The hotel’s morning kitchen was bustling.
In preparation for the buffet, the chefs had risen early and come to work, and the assistants had arrived even earlier to get the meals ready.
With the rise in wealthy entrepreneurs and fierce competition between hotels, there was no inn in the Unified Kingdom’s capital that wasn’t chaotic during breakfast preparations.
But this place was different.
The hotel in which Governor Pastel stayed was eerily calm, with only the sound of whipping cream filling the air. If she ate improperly, she’d end up spitting blood, so there was no room for disorder or noise.
The chef, clad in an apron, frantically whipped the cream. So skilled was he that his movements blurred to the point the hand was almost invisible, and yet not a single speck of cream splashed out of the bowl.
Seated in a chair, Pastel swung her legs as she observed the chef’s back. With sleepy pink eyes, she stared at him.
“My worries are as big as a mountain. You’ve finished all your work, but instead of leaving the casino, you go and bet money on the Sky Mackerel races. It seems the more time passes, the worse your habits become.”
“I’m not doing anything bad. Besides, I managed to break even at seven times the odds, so I thought it was fine. Nathaniel lost everything, but Governor Pastel’s decision was impeccable.”
“Ah, impeccable decisions indeed.”
The chef shook his head and lifted the frothing tool. The whipped cream, firm from the air it had absorbed, formed a pointy shape.
“But Chef. How did you come to fall in love with my mother?”
Pastel asked casually while maintaining a nonchalant attitude, though underneath the table, her legs were swinging furiously.
“Hah.”
The chef set the finished whipped cream aside and glanced back at her with pink eyes.
“Must you bring up that topic? Your mother betrayed the agreement and locked me up again. There’s no room for affection anymore.”
“Do you have a preference for pink hair?”
Pastel absentmindedly smoothed her pink hair with her fingers, letting it slip through her fingers.
“What makes you so curious?”
“It’s just that…”
“Just?”
The chef crossed his arms, his brows knitting together as he gazed up at the ceiling in thought.
“If I must say, my preference would be golden hair.”
“Huh?!”
Pastel’s pink eyes widened.
“Why?!”
She slammed her hands on the table and stood up abruptly.
“You’re saying you preferred Melissa’s type?!”
A noble young lady with beautiful golden hair!
She has everything I lack!
She’s a perfect rival!
The chef let out an incredulous laugh.
“What are you talking about? There’s an age gap, you know.”
“But Chef, there’s a huge age gap between you and my mom too! A ridiculously large one! Mama wasn’t even born, let alone having a soul fragment, when you became an adult.”
And wasn’t it true that you were sealed in the magic sword even before my mom was born?!
That must be a bigger problem than a mere age gap!
The 400-year-old chef winced, brushed his fringe aside, retrieved the cream bowl, and inspected it.
“Hum. Maybe I should add some magic stones.”
“Does it bother you?! Does it?!”
The chef silently acknowledged his preference for younger types!
And pink hair too!
The chef hesitated and added:
“The Crown Prince and your father once cited these reasons as a way to monitor me.”
“Ah!”
The Emperor and Father’s dark history appears.
The elders are so fearful of direct confrontation that they resort to age-based criticism.
Hearing this, Pastel sat down quietly again.
But the chef didn’t seem willing to continue the topic and began to turn the pepper grinder filled with magic stones.
“As the old testament says, God supposedly had sunlit golden hair.”
Black powder sprinkled onto the white cream.
“Now that I’ve become a devil, I don’t see any reason to stick to such standards.”
The chef lowered his red eyes to the whipped cream.
“Though, you’re right; I might like pink hair too. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been cheated by those crafty guys the way I was.”
“Hm.”
Her legs quickly swung back and forth.
Pastel’s expression turned serious.
“So, does that mean I’m in a dangerous position then? Fully fitting your preferences and being a person you can exploit due to my guardian status.”
“Ah!”
She tightly wrapped her arms around herself.
“I’m the perfect type for the devil!”
“Tch.”
The chef snorted.
“What kind of reaction is that?!”
“What response do you want? Also, when will the evidence to shake up the mafia arrive? You went to the casino for nothing if it’s delayed.”
“That penguin will give it in his own time. But what kind of response were you expecting?”
If he didn’t answer soon, she’d start pouting!
The chef shrugged.
“Why are you asking such questions? Did that Nathaniel fellow say something strange? That guy has nothing I like—starting with his stick-thin arms.”
“Eh?”
“Nathaniel gave me life advice before he left. It was supposed to be really important… but now I’m still unsure, totally flustered. Ah, right! Why did I start this conversation, not being as popular as everyone else?”
Upon realizing this late, she stood up immediately, pointing at the chef with her finger.
“Just watch me!”
The girl quickly fled the kitchen.
Left alone unexpectedly, the chef was left perplexed.
“For what am I supposed to wait?”
He tried thinking about the reason but gave up and continued whipping the cream.
“Looks like she’s entering adolescence. I’ll have quite the tough time ahead.”
Pastel arrived at her private room.
She wandered aimlessly around the room, crossing and uncrossing her arms as she continued to pace.
Is it love?
If not for Nathaniel’s example, I would have already been shouting “It’s love!” and celebrating, but now I’m unsure.
“During such moments, a third party’s cold-eyed perspective is necessary!”
Who should I consult?
Ellie, who could analyze things reliably, is the princess concerned with national interests, so I temporarily sent her away. And Melissa, who is usually smart, learned about love from fairy tales, which makes me feel uncomfortable.
Ah! Fairy tales!
If I need love advice, then surely the Lord Fairy is the expert!
I have a dependable Lord Fairy!
She placed her hands near her mouth.
“Lord Fairy!”
Although normally it would be “Lord Fairy, grant my wish!”, this time was different.
It’s “Lord Fairy, give me love advice!”
She checked the room thoroughly. She looked under the pillows, under the bed, and behind the plants.
“Am I found?”
A sound came from the bookshelf, which was purely decorative. A thick book slid over, revealing the small figure of the Lord Fairy.
Ah!
That place is where I hid some cookies to eat secretly at night, unbeknownst to the chef!
The tiny fairy was munching on a cookie significantly larger than their body.
Aaaargh!
My cookies…!
Pastel felt like she was living with a pet mouse, but she restrained herself from calling the fairy that, as it might be extremely disrespectful.
I’m so kind hearted…
“This gemstone tasted really good, so I tried it!”
The fairy bit into a chunk with embedded magic stones. As the fragments crumbled, black energy was absorbed into the fairy’s body.
“After listening to a few wishes, I was feeling drained and tired, but eating this recharged me!”
“Eeh? Really?”
The fairy has a similar diet as me.
“Yes! From now on, you should offer this gemstone regularly! Then I can grant you the simplest of wishes!”
Wow.
Offering magical stones that are as valuable as gold to make a wish!
Eh?
Pastel hesitated, unsure if the deal was cost-effective.
Even using that much gold would normally grant wishes, right?
But the kind-hearted Pastel wouldn’t calculate the cost of friendship with the Lord Fairy, making her pondering about it meaningless.
“By the way, I have something troubling me! It’s not a wish but rather a light piece of love advice!”
“Love advice? That’s within this fairy’s specialized field! Speak up!”
The fairy puffed themselves up importantly.
Having received her first-ever love consultation, Pastel felt butterflies in her stomach.
“There’s someone I like… well, I think I might like, but I’m unsure. Being with them feels reassuring. Talking to them is fun. Watching them makes me want to tease them for no reason… Ah, I think it must be love!”
What to do?!
The fairy, covered in cookie dust, covered their mouth in surprise.
“Do you want to make them yours?”
Is that the case?
“Jealousy is essential in love, right?!”
I can’t share him with mom!
“Yes! That’s excellent!”
The fairy clapped their hands, their face showing unmistakable pleasure.
“As I said earlier, fairies are beings created from the power of the Great Fairy’s soul! The fully split power has its own specific field! Your wishes so far were mostly outside my specialized field, making me feel pressured, but this one fits perfectly with my expertise!”
“Wow! Really?”
Yes!
I’m the genius Pastel when it comes to consultations!
“Yes! Love is my specialty!”
“Wow!”
A completely reliable fairy!
“Your wish will be granted! Have faith this time! Even though answering might get me questioned by the cult, as the landlord, I’ll make an exception!”
“Eh? But I came for advice…”
The fairy raised their hands in reverence.
“God, let this girl’s love be fulfilled!”
Black energy swirled around the fairy. The lights in the room flickered, and black sparks appeared in the air.
Uh-oh.
Uh-oh oh.
I feel like I’ve done something wrong…
Pastel didn’t fully understand, but the atmosphere seemed sinister, so she nervously trembled.
The black sparks began to gather and coalesce strangely. Once they reached the critical point, they erupted in a flash of light, leaving behind a puff of smoke. From within, a piece of paper fluttered down.
It was a talisman.
“Talisman of Love~!”
It had a heart-shaped design.
Wow, the talisman of love.
“Phew!”
Pastel wiped away her cold sweat.
It’s nothing major after all!
The fairy proudly explained:
“Stick this on your target, and they’ll fall for you!”
Eh?
This feels like pure mind control.
Aaaargh!
Now that’s what went wrong…!
