As they arrived at the hotel, Pastel held the hand of the escorting Demon Lord and stepped down from the carriage.
Her pink eyes glanced sideways.
“Demon Lord, what do you think true love is?”
Curiosity was tingling.
“Hmm? Out of nowhere?”
The Demon Lord gestured to the hotel staff, signaling them. The staff drove the carriage away.
“I’m really not sure.”
“Don’t just brush it off like that.”
The Demon Lord rubbed their chin.
“Usually, love is said to be trusting what isn’t right next to you.”
Pastel’s pink eyes widened.
Whoa, that’s totally romantic!
But suddenly, a very suspicious question popped into her mind.
The Demon Lord appears aloof on the surface, but could it be that their inner thoughts are full of pink fluffiness?
That’d be a perfect match with Pastel!
The Demon Lord looked up at the sky with a subtly wistful gaze.
“They say when God isn’t visible, isn’t next to you, and can’t be proven, that’s when your faith wavers and your love for God becomes unclear—it’s then that you can prove true love.”
Whaaaat.
So it was a religious talk.
Totally not romantic!
The Demon Lord continued staring at the sky for a while.
“But, I really don’t know.”
They headed toward the hotel.
Oh no.
Pastel hurriedly chased after them. Peeking cautiously, she clung to the Demon Lord’s arm.
“I’m not talking about that! Melissa read me a storybook where there was a love potion. Just one sip and you’d become a slave to love! You know? ”
Pastel quickly concocted a plausible excuse.
“After reading that, as a popular person, I started to feel a mix of caution and curiosity, and it got me thinking, maybe it’s worth considering someone who goes to the extent of making a love potion. Haha!”
Oh no?
Was that last statement sounding criminal, or what?
The Demon Lord looked down at the girl clinging to their arm with a strange expression.
Eep.
Pastel hurriedly added, “But of course! A love potion would take a tremendous amount of hard work and effort! An achievement that would never happen again! Like actually following through on a promise to pluck a star and give it as a gift!”
Wow, shiny stars!
“Of course, of course! The other party never asked for such a gift! It’s a bit of a nuisance like confessing your crush right in front of the citizens during the foundation ceremony, but one has to acknowledge the effort, right?”
Now that she said it, it seemed reasonable.
If they showed that much sincerity, shouldn’t they get a ‘couples stamp’?
Pastel couldn’t find a single flaw in her argument. Flawless logic.
In reality, there was a minor issue where a certain girl with pink hair had whimsically borrowed a love charm from the Fairy while munching on cookies. But that didn’t seem very important. Isn’t the end product that shows hard work and effort what really matters?
The Demon Lord frowned.
“That is indeed quite a nuisance. To confess a crush right before the citizens while attending a founding ceremony as a prince in the midst of having fun, no less? If you’re going to reject someone, do it quietly—they shouldn’t confess in front of everyone. Your mother’s intelligence is a blessing; had she been foolish, she might have been pressured into accepting a confession she didn’t even feel. There’s no bigger nuisance than that.”
Ahaha…
It felt like she picked the wrong example.
The Demon Lord couldn’t seem to stop talking about a past rival, perhaps with some old feelings surfacing.
“At that time, the fellow acted on impulse and apologized, and everyone accepted it, but looking back now, it really seems questionable. Did he try to test the waters because he thought he’d lose?”
The Demon Lord’s brow furrowed.
“I thought he wouldn’t have such questionable intentions, given his quite decent character, but from the things he’s been doing lately as Emperor, I’m convinced he certainly might.”
A clicking sound was heard.
“I should’ve rejected someone like that in the first place. Good riddance.”
Ahahaha…
Pastel awkwardly averted her gaze.
Looks like the Demon Lord really liked her mom.
Her feelings were a tangled mess.
The Demon Lord snapped back to reality, looking down at her.
“Emphasizing sincerity while pushing someone is a very malicious intent. When the usual method fails, trying to pressure the other party by provoking their guilt—that kind of coward shouldn’t be indulged.”
Eek.
It was supposed to be flawless logic, but she accidentally put the Demon Lord in the wrong position!
Pastel groaned. Even when they arrived at the hotel level they rented and the Demon Lord went off to prepare dinner, she continued to groan.
Something just felt off.
As a popular girl, Pastel should’ve been smoothly charming the Demon Lord, yet nothing was going right.
Where did it all go wrong?
Still groaning, Pastel rummaged through her belongings. A triangular-shaped shard of broken mirror popped out. With all her strength, she lifted it up.
“Mirror friend!”
The mirror friend sparkled.
This mirror friend had been her soulmate since the days of survival in the mansion!
It was more than enough to counsel her about the love that would become an important turning point in Pastel’s life.
“Precious mirror friend! Tell me! What’s the problem?”
Pastel looked into the mirror.
A pretty girl with pink hair and eyes sparkled back at her. Her eyes blinked and her lashes fluttered.
Though she held back on self-praise to remain a popular person, she honestly didn’t think there was anything wrong with her looks.
Couldn’t get better than this, right?
She asked her mirror friend for the most likely reason but wasn’t given a single answer.
Sighing, she put the mirror back in her pocket and groaned once more.
“Where did it go wrong?”
“Pastel?”
From down the hotel hallway, a blonde girl approached, precariously holding a stack of papers that reached her chin.
Melissa peeked alongside the stack, scanning ahead with a smile.
“Perfect timing! I had something I wanted to say.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“How about we start bringing Elly back? When our cooperation with the Demon Realm Stock Company kicks off, there’ll be a lot more paperwork, and it’s a bit much for me to handle alone.”
Melissa slightly raised the stack of papers, which looked precariously balanced.
“Is that so?”
“Yep.”
Since she sorted out the matchmaker stuff, there should be less conflict for Elly between national interests and friendships.
“Got it! Personally, I’ve been too busy to keep track—thank you for telling me!”
“Of course.”
Pastel took half of the stack and walked alongside her. The magical lighting gently illuminated the hotel corridor.
“Melissa, if I fail at romance, what do you think the issue would be? No, wait! If I fail at flirting!”
Melissa smiled crisply.
“Is the Great Demon not responding to your advances?”
Eep, busted!
Pastel felt a bit embarrassed.
“I’d be blushing like crazy if I were anyone else, but the Demon Lord has no reaction whatsoever.”
“What did you say?”
“Just wait.”
Pastel cleared her throat. She fluttered her lashes and sneaked a glance at Melissa.
In her most enticing voice, she whispered,
“Would it be alright to ask for an escort to the hotel, kind sir?”
Melissa’s mouth fell open slightly. Her face turned red, and she covered her mouth with her hand.
“Wow, that works! You look lovely.”
“Right? Right!? I’m a popular girl after all!”
“But still, it’s totally ineffective with the Demon Lord, which is baffling! What could possibly be the issue?”
Melissa seemed uncomfortable with the touchy subject.
“People have different tastes, after all. Some things just can’t be helped, right?”
It sounded like an ordinary comment, but Pastel could sense a hidden implication—it wasn’t honorable for both parties to abandon the troublesome age difference.
It seemed like a complicated subject for a noble lady.
“Come on, don’t say that! Help me out with useful advice. We’re best friends, after all!”
Pastel gave Melissa a pleading look. Her pink eyes shimmered with desperation.
Melissa awkwardly returned a smile.
For a moment, they walked through the corridor in silence.
“Act like an adult…”
“Huh?”
Melissa hesitated before speaking.
“I think it’s important to act like an adult. If you want to be recognized as an equal, you need to behave with poise, like an equal.”
Yikes?
“Objectively speaking, Pastel, you can be quite a bit eccentric when dealing with those around you. While it is very delightful as a friend, I’m not sure how the Great Demon would feel.”
Yikes yikes?
Not sure why, but it seemed like Melissa had decided to express the thoughts she’d kept to herself all this time.
“I’ve been hesitant to ask this, fearing it might be quite rude. Is the Great Demon washing their own clothes and linens without maids?”
“Right?”
At first, she didn’t have money for gem snacks, so she had to do it herself. Now it was just a habit.
In fact, there was also the matter of information security—hiring someone to take care of personal things as soon as they got into a high position isn’t a good idea.
Mr. Penguin probably found it hard to place spies around Governor Pastel and had to frequently check in, which could also be due to this principle of minimizing personal aides.
Understanding the reasons, Melissa smiled softly. Although she understood, it felt like she was implying that it made no sense.
“Then who washes your underwear?”
Eep.
Pastel froze.
Melissa took a deep breath. She seemed to realize that it was an undignified action and slowly exhaled instead.
Their blue eyes met quietly.
There was no reprimand or scolding in that gaze.
But Pastel felt a mini hiccup coming.
Her pink eyes spun around.
Her face turned completely red.
“Whaaa!”
What have I been doing this whole time…?!
