meeting wasn't a coincidence. Even your liking..."