NOVEL WEB Chapter 209
Pastel, happily stuffed after devouring fried chicken, returned to the Demon Lord’s bed.
It should have been back to her own room, but she just ended up in the Demon Lord’s bed. She lay down and crawled around like a caterpillar friend.
Wiggle wiggle.
Wiggle wiggle.
I might be a bit of a naughty one.
Feeling full and happy seems to have cleared my mind, though.
I heard about Mom’s tragic past and I’m feeling jealous, and I’m getting annoyed at the Demon Lord who did nothing wrong.
Things can’t get worse than this.
Actually, was I purple instead of pink?
When did I fall from grace?
What was the cause?
—What’s wrong? Not feeling good?
The Fairy rolled around by the bedside and looked at her.
Pastel sat up straight.
“I think I might be corrupted!”
A problem a million times bigger than a corrupted fairy.
—What?!
The Fairy’s eyes went wide. Her small hands covered her mouth.
—You were corrupted?!
Pastel’s brows furrowed.
“I think so. My hair is still pink, but it won’t be long before it’s dyed purple.”
—That shouldn’t be okay! If your hair becomes purple and your eyes stay pink, that would look weird!
Pastel answered seriously.
“Just wear colored lenses.”
—Ah, I see.
The Fairy nodded.
Then looked at her.
—But what are colored lenses?
“More importantly, Fairy, I really think I’m corrupted. I have this Good Kid Complex, so I don’t usually think bad thoughts. But earlier, when I was hungry, I found myself thinking bad thoughts without a second thought.”
What those bad thoughts were is a secret, but anyway, they were bad thoughts.
—I know what that is!
Huh?
The Fairy became triumphant.
—That’s called love! Come consult me! Love is my specialty!
Wow.
The Fairy, who even makes love talismans, saying that makes her seem super reliable.
Pastel sat down in front of the Fairy. The bed sank a little, and the Fairy nearly stumbled, but quickly regained her posture and put on a dignified expression.
“Is love supposed to be like this, Fairy? Feeling consumed by jealousy and a sense of defeat while worrying about bad thoughts and plans?”
The Fairy answered firmly.
—Yup!
Ah, I see.
That makes sense.
Pastel became dazed.
—You might find it strange because you lack experience, but for someone like me who’s been through it all, that’s normal. You didn’t fall into being purple; that’s just how love is. You don’t have to panic.
Is that so?
The Fairy must have lived far longer than Pastel, so it feels persuasive. Plus, isn’t love her specialty?
A being you can’t help but trust when she’s a Fairy of Love.
“But there was a storybook Melissa read that said otherwise. It said love is something like…”
Pastel waved her hands, trying to grasp at nothing like trying to catch a rainbow, then sorted out her fallen hair. Her pink hair brushed lightly against her fingers.
“It’s something pink and beautiful, right?”
The Fairy shook her head.
—That’s not true. Love is a one-sided feeling. It teaches us that it’s beautiful precisely because it isn’t beautiful. If it had been beautiful from the start, would the declaration that it’s beautiful be moving? Those things are moving precisely because they aren’t obvious.
That seems to make some sense.
—And.
The Fairy sighed deeply. Her eyes looked kindly at her.
—If love were originally beautiful, then that would mean you are the bad one. But I don’t think you’re a bad girl. This isn’t because you’re specially bad. That’s just how love is.
Is that really so?
Honestly, it’s more likely that love is originally like this than for Pastel herself to be especially bad.
—Everyone’s in a hurry to hide it, but everyone is like that.
The Fairy looked straight at her. Her little fist was tightly clenched.
—Partner! You can be proud of yourself! You’re more than qualified!
Gulp.
So touching.
Pastel covered her mouth. Her nose sniffled slightly.
“I had such bad thoughts, though?”
—That’s just how love is!
“I really had really bad thoughts, though?”
—That’s just how love is!
Sniffle.
The Fairy started to think deeply, like she was lost in her own work.
—It’s not particularly bad that your rival is your mother, but if she’s a dead mother, that’s a huge problem.
Pastel nodded silently.
It’s like a confirmed loss state.
The Fairy groaned.
—If she were alive, you could stick a love talisman on her to manipulate the Demon, and then such trivial feelings for love would disappear.
Gulp.
Pastel was shocked by the Fairy’s crisp solution.
But deep down, she felt it made sense.
It’s like a method to persuade Mom with the power of love to get back the person she likes.
Love really is great.
It was a clean resolution that could appear in a storybook.
The Fairy casually said.
—I think the best approach is to show the Demon the power of love.
“Like sticking a love talisman on the Demon Lord’s back?”
—Yep!
Pastel hesitated.
That just sounds like something really bad.
Moreover, that love gained like that wouldn’t be real, right?
She doesn’t want to become a witch from a storybook. That’s the role of someone with purple hair, after all.
—You still don’t want to do that? Got it. Let’s think together!
The Fairy groaned again.
Pastel cautiously spoke up.
“I had a bad thought; want to hear it?”
—Yep!
“Ahem.”
Pastel cleared her throat.
She might be a little embarrassed.
“If my dead mom is my rival, I can’t eliminate the cause, which is troublesome, right?”
—Yep!
“So, wouldn’t it be solved if the Demon Lord loved me instead of my dead mom? Since my mom has passed away, she wouldn’t be here to interfere.”
The Fairy tilted her head.
—Isn’t that the problem? The Demon loves your mom.
“No, what I mean is…”
Pastel waved her hand. Her gestures pointed to herself.
“The Demon Lord just needs to love me like he loves Mom.”
The Fairy seemed puzzled.
—Are you saying you want to disguise yourself as your mom? Act like her? That might actually have some effect!
“No, no.”
Her pink hair swished back and forth.
“I’m not Blossom; I’m Pastel.”
The Fairy tilted her head again.
—Then what?
Pastel was about to specify but hesitated as she felt it wouldn’t sound pink enough no matter how she thought of it.
Thinking back, this could be a pretty bad thing.
“No, I should think about it again.”
—What’s wrong? Is it an action that would harm those around you?
“Not that, though.”
—Then is it something that would harm the Demon?
“That’s correct.”
—No need to hesitate then!
Huh?
Pastel was at a loss for words due to the shock.
The Fairy said resolutely.
—It’s the Demon’s fault for making you fall in love. There’s a considerable age gap, yet they flirt with you and expect to be comfortable. If they have a conscience, they should be willing to endure some minor consequences from causing some harm!
Something…
Seems like it makes sense.
Isn’t it reasonable for a younger thief to suffer a bit?
Pastel perked up her ears.
—That Demon should pay the price for making you suffer! What methods could we use? What bad thing did you think about?
Her lips licked at her tongue before opening.
“Well, you see.”
Suddenly, footsteps were heard from the door. Pastel stopped speaking and turned around.
After watching for a moment, the door opened.
The Demon Lord entered, looking dumbfounded.
“Why are you in my bed? If you want to lie down, go to your room.”
Pastel stared at him without answering.
The Demon furrowed his brow.
“What’s wrong?”
The girl turned dark in expression, lowering her head and hugging her knees.
“Demon Lord, if Mom were here, I don’t know how she would feel.”
The Demon fell silent.
Though she couldn’t see it by looking down, he was definitely feeling turmoil beneath his calm facade.
“What kind of wrong did my husband do? He dismantled a proper family and stuffed it in his own wallet, leaving his daughter uncared for. The Demon who’s been with me since childhood couldn’t trust me and only spat out words of hatred. In death, I had to accept resentment without being able to clear any misunderstandings.”
The Demon Lord didn’t respond. Perhaps he couldn’t.
“What wrong did Mom commit? Where did it all go wrong for her to face such tragedy even after death? I don’t know.”
The girl buried her face between her arms.
Silence fell.
After a moment, a slightly cracked voice spoke.
“Blossom did nothing wrong.”
A small mutter followed.
“I don’t think Mom would agree with that.”
The Demon Lord fell silent.