Chapter 39

“Mmm. Another lovely day~.”

That day, Lateia woke up early and was briskly cleaning outside.

Furthermore, there were two more side dishes for breakfast than usual.

“Oh! Lateia, these stuffed paprikas look truly delicious!”

“That’s because you brought home such wonderful ingredients, Garto~.”

Paprika was a vegetable that didn’t grow in human lands. Apparently, it was a relative of the chili pepper. Incidentally, chili peppers didn’t grow in human lands either. It seemed that human soil lacked nightshade-family vegetables.

Perhaps they had been introduced in the past, but since many chili peppers were spicy, they likely hadn’t spread. Paprikas also had flashy colors, which might feel strange to someone not used to eating them.

“Still, you seem particularly high-spirited today, Lateia.”

“Yes, I love this season. It’s nice and warm, but not so much that it’s too hot.”

“Indeed. It’s just before summer, I suppose. I find it very pleasant as well.”

The lack of seasonal changes in demon territory made this quite interesting.

“Besides, this season is a milestone for me too~.”

Lateia laughed even more brightly than usual.

“A milestone?”

“Well, you see, my birthday is next week~. The day you were born always makes you feel special, doesn’t it~?”

My expression went stiff.

“I-I see… Yes, quite right…”

I managed to play it cool. I couldn’t afford to act any stranger than that.

Later, when Lateia went to the restroom, I pulled Angelica aside.

“Hey, Angelica, when exactly is Lateia’s birthday?”

“Exactly one week from today.”

“To think I, of all people, had forgotten such an important day…”

This was Lateia’s first birthday since our remarriage.

To ignore it and let it pass without any celebration would be the absolute worst. It was something that simply could not be allowed to happen.

“Umu, there’s only one week left… No, I mustn’t think negatively. I have to think that I still have a whole week…”

I desperately began weighing my best options.

“What would be a good present? Generally speaking, what kind of things make Lateia happy?”

“Honestly, no matter what you give her, Mama will just say, ‘I’m so happy~.’ She’s not the type of woman who’ll go and secretly check the price at the store later, whether it’s a bag or a necklace, so you can relax.”

“That’s a relief, but it actually makes it harder to know what to get. If I gave her a cursed doll, Lateia would probably still be delighted.”

“Even you wouldn’t give her a cursed doll. You’ve got at least that much common sense, Demon King.”

True, I wouldn’t dream of gifting something like that.

“Umu… I don’t know the specifics of her hobbies… But if I ask her what kind of necklaces she likes now, it’ll be a dead giveaway. In that case, would inviting her out for a meal be better? But since it’s the first one, something tangible that lasts would be…”

“Demon King, why are you oozing so much ‘average Joe’ energy right now…?”

Angelica looked at me with pure exasperation.

Don’t be an idiot. When it comes to romance, there’s no difference between a Demon King, a trash mob, or an average Joe.

“Angelica, tell me everything you know about Lateia’s hobbies.”

“Mama’s hobbies are a mystery even to me… She’s the type who finds happiness in the smallest things. She doesn’t really collect anything or have a specific obsession…”

I see. She raised a Hero all by herself, after all.

Her life was likely modest and far removed from luxury; she probably didn’t have the leeway to challenge herself with time-consuming interests.

But if that’s the case, I have even less of a clue how to celebrate her birthday.

“Look, I’m pretty sure a guy isn’t going to come up with a brilliant idea by agonizing over it alone. Especially you, Demon King—I bet you’ve almost never given a girl a present before.”

“That’s not true. To Sasaya—my previous wife—I gave nothing but jade every single year.”

“Why?”

“Because she told me she was happy when I gave it to her the first time…”

“Just because she said that doesn’t mean she wanted it every year! She might have been thinking she didn’t need any more… I mean, put yourself in her shoes. If you just kept getting the same kind of gemstone over and over, wouldn’t you feel a bit conflicted?”

She was right.

It was far too late to fix it now, but I really had just kept gifting jade like a broken record. Ah, maybe I should have added some variety… thrown in some agate once in a while…

Sasaya, if there was a problem, don’t hold back—come back as a ghost and complain to me!

I’ll offer whatever you like at your grave!

But then again, she never was the type to complain… She was the kind of person who would say, “I love anything you give me…”

“Hey, the Demon King’s secretary is that woman with the glasses, right?”

“Ah, Torualina? Yes, what about her?”

For the record, there’s nothing scandalous going on there.

“Shouldn’t you ask your secretary? I think that’s way safer and more reliable than the Demon King worrying about it by himself.”

“That makes sense.”

Torualina is a woman too. She should have a grasp on what women like.

“Fine. I’ll consult Torualina. Angelica, if you find out anything else, tell me everything. Don’t hide a thing.”

“I think this is the first time I’ve seen the Demon King this serious… You’re definitely putting more spirit into this than when you fought us…”

Well, that’s because you lot weren’t actually that strong. I won’t say it out loud, though, because she’d probably get huffy.

Just then, Lateia returned from the restroom.

“Oh my, what are you talking about? Let me join in~.”

“No, that’s impossible. This is a ‘dangerous-to-mix’ conversation. It’s… well, a bloody discussion about combat…”

“Yeah. I was feeling a level of seriousness truly worthy of the Demon King.”

It seemed Angelica was going to cooperate with me. That spirit—you really are a Hero, aren’t you?

“Is that so? It makes me so happy to see you two getting along~.”

Lateia smiled and clapped her hands together in front of her face.

“After all, I’m close with both Angelica and Garto~. Maybe seeing you two become friends would be the best present of all for me~.”

Both Angelica and I definitely had troubled looks on our faces.

Even if she said that, those kinds of intangible things are the hardest to give as a present!