As the Demon King, I have married a slave elf. How should I express my love?

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Go downstairs to the entrance hall and open the door on the right; the dining room is inside.

The spacious room contained a long table large enough to seat twenty people, with a luxurious chandelier hanging above it.

This place should have been an indoor graveyard with spider webs and bones scattered everywhere, but now it has been incredibly transformed, with even the tablecloths looking brand new without a single wrinkle.

It seems that Nefi is the kind of girl who will complete any task assigned to her quickly and efficiently.

Back on the clean table, there was a salad drizzled with sauce and soft bread. Sagan was wondering what the empty plate was for when Neferpitou filled it with hot soup. It seemed she hadn't just prepared breakfast, but also considered whether Sagan would get up soon.

Even Sagan could tell that although the quantity was not large, it was a nutritionally balanced breakfast.

But as he looked at it, he became puzzled.

"Huh? Did we buy bread yesterday?"

"No, I just baked them."

"You made this? Can you bake bread yourself?"

Sagan's incredulous look made Nefi turn his head away like a little bird.

"Is that strange?"

"I don't know, this is the first time I've met someone who can make something like this. At least, no one I know has ever known how to make such delicious food."

"I see."

Although her response was flat, Sagan did not miss the slight tremor in the girl's pointed ears.

—Could it be that she's happy?

I remember when she was shy, her face would turn red starting from the tips of her ears.

As the saying goes, eyes speak louder than words. In Neferpitou's case, perhaps his ears could glean even more information.

Amused by this new discovery, he then noticed that Neferpitou was still standing.

Turning my head, I saw that only Sagan's portion was prepared on the dining table.

"Neffi, have you eaten yet?"

"not yet."

"Then you should come and eat with us."

Or rather, eating alone made him feel really uncomfortable.

To everyone's surprise, Nefertori turned away with a troubled expression.

"What's wrong?"

"Because... I only did what was meant for you, Master."

"So you mean you never intended to eat it in the first place?"

"No, I just forgot to do my part."

It does sound like a mistake that this girl would make.

He simply couldn't bring himself to leave this hardworking girl and eat by himself.

"Then why don't we just split it in half?"

Sagan broke the bread in half.

The freshly baked bread was still slightly warm, and when broken apart, it retained a chewy texture. The enticing aroma made him sigh.

However, Neferi still refused to sit down.

Why don't you sit down?

"...Because I only prepared your chair, Master."

The place was originally so filthy that it was completely unsuitable for dining. Since she had also made breakfast in addition to cleaning, there was naturally no room to prepare extra chairs. Sagan didn't really care whether the chairs were dirty or not, but all the other chairs had already been put away.

—I'll sit at the table and give her the chair… No, Neferpitou just cleaned the table, how can I just sit on it?

But looking around, there was nothing else that could serve as a chair.

Why don't they each sit in half? But this chair doesn't have that much capacity, so it's easy to imagine that they'll both slide off together.

--No, actually there's still room to sit, right?

If you can't each sit on one side, why not let her sit on your lap?

Given Nefi's weight, it wouldn't be too much of a burden to have her sit on my lap while eating, and the two of us could eat facing each other. Isn't that a good idea?

Looking back, Sagan had only recently woken up and might still be somewhat disoriented.

Therefore, that is considered the best solution.

Once he had made up his mind, Sagan nodded.

"Then you can sit here."

"This...this place, you mean...?"

Nefi panicked.

Facing Nefi's bewildered expression, Sagan mercilessly gestured to his knees.

When Sagan asked her to sit on his lap, Nefi's blue eyes showed no sign of wavering, as if even the tips of her snow-white hair stood on end in fright.

Seeing the girl's reaction, Sagan realized just how absurd his request had been.

--Wait a minute, if they sit on each other's laps, wouldn't that be almost like hugging?

After Sagan snapped out of his daze, he felt as if he were dying at the words he had spoken.

The girl dressed as a maid spoke up decisively:

"I can't do something so offensive."

No wonder she said that. This is the best response at the moment; as long as Sagan nods, it will all be over.

But Neferpitou's quick wit made Sagan, who was hesitant for a moment, even more embarrassed.

"It doesn't matter, if I say it's okay, then it's okay."

—What am I even doing being so stubborn at a time like this?!

I don't know if this is based on a stubborn refusal to admit wrongdoing or something else. If he could, he'd love to tear his own mouth apart.

"But...but..."

Neferpitou's ears even started to turn red. And seeing that face glistening with tears...

—For some reason, I just really wanted to make things difficult for her again.

He knew that doing this was bullying, but seeing that panicked look made him want to see how she would react next.

Then, Sagan cleared his throat and patted his knees.

"Hurry up. Breakfast will get cold if we don't hurry."

"Whoosh..."

With a weak sigh, its pointed ears drooped listlessly, as if it had given up.

"Then, as Master wishes..."

Then, Nefi sat on Sagan's lap in a panic.

—She actually sat down!

The soft touch of her buttocks through her skirt made him want to reach around her back and hug and caress her as much as he wanted.

Sagan couldn't help but swallow.

But since the orders had already been given, he pretended to be calm and first tore off a piece of bread.

"Here, eat."

"...Master, I'm sorry..."

At this moment, even the tips of Neferpitou's ears were bright red.

"Yes, I can tell too."

"...Master, you're so mean."

With a soft sob, Nefi brought her face close to Sagan's palm.

Then, her pink lips took the bread piece in her mouth.

"Hmm, I can handle the rest myself..."

"Well, that's fine too."

Seeing Neferi's shy demeanor evoked feelings of guilt and shame, which nearly overwhelmed Sagan's spirit.

Then he noticed that Neferpitou's pointed ears were twitching slightly.

It seems that although she was embarrassed, she didn't really dislike him.

This somehow relieved Sagan, who then continued:

"Starting next time, remember to prepare your own portion."

"……yes."

"However, this will also work."

"I will prepare."

That answer was truly resolute.

Sagan reached out to pick up the soup and drink it while it was still hot—but Nefert intercepted him from the side.

"Nefertari?"

Frowning, I watched as the girl dressed as a maid scooped up a spoonful of soup.

Then, she blew on the soup a few times to cool it down and held it out to Sagan.

"Please use it, master."