Aglis returned to her seat and quietly whispered the news into the Demon King’s ear.
“Apologies, I may have to excuse myself.”
Sephine nodded.
It seemed to be an urgent matter.
She had heard some of the commotion at the door—it was probably Miss Freyja.
The Demon King rushed back to the Imperial Palace.
She was furious that these impudent people dared to disturb her family lunchtime.
She was even angrier that those bastards from the Monster Nation had the audacity to specifically name them to attend this meeting.
Aglis, meanwhile, sat back down to continue enjoying her lunch.
“Aren’t you going?”
“I’m here as a bodyguard.”
“Oh, right. I’ve been a bit forgetful lately.”
In Sephine’s pocket was the ring Aglis had just returned to her.
She had already checked it; the ring was completely intact.
This meant that what the Demon King had said earlier about losing the ring or something was a complete lie.
But why would she say that?
Sephine felt she should look into this properly.
She was completely clueless about matters of the heart.
To her shame, a large part of her feelings for the Demon King stemmed from her being incredibly beautiful.
In her past life, Sephine had read many comics and novels.
The first time she saw Vi in the forest, she thought this person must be the heroine of some shoujo manga.
But Vi’s demeanor back then was very cold, and she wouldn’t even tell Sephine her name.
“Mom, your fork is in my bowl,” Fala said.
“After eating, could you trouble Aglis to help clear the dishes? I’ll wash them when I get back tonight. I still have to go to work.”
“No problem.”
“Is Mom leaving again…”
Fala was reluctant to let Sephine go.
Being by her mother’s side always gave her a sense of peace, even though Sephine wasn’t particularly strong compared to herself.
“Be good at home, Fala. Mom will come back tonight and make you something delicious.”
“Mama, I wanna eat cake.”
Karin, her mouth still full of food, was already making requests to Sephine.
Having been in the human world for so long, Karin’s biggest takeaway was that eating was really comfortable.
Shoving food into your mouth and swallowing it felt great.
“You be good too, Karin.”
“Mhm!”
To have two such well-behaved and obedient children, her life could be considered quite complete.
“Aglis, you’ve really been working hard lately.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. The children are very well-behaved.”
She glanced at Karin.
Karin was a bit too lively, to be honest.
Fala was better, quiet and gentle, very much like Sephine.
Karin was more like the Demon King.
Aglis couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
This family was really something.
Not long after, Sephine also left.
“Aunt Aglis, what exactly does my mother do for work?”
Fala was puzzled.
How did her poor mother have a lover who seemed idle but also had urgent matters pop up from time to time?
Moreover, Aglis clearly looked very wealthy, yet she was so polite and respectful to Mother.
Could it be that Mother was some big shot…
This was all Fala’s speculation.
She had been reading a novel from Sephine’s collection lately, called Overbearing Noble Falls for Me.
It was quite interesting, though there were some parts she didn’t understand.
She had read some of it aloud in front of Mom before, and then Mom had blushed, stood on a high stool, and put the book on the top shelf.
But luckily Karin could fly, so Fala asked Karin to get the book down.
“Your mother? She’s…”
Aglis thought carefully about whether she should reveal the Demon King’s true identity.
But Sephine hadn’t said anything, and the Demon King hadn’t volunteered the information either.
“She runs a general store.”
The Demon King was, in a sense, the owner of a general store, right?
It’s pretty much the same thing.
“A general store? I see…”
“What’s a general store?”
Hearing this, Aglis suddenly remembered that this little one was a baby not even a month old.
Oh no, it seemed they still needed the most basic preschool education.
She’d have to remind Sephine when she got back.
“It’s a shop that sells all sorts of things.”
“What’s a shop?”
The road to education was long and arduous.
It was strange; these two little ones understood some things clearly but were completely clueless about others.
It was full of mysteries.
Were all the Demon King’s children like this?
When the Demon King returned to the Cabinet, all the relevant civil officials had pretty much arrived.
“Your Majesty! You’ve finally returned!”
The Demon King had changed back into her own clothes, carefully hanging Sephine’s clothes in the wardrobe of the Inner Palace.
Although she had a dedicated room for storing clothes, she had specially installed a wardrobe in the Inner Palace, originally intended for Sephine.
“Where’s Flander?”
“He’s still busy negotiating with the Theocracy. We’ve discovered a heretical sect called the Cult of Mercy within the Theocracy, the same group as the heretics who attacked our Academy last time.”
“What nonsense is the Monster Nation up to now?”
“They claim we’ve encroached on their territory and are demanding compensation…”
“Well, well, have they grown tired of living?!”
“They refuse to discuss the specifics until you are present.”
Catherine was also here, but she was still in front of a magic circle.
This circle was a Teleportation Circle, connected to the hall where the meeting was being held.
“Your Majesty, the Teleportation Circle is ready.”
Maintaining a Teleportation Circle required a massive amount of magical power and was very expensive, so it wasn’t usually activated.
“Stand by here.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” everyone responded.
The Demon King then stepped into the circle.
When she opened her eyes again, she was in a pure white reception hall with magnificent architecture.
This was the Joint Conference Hall located in the Theocracy.
“The Demon King of the Magical Kingdom, you have finally arrived.”
Sitting in the foremost position was an old man with a long white beard.
His thick eyebrows almost covered his eyes, fluttering slightly in the gentle breeze.
“Everyone is here now.”
“As you all know, this conference was convened at the request of the Monster Nation. Therefore, the Monster Nation’s right to convene meetings is now revoked. Any objections?”
The old man seated on the platform spoke slowly.
The King of the Monster Nation was a boy with bull horns.
He looked only fifteen, but in reality, he was one hundred and twenty-five years old this year.
“No problem.”
“Demon King of the Magical Kingdom, you are aware of his demand, correct?”
“Denied. There’s no need to continue this meeting.”
“You brat! Don’t be so arrogant in your youth!”
The Monster Nation King slammed the round table hard, expressing his fury.
“You lost the fight, and now you want compensation? Are you out of your mind? Who doesn’t know your Monster Nation bites everyone like a rabid dog? Let me ask, which kingdom present here hasn’t been bitten by this Monster Nation?”
The Monster Nation King’s face flushed red, wishing he could devour the Demon King alive.
“Enough, young Demon King. Know your limits.”
“And what about the traitors from your Theocracy running wild on our land? How do you explain that?”
“…”
“See? When faced with a difficult question, you fall silent again.”