This rather tedious work had continued for an unknown length of time, seemingly ever since the war began.
However…
Today, this dull and tiresome work would finally come to a brief pause.
The stack of documents before her could be said to be the last batch requiring close review. After this, the trickle of incoming papers would no longer be enough to pile up.
At sunset.
Outside the room, the branches echoed with the incessant chirping of cicadas.
The scorching midsummer sun slowly tilted its rays inside.
She had thought it would take only half a day to get through this heavy stack of paperwork, but when she finally placed the last document into the approved pile, the long day had come to an end.
She pushed the chair back.
“Sigh—”
In the room, dyed crimson and desolate by the twilight, Darlian’s heavy sigh reverberated.
Shifting her body to gaze out the window, hoping to relieve the eye strain from the long hours spent on documents, the door was gently knocked and then softly opened.
“Darlian-sama.”
A woman?
Slightly narrowing her eyes at Ailus who stepped in, Darlian remained silent, offering no reply.
“Thank you for your hard work. This is some iced black tea prepared for you.”
“Hm.”
At the words, she nodded in acknowledgment, then lifted the teacup by its handle with her right hand and took a small sip.
The chilling sensation spreading from the dark tea cooled her mouth, easing the fatigue she had accumulated.
“These are freshly made cookies. Darlian-sama, please try some and see if they suit your taste.”
Cookies?
Her lowered gaze landed on the plate set before her on the desk, but in her mind, the image of those delicate, porcelain doll-like fingers suddenly surfaced.
She picked up a cookie and brought it to her lips, lightly biting it.
“Not bad.” After chewing thoughtfully, she gave a noncommittal answer, then changed the subject, asking, “Any news from the Saintess?”
“No issues reported from Miss Danila so far.”
“I see.”
Upon hearing the answer, Darlian nodded and rose from her chair.
“Darlian-sama, will you be dining soon?”
“Later.” Darlian opened the window and then, using her magic, flew out through the open frame. “I’ll be out for a while. Wait for me to return.”
“Yes.”
With that brief instruction, Darlian soared toward the deepening twilight sky.
Now that she thought about it, it had been a while since she last saw Finihiya.
Since that night, she had been locked away in her room buried under heavy paperwork, leaving all matters concerning Finihiya to Ailus’s arrangements.
It was time to check how the Saintess was faring.
If anything as terrible as what happened to Luna were to occur again, she truly would be furious enough to lock everyone involved away in the dungeons forever.
Though the Saintess was currently held captive as a hostage under her watch, she had no intention of letting rumors spread about mistreatment due to any servant’s unauthorized disobedience.
With the rusty glow of the setting sun at her back, Darlian flew straight toward the outskirts of the city.
Before long, the Holzbis Sea, dyed a pale purple by dusk, came into view.
Near the shore of the Holzbis Sea stood a beautiful manor.
Its grounds were spacious, once owned by a powerful demon marquis in the old era.
But due to losing the war—and siding mistakenly with the old Demon Lord Rolaikes Luerxis—that marquis’s estate was now confiscated by her.
It had become the royal property of the new Demon Race empire, in other words, the personal manor of Darlian Sasha Lissti herself.
In just a short while, she arrived at the cream-white mansion.
At the center of the estate’s courtyard was a large fountain, continuously spraying water high into the air from a sculpture of a devilish child.
At the manor’s entrance stood a Statue of Centaur, and just as she was about to descend there, her peripheral vision caught sight of a “doll” sitting quietly a little further away on a small hill.
Finihiya sat still, so motionless it was almost impossible to tell if she was alive or dead. Only the dying rays of the sunset illuminated her impossibly pure and sacred pale face.
Gazing at the porcelain-doll-like Finihiya, Darlian’s cherry lips curled into a faint smile.
She quietly landed on the grassy hill and, stepping lightly, approached Finihiya from behind.
Glancing at the books fanned out on the grass, Darlian spoke in as gentle a tone as she could manage.
“Miss Saintess is reading books again.”
The “porcelain doll” with her head bowed, deeply engrossed in the books, seemed momentarily dazed and stunned. After a short while, she slowly raised her head in realization and turned toward her.
Then, moving her slender feet clad in silk over-the-knee stockings little by little, she turned fully to face Darlian.
Her small frame bowed politely.
“Darlian-sama.”
“Hm! Good afternoon…” Her words faltered slightly before she corrected herself with a faint smile, “I mean, good evening, Miss Saintess.”
“Good evening.”
“Why are you reading again? Don’t you have anything else you want to do?”
“I like reading.”
Just as she prepared to casually chat with Finihiya, a sudden shout came from behind them.
“Lady Finihiya!”
At the call, Finihiya turned toward the voice and saw a Catfolk maid approaching.
The Catfolk maid immediately appeared flustered upon seeing her.
“De-De Demon Lord-sama.”
“No need to be nervous.” Darlian gently soothed the maid’s anxiety before asking directly, “Is there something you need?”
“The noodles Lady Finihiya requested have just been bought. I just wanted to ask how Lady Finihiya would like to proceed.”
Noodles?
At the words, Darlian tilted her head toward Finihiya.
Finihiya said, “Just leave them on the kitchen counter. I will prepare them myself later.”
“Understood.”
After the Catfolk maid left, Darlian looked at Finihiya with slight curiosity, then asked directly,
“You’re going to make them yourself? Miss Saintess, why? If there’s something you want to eat, why not just have the maids prepare it for you?”
Finihiya shook her head and answered in a calm tone, “This dish isn’t very common.”
“Not common?” Hearing that, Darlian asked with an amused expression and voice, “Then may I try some?”
“Hm?” Tilting her head slightly, Finihiya showed a faint look of puzzlement.
That blend of confusion was so endearing that Darlian couldn’t help but find it utterly adorable.
“If Darlian-sama doesn’t mind……”
Hearing the Saintess’s soft, slightly sticky voice, a deeper smile spread across Darlian’s lips, and she courteously complimented her.
“Not at all. To be able to personally taste a dish made by the Saintess is an honor few could ever have.”