Chapter 39

Using a magic-operated elevator, they moved to the top floor of the Demon King’s castle. The interior, unchanged from three hundred years ago, was nostalgic, but something was bothering Leefe.

It was Oliver’s calm demeanor.

“…Oliver-sama, you seem quite at ease. Normally, this isn’t a place where the Crown Prince would visit without much of an escort.”

“No, I’m just pretending to be calm. Honestly, I’m nervous. After all, it’s not every day you get to meet the Demon King.”

(That’s true. Oliver-sama is the Crown Prince of a great nation. If he showed every thought on his face, it would have far-reaching consequences.)

Understanding this, Leefe smiled gently.

“It’s alright. The Demon King is a good friend, just as he appears.”

“That’s true…I know about the magic you use, Leefe. It wouldn’t be strange for you to have connections anywhere, and if you’ve chosen someone as a friend, I can trust them too, right?”

“…”

Oliver indeed wasn’t afraid of Leefe. In fact, he seemed to have deep trust in her.

Moreover, his words, if taken lightly, might imply that he likes Leefe. It almost made her feel like he accepted her entirely, but she shook her head, pushing the thought away.

And so, she tried to think about something else.

(My… my friends, Lady Aurelia and Lady Sonia, aren’t afraid of me either. People of the Shinwood Empire have a different sense, it seems.)

Just as the elevator, carrying the four of them and a black bird-shaped spirit, began to move towards the top floor, Oliver spoke up.

“…The other day, Leefe, you mentioned that your sister is the Enchanting Saint. Do you know what happened to the past Enchanting Saints?”

“No, there aren’t any records about the Enchanting Saints, probably due to their nature.”

“I had Lala look into it because I was curious, and some concerning facts came to light. It’s—”

At that moment, the elevator dinged. The magical lever automatically rose, and the iron door opened.

“What is it, Lord Oliver?”

“It’s nothing. I’ll tell you later.”

With that, Oliver, guided by the black bird-shaped spirit, stepped out of the elevator before Leefe.

(He doesn’t seem intimidated, even though it’s his first time here.)

As she admired the Crown Prince of a great nation for his composure.

“Welcome, Leefe Quinn Tarant.”

Before her stood a man with a pale complexion. His lustrous black hair was wound around a horn. Though not human, his stunningly beautiful features made one forget such doubts.

If there was a flaw, it was his bad posture, as he was hunched over.

Moreover, upon closer inspection, he was fidgety and not at all like a Demon King.

(How nostalgic…!)

Leefe’s voice was lively at the reunion with an old friend.

“Demon King Silas! You remembered my name!”

“Of course. If it’s the name of a friend, I’ll remember it no matter how many times.”

“I’m glad. This is my…”

As Leefe tried to introduce Oliver to the Demon King, she hesitated.

(A friend? A benefactor? No, both are true, but something feels off…)

So, she could only introduce him like this:

“This is… my fiancé, Prince Oliver.”

“Fi-fiancé!?”

Following Leefe’s lead, the pale cheeks of the Demon King blushed. The Demon King knew well of Leefe’s unfortunate past life.

“I am Oliver. Nice to meet you.”

“Oh… nice to meet you.”

As the Demon King and Oliver shook hands, Leefe felt an inexplicable sense of pride.

“I introduced people… It’s been my dream to introduce friends to friends.”

“My lady. It’s not such a grand thing, so please snap out of it.”

Rene whispered, but to Leefe, it was a dream come true. She wanted to savor the moment.

In the meantime, the top-floor room was prepared with wine, orange juice, and black coffee. Cheese and baked sweets were also arranged as light snacks.

“…Oliver-sama, won’t you have wine?”

“No, it doesn’t suit me well.”

“I see…”

In front of Demon King Silas was red wine, in front of Leefe was orange juice, and in front of Oliver was black coffee. It was a rather unusual lineup for a tea party.

(Without saying anything, black coffee was placed before Oliver-sama. Does the Demon King have some special ability to read minds?)

Leefe tilted her head and asked out of curiosity.

“You two didn’t know each other before, did you?”

“There’s no way that’s true,” Silas replied, shaking his head unnaturally.

Though Silas’s nervousness was concerning, it was typical of him.

Next to him, Oliver smiled gently.

“It’s my first time meeting the Demon King.”

(Well, that’s true. I’ve never heard of the Crown Prince of the Shinwood Empire having ties with the Demon King, and it’s impossible.)

Thus, the Demon King’s overly considerate hospitality became evident. As someone who loved people but struggled to interact smoothly, she couldn’t help but feel a bit sympathetic.

(But, at the previous ball, I somehow managed to make friends with Lady Sonia and Lady Aurelia… And now, for some reason, I have such a perfect fiancé… And why does this fiancé genuinely seem to like me? What’s going on…!)

“My lady, your thoughts are slipping out. Please pull yourself together.”

Startled by Rene’s whisper, Leefe covered her mouth.

Oliver, appearing calm, sipped his coffee, while Demon King Silas smiled as he spoke.

“I’m glad. It seems you’re enjoying each day, Leefe.”

“Yes. But today, I came to discuss something that’s been troubling me.”

“You mentioned it in your letter. About the memory loss, right?”

Leefe nodded at the Demon King’s words.

“There are two people around me who have lost their memories. Both cases are unexplained, and one of them conveniently forgot only about me and my sister. It doesn’t seem like a proper investigation is being done, so I feel like something is going on.”

“When I received your letter, I had a hunch. The answer is on that shelf.”

With that, the Demon King pointed to a glass-doored cabinet at the corner of the room. Inside the large cabinet, various jewelry boxes were displayed.