The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 103: Is there really no such thing as too much spoiling?

Chapter 103: Is there really no such thing as too much spoiling?

"I could see you frolicking from all the way here, my Lord."

The first thing that greeted us in the greenhouse was Lesta leaning into the door and commenting with a playful smirk. I had this thought that he seemed to look like a calm and collected person at first, but as I spend more time with him, I could see the casual playfulness that he shared with his twin.

"Your point?" Natha replied with a flat tone as we entered the greenhouse, which meant he could either be a bit spiky about that or just didn’t care. Hmm...tough line.

But Lesta also responded with an easy smile. "That I’m glad there’s a guarantee of you being in a good mood throughout the day."

"Cheeky, aren’t you?" Natha scoffed while shoving the large fern away from the pathway for me.

As I thought, he did act rather differently with his close vassals. More cordial--or perhaps it was because he was in a good mood? I felt kind of bad for Heraz that had to face the peeved Natha last night.

"My Liege,"

Suddenly, I heard an unfamiliar voice, and automatically turned my head toward the new demon. I was truly looking forward to meeting her, since Natha said she could be said to be his first loyal subordinate. She was also Lesta and Arta’s older sister, and I heard the only other demon that Caba was scared of besides Natha was her.

She...looked normal, however. I was kind of expecting someone with a hulking physique like a female barbarian. But she looked slender and pretty, which strangely reminded me of a very normal secretary. Not to mention she still wearing formal office clothes, even though Lesta was coming here in casual clothing.

Hmm...like a very textbook, honor student-like secretary? Looked very reliable, I must say.

Even the way she turned in my direction looked very disciplined, and she bowed perfectly like a high-class proprietress. "Young Master."

I had to say that she made me feel like I should act properly. If Eruha carried a teacher or scholarly vibe, this one definitely felt like a disciplinary committee supervisor.

Still, I didn’t feel the need to act timid or nervous now. Maybe because I had met five vassals already, even going through all that debacle with the bald hound. So I could reply to her easily. "Oh, you must be Malta," I responded with a smile once she lifted her head. "We should have met before, but I’m sorry that I can’t say I remember you."

"No, we can’t really say that we met exactly," she replied diplomatically, but with a subtle smile that slightly softened her stony complexion. I had a feeling that would be the most change I could observe from his face today...or ever.

"Mm, true..." I nodded in agreement. Technically, we only present in the same space twice, without even exchanging gazes. "Well, it’s nice to finally meet you."

"The pleasure’s mine, Young Master," she nodded her head, and gestured at the path leading to the seating area. "I know this is your place, Young Master, so forgive us for doing whatever we want without consulting you."

Wow...she really stuck to the protocol--or was that just empty politeness? No matter, because right then we walked past the big plants and came into the opening of the seating area. Although...I wasn’t sure what to call it anymore after seeing the nice little swing bed in the corner, with plush pillows that seemed to be nice for a leisurely reading followed by a nap.

Mm...I noted that down in my mental list of ’Things To Do In Demon Lord Castle’, aside from exploring secret passages and stealing the Lord’s cookies.

Only after I felt Natha’s gaze on me that I stirred. "That wasn’t there the last time,"

"Do you like it?" Natha stood behind me and put his chin on my head, holding my waist while at it.

"You spoil me too much..."

"There’s no such thing as ’too much’ when it comes to spoiling you,"

"Ugh--" the one who responded was Zia, again with her disgusted tone. "Are you bringing me here just to brag about how lovey-dovey you are?" she pursed her lips and crossed her arms in annoyance, only to have Natha wave his hand nonchalantly.

"Then go home," said the Castle’s Lord.

Zia seemed like she was about to chirp--I mean, yelled--out loud in protest like Jade, but someone else already shouting loudly. "Young Lady!"

"Arta!" immediately, the irritated girl perked up and turn around. Dhuarta, finally graced us with her presence, was walking toward us with a big basket of assorted snacks in her hand.

Just like a scene I saw in school drama, they skipped and jumped toward each other, hugging cheerfully like a pair of long-separated besties. No longer paying any mind to us, not even greeting the Lord, the two immediately huddled together on one of the couches. Greeting exchange turned into secretive whispers in no time, and while the rest of us were still standing here, they were already lost in their own world.

"Wow, they really are that close..." I couldn’t help but giggle at how fast they forget about us after seeing each other’s faces.

Zia should have just stayed here if they acted like this, to be honest. Why did she adamantly refuse to live in the Lord’s Castle? Was it that bad, to be treated as a foreign envoy? Eeh--what would I know about that. She probably had some unsavory experience regarding that if she disliked it so much.

"Arta is the only one who keeps corresponding with the Young Lady, so it’s to be expected," Lesta told us. I did hear that from the demon herself, but I didn’t think they would be ’close’ close.

"She’s the one who keeps informing Zidoa about the capital’s gossip," Natha suddenly added information with his dry tone, which I thought was quite funny.

Well, definitely a sure way to be besties. I watched them while Malta and Lesta were preparing the table for our small little afternoon gathering. Something came over my mind suddenly, as I saw them. "Looks fun," I muttered, replaying the memories of my past life. Of sneaking away from the nurses and huddled in a small corner of the ward, talking about a story plotline. Of brazenly laying on the grass and listening about fantasy lores--or just talking shit about the grumpy head nurse and annoying residents. "Reminding me of my friend..."

"Oh, from the kingdom?" Lesta asked while setting down some moist-looking purple cake that I really wanted to taste. "I’m sure you can visit them again once the situation in the human realm calms down, Young Master."

"Hmm? Oh, no, there’s no need for that," I looked at the basket of sweets and wondered if there was a leftover I could taste before they got delivered to the table. "They’re dead anyway," I added while snatching a biscuit that was left inside a jar. Well...aside from being dead, my ’friend’ did not exist in this world in the first place.

"Ah..."

Taking the biscuit with me, I took a seat and nibbled on the snacks. Friend...I guessed I could call us ’friends’? She spent two years in the hospital before she died, and we were quite close back then. Mainly because we similarly had no one who would visit us, whether it was friends or family. The one who pay me a visit was the family’s lawyer, and with her, it was her editor.

Hmm...but I wondered about it more and more. If I could transmigrate here after my death, it wouldn’t be strange thinking that the girl also somehow woke up here, because...come on--it made more sense for the author to wake up in their novel, right?

That was actually why I had been wanting to meet the investor of those failed products. I didn’t really have any intention of revealing my transmigration, and I definitely wasn’t on a mission to find a way back--since I was already dead and all. But I did want to find out whether there were other people who came from another world, especially from Earth. I wanted to see if there was a possibility for the author girl to end up here too.

And if I could find her, I could get the rest of the world’s storyline from her. You know, just for some... insurance. So I was glad that Heraz said it wouldn’t be long until they caught the runaway elf.

Besides the elf, there were still two other inventors, if I recalled correctly. At least, the ones contracted to Natha. I wondered if the plot would bring the hero toward the ’inventor’ on the human side...

"Natha, about the inventor in the hum--what?" as I lifted my gaze to talk to Natha, I realized that they were all staring at me; Natha, Malta, Lesta--even the two gossip girls were quiet.

...why? What did I do wrong? I looked down at the biscuit in my hand and gasped a little. Was it impolite to eat first before everyone was seated and the tea was served?

"Umm--"

"Nothing," Natha said with a smile before I could voice my confusion, patting the side of my head. "You’re lovely."

"Huh?" that came out of nowhere. He did not usually say things like that in front of others--except probably Zia, since the girl also lived in our living space.

And amidst my confusion, the said succubus suddenly hugged my shoulder from behind, as usual hanging there like a giant-size Jade. "Val," I tilted my head to look at the suddenly clingy girl. "Am I not your friend?"

"You are," I replied unhesitatingly, but also in confusion. What’s with this sudden weird vibe? I didn’t even dare to finish my half-eaten biscuit.

"Then," before I even get over my confusion about the succubus’s antic, Dhuarta suddenly crouched down beside my chair. "What about me, Young Master?"

"...what about you?"

"Can I be your friend too?"

I blinked slowly at the sudden request, and could only tilt my head in response. "Sure?"

I mean...who am I to refuse someone who wanted to be my friend? But oh...it kind of made me happy? I never had a proper one before, except for the author girl. Although I didn’t think we ever talked about anything other than the novel content and medical workers.

Friends...sounded nice. I never thought I would have demons as my first friends in this new world, but it didn’t change how nice it felt.

The atmosphere was rather weird, but Zia’s giggling sound and Arta’s wide grin brought a smile to my face.

Truly, they were spoiling me too much.