Chapter 174
"I'm so glad that the awkward relationship between Lord Demon and Ellie has improved without me even knowing!"
Wow!
"It would have been nice if it had happened under the arrangement of the Popular Person Pastel, buuut!"
Pastel clapped her hands, clap, clap, clap.
"If a relationship improves, it improves, and if it worsens, it worsens. There is no need to arrange this and that."
"Eeeh? Surely not, surely not, Lord Demon, you aren't burdened by my proposal, are you? Do you have a hard time making friends? I suppose it's easy to become like that if you're locked up in prison!"
Bboo-bboo~.
"Oh, please. You're just saying whatever comes to mind because I don't scold you harshly."
Lord Demon pressed down hard on her pink head. The nicely arranged hair was completely flattened.
"Uwaaah! Lord Demo-o-on! My hairstyle is getting ruined! This is a real critical hit!"
"I did it for you this morning, so what does it matter? At least do it yourself before you say such things."
"How could youu!"
Ellie, who had been keeping quiet, looked puzzled as if she had caught a subtle nuance. Just as she was about to ask something, Melissa, who had chased after them worrying she had made a huge slip of the tongue, quickly approached and whispered.
Whisper, whisper.
Oing.
The Popular Person Pastel wasn't a bad friend who eavesdropped on her friends' whispers, but since she decided to make an exception for now, Pastel pricked up her ears despite her ruined hairstyle.
"What is it?"
"Pastel likes him. I accidentally told her that the Archdemon was visiting here, you see? I don't think Pastel would do a misdeed to a friend, but I think it's best for Ellie to stay still right now. She looks very calm, but when she came here, she came running and screaming, asking if black hair was Lord Demon's type."
"You don't mean...?"
"Yes."
Ellie's mouth quietly opened and closed. Her fingers, trembling with bewilderment, fiddled with her black hair.
Then, as if retracing what she had said, she rolled her eyes and looked slightly relieved.
"We purely discussed National Land Development."
"That's a relief, then."
Uwang, what a relief.
"In the first place, there's no way she'd feel romantic attraction to someone older than her parents. Besides, separate from the restoration of his honor, if the Archdemon married a Princess, there would be tons of Traditionalists rising up in arms. They'd say the Royal Family is borrowing the Archdemon's authority to challenge the Demon King's Authority."
"That is true."
Uwang, that's so true.
Pastel was immediately convinced.
Emotionally, there was no way she would like someone from her ancestors' generation in the first place, and rationally, there was no way she would choose a relationship that would only cause headache-inducing trouble.
Ellie, you're totally smart!
The fact that the answer came out so immediately raised a reasonable suspicion that she might have considered it in her heart at least once, but as a Princess, weighing an arranged marriage with a major figure was a given!
The Popular Person Pastel is not someone who holds a grudge over rational business handling~!
"What else are you thinking about? When you're being scolded, focus on being scolded."
Lord Demon went beyond pressing her head and attempted to mess up her hair. Her pink hair was messed up.
"Uwaaah! Lord Demon! This is crossing the line! Really crossing the line! Don't ruin my pretty hair!"
Pastel hurriedly backed away. She fixed her hair with a tearful face. Perhaps because it had become half a bird's nest, it was difficult to restore it to its original state just by combing it with her hands.
Uwaa.
Appearance Level 99 Pastel has plummeted to Appearance Level 98 Pastel...
Normally, it would have ended with her asking him to style her hair again, but now that there was someone to show it to, she felt different from usual.
Meonggameongga was sad, and Meonggameongga was displeased, and Meonggameongga was annoyed, and gasp, she wasn't annoyed!
The kind Pastel doesn't get annoyed!
Anyway, anyway, Meonggameongga was displeased.
Melissa approached, her Mage robe fluttering. She stepped between Lord Demon and Pastel.
"It is true that it's an adornment the Archdemon painstakingly sets up every time. But even so, we aren't going to be children forever, so please respect her."
Her blue eyes looked at Lord Demon with a slightly reproachful gaze.
Lord Demon was flustered.
"Your reaction is more excessive than usual?"
Lord Demon ruining her hairstyle under the guise of scolding her and then fixing it was something that happened all the time.
Melissa firmly shook her head.
"Because the accumulation of time cannot be defined merely by the word 'usual'."
Uwang, Melissa is saying something that sounds profound.
"That's right! That's right!"
Pastel clung tightly to Melissa's back like a mouse hiding behind a beast. She shot him glaring looks, bang bang.
"You're Wanjeonwanjeon bad! What Should I Say, What Should I Say! What Should I Say, What Should I Say!"
"It means that touching an adornment she put so much effort into ruins her mood. Even if that person is the one who did the adorning."
"Right! Right! That's exactly what I mean!"
His red eyes were silently dumbfounded.
Her blue eyes met his gaze firmly.
"It is true that the Archdemon went through the trouble of creating her appearance. But Pastel is the one who puts value into it. Please respect the feelings and value she has decided on for herself."
Her pink hair nodded quickly.
"Right! Right! That's exactly what I mean!"
Lord Demon looked bewildered, then crossed his arms and thought. He rubbed his chin, sighed, and gave a vague nod, looking as if he didn't quite understand what exactly this situation was.
"I suppose that could be true. I think I went too far. I apologize."
Oh yeah!
I win!
Lord Demon scolded me, but the one apologizing actually ended up being Lord Demon~!
Pastel stuck her tongue out at Lord Demon. Her pink tongue went bleh, bleh.
Bboo-bboo~!
I won, you see!
I won, you see~!
"Hah."
#
"Even so, I think you need to do things yourself, Pastel. How about at least folding your morning blankets on your own?"
The Lady-in-waiting's skillful hands combed the pink hair.
"Uwaa."
Pastel pretended not to hear.
"Don't just brush it off with an 'uwaa'. Isn't it embarrassing for the person you like to see your unkempt side?"
"I think the more you like someone, the more you should show them your true self!"
Yeah, yeah!
Melissa was dumbfounded. She pondered what to do with this undignified friend, but then gave up, perhaps thinking it wasn't polite to lecture a Family Head of a Family.
Instead, Ellie, who had been giving various instructions to the Lady-in-waiting next to them, opened her mouth.
"It's not good to show too much of your true self. Because people take a managed appearance for granted, showing an unmanaged side is no different from shouldering an unnecessary penalty. You're pretty anyway, Pastel, so it won't matter much; but even so, there's no reason to risk an unnecessary loss in evaluation."
Gasp, if you say something so logical, I have nothing to say.
So Pastel decided to pretend she didn't hear.
Uwang.
"Ellie! Ellie! I'm going to confess to Lord Demon, so how should I do it to make it super ultra awesome?"
"You're doing it already? I suppose."
Ellie pondered for a moment.
Then, as if something was bothering her, her fingers twirled her hair.
"Doing it is up to you, but seeing how the Archdemon reacted earlier, I don't know if the result will be good."
Oing.
"Why? How come?"
"Because he's openly treating you like a kid. Even if you confess, wouldn't he just consider it a joke or brush it off like one?"
Eeeh?
Pastel was dumbstruck.
"That could be true."
Melissa agreed.
"If there was even the slightest room to consider you a romantic interest, he would never do something as embarrassing as folding your morning blankets for you. This means you're in a different category in his heart."
Melissa hesitated for a moment.
"As a protégé."
Gasp.
Surely not, surely not, just like Pastel separates the Friend Ranking and Family Ranking, Lord Demon is also categorizing me differently from Mom?
"How could he! I have pink hair just like Mom too!"
Pastel grabbed her head and shook it. Her pink hair fluttered wildly. The Lady-in-waiting was flustered as she got hit by the hair.
"If it's pink hair, he should just fall for it...!"
Melissa and Ellie, who had tactfully taken a step back, apologized to the Lady-in-waiting on her behalf and discussed the situation.
"Will this confession work? I don't think it will. Unlike his infamy, the Archdemon actually has a rather strict sense of morality, so it will be difficult for him to accept Pastel's confession. Even if he likes her."
"There's that issue too. Developing a romantic relationship with someone you were protecting as a protégé has room for moral problems. On top of that, if the target is the child of someone he used to like, it's a very dishonorable thing."
Nonsense!
Ugh.
Uuugh!
Pastel flailed both her fists. Then, a brilliant idea struck her, and her pink eyes sparkled.
"Since Lord Demon has no more honor left to lose anyway, wouldn't it be fine?!"
The fact that he had a one-sided crush and failed is rumored all over town, so what's the problem with it dropping further?
Gasp, that's so true.
Dumbfounded gazes poured onto her.
Gasp, that's so wrong.
Bboo-woo...
Pastel slumped down.
"Guys, tell me an optimistic plan instead of the current negative situation."
Melissa looked apologetic.
"I think my words were too harsh. There must be good news somewhere. Cheer up."
Somewhere.
Melissa didn't express it openly, but it seemed she didn't want to actively support this dishonorable relationship.
Ellie commanded the Lady-in-waiting with a hand gesture. The Lady-in-waiting combed her pink hair again.
"If we ponder it, there might be a way. It's a bit awkward to say this, but since the Archdemon is someone who falls for Kraft very easily, he might fall for you in a different sense too."
Ah!
As expected of Ellie!
"What way?! What way?!"
Her pink eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Ellie was flustered.
"I'll have to think about it."
Uwaa.
An answer that was the same as saying she didn't know.
Pastel slumped down again.
"Got it. If you think of something, make sure to tell me."
"I will."
In the paused conversation, only the sound of combing rang out.
The clock ticked.
At some point, a knock was heard. Perhaps it was a frequent visit where the knock was just for courtesy, as the door opened even without the Princess's permission.
Mr. Penguin entered.
"Redmond? What brings you here?"
"Would I come to see the Princess only when there's a matter?"
Ellie chuckled.
"So what brings you here?"
"I heard the Governor-General was visiting, you see."
Mr. Penguin slightly lifted his briefcase as if to show it. His gaze turned to Pastel.
"I have verified the document you handed over."
Eeeh?
I never gave him anything like that.
"The contents stating that the Hawks commissioned the Church for the Governor-General Assassination were indeed true."
Heuaa?