Chapter 70: Poor Little Sister

The next day, the tavern had far fewer customers, but there were still quite a few who came out of curiosity.

Yesterday’s patrons could only watch Sephine from a distance as she sat dazed by the window, but today’s guests were lucky—Seilin personally served them their dishes and drinks.

On her second day of work, Seilin wasn’t quite proficient at these tasks.

Whenever she made a mistake, she could only apologize profusely with bows.

Fortunately, the customers were understanding and didn’t give her a hard time.

After half a day of work, Sephine flopped onto the table.

It wouldn’t be long until lunchtime, and she still had to go back to prepare lunch for the children.

“Sephine, big sister~”

Xiao Yi suddenly called out to Sephine, sending a chill down her spine.

“…What’s the matter?”

“Nothing, I just wanted to call you a couple of times.”

“I see. Then I’ll get back to work.”

Sephine’s flustered look was adorable.

Every time she panicked, her little hands would fidget helplessly, eventually clasping behind her back while she kept twisting her fingers.

“Stop teasing her. Clean up and get ready for lunch.”

“Mom, if Vi isn’t the Demon King, will she get caught?”

“What nonsense are you spouting? Sephine is an adult. Don’t say random things just because she looks young.”

“Oh.”

Gathering the leftover cups from the tables, Seilin prepared to leave.

Yesterday they had eaten most of the food, so today she needed to buy more.

The boss hadn’t given out bonuses today, but there was still plenty left from yesterday’s bonus—enough to cover costs.

At the market, there weren’t many people today, probably because yesterday was sunny, so everyone had done their shopping then.

“Hey! Sephine, big sister!”

In the distance, Ai’er waved as soon as she spotted Sephine.

The little girl had her hair in a braid today, swinging it back and forth; it looked much more pleasant than usual.

“Good afternoon, Sephine, big sister!”

“Good afternoon. Are you here to buy groceries too?”

“Yeah. Seems like there’s nothing else to buy here.”

Ai’er’s small basket was already full of vegetables, meaning she was about to head back.

She had an old father who was constantly drinking.

Life wasn’t easy for Ai’er, but at least they didn’t have to worry about money.

“How’s your father been lately?”

Ai’er shook her head, her expression a bit grim.

“Lately, Dad’s been drinking more and more. I keep hearing him secretly crying in the corner at night—scared me to death. Maybe it’s because the Festival of Light is coming? We never celebrated the Festival of Light back in the forest.”

The Demon King had never mentioned this to Sephine.

Actually, the Demon King never seemed to talk about her family.

Even during those sweetest days, she avoided the topic.

Previously, when Sephine wanted to meet Misilanka, there had been layers of obstacles.

But after actually meeting her, Sephine didn’t find Misilanka difficult to get along with at all.

“Is there something wrong with the Festival of Light?”

Ai’er looked around, and only after confirming no one was nearby did she pull Sephine close and whisper in her ear:

“Dad really hates the Festival of Light. Whenever it comes up, he goes crazy. Big sister argued with him many times because of it.”

Whenever they argued at home, they would kick Ai’er out so she wouldn’t hear the content.

But precisely because of that, Ai’er remembered every argument clearly.

So after her big sister left, she didn’t force her father or sister to live together.

Separating was the best—at least they wouldn’t argue anymore.

“Dad really hates big sister now, and big sister doesn’t want to see me. Every meal, Dad doesn’t say a word, just drinks.”

“Do you want to come to my place? I’ll cook, and then we can leave some for your father.”

“Really? But I don’t know if Dad will get mad…”

“He probably won’t blame you. If he does get angry, I’ll take the scolding.”

Sephine patted Ai’er’s head.

This little one was quite endearing.

Worst case, she could take in another child—she didn’t mind.

Maybe the kids would like this aunt.

She was lively and probably popular with children.

But leaving Misilanka alone at home wasn’t good either….

Oh no—she had promised to stay away from that family…

Sephine couldn’t help but soften.

Maybe Ai’er’s mischievousness wasn’t her fault; perhaps she just wanted attention.

And there might be some of Sephine’s fault in this.

If she hadn’t dragged Vi into the Rebel Army back then, maybe Ai’er’s childhood would have been happier.

“Dad won’t scold you. He really likes you.”

“Really?”

“Really! After that day, he’s been talking about you constantly.”

‘I didn’t expect my father-in-law to like me that much. That’s great. . . wait, he’s not my father-in-law anymore.’

“I bought a lot of groceries, so Sister Seilin doesn’t need to go in and buy more.”

Ai’er showed Sephine the vegetables and meat in her small basket.

It must have cost quite a bit.

The Demon King wasn’t that bad—she at least kept her family in mind.

“Mm, let’s head back first.”

Ai’er followed behind Sephine toward her home.

Aglis hadn’t come today, so only the two children were at home, meaning the door was locked.

But getting out was simple—just fly out from the backyard.

Which meant only Karin could leave.

“Haha, Fala, you can play by yourself inside! I’m going out to play!”

Karin flapped her little wings, trying to fly out from the backyard.

Unsurprisingly, she was pulled down by Fala.

“Ow! Stupid Fala, be gentle!”

Karin shouted while flapping harder.

But the more she tried to fly up, the harder Fala pulled.

“Mom said no going out!”

“Mom’s not here right now, why do you have to be so obedient? I’m going out! The mortal world is way more fun than the divine realm!”

Fala leaped up and pressed her hand on Karin’s head, pushing them both down.

Karin was forced to the ground.

“My head it hurts Fala! You idiot!”

“I told you, don’t make me angry. Mom said when she’s not home, big sister is in charge.”

“What kind of big sister are you?!”

“Hmph. Mom says I’m the big sister, so I’m the big sister.”

“You just use Mom to suppress me! I hate you! When Mom gets back, I’m telling on you!”

“Telling on me? You mean, tell on yourself? Do you think Mom will punish you first, or me?~”

Karin’s momentum vanished.

She really couldn’t find a reason to punish Fala, except for the fact that Fala kept beating her up.

“Stay home and behave. Don’t cause Mom any trouble.”

“Hmph. After being a mortal for so long, have you forgotten your true form?”

“Looks like you’re still living in the past. We’ve already reincarnated—why cling to gods and all that nonsense?”