Chapter 197

“Ahhhhh! Miss Shaya, you’re finally here! I don’t know what happened, but Princess Belith and Lady Xiarette suddenly started fighting!! And it’s intense! Miss Timani couldn’t stop them at all—she got beaten up too! Please, you have to do something about them!!”

“What?! Such a thing actually happened! I knew things would spiral out of control—that’s why I rushed down here so urgently! Livra, you’ve no idea how anxious I was just now!”

From the other side, Livra, disheveled and dirt-streaked like a soldier just crawling out of a trench, waved both arms frantically at Sheffy, begging for emergency aid—just short of clutching her head and screaming.

Upon seeing Sheffy’s determined expression and tightly clenched fists, Livra felt so relieved that tears streamed down her face.

“Uuu, you really are amazing… So responsible. But if they keep fighting, I’m afraid the entire Demon King’s Castle might collapse!”

As for the castle collapsing—this didn’t bother the Demon Clan Princess in the slightest, but it was causing utter panic for the Human Princess.

“I know, I know…! I’m going right now!” Sheffy struck a sprinting pose and took a few steps forward before sheepishly turning back and whispering mysteriously to Livra, “Hey… I say, Livra, have they… toned down their firepower just a bit? I don’t mean anything by it. I just want to ask—are they playing around, or is this a situation where I have to take forceful measures?”

“They’re fighting for their lives!”

“!”

So should I turn back and retreat—or march forward with courage?!

There was no retreat anymore, folks.

Behind her lay the scolding wrath of her parents; before her, the hellish battlefield. Even if she dug a hole and buried herself, she might escape the first day of the month, but never the fifteenth—an utterly useless tactic.

Better a short pain than a long one.

Wasn’t life as a demon worth gambling on just once… But… but… wouldn’t her arrival make the situation even worse?!

“Teacher Shaya, please be careful! Uu, the poor fish in the lake—they’re almost all blown up!”

“What did you say?!”

So it seemed—there was no way out anymore, was there!

“Livra, wait here! I’m going to put an end to this chaos! No one is allowed to cause trouble in the Demon King’s Castle!”

……………………………..

As it turned out, Livra was no intelligence officer—she had reported false information.

The big fish in the lake had long since hidden at the bottom, all perfectly safe.

But Sheffy, rushing in to intervene between the exploding spells from both sides, managed to stop the clash—however, because she had to restrain her own strength to avoid injuring either of them, poor Sheffy got blown around by the gusts like a ragdoll and was smacked onto the lake shore like a dead fish.

Seeing that dead fish—cough, seeing Sheffy slam into the ground like that, everyone immediately stopped hurling magic at each other and flew toward her in a panic to check on her condition!

“Royal Sister…! Are you okay?” “Sheffy?! Are you hurt?!”

Sheffy lay sprawled on the shore, unwilling to get up.

Her body wasn’t injured—but her heart had suffered tremendous trauma.

Honestly, why didn’t they go check on the fire lizard instead? She’s the one who threw herself onto the far side of the shore to stop the fight and ended up in a puff of black smoke.

Live on, Timani. If you survive, there’ll still be desserts waiting for you.

Sheffy pushed herself up from the ground with both hands, “struggling to rise”, her dust-covered face full of helplessness.

She hadn’t deliberately put on any act this time—but who would have thought that this one small action would be enough to completely defuse the situation?

Seeing her like this… Belith and Xiarette instantly lost any will to continue fighting.

They simply felt heartache for the person they loved most standing right in front of them.

Sheffy sat kneeling on the ground, rubbing her waist, which had been miserably aching since last night, still thinking about how to smooth things over.

“Ahhh, ouch ouch ouch… I say, you two… can’t we just talk things over peac—”

“I’m sorry, Royal Sister! I promise I won’t act out like this again! Let me take you back to your room to rest…?”

“I know I was wrong too… Sheffy, I should’ve been a little more… tch, a little more tolerant. I shouldn’t have acted on impulse.”

Ah.

Why were they suddenly apologizing so obediently? I hadn’t even said anything yet!

But Xiarette, when you talked about needing to be more tolerant, that gritted tone of yours—sounded like it really cost you to say it, huh?

In this matter, Sheffy had no ground to stand on. Seeing the concern in both their eyes—plus the fact that one was on each side, using their sleeves to wipe the dust from her face—Sheffy couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed instead.

“I give up. You two just finished brawling, your sleeves are filthy, and now you’re wiping my face with them—are you sure you’re not just making it worse? What am I, a clay doll? You practicing traditional craftsmanship?”

“!” “!”

Look at those distracted faces of yours… I’d really like to know what exactly caused the two of you to clash today.

I get that the fight stemmed from me—after all, this unlucky soul ended up sprawled on the lakeshore. But come on, there had to be a trigger, right?

Sheffy cast 【Cleaning Magic】—

a variant spell she developed herself, based on water magic.

A swirling mist of water swept over everyone’s dust-smeared faces, washing away the grime and leaving everything spotless before it dissipated into bubbles.

Even Livra, who had come running over after seeing the fight was over, benefited from the spell.

As for Timani…

Might be best to hit her with a long-distance healing spell, just in case?

From the way she was able to get up and pat the dust off herself, she probably wasn’t too badly hurt.

Thanks, Fire Lizard. You did your part. I’ll add a little extra to your breakfast.

Because breakfast time—was already over.

Xiarette stabbed the Holy Sword into the ground nearby, while Belith, with a look of disdain, deliberately distanced herself from Xiarette.

The two entered a cold war, sharp as needle versus needle, chirping away as they explained how the fight broke out in the first place.

Sheffy looked at one, then at the other.

Blinking those wide, innocent eyes—utterly speechless.

“So… the reason you two started fighting… was because Belith, you saw Xiarette cooking in the kitchen?”

“Yes, Royal Sister! She was actually cooking in the kitchen—and this is our home!”

“What about our home? Isn’t it a good thing Xiarette wanted to cook…? Xiarette’s cooking is delicious.”

“Uuu, Royal Sister, we have a younger sister in the family! Why would an outsider be the one cooking?! A younger sister making food for her older sister is a sacred and unquestionable rule—it’s an unshakable right that no little sister should ever be deprived of!”

“?!”

Since when was that an unquestionable rule of our house? Why don’t I remember such a sacred doctrine existing?!

Turning her head dazedly toward Xiarette, Sheffy suddenly recalled a terrifying possibility.

“Xiarette… you two fought in the kitchen?”

“Yes. I’m sorry, Sheffy. I know I was reckless this time… But Sheffy, there are some things that I just can’t back down on.”

“I get it, I get it… But, what I mean is… the kitchen—what’s it like now?”

“Ah…?”

Following the direction Xiarette reflexively looked toward…

Sheffy lifted her head at the same time—gazing up at the thick, billowing smoke rising into the sky.

——It was coming from the thirteenth floor of the Demon King’s Castle—where the kitchen was located.

The origin of the battle—the kitchen—had suffered the greatest damage.

Are you two seriously still arguing about who gets to cook?

The kitchen had been burned down.

Now the biggest problem was—

We might not have lunch anymore.

28. Are you free now?

Fortunately, we didn’t end up starving.

Ehehe, since the kitchen wasn’t completely burned to ash, Sheffy’s miraculous 【Restoration Magic】 finally had a use!

Though the fact that this incredibly mana-draining advanced spell was constantly being used to repair furniture… even Sheffy herself was starting to wonder if something had gone wrong somewhere.

Maybe it was wrong—but the results were definitely worth it!

“So, Belith? Isn’t Xiarette’s cooking really good?”

“Mmh… it’s… okay…? Hm… this one’s pretty tasty… Wait no! This piece of fried mushroom is clearly a little overcooked! Just a bit!”

“Will you stop nitpicking already…! Hey, Xiarette, Belith’s cake rolls are great, right? I’ve always been a big fan of them.”

“Mhm. Little sister Belith certainly has a natural talent for cooking.”

See? Look at Xiarette—so composed. Belith, you should learn from her. Everything in life needs a little grace; you can’t be so petty all the time.

“But there are still some problems. For instance, the edge of this cake roll wasn’t baked to the ideal golden-brown color. It lacks crispness, which affects the texture and makes the eating experience somewhat… no, significantly worse.”

“……”

Alright then. Looks like even Xiarette can’t handle being praised for too long.

On the second floor of the Demon King’s Castle, at a dining table reserved for royalty and distinguished guests, the meal wasn’t exactly a pleasant one.

In order to keep the peace, Sheffy had no choice but to suggest that Xiarette and Belith each cook their own meals. After all, the kitchen in the Demon King’s Castle was spacious enough for both of them to work without interfering with one another. If they ended up making too much, they could just send the extras to Father King and Mother—less waste, more filial piety. Perfect.

The cooking process went relatively smoothly.

But the eating part? Not so much.

Xiarette and Belith sat at opposite corners of the square table, forming a tension-laden standoff.

Even though the dishes were objectively delicious, the two of them couldn’t eat a bite without nitpicking and taking jabs at each other.

“This roast meat—poor ingredient choice. At the very least, it should’ve been aged—”

“Belith… that roast meat was the one you made.”

“!”

Ah, people—when they start blindly criticizing, they even end up insulting themselves.

Livra looked to the left, then to the right. Faced with this suffocating atmosphere, she could only sigh at the complexity of human nature.

Timani didn’t bother with any of that—she only cared if the food was tasty. Her mission: eat with dedication!

In truth, Sheffy saw things most clearly.

Both of them clearly did acknowledge each other’s cooking skills—they just didn’t want to admit it because of pride.

If they really didn’t approve, they wouldn’t even taste the other’s food, let alone bother picking it apart. And the fact that they were “picking” at it only meant there weren’t many actual flaws to criticize.

It was precisely because of that realization that Sheffy found the courage to break the stalemate.

She suddenly shoveled several big bites of meat-mixed rice into her mouth, cheeks puffed out as she swallowed enough to feel halfway full. Then she pressed her palms together with a clap—ready to put an end to this meaningless argument.

Clack!

“Alright! You two, shake hands and make peace, okay? Fighting is bad, life is beautiful. Belith, you start—make a gesture.”

“But Royal Sister…! Ugh…”

As Sheffy spoke, she deliberately let her spoon “slip” from her grip.

The spoon dropped under the table, and she crawled down to retrieve it.

Once under the table, she didn’t rush to come back out.

Belith wasn’t completely unreasonable either… She knew that making things so tense with the Hero was putting their Royal Sister in a difficult position.

Fine. Love’s a marathon, not a sprint. There’s no need to fuss over trivial matters like this.

Giving in just a little wouldn’t be so ba—

Who could’ve guessed—just as Belith was about to soften her tone, she looked up and saw Xiarette already standing.

And walking toward her.

Xiarette’s steps were just a little hesitant. Her expression as she stood beside Belith’s chair was slightly twisted.

But still, she stubbornly reached out her hand, using a smile that barely qualified as such to cover the frustration flaring at the corner of her brow.

“Be… Belith, little sister, I do actually acknowledge your cooking skills, okay? I think… we should try not to argue so much in the future. If anything comes up, we can talk things out calmly. What do you think?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep