Chapter 139: The Letter

“Demon King, time to get up. Even though it’s snowing heavily today, there’s still a lot of work to do.”

In the early morning, Avira discovered that her blanket had been stolen. When she woke up, she saw that Ophitia had pulled both the dragon egg and the blanket into her arms. What was even more outrageous was that although the blanket had been taken, Ophitia hadn’t covered herself properly with it, letting one corner drag on the floor… Had her sleeping posture always been this bad?

Avira tried to take the dragon egg out.

But Ophitia clutched it tightly, as if it were a precious treasure she had laid herself. There was no angle to pry it loose. Helpless, Avira picked up Ophitia’s curled-up large tail and rubbed it.

“Wuwuwu…”

“Ophitia, if you don’t get up, I’ll never let you incubate the egg again.”

“No…”

Ophitia made a seductive motion and opened half an eye:

“There’s no work today. The Pomistan envoy hasn’t come, Aina arrives tomorrow, and the new system for the Demon Moon is already sorted. Today is for resting~”

“Really?”

Avira looked at Ophitia with suspicious eyes.

“Would I lie to you? I’ve been working so hard lately. Avira, just let me incubate for one day, okay~?”

Seeing Ophitia acting spoiled left Avira with no countermeasures. She glanced at her own slightly larger belly and, in resignation, pulled the blanket out to cover Ophitia properly again. Just as she planned to leave, Ophitia grabbed her hand, refusing to let go, forcing Avira to lie back down.

“Rest for a day. Aren’t you tired now?”

“…” Avira glanced at Ophitia and the egg in her arms. She realized Ophitia was indeed very busy at the moment, and she herself couldn’t help much with government affairs. The Demon Race had its own code of conduct; aside from observing from the sidelines, there wasn’t much she could do.

With that in mind, Avira slipped out of the bed again and prepared a special breakfast for Ophitia.

During her pregnancy, Oleniya had handled the cooking. Now that Avira had regained her mobility, she was willing to take charge of simpler meals like breakfast and dinner if possible.

If it were like before, preparing ingredients for tomorrow, the day after, or even next week’s meals—taking three or four hours each time—her body probably couldn’t handle it. Those tasks were still best left to Catherine.

When she reached the kitchen, she indeed found Catherine there.

At that moment, the Sword Saint was skillfully dicing onions. Seeing the seasonings nearby, Avira could guess what dish it was.

“The Demon King doesn’t like pepper. Add just a little. By the way, Catherine, thanks for your hard work today.”

Avira’s sudden appearance clearly startled her.

Catherine turned and bowed her head, tilting it with a smile. “Good morning, Lady Avira… Your belly is starting to show.”

“Don’t stare at weird places like that!”

“We definitely need to prepare nutrition for the child that Lady Avira needs. After all, unlike those guys, I’m a full-time maid.” Catherine picked up the ladle and continued cooking, giving Avira a gentle smile.

If the amnesiac Catherine from before had felt incomplete, then this Catherine was whole.

After the Freyna incident, Catherine had recovered all her memories, reminding Avira of the strong-willed Catherine she’d first met. Unfortunately, when asked about the omen of the red light, she still couldn’t remember.

“Avira, have you thought about the child’s matters?”

“Of course I have…”

“I think Lady Ophitia has thought about it even more. Last time, she asked us how humans educate children. I said we have schools and tutors there, and for royalty, it’s best to find a reliable nanny.”

Avira’s eyes narrowed.

She had originally thought Lena and Lace wouldn’t need such mundane education. Though they were baby-like, they should retain their previous memories. But on second thought, Lena and Lace were the type who had never attended school; they were created solely for battle and management.

In other words, they had no experience of so-called “childhood,” and it was unknown if they would emerge as mature as before.

Damn…

Catherine was right. The children deserved more attention than she’d imagined.

“Good morning… Eh? Lady Avira, shouldn’t you be in the bedroom right now?”

Avira turned and saw it was Freyna.

Freyna’s face held a youthful innocence. Horns like a crown grew on both sides of her head, and her maid outfit had a diamond-shaped cutout in the back from which two heart-shaped tails extended. Her skin had lost its human flush, with black patterns from her neck extending to the corners of her eyes on her cheeks.

She had almost forgotten—this was the Saint Knight.

She had become Molly’s familiar, a being known as the [Shadow Demon].

“Good morning.”

Ever since Molly had revived her in that strange way, though her life was preserved, she had inevitably turned into a demon.

“Sorry, Freyna. I haven’t gone out much lately and haven’t had a chance to chat with you. Are you getting used to it here?”

“Um, I, I’m fine…”

Freyna covered half her face. “It’s all Catherine’s fault. She insisted on turning me into a demon.”

“Hey, idiot!” Catherine’s face paled.

“Catherine turned into a demon too?”

Avira looked at her suspiciously.

“I, I…”

“Of course she did!” Freyna stepped forward and hugged Catherine from behind. She placed her hand on Catherine’s back, stroking the cutout of the matching maid outfit.

“Wuwuwu, no, don’t!”

Catherine had tried to endure it at first but couldn’t resist Freyna’s massage. Accompanied by a coquettish sound, two heart-shaped tails materialized. Even stronger horns than Freyna’s sprouted on both sides of her head.

Only then did Avira notice the blade-like barbs on the outer sides of their upper arms.

Avira clutched her head. Molly had already reported this to her… There was no point in hiding it.

Avira rubbed her forehead. It was hard to see these two demon girls playfully tussling as the former finest sword wielders among humans.

Suddenly, she felt herself drifting further from her original plan.

“Oh my, Lady Avira, what a rare sight~ Good morning.”

“Molly, good morning.”

Avira greeted the woman who approached from behind.

Seemingly for ventilation, her maid outfit was tailored to reveal a semi-transparent shirt wrapping her belly, showcasing her perfect figure.

The two girls abruptly stopped their antics, stood obediently at attention, and ceased tussling.

“Lady Avira, actually, I knew you were here. I came to deliver a letter to you.”

Like a magician, she flicked her hand and produced a dark red envelope.

That was… a letter from the Blood Clan?