The Demon King’s Precious Little Angel - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Celoia Has an Allergy  You are the cutest little thing in the world

“Celine?” Celoia called out blankly. He ignored the slight stinging in his finger and quickly pulled his hand back, trotting over to Celine’s side. He looked at her with concern and asked, “What’s wrong? Did something happen? Why are you covering your face?”

Celine kept her hands pressed against her face and simply waved at Celoia to indicate she was fine.

Deroville, having pieced together the situation, glanced sideways at the now-retracted mechanical bird and sneered. “Celine, I told you a long time ago not to leave your creations lying around—especially things from your chuunibyou phase. Otherwise, there will come a day when you regret it.”

Celine took a deep breath, and her hands slid down from her face. Her cheeks, nose, and ears were all flushed red. She said indignantly, “I don’t regret it! Why would I regret it? I was just a bit embarrassed seeing it so suddenly. Everyone has a chuunibyou phase. Look at this little bird—how gentlemanly, how polite, how sweet-talking. You can’t even compare to it.”

As she spoke, she squatted down to eye level with Celoia, seeking validation. She asked expectantly, “Celoia, tell me, isn’t this little bird adorable?”

Celoia’s gaze darted between the two of them. He seemed to understand something and grinned, nodding enthusiastically as he offered praise without hesitation. “That bird is super cute! It does a pretty dance and even complimented me, calling me a little cutie.”

Two patches of pink bloomed on his cheeks as well; he was clearly quite embarrassed by the compliment.

Deroville couldn’t be bothered to argue with Celine. He checked the time, looked thoughtful, and then leaned down to scoop Celoia into his arms. He rubbed the boy’s stomach, feeling the curve of his belly.

“It’s already past four o’clock. Are you hungry?”

Celoia belatedly felt a slight sense of emptiness. He brought his small hand over, pressing it against the back of Deroville’s hand, and felt his own abdomen for a moment. Only then did he nod firmly several times, answering solemnly.

“I’ve checked, Dero. I’m a little bit hungry, just a tiny bit. We can also wait a while before eating.”

Deroville’s lips curled slightly. Carrying him toward the study exit, he teased nonchalantly, “Even a ‘tiny bit’ of hunger can’t be ignored, otherwise I think I’ll hear your stomach singing again.”

Shamefaced, Celoia raised his hand and covered Deroville’s lips. He stared at him, his cheeks puffed out in a huff. He said unhappily, “Dero shouldn’t say that. It’s a very embarrassing thing.”

“Oh?” Deroville’s fingers moved slightly, sending a signal to the chefs to serve the meal, while he responded to Celoia, “Why is it embarrassing? Who told you that?”

Celoia bit his lip, humming and hawing. “No one told me it was embarrassing, but everyone’s reaction says so.”

As he spoke, he began to feel a bit aggrieved. He pressed his face against Deroville’s shoulder and muttered softly, “Once, because of a large festival, I didn’t eat all day. I was very, very hungry, but no one told me where the food was. When I asked others, they ignored me. I just had to endure it until I couldn’t hold it back anymore. My stomach was so hungry it let out a loud rumble. Everyone stared at me with… you know the look. Even though they didn’t say anything, it felt really bad.”

“I think it’s an embarrassing thing.”

“Because everyone else was fine, and you were the only one making a scene.”

Deroville raised an eyebrow, set Celoia down, and sat him upright in a chair so they were eye-to-eye.

He asked, “Do you think your stomach rumbling is wrong because of your own judgment, or because other people’s gazes and attitudes influenced you?”

Celoia nervously straightened his back, his fingers picking at the edge of the chair. He answered hesitantly, “Probably… it was other people’s opinions.”

He explained earnestly, “Because I think if you don’t eat all day, it’s normal for your stomach to be hungry. So it’s not a strange thing for it to rumble. But everyone looked at me like I was a piece of trash or a failure…”

“Then it’s simple,” Deroville said, taking Celoia’s hand to stop him from picking at the chair. He said calmly, “Be yourself. Your behavior itself was not a problem. It’s just that they didn’t dare to show it, or they were better at enduring it than you. It’s human nature to be hungry. As long as you feel you are right, that’s enough.”

He advised: “Direct your frustration outward at others; do not internalize it against yourself.”

Celoia let out an appreciative “Ooh!” It sounded very logical, but something still felt a bit off. Before he could figure it out, a small side door opened. A group of short figures carrying trays entered quickly, placed the food on the table with practiced speed, and then left elegantly under Celoia’s inquisitive gaze.

“Are they Dwarves?” Celoia asked curiously.

Deroville elegantly removed a cloche, looked at the food inside, and then beckoned Celoia over while confirming his guess.

Celoia obediently lowered his head and shuffled over to him, leaving the snowy-white nape of his neck exposed to Deroville’s view.

Deroville’s hand slowed for a moment as he pulled out a bib. The strap slid against Celoia’s shoulder, making him shrug instinctively from the itchiness.

“Don’t move.”

Deroville scolded him in a low voice. His fingers circled Celoia’s neck, slowly tying a perfect bow before satisfiedly withdrawing his hands.

Celoia wiggled his neck and touched his nape curiously, but before he could investigate further, a set of cutlery was thrust into his hands.

He let out a small “Ah!” and looked up at Deroville.

Deroville raised an eyebrow, effortlessly slicing the food on his own plate, and joked, “Why are you looking at me? Do you want me to feed you?”

Blushing, Celoia lowered his head and tried to mimic his movements with the knife and fork. Despite looking incredibly clumsy, he remained stubborn and didn’t ask the mischievous Demon King for help.

A whole slice of meat was painstakingly hacked into uneven chunks.

Celoia stared at the chunks, facing a new dilemma. He awkwardly adjusted his grip on the fork, carefully stabbing it straight down and trying to lift it.

The meat lay there silently, unmoved, leaving behind only a row of neat little holes.

Celoia frowned, seriously studying the holes as if solving a monumental problem. He occasionally shot a quick glance at Deroville’s plate, clearly trying to steal his technique while thinking he was being subtle.

Deroville enjoyed Celoia’s flustered cuteness for a while. Only after seeing beads of sweat appear on the child’s nose did he leisurely reach out, pick up a spoon from the side, and hand it to Celoia.

“Hmm? If you can’t stab it, use a spoon. You should be able to manage now.”

Celoia stared blankly at the spoon and pouted, feeling a bit unhappy. He let out a pampered huff at Deroville. “Dero is teasing me.”

Deroville shook his head dismissively. “How is this teasing? You didn’t ask for help. If you had said something, I would have given you a spoon. I just thought you could do it.”

He prompted again, “So, what should you do next time?”

Celoia scooped up a piece of meat and answered quickly, “Tell Dero, and don’t try to be too brave.” After saying that, he popped the meat into his mouth.

The tender meat burst with juice. Celoia’s eyes lit up instantly. He chewed carefully, his cheeks bulging until they looked perfectly round.

Watching him, Deroville suddenly felt that this food he had eaten countless times had become incredibly delicious. He couldn’t help but take one bite after another. Before long, his plate was clean, and he felt a long-forgotten sense of fullness.

He silently used a napkin to wipe his lips, then looked at Celoia, who was still busy eating with sparkling eyes. He felt as though he could strangely eat a little more.

Celine appeared from nowhere. Seeing the clean plate on the table, she looked surprised and asked lazily, “My, you actually ate so much? One would think you’d been starving these past few days.”

Deroville’s fingers twitched. His expression held a trace of doubt as he stared at Celoia without blinking. He seemed to be wondering what kind of charm this child possessed that could make him break his long-standing eating habits.

Celoia opened his mouth wide and swallowed a large chunk of meat with a loud “Awoo!” His eyes were full of satisfaction. When he ate things he liked, his feet would subconsciously swing back and forth under the chair.

Noticing both of them staring at him, he touched his cheek in confusion, wondering if there was something dirty on his face. When their gazes didn’t move, he narrowed his eyes and tried to follow their line of sight, which led straight to his own plate. He thought for a moment and came to a realization.

Celine and Dero must have finished theirs and are still hungry, but they’re too shy to tell me.

He generously let go of his utensils, pushed his plate forward, and shared enthusiastically, “Eat!”

Celine burst out laughing. She tapped Celoia’s nose and coaxed, “Our little Celoia is so good—not only eating by yourself but also sharing. But we’re both full and don’t need to eat anymore. Thank you, though. Are you full now?”

Celoia stared at them wide-eyed. Only after a long while was he sure they were telling the truth. Then, he pulled the plate back and continued eating diligently.

“I think I can still eat a little bit more.”

Ultimately, the meal ended with Celoia’s belly as round as a ball.

Celine clapped her hands, picked Celoia up from the chair, and felt his tummy. She said exaggeratedly, “Our little Celoia can eat so much! Your belly is round like a little piggy’s.”

Celoia self-consciously covered his stomach and solemnly denied Celine’s words. “It’s not that I can eat too much, it’s that this food is super delicious. I have to show my respect to the food. Wasting even a little bit is an insult to the meal.”

Deroville waved his hand, and the tableware on the table vanished. He methodically wiped his fingers with a handkerchief and naturally took Celoia from Celine’s arms, teasing him.

“But it’s undeniable that you’re a little rice bucket.”

“Though no matter how much you eat, it’s not like I can’t afford to raise you.”

He looked at the sky and asked Celine, “Is his room ready?”

Celine rolled her eyes at him. “Of course it’s ready. I ordered people to tidy it up as soon as we got back. It’s not the first time I’ve done this; I have experience.”

“Heh,” Deroville said, not stopping his pace. He mocked, “Don’t forget who you used for practice back then and how many things went wrong.”

Celoia didn’t understand what they were talking about. He craned his neck to look around, his eyes darting as he observed every place that might be his room. After a while, he asked boldly, “Dero, why can’t I stay with you?”

Deroville thought for a moment and gave an answer Celoia couldn’t argue with.

“Because you are a child. For a child to grow tall, they need plenty of sleep. I have to work very late every day, so it’s not suitable for us to sleep together. Shouldn’t you be happy to have your own room?”

He tempted Celoia, “You can decorate it however you want, and none of us will disturb you.”

Celoia shook his head and buried his face in Deroville’s chest, acting spoiled. “But I want to be with Dero more.”

Deroville’s heart felt that strange itch again. He thought that perhaps having someone around wouldn’t be so bad. Before he could even figure out his own thoughts, his mouth made the decision for him.

“Then I will stay with you one night every week.”

Celoia let out a joyful cheer.

In that instant, Deroville lost all desire to regret the promise.

He hurriedly carried Celoia toward the prepared little room, not saying another word along the way. He realized this child truly had a special magic that always made him make irrational decisions.

Because of this escapist mindset, he missed the first opportunity to notice that something was wrong with Celoia.

Celine stopped Deroville just as he was about to step into the room. She frowned and warned, “Something is wrong with Celoia. He looks very uncomfortable.”

Deroville looked down in surprise.

Celoia was curled up, his face pale and drenched in cold sweat. When he met Deroville’s gaze, his eyes were brimming with tears as he complained piteously:

“Dero, my body hurts so much… and it itches.”