Volume 16 Chapter 1: Morning At The Demon Kingdom Part 1

“Pa~” Hmm? A muffled groan escaped Keith’s mouth; he turned his head away.

“Papa!” The voice grew clearer as his eyes gradually opened to see Eri staring at his face with her cheeks puffed up like mochi. Before Keith could speak, he noticed an oddity.

“Eri? What are you doing?” His voice was a higher pitch than how he spoke; that was because the child was squishing his cheeks together. His lips were pursed together like a duckling’s beak.

“Bad?” Eri tilted her head.

“No, it doesn’t hurt.” There was no ounce of power in her actions; it felt weird with his cheeks being squished together.

“Keith, you need to wake up!” Fira flew on top of his forehead and stared into his eyes.

“Can I get a few more minutes?”

“Papa, wake.” That was not happening. Eri continued to squish Keith’s cheeks; she was silent as she pressed them together every second. Eri, why are you focused on pressing my cheek? Her eyes said everything; she was concentrated, totally absorbed in the movement. It was silly, but he didn’t mind. A small chuckle escaped his mouth, but it changed when he heard a small cough coming from the side. He turned his head, and his eyes narrowed, “What are you doing?” Sitting at the dressing table was Scarlet; holding a beautiful crystal.

A moment of silence took place in the bedroom before a low voice came from Keith’s mouth, “Is that what I think it is?” A recording stone.

“Isn’t this a neat device your brother created? It’s capable of recording anything you direct it at.” Scarlet only pushed the crystal forward.

“Why are you recording us?”

“Preserving the moment.” A little fox squishing a handsome man’s face. Who wouldn’t want to hold on to this image?

“Oh, are you recording?” Fira floated before the stone, and a goofy grin soon appeared, “Cheese.”

“Haha.”

“...” I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that. Keith let out a deep sigh as he glanced down, “What’s the matter, Eri?” The little fox stared keenly at him before tilting her head. 

“Sad?”

A soft smile appeared as he patted the child’s head, “No, it’s nothing. I had a dream.” It was memories of Luis Shin. From time to time, he would recall his past. It was only an afterthought once he woke up. However, not today. This one was more vivid, as if he had entered the past himself.

Scarlet’s playful expression changed as she sat on the edge of the bed; her hands caressed his cheek, “Do you want to rest more? I can watch over Eri if you like?”

“No need.” Keith pulled the blankets off and got up, “I’m well rested.” The past was in the past for a reason; it was time to get up for a new day. As Scarlet stared at him, a warm smile returned. As Keith headed to the bathroom to change, another person entered, “M’lady, is the young master awake?”

“Selk.” Eri jumped off the bed and hugged the maid’s leg.

“Morning, Selk.”

“Good morning.” Selk softened as she patted Eri’s head before turning to Keith, “Sir Keith. I have brought you a change of clothes.” In her hand was a fresh change of clothes.

“Thank you,” Keith took the clothes off her hands as he added, “You don’t need to do this.” Her movements were scary for someone who had been in a coma for years! It was terrifying, to be honest: Selk understood what to get and when to get it even before Keith thought about it! It was frightening how perceptive she was.

Selk shook her head, “As the maid of the royal family, assisting you in your needs is a maid’s duty. In addition, I would like to repay you for all the assistance you have provided me.” She had been out of the game for a while. Well, she could have moved, but Scarlet and Eri’s insistence made her stay in bed a little longer. After a few days of extra rest and healthy meals, she was agile as a cat.

A helpless smile appeared on Keith’s face; he glanced at Eri, “Eri, go with Selk. I’ll come out in a moment.”

“Mmhmm.” Eri held Selk’s hand as they exited the room. Before he took off his pajamas, “Aren’t you going to follow them?” One certain princess was still present! Scarlet remained unmoved as she watched with a coy smile, “No way. Treat me as nothing more than a ghost.”

“...”

“Come with me, Princess.” Instantly, Selk returned to the room and grabbed her collar; she lifted her up like a kitten. Keith’s eyes widened.  

Is this what I do to her?

Grabbing her by the neck was his move when they didn’t want to leave. Witnessing it being done by others...cute. The princess looked like a fluffy kitten. But that kitten had claws as she flailed around.

“Selk, what are you doing?! Let me go.” How embarrassing! Eri and the little ones stared at her with pure eyes—it made the situation even more embarrassing! Her flailing died down at their innocent gazes.

“I will not. Your actions are unbecoming of a princess.” Selk held her forehead. She added, “Furthermore, there are other duties you must complete. I heard from Sir Keith about your antics at the academy. Your level of effort has been insufficient.”

“...” Scarlet’s eyes widened before turning into a vicious glare toward Keith: betrayal was soaked in her eyes, “Why did you tell her?!”

“She asked, and I answered.” It was a brief conversation between the two; since they didn’t know each other too well, Scarlet became a common topic to talk about. Selk bombarded Keith with questions, to which he answered truthfully.

“Mi’lady, please refrain from such actions. Even if you dislike it, you must preserve your reputation as a princess. Even if Keith is lax with you, I will not. I shall beat all of those tendencies out of you.” Cementing those words, she dragged Scarlet out. The teary-eyed princess could only sigh in defeat while staring at Keith.

Keith didn’t even look; this was her problem now. As he was about to change, he stared at the clothes. His hand froze in the air, holding them up. 

…Should I wear this?