Betrayed, I Knocked Demon Lord's Door - Chapter 52: Chapter 52

"Kathleen, what do you think?" Germaine asked.
"Think about what? That a tsundere like her can't admit she's fallen for someone, so she turns into a coward and tries to run away?"
Kathleen scooped up a spoonful of ice cream, popped it into her rosy mouth, and closed her eyes with a satisfied hum.
Nothing beat eating ice cream on a freezing day.
Germaine let out a sigh, gaze drifting toward the rain-speckled window. "If only Caitlyn weren't such a softhearted person..."
"She's not soft, she's just dumb," Kathleen huffed.
"Oh please," Germaine gave her a side-eye. "You're the last person qualified to say that."
Kathleen snorted but didn't argue. She just kept eating, legs swinging idly off the side of the infirmary bed like a child.
"I never forced her to take on the Demon Lord title," Kathleen muttered.
"No," Germaine agreed, "but if she hadn't stepped up to take the heat for you, they wouldn't have let you off so easily."
Kathleen pouted. "Well, I've been helping too, haven't I? Making sure those old bastards don't come knocking on her door. It's not like I'm a complete heartless traitor."
Germaine didn't reply. She just gave her a look.
They were all the same—stubborn to the core.
"But still," Germaine murmured, "the Demons have been in chaos lately. I heard someone from the Caesar family has their eyes set on the throne. The elders are panicking. If you, someone with a name like yours, stay away for too long, they won't just let it go... After all, Caitlyn is still the official Demon Lord."
"So what?" Kathleen said coldly. "If she'd just grow a spine and end it already, none of this would be a problem. Those bastards never saw her as human anyway. If she doesn't want to be their pawn anymore, she just has to cut the cord. No one in that place cares about her—except you, maybe."
"Do you care about her?" Germaine asked.
Kathleen suddenly shot up. "I care about her my ass! I hope those idiots do come bother her and drag her back!"
Germaine chuckled softly, not bothering to argue.
After all, Kathleen had just said she'd been shielding Caitlyn from trouble. Classic tsundere.
"But the new Demon Lord thing... That's not something I can stop," Kathleen added, her voice going flat again. She sat back down and resumed eating her ice cream.
Germaine frowned slightly but didn't get the chance to speak.
"It's fine though, isn't it?" Kathleen said breezily. "Even if Caitlyn's too soft to end things herself, someone else will eventually step in and do the dirty work. It's not like she's lacking enemies."
"Fair enough..." Germaine sighed.
"Germaine, I'm done. Gimme another." Kathleen tossed the empty cup to the floor and flopped onto the bed, wriggling around like a spoiled child.
Germaine stared at the cup and the splatter on the floor, her eye twitching.
She clenched her fist, her gaze darkening as it fixed on the brat rolling around like a delinquent.
"Germaine? What are you doing?" Kathleen asked warily.
"Oh, take a wild guess."
"I'm warning you—I'm the Lord of Ekavine City! Even the president of the Human Alliance has to show me respect! Stay back—Germaine, don't—!"
Germaine grabbed her ankle with zero mercy and unleashed a tickling assault on the soles of her feet.
Kathleen's shrieks of laughter echoed down the infirmary hallway...
Meanwhile, Leon stood outside the classroom like a pitiful dad waiting for his kid to get out of school—gazing at the overcast sky, hands in his pockets, brooding like some noir film protagonist.
Only thing missing was a cigarette. Thankfully, he'd been spoiled by Caitlyn too early to pick up bad habits. These days, her scent was far more addictive.
Caitlyn had noticed him waiting out there ages ago. As soon as class ended, she cradled her lesson plans and walked straight toward him.
Leon was still facing the other way, lost in thought.
Knowing his tendency to get all sulky when she "left him behind," Caitlyn reached out and poked his shoulder. "Let's go. Clothes shopping."
Leon turned to her, lips twitching into a subtle smile. Whatever tension had hung between them earlier had eased.
They walked side by side out into the drizzle. Leon popped open the umbrella and gently pulled her into his arms, resting his hand on her waist.
Caitlyn stiffened slightly but said nothing, only pressing her lips together in silence.
After dropping their things off at the office, they hopped on the scooter again, raincoat over both of them, and rode off toward the nearest mall.
Tucked under the blue poncho, Caitlyn quietly wrapped her arms around Leon's warm back. Her gaze dropped to the blurred pavement rushing beneath them. She didn't know what she was thinking.
All she knew was... it was warm.
The mall was bright, clean, and cheerfully lit—completely different from the gray, end-of-the-world vibe outside.
Leon strode forward with purpose, even though he had no clue where to go. Forward was as good a direction as any.
Caitlyn caught his arm and wordlessly steered him into a men's clothing store.
Was he a tenant or her overgrown son?
Dragged into a shop that clearly wasn't cheap, Leon glanced around and whispered, "Can we actually afford this? Looks kinda high-end..."
Back in his early hero days, Leon had been a little tight on money—but once he hit his stride, finances were rarely an issue.
That said, clothes had never been something he put much thought into. He usually just grabbed whatever was comfortable and didn't fall apart.
The few fancy suits he'd worn were all custom commissions from the Association—he hadn't spent a dime on them.
Caitlyn shot him a glance and said coolly, "You should always choose clothes based on comfort. The stipend from last month is more than enough to get you a few decent outfits."
"So expensive means it's comfortable?"
"Not necessarily, but at least expensive stuff isn't usually uncomfortable."
She continued browsing without waiting for him to follow.
Leon trailed behind her, making no effort to choose anything himself. Watching her pick clothes for him felt oddly... right.
"You don't wanna pick what you like?" Caitlyn asked without looking up.
"Anything's fine. As long as you picked it, I'll like it," Leon said with a grin. After all, he wanted her to like what he wore.
"I'm keeping track of how much I spend on you."
"Go ahead," Leon replied breezily.
He didn't plan on paying it back. What's hers would eventually be his anyway.
Caitlyn shot him a glance and picked up a jacket. "What size do you wear?"