“Hoo.”
The Demon Lord pressed at the corners of his eyes.
“First, sit down.”
He pointed to the chair with his finger.
“Hormone Friend.”
The pink eyes widened in surprise.
“Does the Demon Lord have any advice for my love life?!”
For a heartbroken guy giving advice to his crush’s daughter, it’s a bit awkward but definitely worth hearing!
“What’s that? You’re looking a bit hesitant.”
Oh, wait.
Pastel wasn’t thinking about anything.
But since she felt a bit poked, she sat down quietly.
The Demon Lord rubbed his chin and started pacing back and forth.
“I always thought a day like this would come. Just didn’t expect it to be now.”
“I thought it would be now!”
Pastel raised one arm triumphantly.
“What do you know about it?”
The Demon Lord seemed baffled.
“It’s only natural that pinky-pinky would face the trials of love someday!”
Pastel waved her arms around.
“Zoom-zoom! Bang-bang! Shiny-shiny! Sparkle-sparkle!”
Her pink eyes sparkled with excitement.
It was true!
The Demon Lord scratched his chin.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Huh?
Pastel puffed up her cheeks and lowered her arms.
“That’s why you’re getting heartbroken, Demon Lord.”
Does he really know nothing about love?
“Oh dear?”
Pastel put on a smug face.
“Sadly, my confession success rate is going to be 100%, so I’m kinda different! We’re on different levels! If I were your generation, I would’ve given you special love advice!”
More like just giving up on a femme fatale mom!
“You’re bursting with confidence.”
The Demon Lord shook his head. Then he walked around in front of Pastel.
“But you might want to reconsider that. At your age, you’re still immature with emotions, and it’s common to mistake different feelings for love. Especially love, since it’s easier to come across than other emotions; when you’re confused, love is usually the first thing that comes to mind.”
Oh, wow.
That sounds rather plausible.
Oh my, oh my.
Nathaniel’s situation, being forced to take over at such a young age after the death of his parents, might have made all those feelings swirl up inside him.
The good Pastel had never even set foot in a gambling den, but she had thrown herself into similar smuggling activities.
And while she hadn’t been fascinated by cults or radical groups like Nathaniel, her first words upon meeting the Demon Lord had been, “Can demons make contracts?!”
If the Demon Lord had been a real bad guy, her life could have been sparkly~.
What if, what if this feeling of camaraderie was just because she met someone from her hometown abroad?
Oh, wait…
Pastel calmed down a bit.
But then she felt a strange resentment at the fact that the Demon Lord was the one telling her her feelings weren’t love.
Her lips pouted out.
“No way! I’m really good at recognizing my feelings! I know the feelings I have for you, Demon Lord, are admiration! Plus, I’m really good at this!”
In the first place!
“There’s no way the popular Pastel couldn’t tell the difference in love! If I couldn’t, I wouldn’t deserve to be popular!”
It would be a total disaster if she didn’t!
The Demon Lord spread his hands open as if to calm her down.
“It might be hard to accept. But fundamentally, analyzing others’ feelings and understanding your own are two different skills.”
“Blah blah blah!”
This was so obviously the Demon Lord being jealous!
So, so!
He failed at love, but Pastel was about to succeed!
Or maybe!
It’s just that Pastel had been the only one in the picture, and now that a rival showed up, he’s feeling anxious!
Her heart raced.
Hooray, this makes sense!
Pastel sprang up.
“You can’t trap me with that talk, Demon Lord! I won’t fall for your suspicious intentions that can’t even make a demon contract! If you want to maintain your guardian monopoly position, you should at least make a demon contract!”
Her pink tongue poked out.
“Vee!”
The Demon Lord looked taken aback.
“First, calm down. Why are you suddenly so worked up? Place your hand on your chest and breathe slowly-”
“No way! I’ve been sweet and obedient until now, but from now on, I’m not listening anymore! Pastel is becoming independent from today!”
The Demon Lord’s expression turned momentarily hurt.
“When did I ever say you should be obedient—?”
“Yay! Independence!”
Pastel dashed out of the room.
“Independence! Independence! I’m a free spirit from today on!”
She sprinted down the hotel corridor, borrowing the whole area for her excitement.
“Freedom! Freedom!”
A door swung open. Melissa, wearing a hotel gown and a wizard’s robe lightly draped over her shoulders, peeked out.
“Is there something going on? Sounds like a commotion.”
“Melissa!”
Pastel rushed over.
“Listen! Listen! It’s an absolutely terrible story!”
She was out of breath as she reached her.
“Huh? Please come in. There’s no need to make a fuss in the hallway.”
She followed Melissa inside.
As she sank into the sofa, Melissa slowly prepared a tea set.
“I was just about to read a book and go to sleep, so please excuse the dim lighting.”
As she mentioned, the overall lighting was soft and warm.
As the teapot tipped, the tea flowed into the cups, wrapping around them and filling the air with the scent of green tea.
Being with a calm friend eased Pastel, allowing her to settle down quickly.
“Ugh, this bland green tea smell.”
“If it doesn’t suit your taste, just enjoy the aroma. Tea from its origin is special after all.”
The teapot was set down delicately.
Melissa smiled gently.
“What happened? Looking at your state, it doesn’t seem like a serious issue.”
“Huh? Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Pastel tilted her head.
“Is that so? No way, it’s serious.”
“Then maybe it is serious.”
“Melissa, you lack firmness.”
“Is that so?”
Melissa chuckled and inhaled the tea aroma.
Pastel grabbed a teaspoon and started adding sugar.
One spoon, two spoons, three spoons.
Her lips flapped open before closing tight.
“If it’s too hard to talk about, it’s fine if you don’t.”
“That’s not it, but… I’m just feeling confused right now.”
The teaspoon swirled the tea. The sugar crystals spiraled around.
Pastel stared deeply into the sugar whirlpool.
Melissa seemed slightly flustered.
“Was it really a significant problem? I must have made a misguided assumption. I’m sorry.”
Oh, huh.
“What made you think that?”
“Your demeanor, perhaps. Though it might be rude and incorrect.”
“Wow, how accurate can you get? It wasn’t in the hallway, but you were spot on up until just now! But now it’s different!”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
Melissa looked a bit scared.
Shivers.
Pastel blew on her tea and took a sip.
Bleh, bitter.
Regardless of where it came from, it still tasted terrible, so she set it down.
Her pink eyes sparkled.
“Melissa! I think I have a crush! What do I do?! Proposal time?!”
Melissa looked surprised.
“Congratulations! I never thought you’d have a crush! What perfect timing!”
She turned to look behind her. As she mentioned, there was a book on the rocking chair she intended to read before bed.
She went to grab it and proudly showed Pastel a bright children’s book.
“I was reading a related book too! I think I have something to share!”
Wow, a fairy tale book.
“The other day, you asked what free love was, right?”
Having heard it was secondary to her mom returning to her dad made her feel a bit miserable, so she had been asking around about what love really was.
Whoa, a little embarrassing past!
“I told you about arranged marriages, but I didn’t properly explain free love, and it’s been on my mind. You seem to have more interest in that.”
Melissa proudly held up the fairy tale book with pictures of rabbits on the cover.
“So I’ve been seeking it out consistently.”
“Wow wow.”
Pastel felt her heart warm up.
Warm warm.
But on the other hand, a question popped up that she couldn’t help but ask.
“Why a fairy tale book?”
“Is it odd? I’ve heard of the vulgar romance novels circulating in society, but I’ve never seen them, so I couldn’t grasp them well. So when I asked Bellamont, she suggested the fairy tale book was a more appropriate choice.”
Melissa beamed with pride.
Elshire…!
You knew and still answered like that…!
How could you lead innocent Melissa that way!
Anger! Anger! Anger!
“Considering the vulgar Northern culture, I thought there’d be many vulgar romance novels, so I thought Bellamont might have read them, but that was a reasonable judgment.”
Melissa’s actions were too much…!
Are you two really friendly?!
“Look at this.”
A slightly excited Melissa, with flushed cheeks, opened the fairy tale book. It seemed really exciting to share tastes with friends.
She pointed to a picture of two rabbits intertwined.
“Free love is about building emotions through dating. If you wish to pursue free love, rather than a proposal, you should go on dates.”
“Wow, what a surprising fact.”
Pastel learned something she had never known before.
Knowledge +1
“Right?”
Melissa smiled proudly.
“Oh, by the way, I think I have a date scheduled!”
She’s supposed to receive a guide at the underground gambling den!
“Really? That’s great! Then it’s step two!”
Melissa fluttered through the fairy tale book.
“If you’ve set a date,”
She pointed to the picture of a couple of rabbits going to meet an adult rabbit.
“You just need to get permission from your parents! You just need to get permission from the Great Demon.”
Uh-oh.
Uh-oh.
How convenient of a fairy tale!
“Do I really need to get permission?”
“Yes.”
Melissa wore a firm expression.
“Why?!”
Melissa changed into a smart look.
“For a successful date, proper cash flow is needed. Since your parents manage your assets, their cooperation is essential. You could pay for yourself, but in the long run, financial issues will arise. When money matters get involved in dating, love gets distorted, and cost-benefit analysis creeps in. What’s the difference from an arranged marriage?”
Uh-oh.
The cash wallet being managed by the Demon Lord made Pastel’s pink eyes spin.
“Plus, if you date without experience, the chances of a pleasant date failing increase. You might cram a tight schedule, not knowing the other person or yourself. Before you gain experience, asking for advice from your parents, who are your life seniors, is a very wise decision, especially at the start.”
That sounds, um, plausible.
Why is the lie so well written?
Pastel shot a fearful glance at the rabbit fairy tale book.
“Well, I just had a fight with the Demon Lord.”
Melissa smiled.
Oh, maybe since it was an exception, she didn’t need to ask for permission?
Her blue eyes turned firm.
“But still.”
So firm!
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