The Little Demon King is Too Bothered by Her Brave Dads - Chapter 71

“Ah, hello.”

“Duke of Orleans, it is a pleasure to meet you…….”

Meanwhile, the Ghiberti family nervously tried to join the conversation.

At that moment, two other warriors approached the duke, feigning acquaintance.

“Greetings, former Duke!” Kirios greeted in a cheerful voice.

“I hope you’ve been in good health.” Cesar added softly.

The former duke smiled, his wrinkled eyes crinkling.

“Yes, it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.”

It seems that the former Duke, Kirios, and Cesar are old friends.

“I apologize for the delay; I should have greeted you earlier,” Cesar said politely. “Thanks to your support with supplies and forces, we were able to hold out until the end.”

“That is true. You’re half to be credited for our victory, aren’t you?” Kirios cheerfully interjected.

The former duke seemed slightly embarrassed.

“Well, of course I had to support you. I’m ashamed I couldn’t do more.”

“Speaking like that, we feel even more indebted to you.”

Ah, I see.

I realized it in an instant.

The time when the Descartes Emperor had offered no help to the three heroes, and simply withdrew.

The only person who supported the three knights was Lord Norcourt.

“Please take care of our little one in the future. Will you?”

Kirios tapped me on the shoulder and nudged me.

The former duke glanced at me, then shook his head in disbelief.

“You talk a lot of nonsense. Do you really think I’m going to bother that young thing?”

…Well, anyway.

It doesn’t seem like Lord Norcourt dislikes me, right?

That alone was a success.

I bowed to my three dads and the former duke.

“Then, I’ll go back now!”

“Have fun, Miss Tati.”

“Be careful not to trip.”

“If there’s anything uncomfortable, tell me right away. Got it?”

My dads waved their hands at me.

“Enjoy your picnic today.”

Even the former Duke gave me a nod of encouragement.

As I walked back to the ladies, I snuck a glance at Countess Ghiberti.

‘What’s with Countess Giberti? Isn’t she practically being treated like an invisible person?’

Since we arrived at the outing venue, Countess Ghiberti hasn’t been able to crack a smile.

And her situation wasn’t much different from that of young lady Ghiberti either.

‘What?’

I stopped in my tracks. There was a subtle atmosphere among the ladies.

‘Why is Young Lady Ghiberti alone?’

While the ladies were huddled together, chatting amongst themselves, Lady Ghiberti was by herself.

Her usual commanding presence was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps that’s why she seemed so down.

‘Why is she like that?’

As I tilted my head in confusion, I suddenly listened closely to the ladies’ conversation.

“I heard that the three warriors and the princess are close friends, but I didn’t expect them to come to a picnic like this.”

“Perhaps they came as the lady’s guardians?”

“It seems like the lady is very precious to them.”

“I shouldn’t say this, but today is much better than Young Lady Ghiberti’s teatime.”

“That’s right. How often do we get to see the three heroes in person?”

It seems like Lady Ghiberti has been listening to the ladies’ conversation while pretending not to. Judging by the increasingly grim expression on her face.

I glanced sideways at the three dads.

‘Well, bringing my three dads along was a very good idea, wasn’t it?’

Just by having my dads here, I can consistently bring Lady Ghiberti’s mood to the ground. It’s quite satisfying, isn’t it?

I chuckled inwardly and approached the ladies.

“Since we’re outdoors today, how about trying a game we can do outdoors.”

“A game?”

The ladies’ eyes sparkled.

No matter how much they acted like grown-up ladies, the girls in front of me were teenagers, fourteen and fifteen at most.

It must be boring for them to just enjoy tea and snacks while engaging in meaningless conversations.

And I aimed for that aspect.

“We’ve been sitting and drinking tea every time lately, so…”

“It did get a bit boring. Right?”

The ladies unanimously agreed.

Lady Ghiberti clenched her teeth with a furious expression.

Well, it’s understandable. After all, the tea party I mentioned was arranged by Lady Ghiberti.

Although it probably wasn’t intentional, the ladies’ comments were practically aimed at Lady Ghiberti’s tea party, weren’t they?

‘But it’s none of my business. ‘

I went on to suggest the game to the ladies, feigning ignorance of the Lady’s low mood.

The ladies perked up their ears.

“Yes. I’ve hidden various treasures, and the first prize is…”

“T-The first prize?”

Anticipation filled the ladies’ eyes.

“A set of stickers featuring the three heroes and a limited-edition sticker book!” I declared in a cheerful voice.

At that moment, I saw it.

The madness in the ladies’ eyes.

“A set of three…… stickers of the three heroes?”

The ladies blinked their eyes and raised their heads in excitement.

They looked like…….

“Just now, did the lady mention a limited-edition sticker book?”

“Really? So, if we win first place, we can have a sticker set and a sticker book?”

“Whatever it takes, I must win first place……”

…… looked like zombies, didn’t they?

Unbeknownst to me, I swallowed a dry gulp.

* * *

“Excuse me, I’m going first!”

“Oh my, why? The one who finds the treasure first is the winner!”

The ladies were truly beside themselves as they scattered into the forest.

Lady Ghiberti, left behind alone, glared at the backs of the ladies with a piercing gaze.

Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Only Lady Ghiberti seemed to be separated from the rest.

‘To be so engrossed in mere stickers and a sticker book……’

The lady chewed her lip until it bled.

‘Really, how foolish!’

Lady Ghiberti marched forward, seething with anger.

Everything was annoying.

Tatiana acting like a queen.

The perfectly dry location for the tea party where not a single raindrop fell, thanks to the Archmage’s barrier.

Even this outfit, too colorful and uncomfortable for a treasure hunt in the woods!

Yet, Lady Ghiberti’s eyes were constantly scanning the dense forest, the rocks, and the shade of the trees.

She was checking if there was a single slip of paper hidden somewhere.

‘Hmph.’

She  took a sharp breath.

“What am I doing right now?”

Getting excited about the prizes, isn’t that just playing into the hands of Lady Tatiana?

But at that moment…

Thunk.

“What?!”

Lady Ghiberti quickly turned around. She felt as if someone had grabbed the hem of her dress from below.

Simultaneously, Lady Ghiberti’s face contorted.

“Oh, really?!”

There was a tangle of shrubs caught on the dress.

To be honest, the word “caught” didn’t quite capture the situation.

The branches and folds were so firmly entangled that there seemed to be no way to untangle them.

“Ugh!”

She tried pulling it out several times, but it only became more entangled.

“What should I do?”

Lady Ghiberti anxiously looked around.

And then.

In the distance, she saw Lady Ilmaz.

She was looking around with a serious expression on her face, apparently searching for treasure.

‘Really, how childish…….’

Lady Ghiberti muttered irritably.

“Lady Ilmaz! Come over here!”

Startled, Lady Ilmaz turned around. Simultaneously, her face turned pale.

“…Lady Ghiberti?”

“What’s wrong? Can’t you see that my dress is caught in the bushes?”

Lady Ghiberti raised her voice in frustration. Lady Ilmaz reflexively approached Lady Ghiberti.

“Untangle it!”

She commanded confidently.

“…….”

Lady Ilmaz bit her lip tightly.

Treating her like a maid was certainly an affront to her dignity.

But only for a moment.

Lady Ilmaz cautiously reached out to the dress.

She tried to untangle the entangled parts, but it was so tightly woven that it wasn’t easy.

“Oh, can’t you do something this simple!?”

Lady Ghiberti became increasingly agitated and slapped Lady Ilmaz’s hand away.

Then, she forcefully pulled the hem of the dress.

And…

Rip.

The dress tore apart significantly.

Both of them froze.

“…….”

“…….”