Chapter 76: A Dream of Demise, A Knight’s Defense

“I had a dream, Lilith! A—a truly beautiful dream.”

Today, a rare guest arrived at Lilith’s coffee shop. It was none other than our esteemed Demon Lord, Lamia.

Lamia had long known that Lilith maintained various “hideouts” within human society, and these were never fixed locations.

Previously, Lilith claimed to be a sales associate at a clothing store, the proprietress of a bathhouse, and a teacher at a learning institution.

Rumor even had it that she had served as a nun for a period. Her whereabouts were always uncertain, her next venture unknown.

However, her current base, and her current identity, was the owner of this coffee shop called “Overflowing Love.”

As for Kaze, who stood beside her, he had coincidentally become her waiter.

Lilith had kept him close with the reasoning, “You have nothing else to do in human society anyway. You can’t exactly join a circus and jump through flaming hoops, can you?”

Moreover, according to their cover story, they were a family—a brother and sister managing the coffee shop together. It seemed like a perfectly normal arrangement.

Kaze, conveniently, didn’t appear eager to return to the Demon Lord’s castle, so Lilith simply kept him.

Indeed, he seemed quite content to stay. He much preferred the bustling, yet decidedly “Demon Lord faction” succubus Lilith to enduring Orlan’s perpetually sour face back at the castle.

“A dream? And what kind of dream did you have, my dear sister?”

With the Demon Lord’s personal visit, Lilith naturally served her finest coffee.

Kaze, meanwhile, meticulously poured a newly learned latte art design for Lamia, his ears perked, absorbing every word of the conversation between Lamia and Lilith.

“I dreamed I died!”

“……?!”

Upon hearing this, Kaze’s hand trembled, causing the latte art to disperse into the coffee.

He couldn’t possibly serve an imperfect coffee to the Demon Lord.

So, pretending nothing was amiss, he quickly gulped down the entire cup himself. He then grabbed a fresh mug and began grinding new coffee for Lamia.

“Oh! I know this one!”

Lilith, however, seemed to understand Lamia perfectly. She instantly caught the scent of “something interesting,” her eyes gleaming with excitement.

Only Kaze, still perplexed, continued grinding coffee, his mind racing to comprehend what exactly was happening.

“A dream where I absolutely had to die in the White Knight’s arms.”

“Exactly!”

Lilith clapped her hands together, her face alight with excitement.

Beside her, Lamia nodded proudly, a silent acknowledgment that ‘Lilith truly understands me.’

Kaze could only conclude that Lilith had reached a point where ‘any strange thing she said was normal.’ As for the Demon Lord, Lamia… ‘she must have her own reasons.’

“I dreamed I died in the White Knight’s arms. I was covered in blood, my breath fading, and he just held me, weeping and pleading, ‘Please don’t die, Lamia. How could I live if you were gone?’”

“He cried so hard, snot and tears streaming down his face, clinging to me tightly, his words stumbling. He kept saying things like, ‘I’m sorry I was late,’ and ‘Please, just look at me one more time.’ Ah… what a beautiful dream!”

As Lamia recounted her dream, her tone was remarkably cheerful, as if her own demise were merely an amusing anecdote.

Beside her, Lilith wore that classic expression of pure delight, her face flushed with excitement, as though she had just savored a feast seen only once in a century.

“Then the White Knight in your dream must have been incredibly heartbroken, wouldn’t he?”

“Of course! He was trembling all over. The dignified White Knight, kneeling on the ground, holding me, begging me not to die. He practically abandoned his pride and dignity for me!”

“After I’m gone, he’s sure to be sad for a very, very long time.”

Kaze didn’t interject; he simply prepared another cup of coffee.

He recalled Lamia’s previous plan: to die many years after marrying the White Knight, solely to strike a blow against this so-called “rival.”

Therefore, a dream of dying… could indeed be considered the outcome Lamia desired. It truly was a “beautiful dream.”

‘But…’

“Thank you for the coffee, Kaze.”

The warm coffee sat on the counter. Lamia smiled at Kaze and took the cup.

“Oh, and decorations! My attendants never do this. What is it on top? Milk? It’s beautiful. You learned this too.”

Praised by the Demon Lord after so long, Kaze felt a surge of happiness.

He smiled faintly, pressing his lips together, and nodded.

“Yes, it’s frothed milk. You can drink it normally. If you enjoy it, please come often.”

“Good, thank you.”

The Demon Lord’s smile was truly a rare sight.

It wasn’t that the former Demon Lord was cold and emotionless, incapable of smiling.

It was simply… that she couldn’t.

The previous Demon Lord had been nothing more than a dark, imposing armor, without even a mouth.

How could she smile? At most, one might privately hear a hint of amusement in her voice.

Now, possessing a human-like body, her expressions were far richer.

Joy, anger, sorrow, happiness—every emotion could be clearly read on her face.

Though there was a slight worry, ‘Wouldn’t this reveal all her thoughts?’ still…

“Are you… relatively happy at the White Knight’s home?”

“Hmm? It’s quite alright. There’s always something to do every day—and most importantly, I have time to sleep.”

“I see. That sounds quite good then.”

Initially, Kaze’s opinion of Wade had been rather low.

After all, Wade was to become the Demon Lord’s husband. In human society, a husband’s status typically surpassed his wife’s, which Kaze found somewhat displeasing.

How could he possibly agree to the Demon Lord bowing her head to anyone? Orlan’s arrogant demeanor had nearly made Kaze pound the table back then, let alone a mere human.

However… seeing that the Demon Lord was living quite comfortably, he supposed he could grudgingly give Wade a passing grade.

But… what about after the Demon Lord’s time was up—after she died?

Would she leave her “passing grade” husband, return to the Demon Lord’s castle, and once again face the “utterly failing” Great General?

Was this… her ultimate goal, or rather, her wish?

“Your—”

“Speaking of which, didn’t the Great General visit your home last time?”

Lilith, perched beside Lamia, wore an expression of eager curiosity, her voice conveniently interrupting Kaze just as he was about to ask his question.

Lilith was, of course, well aware of Orlan’s actions within the Demon Lord’s castle.

As a capricious succubus who did as she pleased, Lilith never took a side in court.

Her attitude was entirely “do whatever I want,” her stance fluid, even to the point of declaring, “I am my own stance.”

However, deep down, she harbored a slight bias.

Yet, more than any bias, Lilith likely just craved a good show.

Anyone could discern Orlan’s meaning from his ill-tempered way of speaking.

Wade, rushing home that day, must have encountered Orlan directly.

Their interaction had piqued Lilith’s curiosity immensely.

Lamia was Wade’s whirlwind bride, and Orlan was clearly a troublesome in-law from the wife’s side.

How would Wade react? Would he simply feign ignorance, finding the situation too bothersome?

After all, Lamia had never been pressured by the Great General in the Demon Lord’s castle. Even if the Great General pursued her to Lamia’s home, she would surely be able to handle it without embarrassing Wade.

So, would he tacitly approve of all this, doing nothing?

“Ah, yes, Orlan did visit.”

At the thought of that day, Lamia’s expression seemed to waver slightly more than before.

However, something else seemed to come to mind, and a smile soon graced her lips.

“However—he was driven away by the White Knight!”

Lamia, though hidden in Wade’s arms, had still witnessed Orlan’s expression, his furrowed brow, back then.

In essence, Wade had thoroughly rebuked Orlan, displeasing him, and then “sent him on his way.”

Thus, it could be simply stated: “Wade drove Orlan away.”

“——!”

Hearing Lamia’s description, Kaze was even more astonished than Lilith.

Just moments ago, he had considered Wade barely a passing grade.

But now? The White Knight had actually protected the Demon Lord and driven away that scoundrel Orlan?

Full marks!

Absolutely full marks!!!!!