The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 124: Counting your blessing is always better when you have a lot of it

Chapter 124: Counting your blessing is always better when you have a lot of it

"Was it a lie?" I asked later, after I got calmer. After we both got calmer.

He looked taken aback, as if I was about to accuse him of mortal sins, hands pausing in the air as he tried to fetch a warm robe for me. "What is?"

"That you..." I fiddled with the edge of my clothes, feeling embarrassed even as I asked it. "That you couldn’t come with me today..."

Oh gosh--now I sounded like a spoiled man who felt petty because his boyfriend didn’t accompany him for an outing. So mature, Val.

"No," he grabbed the robe from the drawer and draped it over me, as he looked me straight in the eyes. "I might not tell you everything, but I wouldn’t lie to you."

"So...you’re really in a conference?"

"Yes," he stroked my cheek slightly, before pulling me to my feet. "I was escaping the luncheon."

Ah, right. It was right at lunch break. I felt like I heard something about him wanting to take me to lunch before I cut him off and went inside the chamber.

Oh, crap--now I felt bad.

"I can’t make up a false activity lest they would feel suspicious of the circumstances, so all I could do was make the event coincidentally overlaps," Natha explained as we walked out of the dressing room. "I wanted to see what those rats would do if they knew I couldn’t be there instantly."

"And...did they do something?"

"Oh, they did," even while the bedroom was still only lit dimly by the flame of the fireplace, I could see his deep, eerie smile. "Haikal did it purely for his passion, but even if he didn’t, one of the rats would come out to suggest it themselves."

I raised my brow and almost stopped on my track. "You mean...the duel?"

"That too, but more about taking out the Spear," Natha took my hand this time, leading me to walk downstairs. He paused for a bit as he glanced at the hand that he held, the one where the mark of Alveitya was carved in my palm. "Do you think the Spear would just go out of the way to stab someone just because they felt panic and afraid?"

Ugh...well, I thought it was a panic-induced fighting spirit, but...

"Bloodlust only came out with killing in mind. It wasn’t something that came out just for defensive purposes."

Right...bloodlust. I did feel it, but because there were a lot of other frightened, panicked, chaotic emotions in the mix, it was getting obscured. "So...you mean, when Alveitya first pointed into that soldier..."

Natha didn’t answer with a word. He just smiled and stroked the back of my head as we headed downstairs for delayed dinner, which already gave me ample confirmation.

"Oh, God--I think I need to apologize to my Spear!" I gasped, recalling how I scolded Alveitya badly this morning. Jade’s chirping noise as it flew down from its room above also reminded me that I had scolded the little bird too for the same thing.

"I think that’s a good thing, though, that you gave them a warning like that," Natha patted my shoulder and seated me on the dining chair while Jade landed on the table.

Well, I thought so too, but I’d still offer my apology later. For now, I patted the little bird on the table, stroking the green head and turquoise wings gently. Jade, confused as it might, giggled and nuzzle on my palm.

"Was there a lot?" I asked Natha after I hand-feed a few jellies to Jade as an apology. "The rats."

Natha, who was in the middle of cutting meat and transferring it to my plate, paused, as if he was contemplating whether he wanted to share the information with me or not. But he looked into my eyes, and I could spot that he still felt rather guilty about the whole morning debacle, so he eventually told me.

"There are a few," he said, leading my hand to the fork as if telling me that he wouldn’t elaborate more if I didn’t eat. "We marked the one acting suspiciously after you took out the Spear, and the shadows are following them so we can find out who these rats belonged to."

"I see..."

I took the fork and nibbled on the roast meat while mulling this event. Of course, I knew there were those who wouldn’t like me being here, it was something that I had already come to terms with. After all, not even all ten of Natha’s vassals supported my existence. But so far, Natha had been sheltering me so well from any semblance of dissent.

He always surrounded me with those who were friendly. Malta, the super-busy Chief Secretary even play guide for me. Arta always spent her free time playing and having tea time with me, especially when Zia came. I wouldn’t even need to elaborate on how Lesta and Eruha had been helping me with my study, whether it was regarding language or the demon realm in general. I hadn’t seen Opti after the first time, since the demon was still on a covert mission somewhere, but he had been sending me little trinkets he randomly found through the mail. I saw Caba, but when he was nearby, he never failed to greet me, getting less awkward each time.

And the servants in the private quarters were those that were carefully picked by Natha, who had no beef or bad feelings toward humans. So they had been treating me really well, even without Natha around. It was kind of awkward for me at first, since I was too used to facing the humanoid golems in the Lair, but they were patient and kind, and I never felt like I didn’t belong.

It was like living in a bubble of joy and safety. The places I visit were those that were safe for me; the garden, the greenhouse, the library. Eruha even taught me shortcuts that made it possible for me to move without being seen or passing by other demons in the castle.

It made me forget sometimes, that there were still those who saw me as an enemy. Or just a nuisance, probably.

"Are you worried?" Natha asked me suddenly. As usual, he was watching me eating, and he probably noticed that I was thinking about something from the slow pace of my chewing.

Again, I pondered his question.

Was I worried?

I would lie if I said I didn’t. But I was also astonished at how Natha had managed to cover me in a figurative bubble wrap since the first time I stepped into the Castle, even without hiding my presence.

"No," I told him, truthfully.

Rather than worry, the fact that I even forgot about that opposition voice told me that I was blessed enough to have so many good things surrounding me it obscured the bads.

"I have you," I said while looking at his curling silver eyes. "I have new friends that will protect me here too," my lips curled at his smiling face. "Right?"

"Yes," he stroked my cheek and pinched it lightly. "That’s right, so you just need to enjoy your days here to your heart’s content, okay?"

Was it because I was mad at him earlier? I felt like I missed him, like I hadn’t seen him for a while. It made my heart vibrate lightly with delight at his playful touch. "Just my days?" I tilted my head, squinting my eyes slightly.

"The nights are for my enjoyment," he replied without batting a breath.

"Hey!" I dropped my fork and caught Jade’s head, covering the little bird’s hearing. "Pervert!" I hissed in a low voice. I hadn’t even gotten my parental books!

*Chirp?* Jade tilted its head, totally confused as to why I suddenly trapped it between my palms, blinking the beady green eyes innocently.

I hadn’t even found an answer as to why I slept with Natha on the same bed!

"I wasn’t even saying anything vulgar," Natha chuckled, but proceed to rub my lips while whispering. "Aren’t you the pervert one for reacting like that? What do you think I would do to your nights anyway?"

I bit my lips and pressed my palms to the squeaking little bird even more, while the mischievous demon smiled charmingly and leaned back without any semblance of remorse for the damaging effect he might cause on my child’s moral education.

"Anyway, talking about protection," and he just went on with the conversation like nothing happened too. "It seemed like you’ve won yet another one of my subordinates."

"...Huh?"

He pulled my hands off the confused chirping little bird and put them on the side of my plate again. "Haikal asked if you might be down to do that again when you come to the training ground in the future."

Do ’that’ again? You mean dueling...sparing...whatever?

"Uhh...well..." biting the inside of my cheek, I mulled over the experience I had today. I wouldn’t say it was fun, honestly. I was so worried today.

I was afraid Alveitya would get out of my control and hurt them. And I was afraid for myself like--hello? I was just a bedridden young man who wasn’t even allowed to peel my own fruit. I had to thank this body’s muscle memory and Alveitya guiding me through the art, while vehemently trying not to hurt the demons and getting hurt myself.

Hmm...now that I thought about it, there were one or two who were particularly aggressive during the spar today. I wondered if it was just a passionate spirit, or if it was one of the ’rats’ Natha mentioned.

"You don’t have to agree if you don’t like it, sweetheart," Natha broke my pondering. "It’s not an order."

He looked me, straight in the eyes, as if he was trying to make a point, which unconsciously made me focus a bit more. "He’s not one to give orders to you, it’s the other way around, okay?"

"I..."

I was going to say that I wouldn’t have the heart to give orders to his subordinate, as if they were mine. But I paused as I looked into the firm, gleaming pair of moonlights. Because I realized that was the point he was trying to make; that I could.

"I’ll...think about it when I’m in the mood..." I continued, rather hesitatingly.

But he smiled in response, so I gathered that was good enough. "Alright," he patted my head gently as if praising me. "I’ll tell him that."

He didn’t stop patting my head though, and as I tilted my head confusedly, he gave me a deep smile. "I have a gift for your hard work today."

"A gift?"

[Candy?]

The smile went wider as he told me, like a professional trafficker. "Our runaway elf has been packaged and is on his way here."