Chapter 25
He moved quickly, perhaps to keep me from seeing his tear-streaked face.
“What else? I came to say hello.”
“Wait outside. Do you even know where you’re barging into?”
“This is Lord Lucifer’s bedroom. That’s why I was waiting outside… but then I heard something irritating again.”
Again? That meant Regnator had cried before? Tilting my head in confusion, I stretched my neck to try and see. But with Hirpus standing in front of me and Regnator blocking him, I couldn’t get a clear look at the woman.
“You vile bastard. Stop doing insane things.”
“Mind your tongue. You’re in front of Lady Bella, Morus.”
“You think I’ll say something disgraceful?”
“Do you want to disappear forever?”
“I came with valuable intel for the banquet. If it’s not needed, I’ll see myself out.”
At Morus’s words, Regnator, who had been so tense, casually stepped aside with a cheerful smile.
“Leave? Come now, won’t you? How about a cup of tea?”
Despite the sudden shift in his tone, Morus nonchalantly walked in and sat on the couch as if it were nothing. Realizing the guest was welcome, Hirpus also moved away and curled up beside me.
Thanks to that, I finally got a good look at Morus.
Even at a glance, she was breathtaking. Her lush hair was softly wavy, and her eyes curved up like a cat’s, giving her an alluring charm. Her nose was elegantly shaped, and her round tip made her adorably endearing. Her full, red lips looked like ripe strawberries, adding seduction to every expression.
She exuded mature beauty, Morus was undeniably stunning. The kind of beauty that made it impossible to look away.
If only she wasn’t wearing that shocking full-body suit.
‘Why, for heaven’s sake… why do demons dress like this?’
If her face was too beautiful to stare at directly, then her skintight suit made it impossible to look at her body for very different reasons. No matter how hard I asked myself ‘Why do demons walk around half-naked?’ no one gave me an answer.
At least her suit was sleeveless, so her arms were bare. If even that were covered, I might have started questioning whether this was some form of punishment.
Maybe I was getting used to these absurd standards.
‘I mean… I thought Regnator’s friend would be a man…’
Morus was clearly a woman. That Regnator, of all demons, would have a female friend was an unexpected turn. Not that it mattered, but Morus was definitely a weirdo if she volunteered to be a nanny. Though beautiful, Morus has horns on her head and a tail swaying behind which looked exactly like the demon of my past life nightmares.
To put it nicely, she looked like a demon. To put it frankly, she was like a walking germ.
“Lady Bella, this is Morus. She’ll be the nanny helping look after you in my place.”
“It’s an honor to meet the Princess of the Demon Realm. Please, call me Morus.”
As she introduced herself, Morus knelt before me, bowing politely even though I sat in a small chair. There are only three beings a demon would kneel before: the Demon King, his consort, or his child.
Since current Demon King Lucifer has no consort, and I had recently become his daughter, I suppose such a gesture was only natural.
‘Still, it’s… overwhelming.’
I had forgotten about demon etiquette, having met so few of them. Therefore, I was flustered. Regnator often knelt before me for no reason, but this was different. Seeing me stunned, Morus winked playfully. Before I could react to her wink, Regnator cut in.
“Lady Bella, don’t look too closely. It’ll rot your eyes.”
It was exactly what Lucifer once said about Regnator. I turned my head quickly. It might’ve been a joke, but demons never joked.
“Do you think I’m you? I don’t have some disgusting eye-rotting ability.”
Damn, it was a joke.
“But you could cause long-term damage.”
“Well, that’s… true.”
That’s when I understood why these two were friends. We had just gotten past greetings, and I was already exhausted. Then I remembered, I still hadn’t eaten.
“Mam-ma!”
When I demanded food again, Regnator jumped and repeated ‘I’m sorry, Lady Bella!’ five times before bringing me a fresh bowl of baby food. Morus, quietly observing the well-coordinated scene, raised her crimson lips in amusement.
“Well, aren’t you even cuter than I imagined?”
A chill ran down my spine. If she’d said that to me, I wouldn’t have shivered. But her gaze wasn’t on me, it was on Regnator. More precisely… Regnator’s butt. I couldn’t make sense of the look in her eyes. But it made me think:
‘I miss Dad.’
Clutching the spoon, I shoved the food into my mouth unsure if it went down my throat or my nose. Regnator stepped out, and I was finally starting to feel some peace.
But Morus… She wasn’t doing great either. At least, not from my perspective. With a sigh, I turned and met Hirpus’s eyes. His red beast eyes narrowed. It almost looked like he pitied me.
‘Maybe just my imagination…?’
Even as a demon beast, Hirpus was still a pup. Regnator had said his species was intelligent and might speak once matured but to me, he was just a big white puppy.
‘Maybe I should name him? Since he’s white, maybe… Snow?’
I had no creativity. Nothing came to mind. Then Morus sniffed the air, looking puzzled.
“Huh? Regnator, did you really put Lepton’s whiskers into Lady Bella’s food?”
“Yeah. You were singing its praises, remember?”
“Hmm… I mean, yeah, it’s good. Very good. But… I thought I said I wanted you to eat it.”
“If it’s good for the body, I should give it to Lady Bella. I don’t need it. Why? Is it bad for humans?”
“No, not at all. It actually works better on other species than on demons.”
“That’s good then. Not that Lady Bella ate much of it anyway.”
“Oh… really?”
Morus’s eyes thinned, “Then who did eat it?”
“That demon beast pup.”
It would’ve been nice if he said ‘sweet little beast pup,’ but no. Morus looked genuinely surprised.
“The mutant you mentioned before? Hmm… really? How much is left?”
“It’s all gone.”
Morus’s lips pressed into a firm line. With her arms crossed, she frowned.
“So… all the baby food with Lepton’s whiskers was…”
“That pup ate all of it.”
“Ahh…”
A long sigh escaped Morus. Then her cat-like eyes slowly turned toward Hirpus, who was resting calmly beside me. The strange silence was brief.
But somehow, I felt like I shouldn’t eat the food anymore. I quietly put down my spoon. It was empty anyway. Hirpus had finished drinking his water and was now sitting up, but his once-peaceful eyes were trembling.
Morus licked her lips, staring at him with something like pity.
“It’ll be hard, but… once he grows, things will get better. Yes. It’ll be a blessing, I guess.”
“…”
“Wow… whoever his partner is, they’re in for a treat.”
“…”
“Well, for now… Hirpus, it’s going to be a hell of a time until you grow up.”
Morus’s cryptic muttering deeply unsettled Hirpus. What the heck was that supposed to mean? I didn’t know the details, but something bad was definitely in the food he ate. They wouldn’t put something harmful in it… but if it were really beneficial, Morus wouldn’t be looking at him like that.
‘Is he in trouble?’
Either way, I was the one that food was meant for, so I felt responsible. What the hell are Lepton’s whiskers?
‘I said stop putting weird stuff in my food!’
Feeling guilty, I slipped from my chair and patted Hirpus gently. A gesture to say it’d be okay but Hirpus just trembled and buried his head in the carpet. He knew exactly what Lepton’s whiskers were.
Just when I was starting to feel left out, since everyone else seemed to know, Regnator returned.
“He’s a mutant anyway. Chances of him growing are low. Stop talking nonsense and read this.”
“What is it?”
“A daily log I wrote about Lady Bella. You’ll have to record her daily routine here from now on.”
Morus frowned openly at the notebook. “You expect me to do that every day?”
“Every day. Details like how many times Lady Bella fell on her butt, if she coughed, what she said, it’s a joy to record.”
“…You’re a freak.”
“You’re the last one who should say that.”
Regnator looked offended, like that comment crossed a line.
“Fair point.”
Morus nodded.
Why was she agreeing with that of all things? I still hadn’t forgotten the way she looked at Regnator’s rear when he made my food. Maybe… just maybe, she was worse than Regnator.
The fact that they were friends suddenly made a lot more sense.
“And recording these logs helps protect Lady Bella’s delicate body from illness. You can’t miss a single day.”
Thankfully, Regnator’s over-the-top behavior shifted the topic entirely. If I kept listening to these two demons talk, I’d lose my mind. So, I closed my ears and sighed.
