Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Of course, Melkin knew that saying the wrong thing would make today his funeral day, so he racked his brain desperately.
“At this age, babies don’t have clear vision. I believe Lady Bella is frowning because she’s curious about you and wants to see you more clearly.”
“Frowning? Because she wants to see me more clearly?”
“Yes. You know how people with poor eyesight squint and wrinkle their brows to try and see better? It’s like that.”
“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never had poor eyesight.”
Melkin hurried to mask his dying expression.
“Babies are like the elderly in that sense. The elderly lose vision as it deteriorates, while babies haven’t developed theirs yet.”
“So if I get closer to Lady Bella, will it help?”
“Ah… um…”
He nearly blurted out that the baby disliked him and that he should avoid getting too close.
“Wouldn’t it be better to appear in a form that babies tend to like? Something large and colorful, perhaps? That way, she can see you more easily from a distance.”
“Large and colorful?”
“Yes, like… bright and multi-colored things…”
“Hhmm.”
Melkin chose survival over honesty. After all, he was the head of a family responsible for eight siblings due to his damn father. Anyway, since he included a reasonable explanation that the baby was frowning to see better, maybe it wasn’t a total lie.
He felt sorry for the baby but he had to live. They say interpretation is more important than the dream itself.
“I see. As I thought. I was afraid Lady Bella was repulsed by me, but it was just my misunderstanding.”
“Re… repulsed?”
“A human doctor suits you well. Thanks to you, I’ve learned something new today. You’re… surprisingly useful.”
“Th… thank you.”
“If you wish, I shall grant you one special favor.”
Regnator gave a sinister smile. Melkin swallowed hard and watched carefully. Based on what he knew of this man, he wasn’t just making an empty offer.
If he stated a wish, he’d probably grant it but for some reason, Melkin was reluctant to speak up.
‘Why does it feel like I’ll lose my soul if I say my wish out loud?’
Regnator didn’t rush him but waited patiently. His deep brown eyes gleamed oddly.
Melkin shut his eyes tightly and shook his head.
“N-no… How could I dare… Just being of some help is… h-honor enough.”
He didn’t know exactly who Regnator was, but the sheer pressure he exuded and the way he spoke made it clear he wasn’t ordinary. Certain he was of noble standing, Melkin’s face tightened.
“Hhm.”
Regnator’s indifferent sigh came from above.
“You’re quite lucky.”
“Pardon?”
“For a human, your instincts are sharp. Useful indeed.”
Regnator stroked his chin and smiled. Even that smile felt ominous, and Melkin shivered.
“I’ll grant you a small wish for free. You’d be a fool to kick away good fortune walking through your door. You should give it some thought.”
A low chuckle echoed down the narrow alley.
“Well then, I’ll return another time.”
Before Melkin could even straighten his back, Regnator vanished like mist. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen this, yet it still left his jaw hanging. He briefly suspected Regnator might be a wicked sorcerer, but in truth, Melkin didn’t care much about his true identity.
As someone living in a tiny rural village, Melkin only ever cared about his own survival.
“Haa… I feel like I’ve sinned.”
He wasn’t without a conscience. Every time he met Regnator, guilt gnawed at him. But it was far too late to confess that he wasn’t a real doctor but just a humble herbalist.
Doing that would get him killed painlessly if not in some horribly agonizing way.
“I’m sorry for that baby.”
Despite his guilt, he let out a sigh of relief because, in the end, his own safety mattered most. With that, Melkin trudged home, where his annoyingly warm but loving family awaited.
As for the small wish Regnator told him to keep in mind? He had already completely forgotten about it.
***
Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, nothing terrible happened after that day. There were plenty of exhausting days, yes, but once I accepted that both Lucifer and Regnator weren’t human, I found it manageable.
A baby’s day was both simple and busy.
The first constant was hunger at all times of day. And second was relieving myself as much as I ate. The shame I felt the first time I peed without control was long gone. There was simply too much of it.
Eventually, I accepted the uncontrollable bodily functions and reached a Zen-like state.
(TN: A Zen-like state refers to a condition that resembles or is appropriate to Zen Buddhism or a practitioner of Zen Buddhism, characterized by qualities such as calmness, imperturbability, and an elegant simplicity in design or function. This state embodies a sense of tranquility and mindfulness, often achieved through meditation practices like Zazen, which aims to unify the body and mind and lead to spiritual enlightenment.)
On top of that, babies eat, poop, and then sleep. Then drowsiness came constantly. Just when I thought I could finally reflect on something, I’d fall asleep mid-thought. It was maddening.
Lucifer sometimes looked at me like I was a bizarre creature. But as time passed, even he seemed a little fed up.
‘I get it. Honestly, I’m sick of myself too.’
Still, with time, I learned quite a bit.
First of all, Regnator.
He seemed to be Lucifer’s closest aide and ranked second in the demon realm’s hierarchy. Since the only demons I’d seen were Lucifel and Regnator, I couldn’t confirm if that was true.
Actually, the whole ‘demonic hierarchy’ reminded me of web novels I’d read as a kid. I laughed myself silly just thinking about it.
Every time I saw Regnator’s face, I couldn’t help but think of a ‘number one thug at school’ character.
It nearly drove me mad.
Then I overheard that the demon realm’s hierarchy was based on a bloody survival battle, and the rankings reflected how many demons each had killed.
So yes, the ranking was based on strength just not in the way I originally thought.
I hoped it was a joke, but Regnator often muttered about it proudly in front of me, so it had to be true.
“Lady Bella, can you see me? What do you think? Today, I wore what humans say they like; rainbow colors!”
The second-strongest demon in the underworld looked absolutely ridiculous, so I slowly turned my gaze to the sky.
‘They say you can’t judge by appearance… and apparently that applies to demons, too.’
Regnator, already eye-catching with his red hair, had swapped his usual barely-there cloak for a dazzlingly bright outfit of every color imaginable. It was so absurd I couldn’t close my mouth.
He looked quite satisfied and said: “Ah, you can see me well, can’t you? Wonderful.”
I had no idea what he meant. Because, obviously there was no way I couldn’t see that outfit. Since that day, he always appeared in similarly blinding fashion and that is always when Lucifel wasn’t around.
Just like now!
“Lady Bella, may I hold you today? I feel we’ve grown quite close.”
Not at all. We hadn’t grown close even a little.
When did that happen? I was still holding a grudge over him tricking me into drinking Hirpus milk disguised as formula!
But Regnator, oblivious to my inner resentment, just saw my scrunched-up face and said, “Yes, Lady Bella. I’ll make myself more visible to you,” as he reached out.
Come to think of it, he’d acted like this even when Lucifer was around. He only visited in Lucifer’s absence to ‘take care of me’ in his stead.
“Waaah! Waaaahhh!”
The moment Regnator picked me up, I burst into tears.
Normally, when a baby cries, the mother wonders: Is the baby hungry? Does it need changing? Or wants to be held?
Because crying is a baby’s only way to communicate. But I was a 30-year-old soul in an infant’s body.
I wouldn’t cry unless it really hurt—yeah, right!
“WAAAAAHHHH!”
Crying loudly enough to make Lucifer wince had become my daily routine. Since crying was the only form of communication I had, I cried for food, for clean clothes, you name it.
I even cried when I was sick, but ever since recovering from a bad cold, I haven’t been ill. Thanks to that, Lucifer quickly figured out that I usually cried for only two reasons.
Maybe that’s why he was growing tired of me.
But today’s reason was different.
I’d always cried in Regnator’s arms, so he remained unaffected.
Which is why I screamed even louder, putting my whole soul into it.
“That’s strange. Lady Bella was fine when Lord Lucifer held her…”
OF COURSE I WAS! Lucifel looks rough, but he’s incredibly gentle when handling me!
Regnator, on the other hand, was just mimicking what he’d seen Lucifel do, tilting his head in confusion as he held me.
‘Oh, dear Lord! Lucifel! Daddy! Help this one!’
My poor bottom, gripped by Regnator’s enormous hands, felt like it would be crushed. He was trying to hold me securely—but it REALLY, REALLY hurt.
“WAAAHHH!”
As I sobbed and snot ran down my face, Regnator looked at me with mild puzzlement.
‘Please! Just put me down!’
I flailed my arms and legs in protest. Even so, Regnator didn’t let go.
“Hm, what could be wrong?”
Instead, he examined my face as if trying to diagnose the problem.
“Are you hungry? Have I done anything wrong? Shall I change your clothes?”
