“I’m very happy that the awkward relationship between the Demon Lord and Eli improved without me even noticing!”
Wow!
“It would be nice if it happened under the matchmaking of popular Pastel!”
Pastel clapped her hands.
『If the relationship improves, then it improves; if it worsens, then it worsens. There’s no need to set it up like this or that.』
“Eeeh? You’re not feeling burdened by my suggestion, are you, Demon Lord? You’re not someone who has a hard time making friends, right? Well, if you’re locked up in a prison, that might happen!”
Pupupu~.
『Oh my. You say anything because I don’t scold you much.』
The demon pressed down on her pink hair. The neatly styled hair was flattened.
“Waaah! Demon Lord! You’re ruining my hairstyle! This is a real blow!”
『What does it matter? I did your hair in the morning, so at least you should say that much yourself.』
“I can’t do that!”
Eli, who had been silent, looked perplexed as if she detected a subtle nuance. Just as she was about to ask something, Melissa, who had been worried that she made a big mistake, rushed in and whispered.
Whisper whisper.
Huh?
The popular Pastel was not a bad friend who eavesdropped on her friend’s whispers, but she decided to make an exception this time, so Pastel’s ears perked up as her hairstyle got messed up.
“What did you say?”
“Pastel seems to like him. I accidentally mentioned that the Great Demon Lord was visiting here, right? I don’t think Pastel would do anything bad to a friend, but I think it’s better for Eli to stay quiet right now. She seemed very calm, but she rushed in yelling that the Demon Lord has a preference for black hair.”
“Does that mean…?”
“Yes.”
Eli’s mouth opened and closed silently. Her trembling fingers fiddled with her black side hair. Then, as if retracing her words, she rolled her eyes and felt a slight sense of relief.
“I was just discussing the development of the territory purely.”
“Then I’m relieved.”
Wow, that’s a relief.
“There’s no way I would see someone older than my parents as a romantic interest! Besides, if the Great Demon Lord were to marry the princess, there would be plenty of traditionalists who would stir up trouble. The royal family is currently challenging the authority of the Demon King by relying on the Great Demon Lord’s authority, you know.”
“That’s true.”
Wow, that makes too much sense.
Pastel was immediately persuaded.
Emotionally, there’s no way she would like someone from a generation of ancestors, and rationally, she wouldn’t choose a relationship that would only bring troublesome issues.
Eli, you’re so smart!
The immediate response raises reasonable doubts that she must have considered this in her heart at least once, but it’s only natural for a princess to ponder a political marriage with a key figure!
The popular Pastel isn’t someone who holds a grudge against rational handling~!
『What are you thinking about? Focus on getting scolded when you get scolded.』
The Demon Lord attempted to go beyond just pushing down her hair and started to mess it up. The pink locks became unruly.
“Waaah! Demon Lord! This is crossing the line! Really crossing the line! Don’t mess up my pretty hair!”
Pastel quickly distanced herself. She reorganized her hair with a pout. It was hard to restore to its original state, as it had turned somewhat unkempt.
Ugh.
Appearance level 99 Pastel has fallen to appearance level 98…
Under normal circumstances, asking to restyle her hair would be the end of the problem, but since there was someone to show it to, her mood felt different than usual.
Something feels off, and something bothers her, and something annoys her, but eh, it’s not annoyance!
Good Pastel doesn’t get annoyed!
Anyway, anyway, something feels off.
Melissa approached, fluttering her wizard robe. The demon and Pastel were obstructed.
“It’s true that the Great Demon Lord goes through the trouble of setting up your adornments. However, it’s not like we’ll always be kids, so please show some respect.”
The blue eyes looked reproachfully at the demon.
The demon was taken aback.
『Is my reaction excessive compared to usual?』
It’s common for the Demon Lord to mess up her hairstyle while trying to scold her.
Melissa firmly shook her head.
“The accumulation of time can’t be simply defined with the word ‘usual.'”
Wow, that sounds impressive coming from Melissa.
“Exactly! Exactly!”
Pastel stuck to Melissa’s back like a mouse hiding behind a beast. She shot glaring looks at her.
“This is totally bad! How should I put it, how should I put it? How should I put it, how should I put it?”
“If you touch the adornments you’ve worked hard to arrange, it makes you feel bad, even if that person is the one who arranged it.”
“Right! Right! That’s what I’m saying!”
The red eyes silently looked incredulous.
The blue eyes looked firmly back.
“The Great Demon Lord did go through trouble to create your appearance. However, the value placed there belongs to Pastel. Please respect the mind and value you’ve set for yourself.”
The pink head nodded quickly.
“Right! Right! That’s what I’m saying!”
The Demon Lord, feeling perplexed, crossed his arms and thought. He rubbed his chin, sighed, and ambiguously nodded as if he didn’t quite understand the situation.
『That makes sense. I think I was excessive. I apologize.』
Oh yeah!
I win!
Even though the Demon Lord scolded me, the one sincerely apologizing is the Demon Lord~!
Pastel stuck out her tongue at the Demon Lord. The pink tongue wiggled playfully.
Pupupu~!
I won!
I won~!
『Huh.』
The Demon Lord was bewildered.
“Still, I think it’s necessary for you, Pastel, to do it yourself. How about at least making your bed in the morning by yourself?”
The maid’s skilled hands were brushing Pastel’s pink hair.
“Waaah.”
Pastel pretended not to hear.
“Don’t brush off ‘waaah’ lightly. Isn’t it embarrassing for someone who likes your unkempt appearance to see you like this?”
“I think you should show your true self more if you care about someone!”
Uh-huh!
Melissa was perplexed. As she pondered what to do about this undignified friend, she seemed to think it wasn’t proper to speak to a clan leader and gave up.
Instead, Eli, who had been directing the maid on the side, spoke up.
“If you show too much of your true self, it won’t be good. People take maintained appearances for granted, so showing an unkempt appearance is no different from carrying unnecessary penalties. Pastel, you’re already pretty, so it shouldn’t matter much, but there’s no reason to suffer unnecessary evaluation losses.”
Ugh, if you say something that logical, I’ll have nothing to say.
So Pastel decided to pretend she didn’t hear it.
Wow.
“Eli! Eli! I’m thinking of confessing to the Demon Lord. How should I make it super ultra awesome?!”
“So soon? I mean, you are.”
Eli pondered for a moment.
Then, as if something clicked, she twisted her side hair with her finger.
“It’s your choice to confess, but based on the Great Demon Lord’s reaction earlier, I’m not sure how it will turn out.”
Huh?
“Why? What do you mean?”
“He’s treating you like a kid. Even if you confess, he might take it as a joke or brush it off lightly.”
Eeeh?
Pastel was stunned.
“That could be the case.”
Melissa nodded.
“If there was any chance of him seeing you as a romantic interest at all, he could never do something embarrassing like making your bed instead of you. This is something classified differently in his heart.”
Melissa hesitated for a moment.
“As a ward.”
Ugh.
Could it be that the Demon Lord separates me like I separate my friends and family rankings, just like how I see my mom differently?
“It can’t be! I have pink hair just like my mom!”
Pastel clutched her head and shook it. The pink locks swayed chaotically. The maid, startled, got hit by her hair.
“Just because I have pink hair doesn’t mean you can disregard me…!”
Quick to notice, Melissa and Eli took a step back and apologized to the maid before discussing the situation.
“Will this be a confession? It seems unlikely. The Great Demon Lord, contrary to his fame, has a pretty strong sense of morals, so it would be hard for him to accept Pastel’s confession, even if he does like her.”
“That might be a problem too. Developing a romantic relationship with someone you were supposed to protect raises ethical concerns. Plus, if that person is the child of someone he liked in the past, it would be quite dishonorable.”
No way!
Ugh.
Ughhh!
Pastel flailed her fists. Then a brilliant idea popped into her head, and her pink eyes sparkled.
“Anyway, the Demon Lord has no honor left to lose, so isn’t it okay?!”
What’s the problem with losing more honor when everyone knows he faced rejection in his unrequited love?
Ugh, that makes too much sense.
Incredulous gazes were directed at her.
Ugh, that’s not a wrong statement.
Puu…
Pastel slumped.
“Guys, tell me some optimistic plans, not about negative situations.”
Melissa apologized.
“I might have said something too harsh. There has to be some good news out there. Hang in there.”
Out there.
Melissa may not openly express it, but it seems she doesn’t want to actively support this dishonorable relationship.
Eli gestured to the maid. The maid brushed Pastel’s pink hair again.
“If you think instead, there might be a way. It’s a strange thing to say, but the Great Demon Lord is someone who easily gets swayed by Craft, so he might be able to be swayed in other meanings.”
Aah!
That’s right, Eli!
“What kind of method?! What kind of method?!”
The pink eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Eli looked flustered.
“I guess I’ll need to think about it.”
Ugh.
An answer akin to ‘I don’t know.’
Pastel slumped again.
“Got it! If you remember, make sure to tell me.”
“I will.”
Amidst the interrupted conversation, only the sound of brushing lingered.
The clock ticked.
At some point, there was a knock. It was a frequent visitor that only knocked for courtesy, and the door opened without the princess’s permission.
Mr. Penguin came in.
“Redmond? What brings you here?”
“I only visit the princess when something happens, you know.”
Eli chuckled.
“So, what’s happening?”
“I heard that the governor is here to visit.”
Mr. Penguin slightly raised the briefcase he showed. His gaze shifted toward Pastel.
“I verified the document you handed over.”
Huh?
I didn’t give you anything like that.
“It turns out that the mediator really did request the assassination of the governor by the cult.”
