“I’m so happy that the awkward relationship between the Demon Lord and Elly has improved without me noticing!”
Wow!
“It would have been great if it were organized by the popular Pastel!”
Pastel clapped her hands.
“If things get better, they get better; if they get worse, they get worse. There’s no need to meddle in this and that.”
“Uh, is the Demon Lord feeling pressured by my suggestion? I mean, was this person someone who struggles with making friends? I guess being locked in prison could make that happen!”
Pew pew~.
“Oh dear. You’re talking loosely just because I didn’t scold you too harshly.”
The Demon pressed down on her pink head. Her neatly styled hair got squished flat.
“Ah! Demon Lord! You’re ruining my hairstyle! This is a serious blow!”
“I did your hair this morning, so what does it matter? At least say that after you’ve done it yourself.”
“That can’t be!”
Elly, who had been silent, seemed to catch a strange nuance. Just as she was about to ask, Melissa, who was worried she had made a big mistake, quickly approached and whispered.
Whisper whisper.
Huh?
The popular Pastel wasn’t a bad friend who eavesdropped on her friends’ whispers, but since it was a special circumstance, she just decided to perk her ears up and let her hairstyle get messed up.
“What did you say?”
“Pastel is into that guy. I accidentally mentioned the Great Demon was visiting, you know? I don’t think Pastel would do anything bad to her friend, but I think Elly should stay quiet right now. While she’s acting very calm, she came running and shouted whether the Demon Lord had a preference for black hair!”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Yes.”
Elly’s mouth opened and closed quietly. Her fingers trembled as they touched her black side hair.
Then, as if reflecting on what she had just said, she rolled her eyes and felt a slight relief.
“I was just discussing land development purely out of curiosity.”
“That’s a relief then.”
Wow, that’s a relief.
“I couldn’t possibly see someone older than my parents as a romantic interest. Besides, if the Great Demon married a princess, traditionalists would be up in arms. Is the royal family challenging the Demon King’s authority using the Great Demon’s power?”
“That’s true.”
Wow, that’s spot on.
Pastel was instantly convinced.
Emotionally, she couldn’t possibly like someone from her ancestors’ generation, and rationally, she wouldn’t choose a relationship that would only cause headaches.
Elly, you’re so smart!
It was reasonable to suspect that the quick responses indicated she had contemplated this in her heart at least once, but it was natural for a princess to consider marriage with key figures!
The popular Pastel is not someone who bears a grudge against reasonable handling~!
“What are you thinking about? When you’re scolded, focus on being scolded.”
The Demon went beyond just pressing her head to start messing with her hair. The pink strands got all tangled.
“Ah! Demon Lord! This is crossing the line! Seriously crossing the line! Don’t ruin my pretty hair!”
Pastel quickly distanced herself. With a pout, she tried to fix her hair. It seemed like it was half mangled, making it hard to get back to normal with just a brush.
Oh no.
Appearance level 99 Pastel has dropped to appearance level 98…
Normally, it would be a simple matter of asking to redo her hairstyle, but this time she had someone to show it to, so her feelings were different from usual.
Something felt off, something didn’t sit right, and something was annoying, but uh, not really annoying!
Good Pastel doesn’t get annoyed!
Anyway, something just felt off.
Melissa approached, fluttering her wizard robe, blocking the space between the Demon and Pastel.
“It’s true that the Great Demon goes through the trouble of setting up your appearance. However, we aren’t kids forever, so please show us some respect.”
The blue eyes looked at the Demon with a slightly reproachful gaze.
The Demon was flustered.
“Is my reaction unusually excessive today?”
It was pretty common for the Demon to ruin her hairstyle under the guise of scolding and then fix it afterward.
Melissa shook her head firmly.
“The passing of time cannot be defined merely by the word ‘usual.’”
Wow, Melissa sounds profound.
“Right! Right!”
Pastel clung to Melissa’s back like a mouse hiding behind a beast. She shot glaring looks at her.
“This is sooo bad! I mean, what can I say! What can I say!”
“You feel bad when someone messes with the effort you’ve put into your appearance, even if that person is the one who did it.”
“Exactly! That’s exactly what I mean!”
The red-eyed figure looked on with a silent disbelief.
The blue-eyed figure gazed back firmly.
“What the Great Demon has worked hard to improve your appearance is true. But the value placed there belongs to Pastel. Please respect the feelings and values you have decided for yourself.”
Pastel nodded quickly.
“Right! Right! That’s exactly what I mean!”
The Demon, bewildered, crossed her arms and thought. Rubbing her chin, she sighed as if not entirely sure what this situation was really about.
“I suppose that could be true. I think I may have overstepped. I apologize.”
Oh yeah!
I win!
The Demon scolded, but she ended up being the one to apologize~!
Pastel stuck her tongue out at the Demon. Her pink tongue wiggled teasingly.
Pew pew~!
I won!
I won~!
“Hum.”
The Demon looked perplexed.
“Still, I think it’s necessary for you to do things for yourself. How about at least making your own bed this morning?”
The maid skillfully combed Pastel’s pink hair.
“Ugh.”
Pastel pretended not to hear.
“Don’t just brush it off like that! Isn’t it embarrassing to show an unkempt appearance to someone who likes you?”
“I think you should show your true self the more they like you!”
Yup yup!
Melissa looked astonished. After pondering how to deal with this rude friend, she might have thought it’d be rude to speak to the head of a family, so she gave up.
Instead, Elly, who had been giving orders to the maid from the side, spoke up.
“If you show too much of your true self, it won’t be good. People tend to take a well-groomed appearance for granted, so showing an unkempt one is no different than shouldering an unnecessary penalty. Pastel, you’re pretty anyway, so it may not be a big deal, but there’s no reason to suffer unnecessary judgments.”
Uh, speaking so logically really leaves me speechless.
So, Pastel decided to pretend she didn’t hear that.
Wow.
“Elly! Elly! I’m going to confess to the Demon Lord; how can I make it super ultra awesome?!”
“Are you doing it already? I mean.”
Elly thought for a moment.
Then, as if she noticed something, she twisted a strand of her hair around her finger.
“It’s your choice to do it, but judging from how the Great Demon reacted earlier, I’m not sure it would end well.”
Huh?
“Why? How come?”
“Because they’re treating you like a child. Even if you confess, they might take it as a joke or brush it off like a prank.”
Uh oh?
Pastel was dumbfounded.
“That could be the case.”
Melissa agreed.
“If there was even a slight possibility of seeing you as a romantic interest, then they’d never do something embarrassing like making your bed in the morning. It’s a different classification in their mind.”
Melissa hesitated for a moment.
“As a protected party.”
Oh dear.
Could it be that the Demon Lord is categorizing me differently from how I think of my mom, just like how Pastel separates her friend ranking from her family ranking?
“That can’t be! I have pink hair just like mom!”
Pastel clutched her head and shook it. Her pink strands swung wildly. The maid panicked, getting hit by her hair.
“Just come over since you have pink hair…!”
Noticing quickly, Melissa and Elly stepped back and apologized to the maid while discussing the situation.
“Does this count as a confession? I don’t think so. The Great Demon, contrary to their infamous reputation, is quite moralistic, so accepting Pastel’s confession will be difficult, even if they like her.”
“That could be an issue. Developing a romantic relationship with someone you’re meant to protect poses moral complications. Plus, if that person is the child of someone they once liked, it’s quite dishonorable.”
That’s insane!
Ugh.
Ughhhh!
Pastel flailed her fists in the air. Then, an incredible thought crossed her mind, and her pink eyes sparkled.
“Since the Demon Lord has no honor left to lose, isn’t it okay?!”
What’s the problem with a one-sided crush that everyone knows about in the neighborhood?!
Uh, that makes too much sense.
The incredulous gazes turned toward her.
Uh, that’s totally wrong.
Pew…
Pastel drooped down.
“Guys, tell me about an optimistic plan, not just these negative scenarios.”
Melissa felt sorry.
“I think my words were too harsh. There must be some good news somewhere. Cheer up.”
Somewhere.
Melissa didn’t openly express it, but it seemed she didn’t actively support this dishonorable relationship.
Elly gestured to the maid, who resumed combing Pastel’s hair again.
“If you think about it, there might be a solution. Though it’s awkward to say, the Great Demon is quite susceptible to Craft, so maybe they could be swayed in a different way.”
Oh!
As expected of Elly!
“What method?! What method?!”
Pastel’s pink eyes gleamed with excitement.
Elly looked flustered.
“I’ll need to think about it…”
Ugh.
The same answer as “I don’t know.”
Pastel drooped again.
“I get it. If you think of something, please let me know.”
“I will.”
Within the broken conversation, only the sounds of combing echoed.
The clock ticked.
At some point, a knock was heard. It was a casual visit without the princess’s permission, perhaps done out of courtesy.
Mr. Penguin came in.
“Redmond? What’s going on?”
“Would I visit the princess for just anything?”
Elly chuckled.
“So, what brings you here?”
“By chance, the Governor has made a visit.”
Mr. Penguin lifted a document bag slightly, as if presenting it. His gaze turned toward Pastel.
“I verified the document you handed me.”
Huh?
I never gave you anything like that.
“It turned out to be true that a messenger requested the cult to assassinate the Governor.”
