On the way to the dining room, the human remained silent, but her eyes scanned the castle's decorations with curiosity.

After arriving there, I ordered the servant to serve food for the human.

But the answer I got was: "I'm sorry prince, the demon king told us not to serve that human."

That made me sigh in frustration.

As I thought, Father didn't accept it that easily.

But at least he didn't banish this child from the castle.

I pulled her to the kitchen and told her to sit in the corner.

"Where are you going?" She asked while sitting down obediently.

"Cooking." My answer made her round eyes widen.

"You can cook?" She asked, making me froze for a moment.

"Just a little. I could say it's my hobby." I said while preparing the ingredients.

She got down from the chair, making me stop my movement and look at her. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere, just watching you cook." She said with her sparkling blue eyes.

I continued my activities and didn't look at her. "That's dangerous. Go back to your chair."

"Can you make a cake?" She asked, ignoring my words while tiptoeing and pulling the corner of my shirt.

I looked down, remembering she was only as tall as my knee. "Do you want a cake?"

She nodded quickly, making her messy hair rise even more.

"I won't make it. Don't be spoiled, this isn't your house and I'm not your servant either," I said, making her pout.

I sighed and told the kitchen staff to call my personal maid.

After she came, I told her to tidy up the human.

Father can order others, but that didn't apply to my personal maid. My personal maid was paid using a deduction from my monthly allowance. So she couldn't argue with my orders.

She took the human, leaving me to cook alone.

After all the dishes were ready, I waited in the dining room while folding the origami that was in my pocket which was slightly damaged.

"Ha... This can't be formed..." Right after I put it on the table, the door opened.

The human returned wearing a blue dress that she got from who knows where. Her hair which was messy like a bird's nest, was now tied into two like horns. Her clear blue eyes stared at the food on the table with some sparks.

She looks good, I almost didn't recognize her.

Do all human children look small and cute like her? She's like a small animal...

She quickly darted to the chair beside me, and then sat down with my help.

"This is for me, right?" She looked at me with expectations.

I nodded, looking at her hands and feet which were covered in bandages.

"Thank you!" She took as much food as she could, then ate it quickly, making me raise my eyebrows in astonishment.

Does she trust me that much? doesn't she think that I could poison her food?

She's too defenseless.

Hm... A defenseless small animal... That isn't good.

"Slow down, you'll choke. You look like you haven't eaten in days. Don't worry, no one will steal your food." I said while pouring water into her glass, in case she choked.

She nodded, then swallowed the food in her mouth. "Mhm, I haven't eaten in days." She said then continued to eat slower.

I froze, staring at her in disbelief. "What? When was the last time you ate?"

She put down her spoon and then raised her fingers. Counting something then looking at me. "I don't know. After I was locked in that room, I couldn't count the time. At first, I was given food, but the next day there was no food, only water."

I frowned. "Who locked you up?"

She shook her head and then continued to eat. "I don't know."

"Ha? How could you not know? Hold on, they're not your family, right?"

She shook her head again. "No. I slept and then woke up in that room."

She was kidnapped while sleeping..? She's defenseless even when sleeping... That's dumb. Just like a small animal that needs to be protected...

I feel tickled... what is this feeling?

She lowered her head. "They said I seemed to have been abandoned by my family..." Her eyes were watery, she didn't stop eating and continued speaking in a choked voice. "They said I would be free if only someone came to pick me up. But no one. My family didn't come." She cried, rubbing her eyes while munching her meals.

I was stunned, trying to digest what she said.

She put down the spoon and hid her crying face with both hands. I could hear her muffled cry and sniffles.

I ruffled my hair, confused about what to do.

In my entire life, I had never coaxed a crying person, not even a human. Let alone calm them down, I've never even met a human.

"Hey, don't cry. You want a cake, right? I'll make one, but you have to stop crying."

Her crying stopped when she heard the word 'cake'. She put her hands down and looked at me with a wet face, then nodded.

I reluctantly made a cupcake with cute decorations based on the children's preferences.

Ugh... what am I doing here, trying to entertain a human...

After the cake has been decorated, she stared at the cake, that I'm proud of, in horror.

"...What is that?"

"A cupcake. You want a cake, right?"

She shook her head quickly. "That's not a cupcake!"

I frowned. "This is a cupcake. Can't you see the size?"

"The cupcakes I eat are usually cute!"

"Ha?" I looked at the cake I was holding.

I placed black cream on top of the cake, shaping it to look like a spider and adding white chocolate beads for its eyes. With a little magic, I made the thin chocolate bar legs move to make them appear real.

This is a masterpiece! Doesn't this cake look cute? All kids love insects, right?

"This is cute." I insisted.

She looked at me with puffed cheeks, her round eyes staring at me intently, making her look like a pufferfish.

I sighed and put away the 'not cute' cake to eat later. "Then what does the little princess mean by a cute cake?" I asked lazily.

She thought for a moment, then looked at me with sparkling eyes. "Cats!"

"Cats?"

She nodded. "My brother always shows me cats, so I like cats."

I frowned. "You mean you like cats because you often see them?"

She nodded, paused for a moment, then shook her head. "At first I didn't like them because cats were too fierce and almost scratched me. But when the cat is sleeping I can stroke its soft fur, making me happy. So I like cats that aren't fierce. Cat decorations also won't scratch me, so they're cute."

She rambled on, but I couldn't really follow, so I just nodded and started making the cake again.

After seeing my work according to her wishes, she smiled brightly.

She sat down at the dining table and stared at the cake with no intention of touching it.

Of course, that confused me. I took a seat beside her, and then asked, "What's wrong? Still not cute?"

She gazed at me with sadness in her eyes and then shook her head, not uttering a word.

"Are you full? Should I save it for later?"

She shook her head again, making me sigh in frustration. "Then why don't you eat it?"

She looked down and squeezed her dress. "I just... remembered my brother."

"Your brother?"

She nodded. "He looks much older than me, and often treats me like a child." She pursed her lips

I smiled helplessly. "But you are a child."

She looked at me in disapproval. "But he is the same. Our day, month, and year of birth are the same."

"...You're twins?"

She nodded, making me confused.

So what does 'looking older' mean? Does human growth have a special case?

The thought of a male human, resembling her in appearance, came to mind. His physique resembled an adult but his behavior was like a child.

Just thinking about it made me laugh without even realizing it.

"Is twins something funny?" The girl asked innocently, making me hold back my laughter.

"No, I was just thinking about something." I cleared my throat, trying to get back on topic. "So? What about your brother?"

She looked at the cake in front of her in a daze. "My brother is very kind, smart, and great at everything. I can't even compete with him. Mommy and Daddy never compared me to him, and my brother didn't tease me either. On the contrary, he took good care of me. Every day he would interrupt my study activities to play with him. He always said that a child's job is to play, not study all day. But if I don't study then I won't be able to be like my brother."

She frowned, the corners of her lips pulled down. "But after my other brother was invited to stay at home, my brother didn't care about me anymore. He usually always looked for me, but he never looked for me anymore. Since then, I've never met him. I'm sure he prefers having an older sibling than a younger sibling. They also definitely won't be bothered when they find out I'm missing," She said as tears began to well up in her eyes.

"They're your family, I'm sure they'll start looking for you when it's meal time."

"My family rarely eats together. And the servants never look for me. They must think I'm hiding in the library again. The only person who usually calls me is my brother. I'm sure... He didn't care about me anymore... because he already have him." She bursts into tears and gripped her dress not intending to wipe away the tears that flowed silently.

I frowned. "Ah, wait, why are you crying again? You're such a crybaby. Are all humans crybabies like you?"

She ignored me and then cried louder, making me flustered.

"Argh!! Seriously?! Stop crying. You look ugly when you cry..."

I tried to gently wiped her tears with my sleeve and asked in my softest voice, "Are you upset because your older brother didn't look for you?"

She shook her head, then nodded. "Am angry- hic- I yon wanna see him again."

I let out a deep sigh. "There must be a reason why your brother cares more about your other brother and why he doesn't look for you. Just from looking at you, I can tell that you and your brother truly care about each other. And who knows? Maybe your family has been looking for you until now, especially your brother. He must have been worried sick when he found out you were missing."

She stopped crying and looked at me with her red and puffy eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah. If you want to know then go back and ask your family."

She fell silent.

I pulled her small hand and gave her the cupcake that was no longer warm. "But wait until you and my mother get better. For now, you rest here. If you need anything, don't hesitate to tell me."

She kept silent but nodded slowly. After staring at the cupcake for a few seconds, she finally ate it.

She stopped. Her puffy eyes looked at me in surprise, making me raise my eyebrows. "What?"

"Brother Alastor, are you really a prince?" She asked with her chubby cheeks and cream on her lips.

"How do you know my name? And how do you know I'm a prince?" I wiped her creamy lips with my thumb.

She tilted her head. "Your father called you Alastor. And the servant called you prince."

I smiled, a little amazed. "Despite your very young age and small body, you are very observant and smart."

"Hmph! I told you I was smart like my brother."

"Yeah yeah." I chuckled a little "I am indeed a demon prince. So what? Are you afraid of me now?"

Unlike before. She shook her head firmly, without any hesitation at all. "I was just surprised. This cake is very delicious. If I didn't know then I would have thought you were a royal chef. Even the cakes made by the chefs in my kingdom are not as delicious as this. You are awesome."

I was stunned, a little touched. No one had ever praised my cooking. They only said that my status as a prince was not suitable for doing such a job. My father told me to stop doing useless things like this. And I kept this a secret from my mother, afraid of hearing an answer that I didn't want to hear.

"Do you like it?" Without realizing it, my voice softened.

She nodded quickly. "Very much."

"Then I'll make some more while you're staying here," I said, making her smile brightly.

"Promise?!"

I nodded, making her blue eyes sparkle.

"No take back ok?!"

I pinched her chubby cheeks briefly. "I don't dare to go back on my promise to this cute little lady. Rest assured, eat comfortably and slowly." My answer made her nod in satisfaction and eat the remaining cake full of enthusiasm.

In the end, I baked some cake for her when she stayed there and became fond of her despite the first impression and different race in such a short time.

Well, that's one of the reasons I opened my store in her territory.