Chapter: Chapter 147
The sun was shining brightly, perfect for a leisurely stroll. However, in the lively demon king’s city, the young demon king was not inclined to go out.
She wanted to stay home, sleep until she naturally woke up, play games, then eat, sleep, and play games, in a cycle.
Even Princess Qila, who loved her older sister the most, felt that her sister was becoming a bit too decadent. If Leticia continued like this, Qila feared her sister would turn into a complete good-for-nothing.
“Sister, you should go out for a walk. If you keep squatting at home, you’ll grow mushrooms!” In the super luxurious bedroom, Qila tugged at Leticia’s blanket and shouted loudly.
Leticia clutched the blanket tightly, refusing to let go. She repeatedly shook her head, firmly rejecting Qila’s request.
What fun was there outside compared to home? She wanted to play games, play games!
It had been about half a year since they returned to the demon realm. These days had been remarkably peaceful.
Nothing of particular concern had happened, and the demon race was steadily recovering its strength. Leticia’s “letting go” hadn’t significantly impacted many things.
Everything continued as usual. The nobles and the Four Heavenly Kings under Leticia seemed to have grown accustomed to the Empress’s daily slackening.
“Let her slack off. As long as she’s still here,” was the thought of those in the demon race who knew some of the inside story.
It was certainly better than not seeing anyone at all in the previous few years. At least now, if a genuinely tricky situation arose, they could still seek counsel from the Empress, rather than scrambling around like headless chickens as they had before.
“No, what’s so fun outside? Looking at flowers? Or flying kites?” Leticia expressed her complete lack of interest. “I’m not going out.”
“Hoo, Sister, have you forgotten something?” Qila released the blanket and took a deep breath.
“Ah? There’s nothing scheduled for today, right?” Leticia scratched her head.
Qila clenched her fist. “Five days ago, you approved the report Elsa submitted without even looking at it, didn’t you?”
Elsa? Leticia pondered for a moment, searching her memory for anything related to this young lady.
It seemed she had indeed approved a report five days ago?
The report content apparently proposed holding a Spring Welcome Ball in the royal garden. Leticia, naturally, hadn’t given much thought to such a minor matter and had simply approved it with a large stroke of her pen.
Elsa was the heir of a major noble family whom Leticia had supported after her enthronement. Elsa was extremely grateful to her Empress.
Among all the nobles, Elsa was probably the most loyal to Leticia.
And Leticia’s attitude towards Elsa was also one of considerable trust, at least more so than towards those four great fools.
“A ball, what about it?” Leticia tilted her head, showing her confusion.
“How old are you this year, Sister?”
“Uh, in my early twenties.”
“What’s the average marriageable age in our demon race?”
“Twenty-four or twenty-five, I think.”
“Noble young ladies?”
“Even younger.”
“The royal family? At what age did our mother get married and give birth to you, Sister?”
“Ah, our mother wasn’t married.” Leticia pointed out a slight issue in her sister’s statement. Although their mother was devoted, for some reason, she had never officially married their father.
This left their father in an illegitimate position, without any formal status until his death.
Later, Leticia learned that before falling into her mother’s hands, her father had been a poet who cherished freedom, and he himself did not wish to be bound by marriage.
One could only say that everyone has their own aspirations.
Leticia had never even seen what her father looked like.
But why was Qila asking such questions?
“Qila, you’re not, by any chance, trying to rush me into marriage?”
Little Sister nodded.
Leticia reached out and touched her sister’s forehead. “You don’t have a fever.”
“Sister, you’re not young anymore. You are the Demon King, you should find a partner to continue the Demon King’s bloodline,” Qila slapped Leticia’s hand away and said to the young demon king, “The Demon King’s bloodline is only left with the two of us. We can’t let it end here!”
Leticia blinked her eyes. She felt it was still too early, very early.
She was barely into her twenties, not yet thirty. Powerful mages could extend their lifespan, and she could easily live for hundreds of years.
Marrying and having children so early might eventually lead to the awkward situation of having a太子 who was only eighty years old.
In fact, it might be even more embarrassing.
After all, Leticia’s lifespan was quite long.
“I don’t think it’s urgent. Even if I get married, we won’t have children anytime soon,” Leticia shared her thoughts with Qila. “So, Qila, you don’t need to worry so much.”
“Of course, I’m worried. Sister, tell me honestly, have you really fallen for Sister Bai?” Qila asked seriously.
Leticia’s eyes widened. Why did this involve Bai Ling?
What connection did this have to Bai Ling?
“No, why do you have such a strange idea?” Leticia asked reflexively. Had she shown any such emotion?
No, right?
And, she really didn’t have any feelings for Bai Ling.
Did they really think she was like Evangeline, that pure girl, who would soften after a little pressure?
It was a joke. Leticia was quite tough.
That day, Bai Ling had gone home with a bright red slap mark on her face.
“Then, Sister, tell me what happened before you came back, and what’s with the slap mark on Sister Bai’s face?” Qila asked, crossing her arms. She had already guessed that Sister Bai must have forced Sister, which is why Sister acted like this.
But on the day they returned to the demon realm, Sister had muttered to herself, “Won’t that guy come to see me off?”
How could this not make Qila suspicious?
After being forced, she had this attitude? Could it be that Sister was playing hard to get?
“Nothing happened,” Leticia denied, feeling a little guilty.
If she admitted to being cornered and kissed by Bai Ling, she would have no face to see anyone.
The dignified Empress of the Demon Realm, a being standing at the pinnacle of the world, had been kissed by force. Leticia felt too embarrassed to even speak about it.
“Really nothing?” Qila didn’t believe it. Something must have happened. Sister’s state had been obviously off for those few days.
She had almost mistakenly changed Xia Mengyao’s memory to Lin Qingyu’s name, and if Qila hadn’t reminded her in time, Xia Mengyao’s dream lover would likely have a different name now.
“Really, believe me. She and I have absolutely no relationship right now,” Leticia guaranteed, patting her non-existent chest.
“Alright, I’ll believe you this once, Sister. But you still have to attend the ball with me today!”
“Eh?!”
In the end, Leticia couldn’t win against Qila. After being nicely dressed up by her sister, she was dragged to the royal garden, a place rarely visited by royal family members.
The royal garden was very lively today. Miss Elsa’s full name was Elsa Priestley, one of the only five Grand Dukes in the demon race.
The ball, organized under her leadership, attracted almost all the nobles in the Demon King’s City.
With no wars ongoing, the nobles’ forms of entertainment were mostly attending banquets and balls.
Not every demon could obtain video games from the human world like Leticia. Most demons had rather monotonous forms of entertainment.
Playing chess, reading novels, hunting – similar to nobles in ancient human times.
The demons were no exception. Elves and beastmen had even more limited entertainment options. It was only humans with their advanced technology who had rich and colorful forms of entertainment.
“Ah, I didn’t expect Your Majesty to come too.” In a secluded corner of the garden, Leticia met Miss Elsa, the organizer of the ball.
Elsa was twenty-four years old and looked very young, with quite good looks. She had short hair, and her hair and eye color were the relatively rare gold and blue among demons.
Ah, yes, demon hair colors were actually quite varied. Except for the Demon King’s family, who had black hair, other demons had quite diverse hair colors.
Generally, a demon’s hair color could indicate the magical attribute they excelled at. For example, Elsa’s specialty was light-attribute magic.
After all, not all demons possessed an almost invincible affinity for all types of magic like the inheritors of the Demon King’s bloodline.
Ordinary demons could generally only use one attribute of magic, and geniuses could use multiple.
As for Leticia, she could effortlessly cast magic of all attributes.
This was the value of being the Demon King.
“I was dragged here by Qila, alas.” Leticia replied, helplessness pressing her forehead. “Just ignore me later. And don’t call me Your Majesty.”
Leticia’s attire today was not ostentatious. At a ball where everyone was in formal wear, she looked like an ugly duckling.
A dark grey long dress covered almost every part of her body. The long hem even brushed the ground, obscuring her shoes.
In fact, Leticia was currently floating, her feet off the ground.
She didn’t want to turn herself into a walking, dragging floor mop.
“Understood, Miss Susu.” Elsa chuckled. “By the way, Your Majesty, when do you plan to select consorts?”
“Why are you also asking about this like Qila?” Leticia couldn’t understand. Why were they all so eager for her to take consorts?
Elsa’s face flushed slightly. “Well, I mean, if Your Majesty ever decides to select consorts, could you consider me?”
“Pfft!!!” Leticia sprayed the tea she had just drunk back out.
Struggling to wipe the water from the corners of her mouth, Leticia looked at Elsa with shocked eyes. “How could I possibly make a move on you?”
She considered Elsa a good friend. It was only during the early period of getting to know Elsa that she occasionally had some thoughts, but later she completely dismissed the idea.
So when Elsa said that, Leticia couldn’t help herself.
I considered you a friend, and you actually want to be with me?
Wow, this was too strange.
“Eh, is that not possible?” Elsa sounded a bit disappointed.
“Of course not. Not to mention we don’t have that sort of emotional foundation between us. If you wanted to marry me, Elsa, you would have to give up your current position as Grand Duke.” Leticia nodded.
She couldn’t let Elsa be her wife and manage her family at the same time. Even setting aside whether Elsa could handle it, it just couldn’t be done this way.
The Demon King’s consorts could certainly be nobles, but never the patriarch of a noble family. This was an old rule, and Leticia didn’t see anything wrong with it.
“The remaining shrimp soldiers and crab generals in your family, I can’t be reassured.” Leticia patted Elsa’s shoulder and said earnestly, “Throughout the entire demon race, the person who reassures me the most is you, my loyal subject.”
“Your Majesty, please speak in a more normal manner.” Elsa quipped, then proposed an idea, “Then, technically, not having a formal title is also…”
“Stop, don’t talk about this anymore. I still want to frolic for a few more years and don’t want to get married so soon,” Leticia immediately interrupted Elsa.
Frankly speaking, Elsa wasn’t unattractive. In fact, if it were the old Leticia, she might have agreed to Elsa by now.
After all, a relationship that only involves the body but not life, there wasn’t anything unacceptable about that, right?
No responsibility, and it could deepen her relationship with Elsa. Leticia couldn’t see anything to refuse.
She was the Demon King, was there anything wrong with being a bit promiscuous?
Look at how many emperors and kings there were throughout history, how many had numerous wives and concubines?
Although Leticia was an Empress, she felt she could also have numerous wives and concubines.
It was just that she was still a little timid now, afraid that after getting married, she wouldn’t be able to continue frolicking. Otherwise, she would have already ordered the entire demon race to hold a selection of consorts.
Huh? You ask if Bai Ling would have any objections?
It’s a joke. Would Leticia care about her?
Even though this scoundrel had stolen her first kiss, Leticia could guarantee that she had no feelings for her at all.
She wasn’t Evangeline, and Bai Ling wasn’t Xia Mengyao. Their relationship was much more complicated than those two girls.
“Mmm~” Elsa lowered her head dejectedly. She knew this would be the outcome. “I need to go and oversee the ball. I’ll take my leave now.”
Watching the crestfallen Elsa leave, Leticia rubbed her chin and muttered to herself, “So Elsa is interested in me?”
Qila on the side rolled her eyes. “It’s probably only you, Sister, this wooden head, who can’t see Miss Elsa’s affections.”
Elsa’s liking for Leticia was an open secret to anyone with eyes.
Qila knew, Xue Er knew, three of the Four Heavenly Kings knew, and Elsa’s “friends” knew.
It seemed that among the high-ranking officials of the demon race, only Leticia and Aina were unaware.
It was normal for Aina not to know, as her cognitive abilities were widely acknowledged as poor.
But for Leticia not to know, it could only make people suspect if the young demon king was a complete block of wood when it came to matters of the heart.
…
Holding a light red drink, Leticia and Qila sat in a corner of the ball, admiring the handsome and beautiful men and women dancing in the large open space in the center like spectators.
To be precise, Leticia was admiring the beautiful women.
“Eh, this girl has grown so pretty. She has some of her mother’s looks. Not bad, not bad.”
“Wow, her chest development is too generous. Did she pile all her cultivated magic into that thing?”
“Wow, this dress is too revealing. Aren’t you embarrassed to wear it?”
While sipping the complimentary drinks and snacks, Leticia commented on the noble young ladies on the dance floor.
Her words couldn’t help but make some nobles passing by chuckle. After all, it wasn’t that there weren’t people with little experience, but there were few who exposed their lack of experience so brazenly.
If it weren’t for the constraint of noble etiquette, some gossips might have directly mocked Leticia.
“But this pudding is quite delicious.” Leticia ate another pudding and patted her belly with satisfaction. “The texture is really good.”
Qila had covered her face and sighed more times than she could count. Hearing her sister’s statement, she looked up and said with a look of despair, “Sister, mind your image a little.”
“I’m wearing this thing, so people don’t know who I am.” Leticia pointed to the black butterfly-shaped eye mask she was wearing, indicating that Qila’s worries were completely unnecessary. “If you have time to worry about this, Qila, you might as well eat something.”
Saying that, Leticia picked up a delicate small cake and offered it to her sister’s mouth.
Qila glared at Leticia helplessly, opened her mouth, and took a bite of the cake.
“Too sweet,” Qila said with a frown.
“Sweet?” Leticia ate the rest of the cake, thinking it was fine.
She completely didn’t care that Qila had already taken a bite of this cake.
There were subtle differences in their dietary preferences. Leticia favored sweets, while Qila wasn’t as fond of them.
“When will this ball end? I’m a bit tired and want to go back.”
“You can leave anytime if you want to, and as for when it will end, it’s still a long way off.” Qila knew more about these kinds of balls than Leticia. Generally, such balls continued until nightfall before dispersing.
And after dispersing, those nobles would have dinner parties and the like.
Basically, they would spend the entire day on this ball.
“That’s great, let’s go.” Leticia patted her clothes, brushing off any food crumbs that had fallen off while she was eating.
However, before she could stand up, a young girl in a long black robe quietly appeared in front of Leticia.
The girl was very beautiful. Leticia even felt that her looks were comparable to that of Bai Ling.
Fair and translucent skin, a slightly chubby baby face, and pure black eyes. The first time Leticia saw this girl, she immediately labeled her in her mind as a stunner.
“Are you looking for me?” Leticia asked, tilting her head.
The girl blinked in surprise. She glanced at Leticia and then shook her head like a startled small animal, “I’m waiting for my teacher.”
Oh, it seemed she was being overly familiar.
“I see. Little sister, what’s your name?” Leticia asked.
Such a beautiful young girl, and she didn’t know her? Had she come from elsewhere in these past few years?
“Mo Zili,” the girl replied softly.
Leticia raised an eyebrow. That kind of name seemed to be the kind Bai Ling would use.
Demon race names were generally Western-style, while those from the central city were Eastern-style.
So, the first thing Leticia did was to suspect the girl’s origin.
But the problem was, this girl was a genuine demon, which was a bit strange. Why would a demon have such a name?
“Zili, so you’re here.” Just as Leticia was about to ask more, a somewhat authoritative female voice was heard, causing Mo Zili’s body to tremble.
Leticia looked up and saw a middle-aged woman with a serious face had appeared behind Mo Zili. She had a stern expression, making it impossible to guess her mood.
“Teacher.” Mo Zili quickly went to the woman’s side.
Leticia narrowed her eyes. Is this the girl’s teacher?
Although she fit the characteristics of a teacher, she was a human.
A human being a teacher for demons?
Was this a joke?
Watching the strange teacher and student leave, Leticia looked at her sister. Qila’s expression was the same as Leticia’s: it was filled with doubt and confusion.
“Qila, you saw it too, right?”
“Sister means, that human?”
“Yes, although we don’t refuse humans from entering, it’s still a bit too strange for a human to be a teacher for demons.” Leticia nodded. Moreover, the woman’s presence at this event was itself something worth considering.
This ball should perhaps be called a noble’s social gathering. A human appearing in such a place was inherently intriguing.
“I don’t know. Shall we ask Elsa?” Qila also understood, but since she appeared at the ball, she must be someone Elsa knew.
Otherwise, Elsa wouldn’t have invited her.
But when Leticia and the others found Elsa, they were disappointed to discover that things were not as simple as they had imagined.
“In fact, I only invited nobles I knew, and they would have other invitations from me to invite people they knew.” Elsa replied to Leticia’s question, stating that she had not invited that strange teacher and student. “Therefore, not many people here are familiar to me, and I don’t have any impression of that pair of teacher and student.”
“However, if Your Majesty really wants to know, I can go and check their invitations. This is relatively simple.”
This was not an unworkable plan. Leticia agreed to Elsa’s proposal. “But there’s no rush. Take your time.”
“I will give Your Majesty an answer before tomorrow,” Elsa immediately stated that she wouldn’t take too long. “I will find out everything.”
“You don’t need to be so serious. They might not be bad people, right?” Leticia quickly said. She was afraid that Elsa would be too serious and make this small matter known to everyone.
That would not be good.
“Keep the commotion small. It’s best not to let others know about this.”
