The Little Demon King is Too Bothered by Her Brave Dads - Chapter 98

***

A little while later.

The group, having roughly finished their discussion, dispersed.

“It’s gotten quite late. You’d better wash up and go to bed soon.”

“…”

“Miss Tati?”

“Ah, yes!”

Cesar called his daughter with a suspicious voice.

Tatiana, who had been repeatedly glancing down the stairs, finally snapped to attention.

“Is something the matter?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Tatiana, trailing off for a moment, turned to look at Cesar.

“Third Dad, please go up and sleep first.”

“Miss Tati?”

“I, I have something to say to Laki. Have a good night!”

Tatiana left her greeting and trotted down the stairs.

Cesar watched his daughter’s retreating figure with a curious expression before chuckling.

“My, my.”

He had long noticed that Tatiana was constantly mindful of Lakius.

Moreover, it was a natural change that came with growth.

When they were both children, they could be friends without paying any attention to each other’s gender.

But time passes, and feelings change with it.

Tatiana had already reached an age where she could be aware of Lakius as a member of the opposite sex.

Even though he knew this well.

“A daughter growing up… isn’t always just a pleasant thing.”

While he was very happy that Tatiana had grown up without incident until now.

Separately, it felt like the daughter he had raised tenderly in his arms was unnecessarily distancing herself.

More precisely, he felt a bit hurt…

Cesar shook his head and turned towards his bedroom.

Somehow, it seemed tonight would be a bit longer with various thoughts.

***

In front of the lord’s office on the first floor.

I took a deep breath as I stood in front of the firmly closed door.

‘Why am I so nervous?’

In the past, I used to approach Lakius without any hesitation at all.

Five years seems to be a long time after all.

‘Moreover… Lakius has grown up so much.’

No, even if he’s the protagonist of a world, still.

Is there really a need to become that handsome?

It’s not like being handsome is a requirement for defeating the Demon King and saving the world, right?

Really, it’s bad for heart health!

While I was grumbling inwardly.

Click.

“What’s this, why do you keep lingering in front?”

Suddenly the door opened, and Lakius poked his head out.

He chides me in a nonchalant voice.

“If you have something to report, don’t just stand in front of the door… Tati?”

Lakius, belatedly noticing me, became wide-eyed like a startled rabbit.

“What brings you here?”

“Uh, um? Ah… well.”

I felt my words getting stuck somehow.

‘This is strange.’

I want to joke around and talk casually like before.

Far from that, even just starting a conversation with Lakius wasn’t easy at all.

In the end, I hastily changed the subject.

“B-By the way, how did you know I was standing in front of the door?”

“Ah, that.”

Lakius smiled sheepishly.

“I felt a presence in front of the door, so I thought it was an administrator.”

…Wait, you can sense such a faint presence while sitting inside the room?

I gaped.

‘He seems to be becoming more and more like the Dads, doesn’t he?’

Well, at the mere age of fifteen, he received the evaluation from the three heroes that “he’s not someone who would die easily by the sword anywhere.”

He must be one of the top strong ones among humans…

“Sometimes when there are difficult issues to report, administrators tend to linger in front of the door.”

Meanwhile, perhaps interpreting my astonishment in some way, Lakius hurriedly offered an explanation.

“Sorry, did I startle you? If I had known it was Tati, I wouldn’t have opened the door like that… Ah, do you want to come in for now?”

“No, it’s too late.”

I glanced sideways at the desk behind Lakius.

Judging by the papers messily scattered on the desk, it seems he had been working late.

“…Aren’t you overdoing it?”

Oops, this isn’t what I meant to say.

The words came out sounding spiteful for no reason.

Lakius tilted his head.

“Hm?”

“Why are you working at this hour? People need to rest too. What if you fall ill from this?”

No, why does my mouth keep moving on its own!

I inwardly shed tears of blood.

But then.

“Pfft.”

“…What? Why are you laughing?”

I was a bit taken aback.

Unexpectedly, Lakius had burst into laughter.

“Ah, sorry. It’s just…”

After giggling for a while, Lakius wiped the tears from his eyes and looked down at me.

“I just thought that Tati hasn’t changed at all.”

“Huh?”

“It’s nothing.”

Shaking his head, Lakius asked me in return.

“So what brings you here? It seems like it’s time for you to go to bed too, Tati.”

“Well…”

I trailed off for a moment.

Somehow, trying to speak while looking directly at Lakius’s face made me feel embarrassed.

‘B-But still. Third Dad’s attitude towards Lakius has been bothering me.’

Since I’ve already come this far.

It would be strange to go back without saying anything.

I opened my mouth resolutely.

“Um, about Third Dad.”

“Master Cesar?”

“Yeah. Earlier… he said some harsh things, like how he wasn’t happy at all with your consideration.”

I continued carefully.

“But I’m really glad that you were considerate of Third Dad’s position.”

Lakius quietly listened to my words.

Encouraged by this, I continued speaking.

“And even after hearing such words, you didn’t get angry at all? If it were me, I would have been furious.”

…No, I’m not saying anything special.

Why does my voice keep getting smaller?

I squeezed my eyes shut.

“Thank you for being mindful of Third Dad. And for Dad’s somewhat harsh words… I’ll apologize on his behalf.”

It’s just a necessary expression of gratitude and apology.

But strangely, my cheeks were burning.

I couldn’t look Lakius straight in the face at all.

“W-Well then, good night!”

I turned around as if fleeing.

My heart was pounding wildly.

‘Really, why am I like this!’

I ran up the stairs with a distressed expression.

***

Click.

The door closed.

Beyond the door, Tatiana’s distinctive light footsteps gradually faded away.

Lakius listened intently to that sound.

Then, as soon as he judged that Tatiana had gone far enough.

“Ahaha!”

Lakius burst into laughter that he had been holding back.

“Really, this level of harsh words isn’t even harsh.”

In fact, he was already used to Cesar’s blunt behavior.

His three hero masters weren’t fundamentally gentle personalities to begin with.

Rather, they were somewhat willful, moody, and closer to being mischievous.

Only Tatiana, who was showered with love from the masters, didn’t know their true nature,

“But to come and apologize for that.”

Lakius burst into laughter again, holding his forehead.

And on top of that, her constant worried nagging.

Isn’t it all exactly the same as five years ago?

“…Five years, huh.”

After giggling for a while, Lakius murmured softly.

It was the time he had been separated from Tatiana.

He had thought it wasn’t such a short time.

But still, he couldn’t help but recognize her at a glance.

Because Tatiana was the only one of her kind in the world.

Lakius could picture that moment when he faced Tatiana again, even with his eyes closed.

Her pink hair, like a freshly bloomed spring flower, disheveled in the wind.

Her eyes, as if a piece of clear autumn sky had been molded, looking straight at Lakius at that moment.

…It felt as if time had stopped.

“Enough, I’ll end up staying up all night at this rate.”

Lakius shook his head, trying hard to shake off thoughts of Tatiana.

He turned his gaze towards the mountain of paperwork.

At the same time, Tatiana’s grumbling voice echoed in his ears.

“Aren’t you overdoing it?”

“Why are you working at this hour? People need to rest too. What if you fall ill from this?”

Mulling over those words, Lakius spoke to himself with a sigh.

“Really… Tati hasn’t changed at all.”

The young Lakius who was slowly suffocating in the darkest part of the imperial palace.

What saved him was the small hand that Tatiana had extended towards him.

And even now, Tatiana…

“I guess it’s better to call it a day.”

Having made up his mind, Lakius stood up swiftly.

Click.

The light in the office went out.