The residents of Abyss City quickly noticed something.
The Demon King's state of mind was off.
To be precise, it was off compared to how she had been recently.
Ellie was the first to notice.
That morning, she pushed open the door to Rafina's office with a tea tray in hand as usual, only to freeze on the spot.
Rafina sat behind her desk reviewing documents. Her posture was proper, her expression peaceful, and everything looked completely normal.
Except for her tail, which was swaying leisurely back and forth, gently brushing against the edge of the chair before slowly swinging back. Its slow, light rhythm was exactly like the tip of a cat's tail as it basked in the sun on a windowsill.
There was a problem.
A definite problem.
Ellie set the tea tray down, turned on her heel, and ran to find Sera.
Sera was organizing last month's financial reports. Upon hearing Ellie's description, she fell silent for a few seconds before setting down her quill.
“Sister, something is indeed wrong.”
The difference between her state over the past few days and her state now was simply too vast.
They knew why Rafina had been working overtime like a madwoman lately, and they knew something must have happened during her meeting with Lonia.
But what exactly had happened? Why was the effect so miraculous?
Had Lonia knelt down and begged for her forgiveness?
Tia was intercepted by the two in the corridor. Upon hearing the situation, she puffed on her pipe and thought for a moment before waving her hand, telling them to go ask themselves.
“Her tail is wagging like a cat's? Did one of you feed her cat treats...?”
Louis happened to pass by and casually chimed in.
Before he could finish, Tia dragged him away.
“Little brother Louis, while I'm glad you're in the mood to joke, you should keep comments like that to yourself for now.”
Louis nodded, his expression still bearing that hopeless look of someone who had worked far too much overtime.
Before Fema could find out, Sera hard-controlled her with honey bread to prevent her from blurting out some outrageous theory that would only worsen Rafina's condition.
Thus, the task fell back onto Ellie.
The following afternoon, taking advantage of the break after Rafina finished her afternoon tea, Ellie knocked on her office door.
“Hmm? Ellie, come on in.”
Rafina stood by the window, holding a cup of tea. Outside, the Demon Realm's Evernight Barrier blocked the sunlight as always, but her profile seemed to carry a touch more warmth than usual.
Her tail was still wagging at a leisurely pace, looking incredibly cozy.
It perfectly matched the vibe she was radiating.
“Ahem, Your Majesty~”
Ellie coughed twice before speaking formally.
“You seem to be in much higher spirits than in previous days. If I may be so bold, could I ask why~?”
Rafina turned her head and blinked.
“Oh? Am I?”
“Yes, yes. Your Majesty, a few days ago, your tail looked like it was dead... Wait, that's not what I meant...”
“Pfft.”
Rafina chuckled softly, then wiped away a tear of amusement from the corner of her eye.
“It's fine, Ellie. I know what you mean. Go on. And you don't need to call me 'Your Majesty' either. Just call me by my name, like you used to.”
“Ahem, in any case, Rafina, your tail is wagging now. Your tone and posture are also visibly livelier than before... So I'm really curious, what happened during your meeting with Lonia~?”
Rafina's hand holding the teacup froze in midair. The corners of her mouth twitched upward slightly, but she quickly suppressed it.
“Well, I realized that Nia doesn't hate me as much as I thought.”
Ellie blinked.
“So, Rafina, could you be a bit more specific?”
Rafina placed her teacup back on the desk and looked down at the rippling surface of the liquid, her voice softening.
Yet when she spoke, the smile she was desperately trying to hide still leaked through the gaps between her words.
“Hmm? Nia... she... caught me when my curse flared up.”
“...Huh?”
“She caught me... when my curse flared up...”
She repeated her words, as if chewing on them a few more times would let her taste more sweetness.
Then she looked up, her crimson eyes filled with joy and smugness that she couldn't hide.
“She looked so worried, too! She even blurted out that nickname without thinking!”
Her tail suddenly wagged several beats faster.
The corner of Ellie's mouth twitched slightly.
Rafina sat down in her chair and crossed her legs, her tail wagging faster and faster behind the backrest.
“When she yelled at me before, I thought she would never forgive me. But at that moment, she used the nickname from our childhood. That's what she used to call me. You remember, right? Fina. That's what she called me right then.
“The first time she called me Fina, we were only six years old. It was our very first meeting, and even though she was wearing braces back then, she was already calling me 'Fina, Fina.'
“Even after she grew up, she never changed it. She always called me Fina, and I always called her Nia... Hehehe... Hehehe...”
As she spoke, she buried half her face in her knees, leaving only her eyes, curved like crescent moons, visible.
“So she still has a place for me in her heart... Hehehe...”
Ellie: “...”
How should she even respond to this...? No... there didn't seem to be anything to say... Wasn't this actually a good thing...?
No, wait.
“Rafina, what about the plan?”
Ellie subconsciously lowered her voice.
Rafina looked up, her smile unchanged.
“Oh, that.”
Rate on N.U.
