Chapter 36: A Morning in the Mansion

After a yawn, Lamia groggily opened her eyes.

She patted the object she was hugging, murmuring a sticky ‘Husband’.

However, not sensing the familiar, delicious magic she expected, Lamia’s eyes, initially squinted, now snapped open. She gazed at the stark white object before her, realizing it wasn’t Wade in his white pajamas, but rather the blanket they had been using.

The weather wasn’t particularly cold, so their bedding was merely draped over the bed. Even if they hadn’t covered themselves and used it as a bolster instead, they wouldn’t have woken up shivering.

…

“Haaah…”

After such a rare, restful sleep, Lamia took a deep breath on the bed. Seizing the opportunity of solitude, she stretched her body in various peculiar poses, letting out a series of contented sighs.

It wasn’t just Wade who longed for a peaceful night’s rest; Lamia felt the same, especially due to that detestable White Knight. ‘Hmph, next time, I’ll make sure you can’t sleep either!’

Finally, Lamia rose, patted her pillow, and raked a hand through her disheveled long hair.

“What a hassle…”

Like a kitten tangled in a ball of yarn, she meticulously untangled strands wrapped around her neck, those that had slipped into her clothes, and even the ones stuck to the corner of her mouth from drooling.

…

She rubbed her palm against the bedsheet, and a ball of purple hair soon formed in her hand.

To appear more like a normal human, she hadn’t endowed this body with an indestructible physique. She could be injured, bruise, bleed, and even, like this, break strands of her hair by turning over while sleeping restlessly at night.

‘Losing hair always feels like such a nuisance…’

Muttering to herself, Lamia reached into her collar and pulled out another long, purple strand.

Though she was a Demon Lord, she wasn’t so helpless that she couldn’t care for herself. She rose from the bed, changed her clothes, folded the bedding, and before leaving the room, smoothed out the wrinkles on the sheet.

****

“Good morning, Madam.”

Stepping out of the room, Lamia heard the maid’s voice. She tidied her hair and nodded politely to the servant.

“We have prepared breakfast and hot milk for you. Please, come with us to the dining room.”

The maid, considering it was only Lamia’s second day and she might easily get lost in the mansion, kindly guided her to the dining room.

Though Lamia wasn’t particularly fond of human food, she wouldn’t refuse such kindness. She nodded, following behind the maid.

Wade’s mansion boasted three floors, or four if the basement was included.

Lamia had never visited the basement, though she had inquired about it once. She was told it was merely a storage room, filled with various items.

The first floor housed the hall, the second served as the office area, and the third contained the bedrooms.

Wade disliked working from home, or perhaps it was more accurate to say he rarely had time to be there. Consequently, his office held nothing particularly special—no sensitive intelligence or top secrets, merely everyday items.

Lamia was merely curious about his daily activities, not a spy gathering intelligence. Thus, she had only glanced into Wade’s office, refraining from rummaging through its contents.

Human offices, whether at a workplace or within their own homes, always appeared significantly smaller than a Demon Lord’s.

The entire office was a single room, smaller than a bedroom. Bookcases and filing cabinets lined one side, while the desk sat by the window in the center. Slightly off to the side, in the middle of the room, stood a coffee table and sofa for guests.

On the desk lay only a few notebooks and pens, and several overturned teacups rested on the coffee table.

Wade truly seemed to visit infrequently; his chair looked brand new, a stark contrast to the worn, faded one in the Knight Order’s headquarters.

Upon her arrival, Lamia had tentatively surveyed the house, sensing the magical defense barriers Wade had established. If she were to make any significant moves here, Wade would instantly know. However, she hadn’t come to blow up the building, nor did she plan any grand actions.

As Lamia descended from the third floor to the second, she once again passed Wade’s office. She glanced at the closed door, noting that even the doorknob was new, still untouched and unpolished by frequent use.

“Our master didn’t really come home much in the past. Sometimes, by the time he finished work, it was already late evening, and he would leave again early the next morning. So, while this is his home, it’s really just a place for him to rest temporarily.”

Seeing that it was only the third day of their marriage and the madam hadn’t even seen her husband upon waking, which seemed a bit improper, the maid offered an explanation. She informed Lamia that not only now, but even in the past, Wade rarely stayed home, either heading to the Knight Order or being away on fieldwork for work-related reasons.

Lamia wasn’t adept at styling herself. She simply tied her hair back with a hair tie, but finding the weight at the back a little heavy, she casually draped it over her shoulder. This gave her an air of languid charm, even a mature beauty that seemed beyond her youthful, pretty face.

“…Hmm… I see.”

Listening to the maid’s explanation, Lamia pursed her lips.

‘Working all day, coming home late at night—he didn’t just come home late and leave early; the guy barely spent any nights at home. He practically went to the Demon Lord’s castle to stir up trouble whenever he had nothing else to do!’

‘If you don’t want to come back, then don’t!’

‘Work yourself to death!’

As the Demon Lord who was constantly harassed by the White Knight and had no time to rest, Lamia’s heart was filled with grievances. Yet, in front of the maid, she had to feign the role of a loving wife, poking her cheek with a troubled expression.

“Indeed, Madam. Now that you’ve joined our household, we must ask you to take good care of our master. He truly needs proper rest.”

…

Lamia listened to the maid, deep in thought.

“I didn’t bother him last night.”

“Ah, ah—that’s not what I meant!”

Hearing Lamia utter such a remark with a straight face, the maid’s cheeks instantly flushed with embarrassment, leaving Lamia somewhat bewildered.

“I meant… you could perhaps encourage Master Wade not to work so hard and overtime. After all, you’re waiting for him at home, aren’t you?” The blush hadn’t faded from the maid’s face as she offered Lamia a shy smile. “Like, waiting for your husband to come home together in the evening, or bringing him a warm bento if he’s not able to return for a while… things like that~”

This maid, seemingly a victim of romantic tales, appeared to have never experienced love herself, yet her notions were remarkably idealistic.

“Mhm…”

Lamia gave another earnest ‘mhm’ and followed the maid into the dining room, settling before the prepared breakfast.

“I’ll visit Wade again.”

‘After all, I didn’t get to wander around the Knight Order to my heart’s content last time—Good! I’ll pay another visit!’