Daily Life of the Demon King and the Girls

Author: Unicoon
Raw: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n8138gc/20/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

One afternoon.

Princess Charlotte and Natasha were on the inner-courtyard terrace of Romulus Castle.
The two of them sat at a tea table. Opposite sat Lady Ulrika.
With Olivia included, the four of them had a friendly air.

Then several young men and women arrived.
The young ladies and gentlemen who had been Princess Charlotte’s entourage.

“…Princess Charlotte, what is the meaning of this?”

“What, you ask…”

“Don’t play dumb! Why are you with that country girl? And about the exam… what in the world happened…”

The boy faltered.
Princess Charlotte silently rose from her chair.

“I put you all through something frightening. I’m sorry.”

Princess Charlotte bowed in apology.
The entourage froze in surprise.
Lifting her face, Princess Charlotte spotted Beppo.

“Oh, Beppo was with you too.”

“Princess Charlotte… um… about that time…”

“I haven’t told anyone what we saw and heard during the exam. I’m sorry for asking so many unreasonable things of you.”

“That’s… I can’t believe it…”

Beppo’s expression was full of distrust.
Princess Charlotte, for her part, did not let her composure break.

“Yes… yes, of course you wouldn’t believe me…”

She let out a breath and spoke to Beppo in a gentle tone.

“I’ve stopped doing foolish things. So you too, Beppo—stop doing bad things.”

Princess Charlotte smiled softly.
Bathed in sunlight, it was a sparkling, beautiful smile.
Beppo’s face went red.

At Princess Charlotte behaving like a different person, one of the boys from the entourage raised his voice.

“It’s strange… Princess Charlotte has gone strange!”

“That’s right. Together with the likes of Natasha, and a country girl and a fallen noble besides? She’s not in her right mind!”

“Everyone, let’s go! She must have been attacked by a dragon and lost her mind.”

The entourage filed away.
Princess Charlotte watched their backs.

“They left. Are you all right with that?”

“It’s fine… that they left like this means they weren’t true friends. And besides…”

Princess Charlotte turned.
A little tense, she looked at the three of them in turn.

“Ulrika, Natasha, Olivia! I want to be friends with you. True friends…!!”

“What’s that! Is it true!!”

The instant she heard it, Lady Ulrika bounced.
She was full of joy.

“I’m glad! Then Charlotte is… from today, Lottie is my friend!!”

“Lottie!! Hauu…”

Called “Lottie,” Princess Charlotte went red to the ears.
Watching that, Natasha sprang to her feet.

“I… me too! I want to be friends with Ulrika too!!”

“What! Natasha is a friend as well!!”

Lady Ulrika hopped with delight.
Natasha snatched her hand.

“Ulrika, please give me a nickname too! A cute one like Lottie or Livi!!”

“Hmm… then Sasha.”

“Sasha, is it. It’s wonderful! Thank you!!”

Natasha smiled, delighted.
Princess Charlotte held her cheeks, shy.
Olivia watched the two of them gently.

And so Lady Ulrika gained new friends.

✦ ✦ ✦

A stretch of soft sunlight.
Lady Ulrika was walking the grounds of Romulus Castle alone.
Stopping by the training ground, she paused.

“Lottie, isn’t it. What’s the matter?”

“Ulrika, please be quiet.”

Princess Charlotte was hiding behind a hedge, furtive.
She put a finger to her lips—”shh~”—and beckoned Lady Ulrika close.
Where Princess Charlotte was looking, two girls sat on a bench.

Olivia and Natasha.
They seemed to be chatting pleasantly, basking in the sun.

“Even so, Lady Charlotte has changed, hasn’t she.”

“Yes. Until a little while ago she was a selfish, nasty, worst-of-the-worst princess…”

“When my house fell, I was told awful things for ages.”

“I was bullied every day too. She really did have the worst personality.”

The two of them smiled as they said rather poisonous things.
Unaware Princess Charlotte was listening, they talked with gusto.

“Nouveau riche, arrogant—a textbook wicked princess, wasn’t she.”

“The children who were with her had built up quite a lot of dissatisfaction too.”

The conversation went on, muddy.
Listening, Princess Charlotte sank lower and lower.

“But she’s changed now. She’s a truly wonderful princess!”

“Yes! She’s beautiful to look at, and a princess to look up to!”

“Lady Natasha is—”

“Wait.”

Natasha clapped a hand over Olivia’s mouth.
Princess Charlotte tensed—”Have we been found!?”

“Please call me Sasha. I want to call you Livi too. I want us to get along!”

“I… I see? Then… Sasha…”

“Livi… it’s a little embarrassing.”

Both of them blushed, smiling shyly.
Relieved they hadn’t been found out, Princess Charlotte let out a breath.

“Um… Sasha, why did you save Lady Charlotte? You were bullied terribly, weren’t you?”

“Yes… but it was different long ago.”

“Long ago?”

Remembering the past, Natasha looked up at the sky.

“I’ve always been clumsy, and I was bullied by the people around me. But only Lady Charlotte was kind to me. She was always on my side.”

Olivia listened in silence.

“She’s truly a very kind person at heart. That’s why I decided to stay on Lady Charlotte’s side. I was bullied, but… now the kind Lady Charlotte has come back!”

Natasha smiled softly.
Bathed in sunlight, it was a very pretty smile.

Meanwhile, behind the hedge, Princess Charlotte was shedding tears.

“Uuu… Natasha… you thought of me that way…”

“If you cry that much, you’ll be found.”

“Sniff… that’s true!”

Princess Charlotte wiped her tears and stepped out from the hedge.

“Natasha, Olivia! So this is where you were.”

At Princess Charlotte’s appearance, the two of them jumped for an instant.
They recovered their composure at once.

“Lady Charlotte, your eyes are bright red. Is something the matter?”

“It’s nothing. More importantly, may I join you?”

“Yes, of course!”

And so the easy time passed on.

✦ ✦ ✦

“Here, Ulrika. Aaahn.”

“Aaahn… nom.”

A languid afternoon.
Lady Ulrika and Princess Charlotte were taking it easy on the terrace.
Princess Charlotte was giving Lady Ulrika colorful sweets with “aaahn.”
Then Olivia and Natasha arrived.

“Lady Charlotte… what in the world are you doing?”

“I’m giving Ulrika macarons.”

“Mm. Cute sweets!”

“There are more. Here, aaahn.”

“Aam… nom nom… they’re delicious!”

Lady Ulrika stuffed her cheeks with macarons, nomming.
Princess Charlotte gazed at her fondly.
Like a parent bird feeding a chick.

“Lady Charlotte is doing ‘aaahn’… abnormal behavior…”

“No, Sasha… that may be a fake princess…”

“Ulrika is adorable. Here, aaahn.”

“Am… nom nom…”

“Fufufu.”

Giving her macarons, Princess Charlotte grinned.
She was utterly smitten with Lady Ulrika.
Olivia and Natasha, meanwhile, had stiff faces.

“”It’s eerie…””

Princess Charlotte’s happy time passed on.

✦ ✦ ✦

The inner-courtyard terrace of Romulus Castle.
In warm sunlight, King Zenon was relaxing alone.

“Fine weather today. Looks like it’ll be a good day.”

King Zenon stretched big.
Suddenly a voice came from behind.

“Dear…”

A chill ran down King Zenon’s spine.
He turned slowly. A beautiful woman stood there.

“Vi… Victoria… when did you return from holiday?”

“My. Am I not allowed to return from holiday?”

A chilly smile on her face, the woman approached slowly.
King Zenon’s wife, and queen of the Kingdom of Romulus: Victoria.

“I heard from Rudolf. Lately you’ve been infatuated with a little girl named Ulrika-chan, haven’t you?”

“Hey, that way of putting it—”

“That’s the lowest! When did you turn into a pedophile!!”

Smack! She slapped his cheek, and King Zenon swayed and went down.
A splendid slap, second to none.

“That’s wrong! Absolutely wrong!! Damn it… Rudolf, explain it properly.”

King Zenon cursed.
Meanwhile Queen Victoria’s anger did not cool.

“I can’t believe it! And you have four children!!”

“That’s why! I said it’s not—”

“Zeno~n!”

Then, with a cute voice, a small shadow came running.
Lady Ulrika. The worst possible timing.

“My, and you are?”

“A face I haven’t seen before. I am Ulrika! Zenon’s friend!”

“Well, well, well, so you’re Ulrika-chan! How adorable!! I am Victoria, Zenon’s wife.”

“Victoria, is it. A pleasure!”

“So cute~ You’re like a doll!”

Queen Victoria scooped up little Lady Ulrika, utterly smitten.

“She really is adorable~ …Say, dear?”

In a reversal, she glared at King Zenon.

“No, that’s why I said it’s not…”

“To such a little child… unforgivable.”

After that, King Zenon’s explanations are said to have continued until sunset.