Chapter 40

As soon as I arrived at the castle, I immediately sought out my secretary, Torualina.

“Say, what’s something you’d be happy to receive as a gift?”

“If my ‘fave’ gave me anything at all, it would be the best thing ever.”

She gave me a ridiculous answer with a perfectly serious face. No, I suppose she wasn’t joking…

“Ah, right, you’re an idol fan… You’d be happy receiving anything from the idol you support. Yes, I see…”

“Even trash would be fine. Sometimes I go to the front row just for that.”

“Thanks for the completely useless opinion.”

“I don’t need a thank-you that carries zero gratitude. Anyway, why are you asking me this? If you’re giving me something, my Lord Demon King, I’d prefer a special performance bonus.”

It’s easy to understand when someone states their demands this bluntly, but I would hate a wife like that.

“The thing is, next week is my new wife’s birthday. But I have absolutely no idea what would make her happy…”

“It’s the thought that counts with those things.”

Torualina said this while filing documents. She sounded like she couldn’t care less.

“If someone said that to you from the other side, you’d be annoyed too… Obviously, having the ‘thought’ behind it is the baseline requirement. The question is what to actually give her.”

Torualina was proving to be even more useless than I had imagined.

“Let’s see~. In that case…”

Is she actually trying to think about it? I should keep my expectations low; the shock is worse when you expect something and get let down.

“It’s the first birthday since your remarriage, right? It would be nice if it turned into an event that made her heart flutter.”

“That’s too abstract; I don’t really get it.”

“For example, like when my fave strikes a pose specifically looking at me.”

I wish she’d stop using idol analogies; they aren’t very versatile.

“No, look, they say that after a married couple has been together for years, they start to feel more like ‘partners’—it shifts into something that isn’t exactly romantic passion anymore, right?”

“Ah, that might be true. Maintaining a lovey-dovey atmosphere forever is more of an exception, and can be a bit painful to watch.”

“But you’ve only been remarried for a short time. Therefore, how about moving in a direction that expresses your romantic feelings? I think a woman would be happy with that.”

“Oh, that’s actually some solid advice!”

It was worth listening to her despite my low expectations. I felt like I’d gotten a good deal.

“You totally thought I wasn’t going to say anything useful, didn’t you? Whatever, it’s fine.”

“So, how exactly do I ‘express romantic feelings’?”

“Think about that yourself! It’s weird to leave even that part to someone else! You should know your wife’s feelings better than I do!”

Somehow, I got a massive scolding!

But she was right—even if I gave her a present, if I just did exactly what a woman at my workplace told me to do, it wouldn’t be surprising if people questioned whether my heart was really in it.

I have to use my own head…

When it comes to expressing romantic feelings, the simplest method is just saying “I love you.”

But unless I create an incredibly romantic situation…

“Lateia, I love you.”

“I love you too~.”

—And that would be the end of it…

Yeah, I can picture it vividly… There’s a high risk of it just being treated as a mundane moment of daily life.

It seemed like if I didn’t give this some serious thought, I was bound to fail. Even if I did mess up, Lateia probably wouldn’t mind, but I’d never live it down. Seriously, I’d be haunted by it.

After all, it’s the first birthday since we got married. I don’t get a second chance at this. I want to ensure a solid result.

“Agonizing over it is all well and good, but please get back to work.”

“Right. Sorry.”

I got down to business.

I have to work diligently during office hours.

Then, during my break, I put some real thought into my birthday strategy.

Not a single good idea came to mind.

I’m just not the type of playboy who can whip up ideas like this on a whim… In fact, I’ve spent my life being called a stiff by my subordinates, so a clever plan wasn’t exactly going to manifest instantly…

Besides, a Demon King isn’t exactly in the position of a tactician or a strategist… If anything, I’m the one who stands tall and waits for the Hero to arrive… A Demon King who excels at confusing humans with all sorts of tricks wouldn’t be very highly regarded.

The humans would complain, and even the demons would likely criticize me, saying a Demon King who’s too light on his feet is a problem and that it undermines my dignity.

I came to a conclusion.

Alright, I’ll ask more people.

At this rate, things will likely settle into a mediocre compromise, ending with nothing more than a “participation trophy.”

Lateia would be happy, but I’d be left feeling restless…

I’m not a child. I can’t settle for being praised with a participation trophy!

And so, once work was over, I paid a visit to Mage Selene.

The number of humans I know who also know Lateia is quite limited.

I immediately explained the situation.

“I understand the situation. This is quite a critical juncture, isn’t it?”

Selene nodded slowly.

“Umu. My secretary, Torualina, told me I should do something to express my romantic feelings, but could you perhaps give me some kind of hint…?”

“Demon King, how exactly do you behave when you’re at home?”

“Well, obviously I love Lateia—but I also take care not to neglect Angelica.”

Since Lateia’s “tolerance zone” is so vast, Angelica’s comfort level tends to become the standard, but she’s at a sensitive age, which makes things even more delicate.

“I can at least imagine the shock of finding out your mother’s new husband is the Demon King. I intend to put in the effort to be a good father.”

“In other words, your daily life is spent living as a father,” Selene said with a smile. It felt like I was consulting a professional counselor.

“Yes, because to Angelica, I am a father.”

“But to Lateia, you aren’t a father, are you? You are her husband.”

With those words, I realized something.

Ah, I see. That was it.

“Thank you. I think I’m starting to see a direction.”

“Not at all. This is as good as helping the Hero Angelica, after all.”

Angelica, you have some good comrades. Make sure you stay on good terms with them.