Sephine pushed Aglis’s head back as she leaned in too close.
Aglis’s sudden burst of excitement had startled her.
Seeing how shameless Aglis was being, it seemed the Demon King hadn’t chosen the wrong person for the job.
“What kind of question could you possibly have for me? I’m not good at fighting or anything like that.”
Aglis’s line of work had almost nothing to do with her own.
Sephine wanted to see what kind of question she could possibly squeeze out.
Once Aglis was done wasting her time, Sephine would have her leave.
Otherwise, if she stayed here, Sephine would feel like she was being constantly monitored by the Demon King.
“It’s a rather profound question… I wanted to ask, how do you gain the respect of your subordinates?”
“You’re asking me? I’m unemployed!”
Sephine snapped. It wasn’t as if Aglis didn’t know she had resigned.
To come here and ask such a sensitive question now—Sephine was so irritated she nearly laughed.
However, she couldn’t exactly force the woman out.
Aglis was technically her creditor.
If Aglis got angry and demanded the money back, she and her daughters would be left with nothing.
While Aglis likely wouldn’t do such a thing, it was always best to have a plan for every possibility.
“Go ask your Demon King. She seems much more qualified to answer that than I am.”
Aglis leaned in and whispered cautiously into Sephine’s ear, “The Demon King has been in a bad mood lately… very short-tempered. I don’t dare.”
These weren’t words Aglis should be saying.
Sephine didn’t think there was anything Aglis didn’t dare to do.
Aglis was more famous for her sheer nerve than her position as the Knight Commander of the Royal City Knights.
“Is that so… Why is she in a bad mood?”
“Well… oh, Sephine, give me a break! Just let me stay here for a while. I can even play with the kids!”
Aglis couldn’t handle the cautious act anymore.
She clearly wasn’t cut out for spy work, so she just came clean with Sephine.
After all, Sephine had already seen through her.
Sephine was taken aback by the reaction.
If she had known Aglis was a pressure cooker, she wouldn’t have pushed so hard.
If she caused the woman to have a breakdown, who would be left to protect the Royal Capital?
“Mom, let this big sister stay and play with us, okay?”
The usually quiet Fala stepped in to smooth things over.
If Aglis was kicked out, the chances of Father and Mother reconciling would drop even further.
Fala tugged at Sephine’s sleeve, looking up with teary eyes. Sephine hesitated.
She needed to look for a job, and she couldn’t take the children with her.
Leaving them home alone was too dangerous.
She was torn.
If she insisted on kicking Aglis out, she could avoid any further involvement with the Demon King, but the children would suffer.
If she let her stay, the children would be protected.
In the end, she chose the latter.
“When you go back, make it clear to the Demon King that we are over. Only then can you stay. I will also pay you back the money.”
Karin didn’t care much about the conversation.
She was still busy with her sandwich.
The sandwich was large, and even though Sephine had cut it into small pieces, Karin could only manage tiny bites.
“Thank you for your mercy, Lady Sephine! I’ll head back now and tell the Demon King that you two are even!”
Aglis bolted out the door and disappeared, running faster than a rabbit.
Sephine shook her head, closed the door, and went to wash the dirty dishes.
“The water is so cold. I should have heated it up before washing.”
Life was mostly composed of mundane chores.
An occasional visitor at least kept Sephine’s life from being completely boring.
While Sephine was lost in thought, Aglis had already arrived at the Imperial Palace and met with the Demon King.
The Demon King was still tinkering with her Disguise Art.
She simply didn’t understand—was her disguise really that poor?
A drunkard had seen through it with a single glance.
Could it be that drinking improved a person’s perception?
She had never heard of such a thing.
Her duties over the past few days had been repetitive, mostly involving economic issues related to post-war reconstruction.
She had handed all of those tasks to the newly appointed Finance Minister.
She didn’t care if her power was being slowly eroded.
Why was it that the previous Demon King had been completely stripped of power, yet no one ever thought of taking the throne for themselves?
It was because a Demon King’s strength was enough to crush anyone like an ant.
Even the strongest person in the world could not defeat the weakest Demon King.
That was the overwhelming power the Gods bestowed upon them.
“Demon King! Good news!”
“She agreed to come back?!”
Had the experience last night changed her mind?
She hadn’t expected it to be so easy!
The Demon King was already ready to pop the champagne.
“Not exactly. I’ve won over your daughter. She’s on our side now.”
That was it?
The Demon King had already done that herself last night.
Why did she even need Aglis?
“Still, it was a bit of progress.”
To avoid discouraging Aglis, the Demon King gave her a brief compliment.
“Oh, and another thing. Lady Sephine is allowing me to babysit at her house. You can take the opportunity to see the children while she isn’t there.”
“Really? That’s great!”
The idea that the Demon King had to sneak around to see her own daughters while their mother was away was a bit absurd, but at least there was finally something to look forward to.
“If you get a chance, bring them to the Imperial Palace. It’s much more fun here.”
“Mission accepted!”
“Go then.”
Aglis gave the Demon King a salute and ran back toward Sephine’s home.
‘Shoot, I forgot to ask that girl if they liked the sandwiches I made. That was the first time I ever cooked for myself… It’s a shame I didn’t get to hear a review in person.’
The Demon King’s first attempt in the kitchen had terrified the maids.
They thought they had done something wrong, but it turned out the Demon King had simply had a whim to make a few oversized sandwiches.
‘Sephine should like them, right? I remember she used to enjoy those things.’
Sephine also liked sweets, but the Demon King didn’t have much of a taste for them.
She would have to use her free time over the next few days to try making some.
‘To win her heart, you must first conquer her stomach.’
This was a conclusion the Demon King had found in a book from the treasury.
The author section was filled with a dense list of names—all of them previous Demon Kings.
They all had their own methods and insights regarding the pursuit of their beloveds, and they had recorded them all in this book.
The title was simple: “Thirty-Six” Stratagems for Stealing Hearts.
The first author had given it that name, and the subsequent Demon Kings were only responsible for revisions.
It seemed the first generation was quite the authority, as everyone accepted his methods.
As the Demon King continued to study this strange book, Aglis arrived back at Sephine’s house.
Sephine was currently teaching the two little girls some life lessons.
“Never provoke an adventurer who was kicked out of their party. He might just be the Hero…”