Chapter 02
“Asiel made Allen cry again.”
“Again? What happened this time?”
“I gave them some cookies and told them to share, but Asiel said she wanted them all to herself and spat on the cookies so Allen couldn’t eat them.”
Was she raised starving or something?
After hearing his eldest son Gale’s report, the Count of Windsorberry couldn’t help but think that about his own daughter.
The finest food and the very best things in the Windsorberry estate were always given to that child.
“Is Allen alright?”
“In the end, Mother baked another batch of cookies. We really felt sorry for Lady Chaim. Fortunately, she just laughed it off after seeing Asiel’s face.”
“If Allen and Lady Chaim aren’t upset, then that’s a relief.”
The Count nodded.
Not only the people of Windsorberry, but practically everyone was helpless against Asiel’s adorable face. The Marquis and Marchioness Chaim, who had no daughter of their own, were especially susceptible.
“Our little devil caused another commotion today.”
“This is serious, Father. You really need to discipline her.”
The Count smiled awkwardly.
Gale let out another long sigh.
Everyone called Asiel a peach because of her soft, rosy appearance—but if anyone in the family was truly soft as an overripe peach, it was their father.
“Right now she’s about the same size as the boys, but what happens when she grows up? She keeps throwing herself at boys.”
“Then why don’t you try stopping her?”
Even Peach No. 2—the son—could only smile helplessly.
“I… I can’t do that to Asiel…”
“Exactly. It can’t be helped. She’s one of the Demon King’s servants, after all.”
The Count burst into hearty laughter.
Even now, just remembering that incident made him laugh.
“But did Asiel really say that?”
“My goodness. If you think about it, it’s your fault, Gale—and Quentin’s too. Back then you two were obsessed with heroes and Demon Kings, so those were the only storybooks in the house. Naturally, that was all Asiel had to read.”
The Countess had approached unnoticed and shook her head.
At the time, she had laughed along with everyone else—but she’d also felt a faint chill run down her spine.
The very next day, she bought every beautiful fairy tale she could find, all filled with princesses, for Asiel to read.
Unfortunately…
Asiel had absolutely no interest in them.
“She really is obsessed with everything related to the Demon King.”
In this world, the Demon King was nothing more than a fictional figure.
After the God of Darkness had been sealed away into another world’s abyss by the chief gods, the Demon King who had once served him became nothing more than a legend—a character appearing only in fairy tales, an outdated villain who wielded supernatural powers only to be thoroughly defeated by holy knights.
She’ll be receiving her baptism soon…
The Countess kept that worry to herself.
Even thinking about it felt blasphemous, so she quickly forced the thought away.
She loves reading… perhaps she’ll receive Tote’s blessing instead.
Once she’s older, this obsession with the Demon King will surely disappear.
Unfortunately for the Countess…
The bond between Asiel and the Demon King was not something that could be severed so easily.
After all…
They had been connected by a contract since their previous lives.
* * *
The Demon King’s castle was unimaginably vast.
Squatting beside one of its enormous stone pillars, Seol suddenly felt miserable.
She had just overheard several high-ranking demons saying,
“His Majesty picked up another completely useless thing.”
That “useless thing” was obviously referring to her.
Do they have any idea how hard it is cleaning this gigantic castle?
Seriously! This castle is full of useful things!
Seol’s shoulders drooped even further.
Her employer never actually inspected her work, so every day she only cleaned a small section of the enormous castle.
But after a while…
She had come to one conclusion.
There’s no way one person is supposed to clean all this.
“Come work part-time at the Demon King’s castle.”
That was what the self-proclaimed Demon King had told her when they signed their contract.
She’d imagined she’d be doing something far cooler.
Reality?
She was just the janitor.
I’m going to cry.
No… I don’t cry that easily.
She reached to wipe her sniffling nose—
Only to realize she was still holding a tiny cleaning rag.
She frowned and stood up.
Judging from how poorly everyone in the castle seemed to think of her, she’d better at least pretend to be cleaning.
No one openly criticized her…
Well.
Except for one person.
I’d better start pretending before that brat gets here…
“What are you doing?”
Too late.
Seol sighed deeply.
She was becoming convinced that someone with her kind and gentle personality couldn’t survive even a single day in this place.
Aside from the Demon King, the person she spoke with most was Babel.
He was the son of one of the high-ranking demons.
For reasons unknown, his growth had been sealed, leaving him with the appearance of a young boy.
“Hey. Look at this dust. Are you actually cleaning?”
Even a mother-in-law inspecting her daughter-in-law wouldn’t be this picky…
Babel ran a finger over the pillar and proudly showed her the dust he’d found.
Seol barely suppressed another wave of irritation.
The little demon only reached her waist.
She remembered her old part-time job at an indoor playground.
You can’t seriously fight with little kids.
“I’m going to tell His Majesty you don’t do any work.”
“Hey, brat. Shut your mouth.”
Still…
If someone picks a fight with me, I give it everything I’ve got.
Even if they’re a kid.
“Brat?! Once my seal is broken, I’ll grow up in no time!”
“Oh really? Like… this much?”
She pinched her thumb and index finger together as closely as possible.
Babel’s face immediately turned red.
“I’ve got a good eye for these things. You’ll grow exactly this much.”
“You don’t know anything!”
“You’ll stop at exactly 169 centimeters. Maybe 170 on a really good day.”
“Are you even human? Maybe you’re actually some demon’s illegitimate child!”
Having struck directly at his greatest insecurity, Seol casually resumed wiping the pillar with her dry rag.
Honestly…
Giving me nothing but a dry cloth and a broom is just cruel.
“Oh right.”
“I guess you aren’t human anymore.”
“You already died.”
Seol stared silently at the smirking little demon.
Then—
She hurled the rag straight at him.
Without another word, she turned and walked away.
Babel shouted something after her, but she ignored him completely.
That’s it.
Today we’re settling this once and for all.
She headed straight for the Demon King’s throne room.
Fortunately, the Demon King was quietly seated upon his throne, reading a book.
Behind the throne stood countless enormous black obsidian swords embedded in the ground.
To Seol, it looked as though the swords were all aimed directly at the throne.
She honestly couldn’t understand how he could sit there so calmly.
“Demon King!”
At her energetic shout, the Demon King lazily glanced at her before returning his attention to his book.
For someone who ruled the Demon Realm, he seemed strangely fascinated by the human world.
He was always somehow obtaining human books to read.
Today’s title was:
Dad, Please Raise Me!
Wow… just from the title, that’s obviously a childcare novel.
He wore the solemn expression of someone studying ancient philosophy…
…while reading a parenting novel.
Last time he’d been reading something about a villainess.
Watching those normally lifeless violet eyes actually move as they followed the text was oddly amusing.
“Demon Kiiing!”
Only after his outrageously rude part-time employee stomped her foot did he finally frown and look at her.
His face looked as though it had been carved from flawless white marble.
Together with the throne behind him, he resembled a perfect sculpture.
Though he looked human…
There was something unmistakably inhuman about him.
“Whyyyy?”
“I seriously can’t do this anymore. Just fire me.”
Faced with an employee demanding to be fired the moment she arrived, the Demon King calmly slipped a bookmark into his book and set it aside.
He hated seeing books from the human world damaged.
Once, Seol had witnessed a demon mishandle one.
The Demon King had promptly smacked him over the head with the book until he apologized.
“Why?”
“Maybe you don’t know this, but I’m from twenty-first-century South Korea.”
“No.”
“…Huh?”
“You were from twenty-first-century South Korea.”
“You’re dead now.”
