The Witch's Giggle and the "Fallen" Philanthropist

The morning sunlight poured unreservedly through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Rose Courtyard's master bedroom, spilling onto the soft, large bed.

Felsy woke up.

But she didn't get up immediately like she usually did, using magic to tidy her appearance and maintaining her aloof persona as she went downstairs. Instead, she stayed in bed.

She buried her face in the pillow, taking a deep breath of the lingering scent that belonged to Lynch—a faint aroma of soap mixed with the smell of sunshine.

"Hehe..."

A muffled laugh, completely unbefitting the identity of the "Crimson Calamity" and even carrying a hint of silliness, came from beneath the pillow.

Whenever she thought of the words that idiot had said under the covers last night.

"I don't hate demons..." "I want to touch your tail..." "You are my wife, and that is a fact no one can change..."

Felsy felt as if she were soaking in a honeypot, her very bones melting with sweetness. She rolled over, looking at the ceiling, the corners of her mouth curling up uncontrollably, higher and higher, until they formed a blissful curve that made her look a bit intellectually challenged.

It turned out that the heavy stone pressing on her heart all this time didn't exist at all.

Since he didn't mind, and even had that weird fetish of liking mature demon women, then what were all her previous fears and anxieties about?

"Idiot Lynch..."

Felsy reached out a finger and drew a heart in the empty air, then shyly pulled her hand back under the covers. "To actually want to touch my tail... Hmph, only because of your good behavior, I suppose... I suppose I could consider it in the future..."

Right at that moment.

Knock, knock, knock.

The window was gently tapped.

"Come in." Felsy quickly suppressed her smile, trying to put on a stern face, but the curve of her eyes couldn't hide her amusement.

The window slid open silently.

A small fox with fiery red fur darted in, transforming into a human figure as it landed.

It was Kuma.

As the Demon Witch's personal maid and intelligence officer, Kuma had intentionally woken up early today to gather public opinion around town regarding the Leyline Disturbance, and was now preparing to report her findings.

However, the moment she raised her head and clearly saw her master.

Kuma was completely dumbfounded.

What was she looking at?

The Demon Witch who was always aloof, with eyes as cold as ice, ready to destroy the world at the drop of a hat... was currently sitting in bed, hugging her quilt, wearing a silly smile full of pink bubbles that you would only see on the face of the village idiot?

Furthermore, that demonic tail that was usually kept strictly hidden—although still invisible, Kuma could sense it as a fellow kin—was wagging happily beneath the covers!

"M-My Lady?"

Kuma swallowed hard, feeling a chill run down her spine. "Are... are you alright? Did you suffer from a qi deviation during your cultivation last night? Or did that charlatan bishop cast some sort of hex on you?"

"What nonsense are you spouting."

Felsy was snapped out of her daze by her voice. She hurriedly coughed, trying to restore her majestic expression, but the corners of her mouth still couldn't help but curl upwards.

"I am fine. Perfectly fine."

"Then why... why are you smiling so..."

Kuma weighed her words carefully, not daring to say stupid, and instead changed it to, "...so affectionately?"

"Affectionately?"

Felsy glared at her, then turned her head away somewhat unnaturally, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "It's nothing. I just had a dream last night."

"A nightmare? Did you dream about stewing that bishop?" Kuma guessed excitedly.

"No. It was a funny dream."

Felsy's eyes sparkled, her voice light and cheerful. "Very funny. I dreamed... Hmph, you wouldn't understand even if I told you."

Kuma scratched her fox ears, looking completely bewildered.

Forget it, never try to guess the thoughts of the Lady.

"Um, My Lady."

Kuma pulled a secret letter from her pocket, returning to the main topic. "This is news from the Scorched Earth, the Demon Realm. Recently, a batch of low-level agents undercover in the Northern Territory are due to rotate back. The intelligence bureau is asking, since our Demon Lair Expansion Plan at Norlent Castle is in full swing from Kuma's perspective, and we've even managed to completely fool the Church's bishop..."

"Should we select a few elites from this group to stay behind and bolster our ranks?"

Ambition gleamed in Kuma's eyes. "After all, relying solely on me can sometimes be a bit overwhelming. If we have more helpers, we can infiltrate our forces throughout the entire Broken Gold Town, and even make a figurehead out of that big, dumb lord!"

In Kuma's view, this was absolutely the top priority for the Demon Witch's next step.

However.

After hearing this, Felsy didn't even bat an eyelid.

"There's no need."

She leaned back lazily against the headboard, picking up a comb to brush her long hair. "Let them all go back. Don't keep a single one."

"Huh?"

Kuma froze. "But My Lady... this is the perfect opportunity to execute our grand plans! Lord Lynch, the executive officer, has already laid the foundation, shouldn't we strike while the iron is hot?"

"Strike what iron? This is a home, not a military barracks."

Felsy looked at herself in the mirror, her gaze softening. "Too many people will be noisy. And if we accidentally expose ourselves and let that charlatan bishop catch onto us, Lynch will be very troubled."

"Things are just fine... the way they are right now."

Just her, Lynch, and a few pets who, although stupid, were fairly loyal.

Eating double-skin milk pudding every day, enjoying the floor heating, and being able to hold that warm idiot to sleep at night.

She wouldn't trade this kind of life even for the entire Demon Realm.

"This..."

Kuma's mouth hung wide open, feeling like her brain was short-circuiting.

No need for manpower? Afraid of noise? Afraid of troubling Lynch?

Were these words that could possibly come from the Demon Witch who once leveled a mountain just for a magic experiment?

"It's over."

Kuma wailed internally. "My Lady... she really seems to have fallen for him! Is she going to play the role of housewife all the way to the end?!"

But facing Felsy's unquestionable gaze, Kuma could only shrink her neck.

"Yes... Your subordinate will go and decline them right away."

...

The afternoon sunlight was warm and cozy.

After having lunch, a special sandwich made by Lynch, Felsy was strolling around the square near the castle out of sheer boredom.

Lynch had gone to give a lesson to that idiot Aria, and she didn't want to stay in the house all by herself.

As she approached the square, she noticed it was bustling with activity.

Several massive field cauldrons were set up in the open space, steaming hot. A group of simply dressed clerics and servants from the lord's manor were busy distributing food to a long line of commoners.

Beside them were a few makeshift tables, where several literate priests were teaching a group of grubby children how to read.

"What is going on here?" Felsy frowned slightly.

"Ah! It's Madam Lynch!"

A pleasantly surprised voice called out.

Felsy turned her head and saw a plump auntie wearing an apron and holding a large ladle waving at her.

She recognized this person. It was Aunt Martha, the baker from the castle kitchen. Previously, just because she casually praised "this bread is made well," this aunt became her die-hard fan, delivering freshly baked cookies to her every day.

"Martha?"

Felsy walked over, trying her best to maintain an elegant pace. "Why are there so many people here?"

"It's the Spring Charity Event!"

Aunt Martha wiped the sweat from her forehead and said enthusiastically, "Every spring, the Lord and the church give out some food to the poor in town who can't make it through the winter, and teach the children how to read along the way. It's a good deed to accumulate merit!"

Saying that, she glanced at Felsy, her eyes lighting up:

"Madam, you look so beautiful today! Just like a goddess walking out of a painting! Oh my, if those children over there could see someone as noble as you serving them food, they would definitely feel blessed by the gods!"

"Serving food?"

Felsy raised an eyebrow. "You want me... you want me to do such menial work?"

You must be joking.

She was a witch. These hands were meant for casting forbidden spells and harvesting souls; how could she possibly hold a spoon to serve human cubs?

"Oh, it's just lending a helping hand!"

Aunt Martha was naturally overly familiar and completely oblivious to Felsy's resistance. She directly stuffed a clean apron into her hands. "I see the clerics over there are too busy. Madam, you are so educated, and Mr. Lynch is a great scholar. It would be wonderful if you could teach those children how to read! This is a great opportunity to build up prestige for Mr. Lynch!"

Hearing the words "build up prestige for Lynch."

Felsy forcefully swallowed back the words of refusal she had originally intended to say.

"Prestige..."

"If everyone thinks Lynch's wife is a kind and gentle person, then Lynch's status in this town will also be higher, right?"

"Besides... if Lynch found out, he would definitely praise me, wouldn't he?"

Recalling her self from last night, who had yearned to be praised.

Felsy took the apron as if possessed.

"...Alright."

She sighed, putting on the apron while hypnotizing herself in her heart: "This isn't serving humans. This is to maintain the family image. This is a high-level disguise."

...

For the next two hours.

A strange spectacle appeared in the square of Shattered Gold Town.

The mysterious noble lady who lived in the Rose Courtyard, rumored to be incredibly aloof, was currently sitting among a group of snot-nosed brats.

She wore an expensive silk dress with a rustic apron over it, holding a small twig in her hand, writing and drawing on the sandy ground.

"Listen up, you foolish little brats."

Felsy kept a straight face, speaking in the strict tone she used to instruct her demon legion. "This word is pronounced 'Light'. Although it's a very annoying thing, you must remember it."

"That word is pronounced 'Dark'. This is the noblest power in the world... ahem, it is also a natural phenomenon."

The surrounding children were not frightened by her tone.

On the contrary, their eyes widened as they looked at this big sister who was even prettier than a princess in a fairy tale, each of them as obedient as a quail.

"Big sister, you look so pretty."

A little boy missing two front teeth sniffled and handed over a piece of candy he had been reluctant to eat. "Here, you can eat this."

Felsy froze.

She looked at that low-quality candy, which was coated in dust and even slightly melted.

Given her germaphobia, she normally wouldn't even spare a glance at such a thing.

But at this very moment.

Looking into those clear eyes filled with adoration and gratitude.

Felsy felt something gently stir within her heart.

It wasn't annoying.

It even felt... a little warm.

"...I don't eat this kind of thing."

Felsy turned her head away, but her voice was much softer than before. "Keep it for yourself. If you wipe your snot on your sleeve again, I'll... I'll turn you into a frog."

"Wow! Can big sister do magic tricks too?"

The children weren't scared; instead, they became even more excited. "Big sister, teach me! I want to turn into a frog too!"

Felsy: "..."

How could the thought processes of these human cubs be so bizarre?

Despite her verbal disdain, the twig in her hand never stopped moving.

Without realizing it, she actually sat there for the entire afternoon, teaching the children over a dozen words, and even helping Aunt Martha distribute two buckets of meat stew.

When the sun set and the event came to an end.

"Thank you, big sister!"

"Will big sister come back tomorrow?"

The children surrounded her, reluctant to part.

Felsy stood in the sunset, looking at those dirty yet radiant smiling faces, and a very faint smile unknowingly crept onto the corners of her lips.

"Depends on my mood."

She tossed out this proud remark and turned to leave.

Even though her body was a bit tired and the hem of her skirt was stained with some dust.

But... this feeling of being needed, of being purely adored, didn't seem... too bad?

...

Evening, Rose Courtyard.

When Kuma saw her master returning from outside wearing an apron and humming a song, the whole fox felt unwell.

"M-My Lord?!"

Kuma looked at Felsy in shock. "Where... where did you go? Where did this apron come from? Don't tell me you went... went to work part-time for humans?!"

"What part-time work."

Felsy untied the apron and casually tossed it to Kuma. "I went to inspect the living conditions of the people. And in passing... instructed those human cubs for a bit."

"Inspect the living conditions of the people?"

Kuma looked entirely unconvinced. She had just heard that the great witch was in the square serving soup to orphans! And even teaching them how to read!

"My Lord! You are a witch!"

Kuma was heartbroken. "Those humans... those ants! How could you lower your status to serve them? If word of this gets back to the Demon Realm, what will happen to your majesty!"

"Majesty?"

Felsy sat on the sofa, picked up her teacup, and took a sip. "A true powerhouse disdains putting on airs in front of the weak."

"Besides."

She recalled the speed at which those children learned to read, then glanced at the not-so-smart fox in front of her.

"Those children learned things quite quickly. They memorized it after I taught them twice."

Felsy cast a side-glance at Kuma, her tone carrying a hint of disgust. "Much smarter than you. If you had even half their comprehension, our intelligence network would have been established long ago."

"I..."

Kuma felt like she had taken an arrow to the knee.

She was actually being compared to human cubs? And she lost?!

"My Lord! You've changed!"

Kuma cried out aggrievedly. "You weren't like this before! You used to hate humans the most! Now... now you're becoming more and more like a... like a..."

She didn't dare say the rest of the words.

Like a genuinely good person. Or rather, like a true, gentle wife.

"Like a what?" Felsy narrowed her eyes.

"Like a... profoundly unfathomable wise sage!"

Kuma instantly chickened out, forcefully saving face. "This must be your high-end strategy of 'infiltrating the masses and dismantling the enemy from within'! This subordinate is in awe! This subordinate will go face the wall and ponder over my mistakes right now, striving to improve my IQ!"

Watching Kuma flee in panic.

Felsy shook her head and let out a soft chuckle.

"Disintegrating the enemy, huh?"

She looked out the window just in time to see Lynch approaching from a distance, carrying a bag of her favorite pastries in his hand.

Felsy stood up, walked to the door, and smoothed out her skirt. That slightly silly, blissful smile from earlier this morning reappeared on her face.

If this was what it meant to be "reformed."

Then she was more than willing to keep "degenerating" like this forever.

Anyway...

As long as that idiot liked it, being a "good guy" didn't seem like such a bad thing after all.