Chapter 198

Tch.

Damn it.

If it weren’t for Royal Sister poking her little head above the dining table to observe what was going on over here, I wouldn’t have given you this courtesy.

Belith didn’t reach out to shake Xiarette’s hand, but she did open her palm and gave the offered hand a light pat — a response that, at the very least, acknowledged Xiarette’s gesture to de-escalate.

That single pat finally eased the tension that had been hanging over the dining table.

Of course, Belith still conveyed a basic principle to Sheffy.

“Royal Sister, although I said that just now, I still won’t back down when I shouldn’t. The kitchen is an important battleground for girls, and cooking for Royal Sister is a little sister’s rightful duty. This concerns a woman’s dignity — and I won’t compromise on that.”

This counts as dignity…? Never heard of that before!

Turning to Xiarette for an opinion, Sheffy was surprised to see her nodding firmly in full agreement with Belith’s words.

Seeing this, Belith was very pleased.

“Oh…! Hero, you actually understand this!”

“Of course, this is absolutely a matter of a woman’s dignity. I completely get it. Seeing Sheffy’s happy smile while eating… that feeling is more joyful than any other moment in life.”

“You really get it! Yes, yes, yes! That’s exactly how Royal Sister is when she eats. If she enjoys it, she’ll eat while smiling.”

“That’s right! Actually, the most important thing is…! When cooking for Sheffy, you must have enough white sugar!”

“I couldn’t agree more! You’ve got potential!”

This is hilarious.

In the end, the way these two reconciled… was by sharing their experiences related to Sheffy’s eating habits!

But… so cooking is supposed to be a matter of a woman’s dignity, huh? Then Sheffy thought to herself — I’ve been a woman my whole life too. Maybe to stop these two from fighting over the kitchen in the future, I could learn to cook and take on that so-called dignity?

“Um… how about I just cook for myself from now on…?”

“Impossible!” “Sheffy, what kind of terrifying proposal are you making?! Take that back right now!”

“……”

What happened to all that talk about dignity just now?! Are you saying I’m not entitled to dignity?!

Livra skewered a piece of roasted meat with her fork and placed it on her plate, tilting her head as she asked Sheffy, who had just climbed back onto her seat.

“So… it looks like those two made up?”

“For now, yes, that does seem to be the case. Thank goodness.”

“Making up is nice and all… but Miss Shaya, may I ask something, if you don’t mind?”

“You can ask, but I may not answer.”

“Then… what were those two arguing about in the first place?”

“……”

Livra, your head is completely free of the worries of this world, isn’t it? Must be nice.

Sheffy let out a bitter smile as she replied to such a silly question.

“You’re still young. Maybe you’ll understand once you grow up. This is something only adults can comprehend.”

“Hmm… really…? True, I am two years younger than the little Miss Shaya, and this tiny heart of mine still can’t grasp many logically complex matters.”

“You just said ‘little’ twice… Are you deliberately mocking me with that passive-aggressive tone?!”

“Waaah, no I’m not! I just got really upset when Miss Shaya said I was young, that’s all!”

“Isn’t that a clear provocation?!”

Truly chaotic — absolute bedlam.

Timani hadn’t stopped eating for even a moment. She couldn’t understand it at all — with so many delicious dishes laid out, why were these people so busy throwing barbs at each other?

Oh, right.

“Sheffy, use your healing magic to treat me. My arm hurts. It’s affecting how I eat. You need to take responsibility.”

“Why?”

“Because it was your little sister and your keeper who hit me.”

“Keeper?!”

You jerk! You’re saying that just because Xiarette cooks for me, tucks me in, and takes care of my daily life, she’s basically my keeper?!

Ugh… now that I think about it, that’s… not entirely wrong… eugh!!

“Fire Lizard! Your arm — it’s broken, isn’t it?! Why didn’t you say something earlier?!”

“What was there to say? We Fire Dragon Clan rely on our own recovery abilities — it’ll heal on its own in a bit. You were all arguing so fiercely, how could I cut in? But now it’s affecting my eating, so you have to heal me. Otherwise, I’ll be your burden.”

“Just stop talking already, will you?!”

This Fire Lizard really was one ruthless lizard. Her arm clearly couldn’t lift at all — obviously broken — yet she kept eating with her other arm like nothing was wrong! What, were you a dragon who starved to death in your past life or something?!

A gentle glow of healing magic shimmered into the air, and feeling gradually returned to Timani’s arm.

She shot Sheffy a subtle look of gratitude, and her eating process immediately became more efficient.

In between savoring the food, Livra’s attention drifted toward the holy sword lying flat in the middle of the table.

“Miss Sylatrella hasn’t shown herself today… is she still sleeping?”

Normally around this time, Miss Sylatrella would’ve already leapt out and sprawled across Miss Shaya’s lap—envy-inducing… no, just very enthusiastic about mealtime. Why hadn’t she shown up on time today?

“She’s probably still sleepy. Let her rest a bit longer,” Sheffy said, stretching out her little arms to spear a doughnut from the plate.

“Is that so…? Has Miss Sylatrella been staying up late recently?”

“Who knows~”

The ancient text translation notebook handwritten by Sylatrella still lay quietly in Sheffy’s pocket.

The doughnut Sheffy had just picked up didn’t go into her own mouth.

Instead, she wordlessly placed it onto a small plate and pushed that plate over to the side of the holy sword.

When you wake up, I’ve got a few things I want to ramble to you about.

But before that, you need to fill your belly too. Even perverts need to eat!

There were quite a few who cared about Sylatrella.

This little girl, always bouncing around yet sensitive and thoughtful, wasn’t disliked by anyone.

In fact, without her bustling antics at the table, it felt a little off.

While everyone continued their chatting and laughter, starting with the doughnut Sheffy pushed over, more dishes gradually appeared in front of the holy sword. Everyone had quietly begun reserving portions for her, making sure that when she woke up, she wouldn’t find herself with nothing to eat.

Belith hadn’t spoken to Sylatrella all that much, but since Royal Sister often mentioned that Sylatrella had helped her out a lot (namely with the fishing net), Belith had no qualms about setting aside part of her lunch for her as well.

Anyone approved by Royal Sister couldn’t be a bad kid.

It’s just… looking at this growing pile of plates…

To Sheffy, it really resembled some kind of memorial offering from a past life!

Waaah, Sylatrella, hurry up and wake up and eat already!

Ahem.

But for now, there were still more pressing matters at hand.

Sweeping up the remaining doughnuts in one go, Sheffy planted both hands on the table and stood up.

Her gaze, slightly sharp, locked straight onto Timani sitting across from her.

“Fire Lizard. You free right now?”

“Nope. I’m eating.”

“Then hurry up and eat! And once you’re done, tell me you’re free!”

29. Why?

“Hey… so what exactly do you want to say? Are you trying to kick me out or something?”

“If you keep eating, then yes, I really should kick you out.”

After the meal, Sheffy called Timani to meet her alone in a spacious corridor inside the Demon King’s Castle.

After the meal, huh — that phrase usually means after eating, right?

And yet here they were, supposedly done with their meal, but Timani was still holding a Nort Forest duck leg in her hands, looking puzzled and worried while gnawing on the meat.

Prompted by Sheffy’s “I should kick you out” warning, Timani devoured the duck leg at lightning speed, even crunching down the bone. Impressive bite strength.

Afterward, her transition back to a calm, graceful demeanor was completely seamless.

It seemed she had no intention of being kicked out.

Around this time, nobles and lords would usually gather in the Demon King’s Castle for official duties, but they only operated near the top levels. The ground level had a direct teleportation array leading to the upper floors.

As for the lower ninety percent of the space, it was reserved for the private rest and recreation of the Demon Royal Family — no outsiders allowed. That’s why everyone could eat and chat so freely here, without having to pretend or hide anything.

Sheffy crossed her arms over her flat chest, leaning against an equally flat wall, tilting her head to meet Timani’s increasingly confused gaze.

“Don’t panic, Fire Lizard. I just wanted to thank you for stepping in earlier and helping smooth things over. You stopped Xiarette and Belith from getting too rough.”

“No big deal. You provide food and I… cough, well, the Fire Dragon Clan has its pride and limits too. Since I’m eating at your place, it’s only right I step in when necessary. That’s just how it should be.”

Timani tossed her flame-like long hair with flair and spun around in her crimson dress, radiating her usual sharp elegance.

“But I suggest you keep a closer eye on things yourself. Your little sister and your… caretaker—”

“You’re not allowed to call her that, okay?”

“Fine. Your little sister and the Hero don’t get along at all. It’s not their first fight, and it won’t be their last. Me getting in the middle is just a temporary fix. If you want to really solve the problem, it’s up to you. Sigh… personality clashes, huh? That’s a real subject of study. Anyway, good luck handling it.”

“……”

I need to try harder?

You don’t even get it. The reason they’re fighting isn’t about personality at all! Acting all cool like that—there’s nothing cool about it!

Just as Timani finished showing off and casually waved her hand to head off for a nap, Sheffy shuffled her feet and quickly caught up to her.

—And then gave her a hard kick right on the butt!

Timani’s dragon tail immediately went taut.

A blush of shame instantly bloomed on her usually composed face!

She spun around at once, defensive and questioning.

“Eh?! You… what the hell was that for?!”

What else? It was your own fault for acting cool while wagging your tail like that—it was just begging to be kicked!

“Uh… sorry? I couldn’t help it… Anyway, let’s set that aside for now. Just listen to me, will you? I wasn’t done talking, and you were already walking away. That’s just plain rude.”

“Set that aside…?! I’m the rude one?”

“Yes. Self-reflection is key—it’s good for your personal growth.”

“You’re supposed to be a princess of the kingdom… How are you this shameless…”

“If possible, I’d prefer you refer to it as having a good mindset.”

“It’s just shameless… Ugh, stop raising your leg again. So what were you going to say anyway? If it’s to remind me not to eat so much… fine, I’ll cut back. The food’s been great lately, but if you want me to save resources, just say the word. I can settle for eating half full.”

You seriously can’t go three sentences without mentioning food. Can’t your ambitions in life go just a little beyond your stomach?

Sheffy let out a quiet sigh.

She lowered the foot she had been preparing to kick with again, and her entire presence subtly shifted.

Because being a princess meant constantly carrying burdens far removed from happiness.

Such as always keeping a close watch on the emotional shifts of those around her.

Sheffy tilted her head slightly as her gaze fell upon Timani—one that made the dragon girl’s heart tighten.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep