Chapter 5
“Lisbeth, you’re finally back! I’ve been waiting for you for ages.”
Unable to find any trace of the person, Lisbeth reluctantly returned to the shop where she had sent Angelina to place an order. Seeing Angelina, who appeared slightly anxious, Lisbeth shook her head with a smile.
“My apologies for making you worry,” she said. “I ran all over the place, but I still couldn’t find your shopping list. I’m truly sorry.”
“Oh? No, no, Lisbeth, you’re being too kind,” Angelina quickly interjected. “It was my fault for losing the shopping list to begin with; it had nothing to do with you. I’ll explain everything to the Head Maid when we get back.”
It seemed that despite Angelina’s every action unconsciously tinged with violence, her character was quite decent. At the very least, she took responsibility for her own mistakes rather than blaming others.
However, Lisbeth knew the shopping list’s disappearance was undoubtedly due to the demoness who had disguised herself as a demon.
Regardless, dwelling on it now seemed pointless. With that thought, Lisbeth nodded. “Let’s not worry about that for now. Angelina, did you manage to buy everything?”
“Yes, mostly,” Angelina replied. “My memory isn’t too bad, thankfully, so I got most of the items. But there are a few things I simply can’t recall, so I plan to confirm them with the Head Maid once we return to the Demon Lord’s Castle.”
“Alright, I understand. But Angelina, if you don’t mind, could you give me the delivery times for the items you ordered?”
“Hmm? Why do you ask?”
Hearing Lisbeth’s sudden request, Angelina tilted her head in confusion. Seeing her reaction, Lisbeth merely smiled.
“It’s nothing, just pure curiosity. After all, if the old woman asks me about the delivery times later and I can’t answer, I’ll be in trouble.”
“Oh? But that won’t be necessary, will it? I’ll certainly explain everything to Hilda, the Head Maid. I’ll tell her you were looking for my shopping list and that’s why you weren’t with me.”
Lisbeth frowned, watching Angelina stubbornly refuse to disclose the delivery times. At the same moment, Clotilde’s voice echoed in Lisbeth’s mind.
“Alex,” Clotilde said, “why are you so insistent on getting the delivery times? If you truly want to stop that person, why not just have Angelina cancel her order and buy everything from a new shop?”
‘Because doing that would be utterly pointless,’ Lisbeth thought. ‘Even if I stop them now, who knows what other methods they might use to infiltrate the Demon Lord’s Castle next time.’
‘It’s just a hunch, but I’m certain that person acted with a premeditated plan to strike during some significant event at the Demon Lord’s Castle,’ she continued.
‘And that important event, if I’m not mistaken, must be the victory banquet they intend to hold after capturing me. So, instead of letting them continue their clandestine activities unnoticed, it’s better to launch a preemptive strike and eliminate them. I believe this is the most ideal approach right now.’
“Hmm, there’s certainly some truth to that,” Clotilde conceded.
Lisbeth’s words elicited a sound of agreement from Clotilde. She was right; even if they stopped that person now, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t find another way into the Demon Lord’s Castle later.
Crucially, Lisbeth had accidentally stumbled upon their trail, and she would never intentionally let such a vital clue slip away.
‘In any case, let’s leave this matter here for now,’ Lisbeth concluded her thoughts. ‘The immediate priority is to ascertain the individual delivery times for those goods. Otherwise, I won’t have any idea when they might infiltrate.’
After speaking to Clotilde, Lisbeth raised her head again, turning her gaze back to Angelina.
“Angelina, just give me the delivery times, no more questions. I’m simply curious, that’s all.”
“Huh? Lisbeth, are you…”
When a firm approach yielded no results, Lisbeth resorted to tugging on Angelina’s sleeve, looking up at her with a pitiable expression.
“Angelina, please, just tell me, okay? I really, really want to know the times…”
“Alright, alright, I’ll tell you! Just please stop looking at me like that…”
Seeing Angelina almost faint before her, Lisbeth’s lips curved upward slightly. Indeed, acting cute was always the most effective tactic, a feat Lisbeth could never have accomplished during her time as a male.
After nodding, Angelina meticulously recounted all the purchased items and their respective order times to Lisbeth. Although a few items remained unbought, Lisbeth only needed to be more vigilant during their next shopping trip.
Finally, with their purchasing temporarily concluded, the two returned to the Demon Lord’s Castle.
****
“Lisbeth, you’re back! Did you buy everything? Why are both of you empty-handed?”
As soon as Lisbeth and Angelina returned to the Demon Lord’s Castle, Hilda immediately sought them out to confirm their purchases. However, upon seeing their empty hands, Hilda frowned, then instinctively tugged on Lisbeth’s fox ear.
“Tell me,” she demanded, “did this idiot cause some trouble again, leading to nothing being bought?”
“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! That hurts! Old woman, what are you doing all of a sudden?!”
Lisbeth cried out in pain as her ear was suddenly pulled. Seeing this, Angelina quickly stepped forward to explain to Hilda.
“Hilda, Head Maid, please wait a moment. This matter is actually my fault, so please don’t blame Lisbeth.”
“Hmm? What happened?”
Upon hearing Angelina’s words, Hilda released Lisbeth’s ear and took a deep breath. “As long as this idiot didn’t cause any trouble, it’s fine. Now, tell me exactly what happened.”
“Yes, I understand.”
After that, Angelina explained the incident in the simplest terms. However, once she finished, Hilda glanced at Lisbeth.
“Lisbeth, did you really go specifically to look for the shopping list just now?”
“Yes, I did. A missing shopping list simply wouldn’t do. Unfortunately, I searched everywhere but couldn’t find it.”
Seeing Lisbeth looking slightly dejected, Hilda sighed again and instinctively patted her head. “Alright, alright, I get it. It was wrong of me to suddenly scold you just now. I hope you can forgive me.”
“Oh, it’s fine. I do tend to cause more trouble anyway.”
It was true; even if Hilda could be strict on a daily basis, she was also someone who would apologize without hesitation once she realized she had made a mistake. Upon hearing her apology, Lisbeth’s cheeks flushed instinctively, and she waved her hand, intending to let the matter drop.
However, Hilda, hearing her reply, frowned once more and vigorously ruffled Lisbeth’s hair. “Then don’t cause trouble for me next time, alright? Honestly, do you know how exhausting it is to clean up your messes every single time?”
‘I didn’t actually do anything, did I…?’
Of course, Lisbeth dared not voice that thought aloud. Instead, she simply nodded obediently, refraining from saying anything further. Finally, having understood the situation, Hilda waved her hand.
“In any case, both of you rest today. I’ll send you out to buy things again tomorrow. Angelina, please give me the items you’ve already ordered and their delivery times. I need to make a record.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Well, if that’s all, I’ll be going then. There’s nothing else for me to do, right?”
Watching the two begin their tasks, Lisbeth turned to leave Hilda’s office without a backward glance after speaking. However, before she could depart, Hilda quickly called out to her.
“Lisbeth, wait a moment. Olivia asked you and Staros to see her today. Apparently, she wants you both to undergo a regular physical examination. Staros has already gone ahead, so you should hurry over too.”
“Huh? A physical examination? I don’t feel like there’s anything wrong with this body.”
After hearing Hilda’s words, Lisbeth instinctively spun around, feeling that her body had no major issues. However, Hilda spoke to her earnestly.
“In any case, just go. This isn’t your original body, after all, so there’s no harm in getting it checked, is there?”
“Hmm, that’s true. So, should I go now, or after work?”
“Go now. Don’t forget, today is your day off, so what ‘work’ are you talking about?”
“Ah…”
As Hilda’s words fell, Lisbeth suddenly remembered that today truly was her day off. Nodding, she replied, “Alright, I’ll go now then. If you write out the shopping list, give it to me. I’ll go buy everything again tomorrow. After all, this was originally my task, so let me finish it.”
“Very well, then we’ll rely on you tomorrow.”
After nodding to Hilda, Lisbeth left her office. Yet, as she recalled the person disguised as a demon, her brow couldn’t help but furrow.