Why Shouldn’t a Detestable Demon Lord Fall in Love?! 2

Bram’s smile somehow made her complexion look better. Lured in by that happy sight, Marie climbed onto Anima’s stomach.

“I wanna seep ’gever too!”

“Come on over here.”

Anima gently embraced Marie, who buried her face into his chest. It was pretty cramped, but Bram was enjoying every moment of it. She’d waited for so long to cuddle up with a family of her very own, and that dream had become a reality at long last.

“She fell asleep so quickly.”

“Yeah. Marie is out too.”

“She loves your stomach to bits,” Myuke whispered, careful not to wake the sleeping girls. She then climbed down from the top bunk. “Umm, Daddy? It’s probably more comfortable for you up here.”

“I think I’ll stay here. Wouldn’t want to wake them up.”

“All right. Mommy?”

“Sorry, I’m completely trapped.”

“Tch. Yeah, okay. Whatever.”

Myuke sulkily returned to the top of the bunk bed. She must have been sad about being left out of the family slumber party.

“Come, join us. You can wedge yourself in here.”

“There’s still space next to me.”

“I said it’s fine!” she moped from atop her bed. “I like it up here!”

Anima promised himself to spend extra time playing with her once they’d arrived at the capital, then closed his eyes.

There’s no way I could fall asleep like this!

His eyes flew open. There was no way he could let his daughter fall asleep all alone, sobbing into her pillow. He glanced to his side, where his gaze met Luina’s. That simple, silent exchange was enough for the couple to agree on a course of action. Luina nodded, then Anima cleared his throat.

“Oh jeez, I can’t seem to fall asleep. I wonder why that could be. Can you sleep, Luina?”

“No, not at all. I always fall asleep so quickly, but not even counting sheep seems to be helping. It’s very strange.”

“Strange indeed… Ah, I know! Could it be because Myuke isn’t here?”

The bed above them gave off a short creak.

“Oh, that must be it! Falling asleep is so easy when Myuke’s with us.”

“You’re exactly right. Ah, but curse our luck, that leaves us in quite the conundrum. Myuke said she wants to sleep alone.”

“Whatever will we do now…?”

With a few more creaks, Myuke made her way down the ladder. She gazed bashfully at Luina and Anima, her arms crossed.

“Where should I sleep?”

They both cracked a smile.

“Come, sleep with Daddy.”

“No, sleep with me instead.”

Myuke was happy about all the attention she was getting. With a broad smile, she snuggled into the bed and squeezed herself between Bram and Luina.

“Drat, Mommy won you over.”

“Hooray! I won a Myuke!”

Luina rubbed her cheek against Myuke’s red hair, causing Myuke’s face to flush a similar color.

“I-I’m gonna sleep with Mommy tonight, but don’t take it personally! I don’t hate you! Like, at all! I mean it!”

“That means a lot. Why don’t we sleep together tomorrow?”

“I-If that’s what you want. I like sleeping with you, too.”

Myuke’s mumbles trailed off, leaving the room silent. At last, Anima could indulge himself in the sweetness of rest while on the open sea.

◆◆◆

As the ferry began its docking procedures, the sun began its descent below the horizon, painting the sky a bright orange. The family, its newest member included, disembarked and walked the long, robust pier.

“Are you afraid of the dark?” Anima asked Bram.

“Not when I hold your hand, m’kay?” she answered with a smile while clutching his hand. The comfy afternoon nap had healed her seasickness, and she was walking alongside the others at a brisk pace.

“Bye-bye, sun!”

“See you tomorrow!”

Next to them, Luina and the girls waved goodbye to the setting sun. She watched the sun duck below sea level with a longing smile.

“It’s beautiful,” Luina said.

“Not as beautiful as you.”

“Ah, there you go again.”

She flashed a bashful smile, made even more adorable by the slight blush on her cheeks.

“I see you love Mommy lots, m’kay?”

“You bet! He loves her more than anything, so don’t even think about trying to take her place! Their bond is eternal!”

“Don’t get preachy on me, m’kay? Do I seriously have to spell this out for you? I’m too happy now to even consider making him my husband, m’kay?”

“I sure hope so…”

Myuke gave up on pestering her any further. She must’ve understood how satisfied Bram was with her situation. At the very least, she didn’t seem to be worried about Bram taking advantage of a momentary squabble to try to split her family apart.

“All this talking’s got me fired up! Makes me wanna run as far as I can, m’kay?!”

“Don’t. That’s dangerous,” Myuke warned.

“I’m not some clumsy klutz! Hey, let’s race, m’kay?”

“I’ll pass, thanks.”

“Scared you’ll lose? That’s weak, m’kay?”

“I am not! But one misstep will ruin our whole trip! It’s not worth the risk!”

“You’re such a worrywart, m’kay?”

“Oh yeah? And just who do you think I’m worried about, hmm?”

Bram was dumbstruck.

“Y-You’re worried about… me? M’kay…”

“Of course I am, dummy! You might be kinda feisty, but you’re still my little sister.”

Bram’s face lit up with a beautiful smile. She embraced Myuke and rubbed their cheeks together.

“Whoa, wha—?! What are you doing?!”

“I’m just so happy, m’kay?! I thought you hated me! You glare at me all the time, and you’re so strict! It’s scary, m’kay?!”

“Don’t blame me for getting mad when you were trying to steal my Daddy! And warn me before hugs. I almost jumped out of my skin.”

“There’s that glare again, m’kay?”

“I’m not even mad!”

Myuke was shouting, but the smile on her face was genuine. She must have been enjoying having someone to banter with again, like she’d had in the old days. With the addition of their newest family member, Bram, the Scarlett household had gotten even livelier.

Anima kept walking while listening to their small quarrel. As he reached the end of the pier and the cityscape came into view, he looked around. A couple of people were enjoying the view of the sunset from the beautiful, sandy beach. Considering the time of the day, the lack of visitors seemed pretty standard; the area was probably packed during the day.

“I wanna pay!”

“I’d love to play too, but it’s getting dark. We’ll come back tomorrow, okay?”

“’Kaaay!”

“Want to play with Daddy? I’ll make sure you don’t go under.”

“Uh-huh!”

Marie gazed at the sea, full of excitement, while Anima was fighting with his inner demons. On one hand, he wanted to see his cute daughters enjoy their day at the beach, but on the other, he was deathly afraid of the chance that one of them might drown.

“Shaer, are these waters safe?”

“Perfectly safe. The tides are weak, and the water is quite shallow around here. You should be able to take Miss Marie swimming without issue.”

“That’s fantastic, thank you.” Anima let out a sigh of relief. Even if the water was shallow, though, he couldn’t let himself take his eyes off Marie even for a second. Not when she was swimming, at least; his eyes were set on something else. “It’s pretty bold of them to walk around in… that.”

The people on the beach were wearing nothing but their underwear. It may have been getting dark, but seeing people walk around practically naked shocked him to his core. He didn’t know why they were doing it, but the reason behind their unsightly display was unimportant when they were clearly disturbing the public order.

Though having alcohol involved would’ve raised another issue. Anima didn’t want to let his girls run freely around a bunch of drunkards. Either way, one thing was clear: he had to stay on high alert to ensure his girls a carefree, unforgettable day on the beach.

“Those are swimsuits.”

Luina’s calm, collected voice swayed Anima’s burning passion for protecting his girls’ purity.

“‘Swimsuits’?”

“Clothes specifically designed for swimming.”

“Something like that exists?” If that was the case, the people at the beach posed no threat. Anima let out a relieved sigh, then came to a realization: given swimsuits’ similarity to underwear, there was a chance Luina had thrown one into her bag without him noticing it. “Do you have a swimsuit, Luina?”

“I don’t.”

“I see…”

Luina glanced at him.

“Did you want to see me wearing one?”

“To tell you the truth, that is exactly what I was hoping for.”

Just catching a glimpse from far away was enough for him to understand the magic of swimsuits. Imagining his beautiful wife’s perfect figure clad in clothing like that put a smirk on his face.

“It’s embarrassing, but… I’d wear a swimsuit for you.”

“Do you mean that?! All right, we have to get one right now!”

“You’re getting too excited, Daddy,” Myuke said, and dropped her shoulders. “Though I guess I can’t really blame you for wanting to see Mommy in a swimsuit.”

“I want to see you wear one too.”

“Wait, I can get one too?”

“Of course! Playing at the beach will be a lot more fun if you’re in a swimsuit, won’t it? We’ll get ones for Marie and Bram, too.”

“Yaaay!”

“I’m so happy! I’ve always wanted to visit the beach with my family, m’kay?!”

Bram had likely never gotten to experience such an outing with her sickly parents. As a result, she was more excited about having fun with her family on the beach than getting a new swimsuit. Channeling that excitement, she and the others shifted their gazes from the coast to the city ahead.

“Aww, what a neat place!” Myuke exclaimed the moment they entered the city.

Setting foot into the colorful cityscape lifted their spirits. Homeowners in the capital were given free rein over painting their homes, so each individual house was painted a different, vivid color. Walking the streets was like visiting a carnival.

“It’s as breathtaking as I remember it,” Luina whispered as she walked the moonlit road.

“Have you stayed here before?”

“Yes, in a health resort nearby. There are a lot of inns and restaurants specifically aimed at tourists here. To this day, I can clearly remember waking up in the morning, going to the nearby shop to enjoy a fresh seafood platter, then walking to the beach right after that.” Her genuine smile as she recalled her experience in the capital captivated Anima. That smile suddenly grew even bigger, and she pointed at a bright-green building. “Ah, look! That’s the place we were staying at. It brings back so many memories.”

“Then why don’t we stay there? What about you, Shaer?”

“I’ll head back to my home.”

“Do you live somewhere around here?”

“Yes, in the castle town. It would take a couple of hours on foot, but I should arrive there in twenty minutes or so if I fly.”

“All right, we’ll say goodbye for the time being, then. What should I expect tomorrow?”

“I’d like to be finished by sunset, so I was thinking of coming here to pick you up around noon. We can take a carriage from here to the castle.”

“Me too! Cabbage ride!”

“I wanna ride too, m’kay?”

“Daddy has work to do. I doubt he can drag the three of us along with him.”

Myuke shot the idea down, but she clearly wanted to ride in a carriage. Anima couldn’t take them into the castle, but bringing them to the castle town was fair game.

“We can all ride to the castle town together,” he suggested in an uplifting voice.

“Riding carriages is what princesses get to do, right?!” Myuke asked with a huge smile and sparkling eyes.

“It sure is. Perfect for my little princess.”

“I’m totally sleeping with you tonight, Daddy!” she exclaimed sweetly, happily clinging to his arm as he gently pet her head.

◆◆◆

The next morning, the five of them went out to buy swimsuits and beach slippers after a delicious breakfast, then returned to their lodging. There, they quickly changed into their swimsuits before heading to the beach.

“Beach tiiime!”

The beautiful azure water sparkled under the bright sunlight, and the people on the beach enjoyed their time playing in the fine, sugar-like sand and the warm water. It was relatively early, but the beach was bursting with life. The curved shoreline went on almost as far as the eye could see, so there was enough space for everyone—including the girls—to enjoy the wonderful weather and the expansive sea to their hearts’ content.

“Wow, it’s super busy!”

“This is so exciting, m’kay?!”

The gentle breeze carried their cheerful voices towards the horizon. Myuke and Bram could barely contain their excitement.

“I wanna pay!”

Seeing all the families having the time of their lives, Marie set off through the warm sand, leaving tiny footprints behind.

“I wanna play too!” Anima exclaimed, and took her hand.

The water may have been shallow, but even the tiniest of waves had the potential to swallow up a child of Marie’s age. He wanted to stay by her side the whole time to avoid any possibility of something terrible happening.

“Yaaay! I pay, Daddy!”

Marie hopped into the air like a bunny, making the frills on her adorable swimsuit flutter.

“This weather is just awesome!”

“It’s a perfect day for the beach, m’kay?!”

The two girls were in perfect sync. They had only gotten more excited after changing into their swimsuits.

“I can’t wait, m’kay?” Bram took her sandals off and set off barefoot through the sand before leaping high into the air. “It’s pretty hot! But it’s really soft! It feels great, m’kay?!”

“Oh wow, you’re right! The sand is so soft here!”

“Me too! No sooes!”

“Here, Marie, let me hold onto your sandals.”

“Thanks, Daddy! Ah, wooow! Sooo soff!”

The girls kept running around, playfully chasing each other. They seemed to love the area they were in, so Anima opened up a blanket and set it down on the sand. Right as he finished laying it out, the girls crashed onto and rolled around on it.

“Be careful, girls,” Luina warned with a gentle smile. “Don’t tire yourselves out before you get into the water.”

Anima also wanted to flash a gentle smile, but all he could muster was an awkward smirk. He was completely entranced by Luina’s bikini. Her voluptuous breasts lasciviously peeked out from beneath it, and it left her shapely thighs completely bare. Not even the young women frolicking around them could get Anima to pry his eyes away from his wife.

Get it together, Anima!

He shook his head. No matter how wonderful the sight before him was, he had to keep a close eye on his daughters. With his determination steeled, he sat down next to Luina, yet that steel slowly rusted and crumbled. As he stole a glance to the side, his eyes met Luina’s, and she immediately averted her gaze.

“Are you okay, Luina?” he asked, curious about her uncharacteristic action. “Your cheeks are surprisingly red.”

“Ah, I-I’m okay…”

“Ooh, I know what’s going on! You totally think Daddy’s hot!”

Myuke seemed to have hit the nail on the head, as Luina’s cheeks got even redder at the suggestion.

“Yeah, your body’s sick! You’re like a man of steel, m’kay?”

“Daddy stong!”

“You bet I am! I’ll protect you girls from any harm. Of course, I’ll protect you too, Luina.”

“I know you will. I’m happy to have married such a reliable man.”

“Say, can we go swimming soon?”

“Let’s go, m’kay?!”

“All right, let’s get in the water!”

They hopped up from the blanket, set their sandals down, and rushed into the water.

“Hyahn, cold! But I likeses it!” Marie exclaimed while splashing around in the water with her tiny feet. Myuke and Bram were enjoying the water as well, but being so close to the shore was a bit underwhelming for them.

“Can we go in deeper?”

“Of course, but be careful. Stay above the water.”

“We’ll be fine. I’ll be with her, m’kay?”

“Hah, like I’d ever need your help! I swim like a mermaid!”

“Oh, really? Then let’s put that to the test, m’kay?”

“Don’t cry when I show you up!”

Sparks flew between them, but there was no trace of animosity in their words; they were both happy to have found a worthy rival. The pair went waist-deep into the water, where they started swimming. Anima stayed in the shallower water, playing with Marie and Luina while watching over them from the corner of his eye.

“Cooold! Spash me s’more!”

“There! Gotcha!”

“Hyahaha! Saldy!”

Marie wrapped her hands around her stomach and laughed. She thoroughly enjoyed spending time at the beach. Letting her make the most of her first time at the sea, they kept playing until Anima’s hands started to prune.

“Ha-chow!” Marie sneezed. Her lips were starting to turn blue as well.

“She must be cold. Should we take a break?”

“Yeah, let’s do that. Marie, do you want to roll around on the blanket with me?”

“Uh-huh! You know, you know, I’m super good at rollin’! Look, Daddy! Look! Vwoom, vwoom!”

Marie started rolling around in the sand, which, in the end, warmed her body up. Curiously, despite how proud she was of her rolling skills, she stopped almost as quickly as she started. She stood up and scanned the area in desperation.

“What are you looking for?”

“I wanna roll with Myukey ’n Brum…”

She was getting bored of playing by herself, so Anima pointed toward their blanket, where Myuke and Bram were playing in the sand.

“They’re right over there. See?”

“What you paying?” Marie asked as she scurried over to the blanket, followed closely behind by Anima and Luina. The girls welcomed them with proud smirks.

“We’re building sandcastles!”

“Myuke wanted to see who can build a better castle! She was too hung up on losing our swimming contest, m’kay?”

“Say what?! I didn’t lose anything, thank you very much! I was a million times better than she was!”

“Oh, really? Then tell me why you said we should go back to the beach right after our contest, m’kay?”

“That’s because… It was because you started sneezing. I figured you were getting cold.”

Bram immediately hugged Myuke with a wide smile on her face after hearing her bashful admission.

“You’re super nice, m’kay?!”

“I told you to warn me before hugs!”

“I’m hugging you, m’kay?”

“I hug too!”

Marie clung to Myuke as well. Myuke’s delighted smile told everyone just how happy she was to get so much love from her little sisters.

“When cattle done?” Marie asked, looking curiously at the pile of sand beside her.

“I’ll be done before lunch. I’ll make you the cutest, most adorable castle you’ve ever seen, so get excited!”

“We’ll see about that! I’ll make a much better castle than you ever could, m’kay?!”

“Goo’ wuck!”

“I don’t need luck to beat her!”

“You’ve already lost, m’kay?”

They started building their castles while Marie cheered them on. She watched them work from up-close, a huge smile on her face.

“Daddy, potty!”

She suddenly squeezed her legs together and tugged at Anima’s sleeve. Anima quickly picked her up.

“Do you remember where the closest bathroom is?” he asked Luina.

“Sorry, I have no idea…”

“All right, then I’ll take her back to the inn.”

“That should be faster than just searching the beach. I’ll keep an eye on these two in the meantime.”

“Thanks.”

He left the girls behind and took Marie back to the inn. She seemed hungry, so he got her some dried fruit after she’d finished in the bathroom, and they made their way back to the castles that were under construction.

“They done cattling?”

“I’m not sure, but I’m excited to see what they’ve made.”

“Uh-huh! Me too!”

They arrived back at the beach after only a couple of minutes, and headed directly toward their blanket.

“Apologize to Myuke right now, m’kay?!”

Bram’s angry roar shot through the beach. She was arguing with a young, tanned, well-built man. The man looked down at her with an annoyed gaze, while Luina was comforting Myuke as she sulked next to them.

“What’s going on?”

The moment Anima arrived, Bram aggressively pointed at the man.

“He hit on Mommy! Then he stomped on Myuke’s castle after he got rejected, m’kay?!”

“I told you, it was an accident!”

“No, it wasn’t, m’kay?! You even ground your feet into it after trampling on it! No wonder Mommy turned you down! She knew right away that you’re a spineless worm, m’kay?!”

“What did you say, brat?! C’mere and let me teach you what discipline is!” He raised a hand, ready to strike her with it, but Anima caught his arm. “Oww! What do you—”

The man turned to face Anima. In that instant, all blood drained from his face and the light left his eyes. As if he had just met the Reaper itself, his entire body shook with terror.

“Did you just attempt to hit my daughter?” Anima asked in a quiet, chilling voice.

“N-No, I just—”

“And you destroyed the sandcastle she worked so hard to build?”

“Th-That was an—”

Anima tightened his grip around the man’s arm and stared straight into his eyes with burning rage.

“You will either listen to the crunch of your arm as it shatters, or you will apologize to my daughter from the bottom of your heart. Choose wisely.”

As Anima released his arm, the man fell into the sand as if someone had pulled a chair out from under him. He dragged himself forward, and pressed his forehead into the sand.

“I’m sorry for destroying your castle! And I’m sorry for threatening you!”

He looked up at Anima, begging for forgiveness, but Anima completely ignored him and turned toward Myuke.

“What do you say, Myuke? Do you forgive him?” he asked in his sweetest, gentlest voice.

Myuke slowly looked up. She wiped her tears, sniffled twice, and glared at the man with her swollen, red eyes.

“Buzz off.”

Hearing Myuke’s judgment, Anima looked down at the man.

“Don’t show yourself before my family ever again.” The man scurried away on all fours, crawling for his life. After he disappeared from their sight, Anima gently pet Myuke’s head. “I’m sorry about your castle.”

“It was a really cool castle…” Myuke answered with the tiniest of nods.

“It was amazing, Myuke, m’kay?”

“You built it really well.”

Bram’s and Luina’s kind words put a tiny smile on her face. Anima clapped his hands together and addressed his family.

“How about we all build a sandcastle together?”

His cheerful voice was met by an even more cheerful nod by Marie.

“Me! I wanna!”

“Let’s work together to build the most amazing castle this beach has ever seen!”

“It’ll be the best castle ever, m’kay?!”

“I’ll make it a hundred times taller than my other one!”

With Myuke having cheered up, they started working on their brand new castle. It didn’t take long for their voices to echo across the beach.

“It’s done!”

As the final tower received its finishing touches, the five of them celebrated their incredible creation with a cheer and a round of high-fives.