Chapter 60: Lunchtime

Vi had put her clothes back on and now looked much more proper.

At least she didn’t look like a pervert anymore.

“Ahem, should I be going?”

Since she was already exposed, she could only come back later with a different face.

The Disguise Art was really useful.

She’d leave her clothes here for now and have Aglis bring them back to the Imperial Palace once they were dry.

“Have a meal before you go. Have you eaten?”

“No.”

“Then eat before you leave.”

To avoid slipping again, Sephine changed her shoes to a much more slip-resistant pair.

The kitchen floor also needed to be mopped with a dry mop, or it would still be slippery.

But this was her first time in the kitchen today.

Who had made the floor so slippery?

Could it have been the two children?

There were knives here too; they should be kept in a safer place.

Vi sat obediently on the sofa, watching Sephine go in and out of the kitchen.

“If you have nothing to do, why not go see the children? They probably don’t know you yet, right?”

Hard to say.

The Demon King thought to herself.

“Thank you.”

“It was my fault before, hiding your existence from them. It wasn’t good for the children.”

Sephine reflected for a moment, then turned her head away, pouting as she spoke.

Admitting a mistake was a difficult thing, especially for someone who had held a high position.

One thing Sephine had always admired about the Demon King was her ability to listen to advice, even when the opinions were somewhat extreme.

Whether she harbored any resentment or not, Sephine didn’t know.

At the very least, the Demon King was someone who repaid every slight, whether openly or secretly.

“Didn’t you already apologize once before?”

“This is a different matter! I’m going to cook now!”

Sephine had finally managed to force those words out, and this rotten Demon King just brushed them off like that.

How annoying!

Focusing on a task kept her mind from wandering.

Sephine continued cooking.

Vi went to the backyard and, as Sephine suggested, played with the children for a bit.

Fala didn’t like moving around much and was just sunbathing.

So Vi went to interact with Karin.

But Karin wasn’t idle either; she was still practicing her swordplay.

Though her sword had been replaced with a wooden training sword.

It was heavy, but Karin could swing it with ease.

“Your Majesty, is Lady Sephine back?”

“She’s back. What about the thing I asked you to give her?”

“Uh… Ehehe.”

“Don’t play dumb. Hurry up and take it to her. I’ll take over here.”

Aglis handed the sword to the Demon King and ran off to the kitchen to find Sephine.

“Where did Aunt Aglis go?”

“She has something to do. I’ll be your opponent now.”

Though it felt a bit like bullying a child, the Demon King was very curious about what level her own Karin was at now.

Picking up a sword might just mean she was strong, but Aglis had called her a Sword Art Monster.

The Demon King wasn’t very knowledgeable about sword arts, but she knew a lot about fighting.

“Now, attack me.”

“Be careful, Mother.”

The sword in the Demon King’s hand was still in its sheath.

She would control her strength and not let Karin get hurt.

“Take this!”

Karin slashed towards the Demon King, her speed impressive, aiming for Vi’s wrist.

Just as Karin thought she was about to succeed, the Demon King blocked it with her sword.

Immediately after, with an upward flick, Karin’s wooden sword flew out of her hand.

“Again! That one didn’t count!”

Karin was unconvinced.

Just moments ago, she had been trading blows with Aunt Aglis, and now she was defeated by her mother in one move?

What a joke!

“Alright.”

It happened a second time.

The wooden sword flew again, and Karin’s hand was left stinging from the impact.

But she wasn’t a delicate person.

“Again!”

“You still want to go?”

“Take this!”

The wooden sword flew once more.

Karin seemed to be running a slight fever, her face flushed bright red.

“I’m not playing anymore! I’m going to find Mommy!”

Karin tossed the wooden sword aside and sprinted towards the house like the wind.

She was going to tattle to her mommy about this bad mother bullying her.

Mommy would definitely punish this mother severely!

“Hey, wait a moment.”

Vi picked Karin up.

Karin’s legs kicked uselessly in the air, and she instinctively flapped her little wings.

“Such impressive little wings.”

“Hmph, of course they are.”

“Let me show you mine.”

The Demon King spread her own wings and flew into the air, casting the backyard into shadow.

“Whoa! That’s so strong!”

Karin was carried by Vi as they zipped around the sky.

They were blocking Fala’s sunlight, making it bright one moment and dark the next, which greatly displeased Fala.

So she decided to go inside.

The comic books Mommy left behind were still pretty good to read.

Fala tiptoed to open the door.

As soon as she opened it, she saw her mommy bustling around in the living room.

“Mommy! You’re back?”

“Fala, go call the two people outside in for lunch.”

Fala felt a wave of dread.

Aunt Aglis was right next to Mommy.

Did that mean Mommy already knew Mother was here?

That would be terrible!

“There aren’t two people outside… I don’t see them.”

“Eh? Did she really leave…”

Sephine’s disappointment was palpable.

But Vi, who had heard the voices from outside, came in with Karin.

Fala hurriedly blocked their path, but Vi gently pushed her aside, secretly giving a “no problem” hand signal.

Had they already made up?

How could it be so fast! While they didn’t understand human emotions, according to the books she’d been reading these past few days, the breaking and mending of feelings shouldn’t happen this quickly.

“You’re still here. Then come eat quickly.”

Mommy’s attitude seemed okay.

Did Mother really do something incredible?

Whatever, this was their business anyway.

She was just a child, no need to worry so much about it.

Sephine hadn’t seen the interaction between Fala and Vi and was still busy bringing dishes to the table.

Everyone was seated around the table.

There were five people in total, and it was a bit crowded.

Fortunately, the two children didn’t take up much space.

At the dining table, everyone buried their heads in their meals. No one said a word.

The atmosphere was a bit strange, but the fact that no chaos had erupted was the best-case scenario.

Aglis was on edge, terrified that Sephine and the Demon King might start fighting right then and there.

Of course, that was just her own imagination.

Such a thing wouldn’t happen.

Knock, knock, knock—

Someone was knocking at the door at a time like this.

Aglis, having finished eating, said she would answer it.

This would give the Demon King and Sephine a bit more time together, which was beneficial for the Kingdom’s development.

“How is it Lady Aglis? Where is Her Majesty?”

The person at the door was Freyja.

What was she doing here?

“Her Majesty is inside having a meal. If there’s something, you can tell me.”

“Alright. The Monster Nation is demanding a joint conference and requires our presence. Please ask Her Majesty to handle this as soon as possible.”

Matters of this level could only be handled by the Demon King or the Grand Chancellor, but that position was still vacant.

“Understood.”

Aglis’s expression turned serious.