And if Yilisi really wanted to take care of Ai Lini herself, she actually didn’t need to consult Fei’ouna at all. After all, in terms of family status, the Demon King was quite authoritative.
However, right now, Yilisi had lowered her stance considerably. It wasn’t quite groveling, but she was absolutely pleading for Fei’ouna’s opinion.
She really was uneasy…
After all, the Demon King had no experience with raising children.
But if she refused…
Fei’ouna couldn’t bring herself to say it.
It wasn’t that she didn’t dare, but logically and emotionally, the other party had the right to take care of her daughter.
So after thinking for a few seconds, Fei’ouna ultimately chose to compromise.
“Alright, Master. Then this time, I’ll entrust Ai Lini to your care.”
And after saying that, she cautiously added a supplementary remark.
“If there’s anything you need me to do during this time, Fei’ouna will await your summons at any time.”
Yilisi of course understood the hidden meaning behind her words.
It was simply that she didn’t trust her.
But what Fei’ouna didn’t know was that in her spare time, Yilisi had read several classic books on child-rearing.
How to play games with her daughter, how to coax her to sleep, how to feed her—she had already memorized it all. She only lacked practical proof of her abilities.
So, faced with her wife’s doubts, Yilisi did not hesitate at all and retorted with absolute certainty.
“Don’t worry about Ai Lini. When you get to the Old Demon City, just focus on the task I gave you.”
Even though Fei’ouna still harbored some doubts about the Demon King raising a child, to be fair, the other party was indeed quite reliable in other aspects.
In Fei’ouna’s perception, Yilisi was a Demon King who was intelligent, wise, thoughtful, and decisive in critical moments.
Since she was so confident, even if problems arose later, they surely wouldn’t be big ones.
Therefore, as her wife, it was only right to offer support.
So when she spoke again, Fei’ouna did not continue to argue on this topic with Yilisi. Instead, she resumed her usual obedience and knelt at the other’s feet again.
As she lowered herself, she also declared her resolve.
“Master, Fei’ouna understands.”
“I will complete the task.”
Raising a child was certainly important, but the 『City Defense Bait』 task assigned by the Lord Demon King could not afford any mistakes either.
Calming down to think, if Ai Lini were by her side, Fei’ouna, who hadn’t left home for many years, would indeed be a bit distracted and unable to focus on this task.
Indeed, Master had thought it through thoroughly.
As for Fei’ouna’s current behavior, Yilisi was quite satisfied. She raised her hand and gave her a gentle pat on the head as a reward.
“Good girl～”
“Once this crisis is over, your Master will grant you a wish with no restrictions～”
A wish…
Having already become the Demon King’s consort, Fei’ouna lacked almost nothing in terms of food, drink, fun, clothing, shelter, and travel. Moreover, she had no great material desires or ambitions.
If she really had to name a wish, it would be that the whole family stay safe and sound, and that Yilisi could find time to spend more with her and the children.
But some things, the more ordinary they are, the more they become unattainable hopes.
She had mentioned these thoughts to Yilisi more than once. Although the other party agreed readily, in reality, it was almost impossible to achieve.
Unless Yilisi was a tyrant, then she would have plenty of time and energy to spend with family.
But she was not only not a tyrant, she was also an extremely dedicated and serious Demon King. It was common for Fei’ouna to be left alone at home.
However, Fei’ouna had already understood the other’s sacrifices and hardships.
Because as the Demon King, she was responsible not only for her own family, but also for the followers of her race, as well as allies of other royal courts.
(Of course, creatures like goblins were an exception. After all, according to the rules set by Yilisi, dirty goblins weren’t even allowed to enter the demon race’s cities; they could only survive in the wilderness.)
And as the queen, she should stand together with Yilisi through thick and thin, fighting side by side. That was her true mission.
Since she had come to this realization, Fei’ouna should not bring up such unrealistic wishes at a time like this.
Moreover, rather than hoping for peace and comfort, it was better to strive for a future day when they could reverse the situation of the demon race being weak and bullied.
So Fei’ouna made a wish that earned a perfect score from Yilisi for its high emotional intelligence.
“Master, my wish is that one day, we can drive away those annoying humans.”
“Make them never dare to covet the demon race!”
～～～～～Divider～～～～～
Since the matter was settled, the next step was for the family to set off for the Old Demon City.
Of course, before leaving, it was definitely Fei’ouna who would inform the eldest daughter of their decision.
Because if Yilisi went instead, it would likely lead to another big argument.
And indeed, when Ka Xiya learned of the two pieces of bad news—that her mother had agreed to become the governor of the Old Demon City, and that her little sister would be taken away by the Demon King—she almost immediately lost her composure.
“Mother!”
“You must not have agreed willingly, right?”
“That person only cares about stabilizing her own position and political interests. She doesn’t care about your safety at all!”
“And Ai Lini…”
“Can Yilisi really take care of a child?”
Faced with her eldest daughter’s rapid-fire doubts, Fei’ouna rarely put her hands on her hips and put on a stern face.
“How many times have I told you? You should address her as Lord Demon King.”
“Why are you still not learning, Ka Xiya?”
“And look at what you, as the older sister, have done to your younger sister!”
“You actually have the nerve to say others can’t take care of a child.”
To be honest, when Fei’ouna first returned to the kitchen and saw Ka Xiya, she actually felt a surge of anger and her scalp tingled.
Because she saw this disobedient daughter actually using a funnel to feed Ai Lini a pile of unidentified paste-like substance.
Although it wasn’t a big problem—after all, young demon dragons are thick-skinned and wouldn’t be stuffed by this amount of food—
Even the little one had no objections to her sister; she didn’t cry or fuss, and was very quiet.
But since Fei’ouna saw it, a scolding was unavoidable.
Although she felt a bit wronged, Ka Xiya did not talk back to Fei’ouna. Instead, she slowly offered an explanation.
“Well…”
“Mother…”
“I resorted to this because she was being picky.”
“And look, isn’t Ai Lini eating quite happily?”
Being picky was of course normal, because the little one wasn’t fully weaned yet, so she would naturally lack interest in other foods.
Unexpectedly, the problem that had troubled Fei’ouna was solved by Ka Xiya with the most brainless and crude method.
Should she be angry, or should she feel relieved…