What on earth have I been doing until now?!
My head is spinning.
It was a brilliant decision to avoid hiring hands recklessly, even when finances improved, my position rose, and I had to maintain my dignity.
The first rule of information management is to minimize the number of people who can know the information.
As the number of people increases, the management costs rise exponentially, and errors become inevitable.
Even in a world where technology has advanced and magic exists, adhering to the grand principle is unavoidable for Pastel, who lacks knowledge and experience in information warfare.
What is the reason that I can hold my own against Mr. Penguin, who operates the empire’s intelligence network? It’s because my opponent has a hard time investigating my weaknesses, so there’s no reason for me to feel insecure.
Without any help, if I forget a document while working, I have to go fetch it myself, and since I haven’t hired a chef, I have to cook my meals as well, doing basic tasks like laundry and cleaning by myself, but it was something I could adequately endure.
Because the Demon Lord ultimately does it for me, not because I should have that much leverage in the information war.
As Governor Pastel, I have no regrets about this choice. As the Demon King Pastel, I also have no regrets about this choice.
The downside of minimizing help might be that work can become bottlenecked, but thanks to the outstanding figures like Princess Elly and the next Southern Commander Melissa, it wasn’t a problem, making it an excellent choice.
Of course, it brought about other risks, but still, as Governor Pastel, I was suitably satisfied.
But don’t!
This was nonsense for just Pastel, rolling around in bed eating cookies…!
What kind of thought is it to leave my underwear laundry to the Demon Lord…?!
Is this a lack of shame?!
Gasp.
The shock was enough to make the cookie fall from my mouth.
Absolutely not! Absolutely not!
But it’s already been realized…!
Gwah!
“I can relate, but I think it’s excessive.”
Melissa placed a stack of documents on the table. She shook her head after taking the remaining documents from Pastel.
“My mother used to say that the battlefield is important enough to set aside dignity, but that doesn’t mean you should think of the battlefield as life. When I learned the art of concealment, I was taught that hiding in a closet to avoid the eyes of the servants was the wisdom she provided.”
“Gwah!”
Blushing, Pastel clutched her head. Her body flailed independently.
Melissa!
I appreciate the advice, but I’m not just at the level of being embarrassed after hiding in the closet with a fluttering heart after learning the concealment technique and getting caught by mom!
“I need regression magic!”
I want to go back to the past, give myself a smack to knock some sense into the work-crazed Pastel, steal her cookies, take a nap, and hire some assistants…!
Melissa thought while pressing her finger to her lips.
“According to magical theory, going back to the past is roughly impossible. Magic is essentially about merging with nature, but time manipulation is an act of being born as an independent entity disconnected from nature.”
“I don’t need such a textbook answer!”
Pastel was trembling. She grabbed Melissa’s shoulders, her pink eyes gazing desperately.
“What about altering the Demon Lord’s memory?”
What if I hit the back of the Demon Lord’s head with a rock friend as he passes by? It might be possible!
Gasp.
Rock friend omnipotence!
Melissa looked troubled.
“That might be impossible, but even if it were, wouldn’t it be rude? What do you plan to do about your underwear laundry from now on?”
“Of course, I should make sure the Demon Lord has no access to it!”
Ironclad defense!
Ironclad defense!
Pastel pumped her fists.
“Then shall I lend you my maidens? Hiring new ones poses too much risk as per your considerations.”
Melissa pointed to one side of the guest room. A neatly dressed maid bowed her head.
“You won’t need to worry as they were selected militarily. Hmm, I don’t know if they conform to your picky standards, though.”
“Gasp, thanks! You’re the best, Melissa!”
Pastel hugged her best friend tightly.
Moved! Moved!
Melissa was there watching over the safety of my underwear!
Melissa flinched, flustered, then cautiously moved her arms to hug back.
“If I say this much, can I keep talking?”
“Mmhm!”
“Considering that the Great Demon washed your underwear without saying a word, Pastel, your love for him…”
Melissa hesitated.
“Seems unlikely.”
Gasp.
Pastel froze.
“Has the Great Demon ever told you to wash your underwear directly?”
“N-no, not really.”
“So, it seems he didn’t mention it even when he had the luxury to. This means he wouldn’t regard this situation quite so seriously, correct? Perhaps it feels more like a typical household task, like washing blankets?”
Huh?
“A little while ago, didn’t you say you talked about a date with Nathaniel to the Great Demon?”
“Yeah…?”
“To continue washing the underwear of a girl who has learned to talk about love is something he really couldn’t think even a little about, right? Because he couldn’t imagine himself as that subject, he continues to regard it as a regular wash like before.”
Pastel sat still, her thoughts halted. Then slowly, she slipped out of Melissa’s embrace.
Her pink eyes spun slowly.
“That’s… that’s.”
First off, she thought Melissa was wrong.
Because…
She had to be wrong.
But it was so logical, it was hard to refute.
Oh dear.
Thoughts became tangled.
Tangled and tangled, then suddenly a bright idea flashed by.
“Ah!”
Her pink eyes sparkled. She stared at Melissa intently.
“You’re wrong! The Demon Lord was too embarrassed to even mention this subject!”
That’s right, that’s right!
There was no reason for him not to be embarrassed while dealing with the daughter of his crush.
He didn’t forget the dead crush and took on the role of the stepfather after picking up the daughter, right?
Oh?
What if the rival who had always been a thorn in his side discovered after the wife died that he tossed aside the daughter and wandered around, thinking he should have married me instead, and that’s why he picked her up to become her stepfather…?
But as it turned out, the rival was trying to resurrect his wife. But clearly, abandoning the daughter would be something to be scolded by the wife. Even if she was resurrected, it would surely lead to a divorce.
Then it’s only natural that one’s heart would lean toward the Demon who has cared for the previously abandoned daughter with utmost devotion, finally proving his love.
Gasp.
Pastel froze as she imagined the sinister thoughts of the Demon Lord.
She knew objectively that the Demon Lord was unlikely to harbor such sinister thoughts. But a slight sense of betrayal swelled.
She didn’t possess such a naive mindset to confuse compassionate goodwill with love, but when it was cleanly denied, it still hurt her heart.
Her pink eyes trembled and then shut tight.
“I don’t know!”
Anyway, Melissa was wrong!
“Facts won’t persuade me!”
Such things won’t work on the smart Pastel!
“Huh?”
“I don’t know, I don’t know!”
Pastel vigorously shook her head and dashed out of the guest room. She raced down the corridor mindlessly, up and down the stairs, heading to the hotel kitchen.
She burst open the door, slamming it against the wall with a sound.
“Demon Lord!”
The Demon Lord, boiling pasta, turned his head.
“What’s the matter? Unless it’s urgent, please don’t open the door so roughly—”
“Demon Lord, you’re totally bad!”
The Demon Lord looked stunned.
Pastel quickly shouted, her face reddened with embarrassment and rage.
“If you’re going to wash my underwear, at least ask for my permission first! Don’t just wash it on your own! Isn’t that common sense?! Why are you washing someone else’s underwear without permission? Don’t lay a hand on my stuff!”
Silence fell.
The Demon Lord gaped speechlessly.
The pot of boiling water made noise.
With wet pink eyes, she glared.
“Totally bad! Totally bad! Totally bad! Totally bad!”
As she shouted repeatedly, Pastel found herself huffing from excitement.
Then, as the Demon Lord’s expression shifted from bewildered to absurd and then to wronged, she yelled to cut off his words.
“Demon Lord, totally bad!”
Pastel stuck out her tongue and made a face. The pink tongue peeked out and waved energetically.
Bleh.
“This is why you get rejected by my mom! You should be thankful you got rejected! With such a sense, you would have been dumped quickly by my mom if you dated! You and my mom are fundamentally mismatched! This is good! This is good!”
Bleh.
Suddenly—
“Bleh!”
After making her face, Pastel dashed out of the kitchen. Running up and down the stairs, she burst open the guest room door and flopped onto the bed.
“Demon Lord, totally bad!”
She rolled around with her Pillow Friend.
After that, Pastel didn’t look at the Demon Lord for a week. During meals at the same table, she moved her bowls aside and plugged her ears dramatically when he talked to her.
“I can’t hear you! I can’t hear you!”
She shook her head vigorously.
—Sigh.
The Demon Lord, who had been trying to talk for a week and finally gave up, wearily walked to the window. The red eyes gazed at the sky.
—This is absurd…
It was a voice filled with a myriad of emotions.
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