The maid squad is too strong, what use is there for me, the Demon King?

Alpha finally turned his gaze away from the direction where Gray and Philippa had disappeared, glancing indifferently at his noisy subordinates and the resentful Sophia. His cool voice rang out through his visor: "Kappa, keep the mental link open. After Ipsilon finishes its procurement, rendezvous via the link and continue the 'vigilance and observation' mission. Be careful to maintain distance and do not interfere with the target."

"Understood~ Leave it to me!" Kappa replied with a grin, then closed his eyes, and an invisible mental wave spread out, connecting the scattered "tourism group" members together.

Not long after, Ipsilon came out carrying a huge, exquisite gift box with the "Sweet Time" logo on it—clearly, she had not only fulfilled Sofia's "huge" order, but also brought one for herself and others.

After confirming Gray and Philippa's direction of travel through Capa's mental link, the eerie team sprang into action once more.

Ipsyron carefully stored the dessert boxes in his storage space, ready to redistribute them at the appropriate time.

In the mental link, Kappa's voice rang out again, tinged with excitement: "Attention all units! Target has entered the craft district ahead! Atmosphere is good, holding hands continues! OVER!"

On the other end of the link, one could vaguely "hear" Sofia moving along while angrily chewing on her cake, as well as Taric and Phoenix's helpless sighs.

Leaving the dessert shop filled with a sweet aroma, Gray took Philippa's hand and continued walking along the bustling pedestrian street. The warm sunlight shone on them, and the cozy atmosphere of sharing desserts still lingered between them.

Gray mentally planned his next route. On Capa's "date spot recommendation list," the next location seemed to be the central square not far ahead, where street performers and small markets often took place—it should be quite interesting.

However, just as they were about to cross an intersection, Gray's gaze inadvertently swept over a building on the street corner that was decorated in an exceptionally exquisite manner, even with a touch of ambiguous warm colors.

The eye-catching signboard with "Dream Crystal" written in cursive script, and the pair of well-dressed shop assistants with mysterious smiles at the entrance, made him freeze for a moment.

He remembered.

When Kappa handed him that long list, she deliberately drew three huge star symbols on this item with her shimmering pink fingertips, and emphasized with a wink: "Lord Shadow~! This! This is the ultimate holy land for a 'qualitative change' in your relationship! The atmosphere, the privacy, and that... umm~ you know~! Just go in, and I guarantee your relationship will advance by leaps and bounds! I guarantee it with the dignity of a succubus!"

Now, Gray has evolved a little from being just a piece of wood, and fully understands the deeper meaning of "hotel" in the context of dating, which goes beyond just "a place to rest."

"..." Gray's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, and a black line seemed to slide down his forehead.

Almost instinctively, he tightened his grip on Philippa's hand, his pace quickening almost imperceptibly, as if the "Dream Crystal" was some kind of monstrous threat he wanted to get away from as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, he mentally cursed the pink-haired succubus for the 101st time, utterly speechless. 'That Kappa guy… what is he thinking all day! How could he possibly bring Philippa to a place like this!'

While he still wouldn't call himself a seasoned lover, he was at least no longer the clueless "blockhead" he once was about relationships. He knew perfectly well that, given their current stage of "just starting to try holding hands and dating," going into such a place would not only be abrupt but also extremely disrespectful to Philippa.

"Hmm? Gray?" Philippa keenly noticed his sudden stiffness and subtle change in gait. Following the direction Gray's gaze had just swept, she also saw the "Dream Crystal" hotel, which looked very expensive.

She blinked her large amber eyes, a look of innocent confusion on her face. "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with that hotel?"

In her opinion, it was just a nice-looking hotel; perhaps Gray thought the price was too high? Or maybe she didn't like the style?

Gray coughed lightly, quickly suppressing his unusual behavior and regaining his usual calm tone. He stared straight ahead, as if his earlier outburst had never happened: "Nothing. I was just thinking about some trivial things."

He paused, then used a gentler voice to divert her attention, "Let's head to the next stop. I remember the square ahead was quite lively."

Philippa hadn't paid much attention to the inn to begin with, and seeing that Gray said everything was fine, she put aside her minor doubts. Her attention was quickly drawn to the "lively square" Gray described, and her face lit up with an expectant smile again: "Great! Let's go take a look!"

Trusting Gray to lead her, she followed him with light steps, quickly forgetting the little incident about the hotel.

Seeing Philippa's bright and expectant expression return, Gray secretly breathed a sigh of relief, which also strengthened his resolve to completely ignore the second half of Capa's unreliable "recommendation list".

'It's better to go about dating at your own pace.' He thought to himself, taking the girl's hand beside him and resolutely walking in the opposite direction from the "Dream Crystal."

Meanwhile, in the distance, Kappa, who "saw" this scene through the mental link, was heartbroken and wailed in the link: "Ahhh! Lord Shadow! What a great opportunity! 'Dream Crystal'! Top-notch atmosphere! How could you have missed it! My heartfelt recommendation—!"

In response, she received Alpha's cold, warning gaze, and Sofia's increasingly volatile, almost tangible resentment upon hearing the name of the hotel.

The instant Gray's gaze swept over the "Dream Crystal" hotel and he noticeably quickened his pace to avoid it, Sophia, who had witnessed the entire process from the shadows in the distance, froze as if struck by lightning.

Her fiery eyes were fixed on the hotel sign, her breath caught in her throat, and countless terrifying images flashed through her mind of her pure and innocent princess being tricked and dragged into such a place by that black-haired devil. Her blood almost rushed to her head!

'He wouldn't dare! If he dares to bring Philippa in—!'

Her fists clenched tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms. An urge to rush out and break that bastard's legs made her almost break free from the shadow's restraints.