The Little Demon King is Too Bothered by Her Brave Dads - Chapter 72

There was an icy silence.

Or so it seemed for a moment.

“My dress is torn!” Lady Ghiberti exclaimed in a loud voice. “Do you have any idea how expensive this dress is?!”

Caught off guard by the sudden accusation, Lady Ilmaz couldn’t hide her unjust expression.

“I-I was just trying to help… you asked for assistance…”

“Are you talking back to me?” The Lady shouted back at her.

Unable to resist the momentum, the Young Lady Ilmaz shut her mouth in frustration.

“Really, how am I supposed to mend this dress?” Ghiberti continued to vent her anger for a while.

“Haa…….,” Lady Ghiberti sighed heavily and looked at Lady Ilmaz with a sharp gaze.

It was a serpent-like gaze, scrutinizing her prey from top to bottom.

“Well then, how about this?”

“W-What?”

“If you do as I say, I can turn a blind eye to the fact that you ruined my dress.”

Lady Ghiberti smiled mischievously.

It was a dangerous smile.

“What do you say?”

“…….”

Lady Ilmaz felt her mouth go dry.

* * *

“Ah, how boring.”

I murmured with a bored expression.

The ladies went off into the woods to go on a treasure hunt, each with their eyes turned upside down.

I was left alone.

As it should be; I’m the organizer of this outing. Since I know where the treasure is, there’s no way I can join the hunt, right?

So, I’m just going to be the one to do the gift exchange…….

“……is Lakius still not coming?”

I slumped down on the table, disappointed.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Lakius.

I’ve been busy with my own business, and I think my dads are being a little too hard on him……….

“I should tell them to take it easy, really.”

As I grumbled to myself, a shadow fell over my head.

“What are you going to tell the masters?”

Simultaneously, a gentle voice mixed with laughter resounded.

“Huh, this voice…”

When I instinctively raised my head, my eyes widened.

“Lakius!”

It was Lakius.

Golden hair glistening like silk under the clear sunlight, and bright, vivid eyes. A boy as bright as a rose made of gold and rubies.

Although he had just finished training, and his simple attire belied the fact that he is a prince, just standing there was enough to captivate anyone’s attention in an instant.

Surprised, I quickly stood up from my seat.

“What? How did you get here? I heard you had a lot of assignments to complete.”

“Well, I finished all the assignments, so I came.”

Lakius shook his head and plopped down across from me.

“Apparently the masters have been trying to overwork me lately in the name of training.”

“Oh, that can’t be…….”

“Tati, don’t you know I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately?” Lakius pleaded with me, looking really frustrated. “Training aside, why do I have so many extra assignments……!”

“Alright, alright, I get it. You’ve been through a lot,” I nodded sympathetically.

Indeed, Lakius has been going through a lot lately.

Still.

‘Lakius whining about not wanting to do his assignments.’

I glanced at Lakius from the corner of my eye.

Whenever the usually mature Lakius complains and expresses emotions like a boy my age… It warms my heart for no reason.

And then…

“Huh?”

I widened my eyes in surprise.

It was because his golden hair was damp, sticking to his shoulders.

“Laki, did you get caught in the rain on the way here?”

“Oh, this?” Lakius brushed his shoulder off nonchalantly. “I got here in a hurry.”

“Well, if that’s the case, you should have rested at home instead!”

“It’s fine.”

“What do you mean it’s fine?” I furrowed my brow.

Then Lakius locked eyes with me, his eyes twinkling at me.

“Tati, are you worried about me?”

“…….”

His gentle smile somehow made my heart flutter deep inside. For a moment, I found myself unable to speak.

“I thought you said you wanted to see me more.”

“Huh?”

“That’s why I came to see you,” Lakius concluded, as if it were a matter of course.

“…….”

It was a strange feeling.

My mouth felt as if I had bitten into a whole cotton candy. A warm fuzzy feeling was gently stroking the inside of my chest; it tickled.

“Since it’s the first outing you’re organizing, I wanted to attend no matter what.”

“……..R-Really?”

“Yeah, and it was worth the effort.”

Lakius looked at me intently, his smile deepening.

“I’ve never seen you in hunting attire before.”

“……….”

“It suits you well. You look lovely.”

…Why does he compliment me so effortlessly?

“All you ever say is that I look good in whatever I wear,” I snapped back, feeling unnecessarily embarrassed.

Then.

“I don’t lie to Tati, don’t you know?”

“…….”

“I said that because I genuinely think you’re pretty,” Lakius replied without a hint of hesitation.

I gave Lakius a sidelong glance.

He really has a habit of saying sweet words non-stop.

Is that why all the girls in the original always followed him around?

And then.

“Here, take this.”

Lakius suddenly handed me a small note.

Taken aback, I accepted it.

“A treasure note?”

Thankfully, it wasn’t the first prize.

It was a treasure participation note, generously scattered to encourage participation.

‘If it had been the first prize, I might have been in danger of losing my life due to the ladies’ backlash…….’

As I inwardly shook my head in disbelief, I glanced briefly at Lakius.

“Why did you give this to me? I can’t participate in the treasure hunt anyway.”

“But Tati, you wanted to participate in the treasure hunt, didn’t you?”

“…….”

He hit the nail on the head.

I pressed my lips together as Lakius responded affectionately.

“That’s why I wanted to give it to you.”

“……Laki.”

“Even if you can’t find it yourself, it’s nice to have the feeling, right?”

That’s true.

I absentmindedly fiddled with the note.

Lakius…came to see me, thinking of me.

I pressed the corners of my lips together to keep from grinning like an idiot.

And then.

‘Huh?’

Glimmering above his golden hair, I saw a small, light green something.

I gestured to Lakius without thinking.

“Laki, can you put your head down for a second?”

Then I ran my hand over his shiny blond hair.

“You have a leaf on your head.”

“Oh, maybe it got stuck while I was searching for the note.”

Lakius looked at the leaf that landed in my hand with an embarrassed expression.

“The note, it was hidden under a bush.”

Then he sighs heavily.

“I always show you my sloppy side, it’s embarrassing.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Never mind, it’s nothing.”

Lakius lowered his head with a gloomy expression for some reason.

I stared at Lakius with sharp eyes.

‘Really, he doesn’t have to try so hard to appear mature……. ‘

But then.

“Tati, who is that lady?”

Lakius asked me in a low voice.

Without thinking, I followed Lakius ‘s gaze and my eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh, that person?”

A figure cowering in fear, with a hunched back. It was young Lady Ilmaz.

“Just a moment.”

Narrowing my eyes, I observed Countess Ilmaz.

She nervously looked around and quickly walked with hurried steps. And she was heading towards…

‘The storage area where the ladies left their belongings.’

Lakius and I looked at each other.

“…….”

“…….”

We scrambled to our feet, with neither of us knowing who went first.

* * *

The treasure hunt was coming to an end.

The ladies who found their share of notes began to return one by one.

“What treasure did you find, Lady?”

“Oh, I think I got a participation prize… How about you?”

“I got fourth place. It’s a gift set of cookies from Roberto’s Bakery.”

“Oh, I’m so jealous. Then who got first place?”

Some were disappointed, some were envious, and some were delighted, but for the most part, the atmosphere was cheerful.

Until someone’s sharp scream rang out.

“My bracelet is missing!”

It was Lady Ghiberti.

“Your bracelet? Why did it suddenly disappear?”

“Could you have dropped it in the forest?”

The ladies panicked and murmured among themselves.

The young lady snorted.

“Like that could happen! Wouldn’t it be ridiculous to wander around the forest wearing a bracelet?”

And then she confidently replied.

“That’s why I took off the bracelet and left it in my bag beforehand.”

Hmm, actually, if you’re going to worry about that, shouldn’t you be checking out your outfit?

Even if she wears such a flowing dress, worrying about a bracelet seems pointless……..

It was when I was looking at her with a blank face….