I Was Supposed to Be Feeding the Pigeons, But Somehow I Ended Up Feeding a Beautiful Demon Lord Instead - 18

Chapter 18

Peace doesn’t live in perfect silence.

It exists in just the right amount of lively noise, a pleasant breeze, and something sweet and delicious.

When those things come together in perfect harmony, that’s when people call it true tranquility, I think.

I was spending a blissful moment on a park bench.

Next to me, as always, sat Bel, her hood pulled deeply over her face.

She seemed to be in a slightly better mood today.

She held the ‘special éclair’ I’d brought with both hands, treating it like a precious jewel, and nibbled at it little by little from the end.

“…Mm. Delicious.”

“Right? I added just a tiny bit of brandy to the custard inside.”

“…I see. That rich aroma hiding beneath the sweetness… and that faint sense of decadence. Truly ‘an adult pleasure,’ huh.”

Bel licked the chocolate that had stuck to her lips with the tip of her tongue, then narrowed her eyes in pure bliss.

Peaceful.

The pigeons cooed softly around our feet.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves.

I found myself wishing time could just freeze like this forever—

That small, quiet wish of mine was suddenly and completely shattered by the arrival of one carriage.

With a high-pitched whinny of horses, an extremely flashy carriage pulled up right at the park entrance.

Pure white horses. A body covered in scattered gold leaf.

For some reason, rose petals scattered dramatically from the wheels as a special effect.

“…What the heck is that?”

“…Tch. The air just got filthy.”

While I sat there stunned, Bel clicked her tongue in clear irritation.

The carriage door opened, and one man stepped down.

Golden hair, blue eyes.

A white shirt with frills, a bright red cloak.

In his hand, a single red rose.

He looked exactly like the stereotypical prince— I could almost hear sparkly “kirakira☆” sound effects ringing in my head as background music.

“Ahh… what beautiful air. I thought this country’s atmosphere was stagnant, but this place alone is different.”

The man ran his fingers through his hair in an exaggerated, theatrical gesture and looked around the park.

The moment his eyes found Bel sitting on the bench, they gleamed sharply like a hunter who’d spotted prey.

“…Found you. A lotus blooming in the mud… a diamond buried among rubble…!”

Without hesitation, he walked straight toward us.

Behind him trailed an older man who looked like a butler, along with several escort knights following in a line.

He stopped right in front of us, then gracefully knelt toward Bel.

“Pleased to meet you, beautiful lady. I am Narcis Rosalia, the First Prince of the neighboring Rosalia Kingdom. That a jewel like you should be buried in such a dirty little park… it is a loss to the world.”

Prince Narcis flashed a sweet smile at Bel.

I swear his teeth actually sparkled with a “ding.”

“Come now, take my hand. You have the right to bloom at my side. Allow me to invite you to a ball at the palace.”

…Right. I calmly analyzed the situation.

The flashy outfit, the theatrical way of speaking, the forceful invitation.

No doubt about it.

Lately I’d heard that “talent agencies” and “host clubs” were running rampant in the capital, aggressively scouting people.

They’d sweet-talk people with lines like “You’re shining” or “Why don’t you come to the castle?” to get them to sign contracts.

This guy was clearly one of the top-tier “pros” in that game. You could tell he’d spent serious money on the whole production.

Unfortunately for him, he picked the wrong target.

Bel is a serious public servant buried under an insane workload.

Getting hit with this kind of flashy pickup attempt during her precious time off would obviously send her stress through the roof at maximum speed.

Sure enough, Bel’s mood had turned dangerous.

She had frozen with the éclair still in her hand, looking down at Prince Narcis with icy eyes.

Deep in her pupils, an absolute-zero blizzard was raging.

“…………”

“Oh? Are you so captivated by my beauty that you can’t even speak? I can’t blame you. My beauty is a crime, after all.”

“…………”

Bel’s right hand twitched slightly.

A small crackle—black sparks flickered from her fingertips.

(…This is bad!)

My instincts screamed.

Bel was genuinely furious right now.

Instead of putting up a “no solicitors” sign, she was about to unleash actual physical magic.

Given her personality, she was the type to exterminate pests immediately and without mercy.

But if she turned an ordinary person into charcoal here, it would count as excessive self-defense and put her in a terrible position.

For a public servant, a scandal like that would be fatal.

I moved.

I set down my half-eaten éclair, stepped between Bel and the prince.

“…Excuse me, mister.”

I spoke in a deliberately calm, businesslike tone—but firm.

“If you’re doing sales, could you do it somewhere else? As you can see, she’s on break right now.”

“…Huh?”

Prince Narcis looked at me with a blank, dumbfounded expression.

It was the face someone makes when a random roadside pebble suddenly starts talking.

“…And who are you supposed to be? Are you trying to interrupt my romantic conversation with her?”

“Let’s skip the whole ‘love’ storyline, okay? This is a public place. Persistent soliciting is against city regulations.”

“S-soliciting…!? You’re calling me a solicitor!?”

“Yeah. I don’t know if you’re a model scout or a host, but she’s not interested in that flashy kind of world.”

I shielded Bel behind my back and glared back at the prince.

His face turned bright red and he started trembling.

“Insolent fool! I am a prince! The next king of the Rosalia Kingdom! And you… you dare treat me like some common scout!?”

“Yeah, yeah, so that’s the ‘character setting’ you’re selling, huh. People are really getting creative these days.”

I nodded in mild admiration while reaching into the basket for another éclair.

“Here, take this for now. Eat it and calm down. Sugar helps cool your head.”

I pressed the éclair against the prince’s chest.

Reflexively, he took it.

“…Wh-what is this black thing!? Are you trying to make me eat dirt!?”

“It’s an éclair. …It’s delicious.”

The prince raised the éclair to smash it on the ground, but then his nose twitched.

The rich, sweet, luxurious scent drifted up to him.

Top-grade cocoa and real vanilla bean.

He must be a gourmet—his hand froze mid-motion.

“…Hmm.”

“Just one bite. There’s no poison, I promise.”

After a brief inner struggle, his appetite won over his pride.

He cautiously nibbled the very edge.

“…!!”

His eyes suddenly flew wide open.

The crisp choux pastry. The thick, creamy custard spilling out. The bittersweet chocolate coating.

“…What… incredible flavor is this…”

“Right?”

“It’s divine… no, noble! Even the palace patissiers couldn’t achieve this balance…! This custard’s smoothness—it’s like silk!”

The prince began devouring the éclair in a trance.

The narcissist mask completely fell away, revealing just a young man who loved sweets.

The butler was frantically saying, “Your Highness, this is unbecoming!” but nothing could stop him now.

He finished it in less than a minute.

The prince licked the lingering cream off his fingers with visible regret, then suddenly snapped back to reality and looked at me.

“…You. What’s your name?”

“Kazuya.”

“Kazuya… I’ll remember that. We must research whether this taste can be recreated in my country.”

He took a handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped his mouth.

Then he glanced once more toward Bel.

Bel, half-hidden behind my back, was silently radiating murderous intent.

“…Hmph. I’ll withdraw for today. Out of respect for these sweets.”

The prince dramatically flipped his cloak.

“But make no mistake—I have not given up. That beautiful flower… one day, I will make it bloom in my garden without fail.”

“Yeah, yeah, thanks for your time~”

I waved casually.

The prince climbed back into the carriage and left, once again scattering rose petals everywhere.

What a storm of a man.

“…Phew. He’s finally gone.”

I let out a long breath and turned around.

Bel was staring intently at me.

The look on her face wasn’t anger.

It was surprise… and something warm and heated mixed in.

“…Kazuya. You…”

“Sorry for acting on my own. But guys like that just get worse if you don’t shut them down clearly.”

“…You protected me?”

“Huh? Oh, well… yeah. You don’t like flashy guys like that, right, Bel-san?”

“…Dislike them, huh… Heh.”

Bel gave a small laugh and sat back down beside me.

Then she slid closer—much closer than usual.

Our shoulders were pressed together.

“…Yes. I dislike them. Having any man in my field of vision other than you is more than enough.”

“Eh, r-really?”

“Indeed. And Kazuya.”

Bel leaned in close to my ear and whispered sweetly.

“Do not let anyone step into my ‘territory’ with dirty shoes… Because the seat beside me is your special reserved place.”

“Y-yes…”

I could only nod, face burning red.

I wasn’t sure whether she meant this bench by “territory,” or her own personal space.

But one thing was certain: those words carried a real sense of possessiveness and trust that she would never, ever direct toward someone like Prince Narcis.

And so, the neighboring prince’s pickup attempt was successfully repelled—thanks to the deliciousness of the éclair and my “interference with sales.”

The pigeons cooed peacefully.

Our quiet park date continued, unchanged.