第十三章
“哇啊啊！莉斯贝丝, haven’t you hugged enough already? Get away from me!”
“Oof!”
Flushing crimson, Christy delivered a forceful punch to Lisbeth’s stomach, having been held in a relentless embrace.
In the very next moment, Lisbeth was predictably sent flying several meters, collapsing to the ground and clutching her abdomen, writhing in pain.
‘Ah… perhaps I overdid it…’
Regardless, the punch had been an impulsive strike, and Christy herself was unsure of the true force behind it.
Seeing Lisbeth’s state, she quickly jogged over, nudging her body gently as she asked, “Y-you alright? I think I used a lot of strength just now. Should I call Airenst immediately?”
“It’s fine… I’m alright…”
“Though… that was truly a perfect punch…”
No sooner had Lisbeth finished speaking than she abruptly opened her mouth, retching towards the floor.
Watching her, everyone present instinctively twitched their lips, gazing at her with a helpless expression.
Seeing that Lisbeth seemed genuinely unharmed, Christy patted her back and continued, “Hmph, I won’t apologize for that punch; it was clearly your fault. And you can vomit all you want right now, but you’ll have to clean up the floor yourself later.”
“Ah, in that case, I suppose I won’t vomit after all.”
The very next second, Lisbeth truly did close her mouth, rising from the ground as if completely unscathed.
Witnessing this, Christy’s lips twitched once more before she lightly tapped Lisbeth’s stomach, remarking, “Hmph, Olivia certainly made your body sturdy. To take a punch from me and still seem perfectly fine.”
“No, no, Demon Lord. That punch of yours truly stung. If I hadn’t instinctively blocked it, I would have been in serious trouble.”
Indeed, the moment Christy attacked, Lisbeth instinctively thrust out her hands, shielding her abdomen.
However, Christy’s current strike was more than Lisbeth could withstand, and despite her defensive efforts, she still suffered considerable damage.
Upon hearing Lisbeth’s words, those present instinctively shifted their gaze to her arm, where they indeed found it already half-swollen.
Angelina then took an unconscious step forward, addressing Lisbeth, “Lisbeth, would you like me to fetch some bandages for you? Your hand looks quite badly injured.”
“Ah, it’s nothing, nothing. It only looks severely swollen, but it will be fine very soon. However, before that, there’s something else I wish to say.”
After speaking, Lisbeth gently reached out a hand to stroke Christy’s small head, a soft smile gracing her features as she said, “Demon Lord, you truly don’t need to apologize to us.”
“After all, we behaved quite rudely, so accepting punishment is only proper.”
“To be honest, I was genuinely surprised that you would apologize to us here today. It only confirms that you are truly a remarkably gentle individual.”
“Y-y-you’re suddenly spouting nonsense…”
Under normal circumstances, Christy would have unhesitatingly severed the hand of anyone who dared to touch her head.
Yet, whether it was in the secret passage last time or now in this office, Christy found herself feeling no displeasure at Lisbeth gently stroking her head; instead, she rather enjoyed the soft touch.
Thus, Christy could only blush, lowering her small head as she quietly murmured, “You truly are a strange person…”
“Am I? Perhaps I am indeed~”
Just as the atmosphere threatened to shift towards a more affectionate hue, Staros stepped forward, disruptively addressing Lisbeth: “Lisbeth, I suggest you release your hand from the Demon Lord’s head immediately.”
“Honestly! The mood was perfect, why did you suddenly butt in?!”
“A perfect mood? Pray tell, what exactly does ‘a perfect mood’ entail?”
“H-huh?!”
The instant Lisbeth’s words faded, an icy voice suddenly emanated from behind her.
In the very next second, a gleaming, sharp cleaver was inexplicably pressed against Lisbeth’s neck, while the hand she had used to stroke Christy’s head was firmly seized.
Recognizing the familiar voice and seeing the cleaver at her throat, Lisbeth immediately stammered with a trembling voice, “O-old hag… Weren’t you still cooking? Why are you here?”
“Why? Is that even a question? Of course, it’s because I sensed someone with ill intentions behaving very disrespectfully towards the Demon Lord.”
“H-h-hold on, no! I wasn’t doing anything disrespectful! I was just… just…”
“Just touching the Demon Lord’s head with your filthy hands, was it? Lisbeth, are you perhaps tired of having your hands?”
“No! That’s not it at all!”
Though Hilda was typically amiable and kind, she always became terrifyingly protective whenever Christy was involved.
Thus, Lisbeth unhesitatingly released her hand from Christy’s small head, hastily pleading, “O-old… no… Hilda, I was wrong, I know I was wrong! So please, at least don’t chop off my hands!”
“Hmph, if you know you’re wrong, then don’t do it again. Otherwise, next time, I won’t be so polite.”
Seeing Lisbeth release her grip, Hilda lowered the cleaver from her neck.
Though Lisbeth was now safe, the memory of the terrifying encounter still made her tremble, and she quickly hid behind Angelina, only peeking her head out, clearly fearing Hilda might resort to violence again.
Witnessing this, Angelina shook her head helplessly, then addressed Lisbeth behind her, “Alright, alright, Head Maid Hilda isn’t angry anymore. You can stop hiding now.”
Upon hearing Angelina’s words, Lisbeth instinctively turned her gaze towards Hilda, who had put away her cleaver.
Hilda sighed, addressing both Lisbeth and Staros, “Alright, you two start causing trouble the moment I’m gone. Dinner is almost halfway done, so just come back to the kitchen with me.”
“Oh? Head Maid Hilda, you were cooking? May I come and eat too!”
It seemed Hilda’s cooking was renowned throughout the Demon Lord’s Castle. Upon hearing her words, Angelina immediately lit up with excitement, gazing at Hilda with a look of eager anticipation.
Hilda, in turn, nodded, “Of course. I just happened to make a little extra. So, come along.”
“Wonderful!”
Meanwhile, Christy bit her finger enviously, “Ugh… I wish I could eat Hilda’s cooking too, but tonight we’re scheduled to have dinner prepared by another chef, which is truly a shame…”
“Oh my, Demon Lord, there’s no need for that. It will be my turn to cook for you tomorrow, won’t it? So please bear with it for today.”
“It seems that’s all I can do…”
Finally, seeing Christy nod, Hilda took a deep breath, then waved to the other three present, “Then the three of you, come with me to the kitchen. We’ll dine in the small restaurant behind the kitchen shortly.”
****
Soon after returning to the kitchen, Hilda swiftly resumed preparing the ingredients on the table.
In less than an hour, roughly seven or eight exquisite delicacies were presented on the dining surface.
“Hmm, it seems I made a bit too much, but today I truly showed off my skills, preparing a full-course feast. So, please try not to leave any leftovers~”
“No problem, no problem! We won’t leave a single bite!”
Gazing at the comprehensive feast before them, from soups to meat dishes, then main courses and desserts, Lisbeth and her companions nodded, then unhesitatingly picked up their forks, beginning to devour the food.
“Delicious! It’s absolutely divine!”
“Yes, yes! Hilda’s cooking is truly the best, no matter when!”
“Ah! Coming to this Demon Lord’s Castle was the best decision ever…”
Thus, the three of them, Angelina included, ate while continuously exclaiming about the deliciousness.
Witnessing this, Hilda wore a gentle smile as she addressed the trio before her, “Alright, alright, all of you, eat a little slower. Be careful not to choke. No one is going to snatch your food.”
Yet, even with Hilda’s admonition, the three continued to stuff food into their mouths without pause.
Before long, Hilda’s culinary creations were swiftly devoured by the trio.
Gazing at the three, clutching their stomachs and continuously burping in their chairs, Hilda shook her head helplessly.
She softly remarked, “Honestly, the three of you, as personal maids, if anyone saw you in such an unsightly state, your reputations would be ruined.”
Despite her words, Hilda still brought over several cups of digestive tea, her face retaining a warm smile as she watched the happily burping trio.
She slowly added, “However, it’s true that food tastes much better when many people share it together.”