The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 135: One does not simply come to insult the host

Chapter 135: One does not simply come to insult the host

"Are you telling me to leave Natha?"

I didn’t realize it immediately, but I was raising my voice then. No, I wasn’t yelling, just became a bit loud and probably sounded offended. Jade, perhaps feeling my fluctuating emotions, flew down from the pillar and landed on my shoulder.

But I had no leeway to respond to the little bird’s inquisitive stare and its incessant question about whether or not I was alright. I was too busy returning the unapologetic gaze from the elves.

"The child of nature should live in the land blessed by Lady Apheriel, it’s where they rightly belonged," the elf lady said, in an annoyingly calm voice as if she never considered what she insinuated was downright rude to me and Natha.

Oh, I’m so going to join Izzi to badmouth them next time.

I was offended, but I also know getting angry wouldn’t get me through it. Because looked at them being completely nonchalant and unapologetic. They certainly didn’t think they did or said anything wrong, which was baffling me.

So I took a deep breath and spoke in a calmer tone to match their countenance. "But I’m bound to him."

And by that, I meant I had this contract thing with him, about becoming his bride. Even if that contract was rather a moot point right now, since we were progressing willingly into a serious relationship. But you know...I felt like it was a good enough reason to get them off my case.

Apparently not.

"You shouldn’t have to be," one of the elves said.

"If you so wish, we would gladly cover whatever price you have to pay," another one added.

Ah, so now they thought it was blackmail. That I was kept here because of an unfulfilled debt. What did I have to say, though, to convey that they were like...five months too late?

And then, I heard Natha laughing. It wasn’t a joyful one, but low and almost eerie. "You’re just blatantly trying to take away my bride now, huh?" the pavilion felt cold then, as if winter had suddenly come to the garden. "In my own territory."

I could see the elves became slightly pale, and the glowing aura from their bright hair and eyes was dimming in the face of the harsh cold. The female elf still had her smile on, but her knuckles were white atop her lap. The other elves froze stiff for a few seconds, before clenching their fists and steeling their eyes.

As Jade dove behind my hair and shivered against my neck, I held into Natha’s arm. I felt the cold receding around me, but I wasn’t sure about the elves, since they still looked pale. I stared at the hardening golden eyes in front of me and told her in disappointment.

"I don’t think this is right."

I could kind of see what was going on. For some reason that I didn’t know, Natha was letting these elves freely voice their opinion about where I should belong. There might even be involvement from the factions that didn’t want me to be here. And since Natha had kept his silence and let them meet me, the elves mistakenly thought they could just say anything.

Including openly insinuating the Lord to let go of his lover.

Were they really that confident that there wouldn’t be any repercussions? Or was it because they were confident they would be able to persuade me somehow?

The female elf, Issa, returned my stern gaze with her own steely one, before she sighed and opted to retract the aggressive persuasion. Using her melodious, soft voice, she talked to me gently. "We’re not forcing anything. But Your Excellency had the right to know your roots."

Who said I didn’t have the right? I looked at her dumbfoundedly.

"If Your Excellency is being kept here because of a contract, we just want you to know that we can offer our support," she continued, sounding very sympathetic.

My eyes narrowed as I voice out my suspicion about their thought. "Are you implying that Natha kept me here against my will?"

"We’re simply--"

"No," I cut her firmly, and she blinked at my dry tone. I was getting tired of trying to be polite. Why should I, when they were this rude?

"Pardon?" the elves were visibly baffled, perhaps because I had been facing this meeting with a meek attitude before. Like, even if I was annoyed, I retracted my temper and reasoned with them.

Well, I was through with that. "The answer to that question, and your offer, is no."

I told them matter-of-factly, without removing my gaze from the elf lady. The way they looked at me was like those senior members of the family when the younger generation talked back to them.

Which made me realize that they were probably looking at me as a child. Because clearly, they saw me as a druid instead of a human, and in their eyes, I was no more than a kid. Like how I saw Jade.

So what I needed to do, was show them that I wasn’t a child. That I had my own mind, and that I could voice said mind.

"If you must know, I’m the one who sought him first," I continued after the space was only filled with silence for a while. "He saved my life, and he still doing it now."

I glanced toward the Demon Lord, who was wordlessly watching me with fingers over his mouth.

"Even so--"

"I will not--" I shifted my gaze back to the elves, staring at Issa with a serious gaze that I hope conveyed my unbending stance on this matter. "I will not tolerate your slander toward my future husband."

The golden eyes shook slightly, and I could feel Natha’s cold fingers on mine. When I turned my head to look at him, he was no longer covering his mouth, so I could see his little smile. And was that...a slight blush beneath his eyes?

Oh God--I just realized I blurted out some pretty embarrassing things. I cleared my throat just so I didn’t have to reel in my momentary fluster, and set my eyes back to the elves, who still looked kind of shocked.

Perhaps they could finally feel like I wasn’t being brainwashed or deceived? I hope so, anyway. "Oh, and I assure you I am not being brainwashed," I told them for good measure, which resulted in a snorting sound coming from the Demon Lord beside me.

"Your Excellency..." the elves sighed, but I cut them immediately.

"You shouldn’t treat me as royalty," I frowned slightly. Now that I gained the courage to speak, I better voiced my discomfort too about other matters. "It’s not like there’s a kingdom anymore."

"Your Excellency," Issa straightened her back and made a serious face--even more serious than when she asked me to leave this place. "So long as the royal blood still persists, the kingdom would never fall," she said. "The kingdom of druids is not determined by its palace, but by the blessed blood flowing within them."

They sounded so sincere and earnest that I almost got taken aback. "I see," I muttered, before tilting my head slightly and asking coldly. "If they are so important, how is it that you left them crumbling in the war?"

Again, the elves froze with widened eyes. "We are..."

"Forgive me, Your Excellency," Issa cut her fellow elf, looking straight at me with a complicated gaze. There was hesitation, and probably a little bit of guilt and regret. "That matter is not something we have the right to divulge."

The elves behind her made the same uncomfortable expression, and Issa continued with a rueful smile, head lowered slightly in what I guessed was an attempt at courtesy. "We beseech your understanding."

"Is that so?" still with fingers intertwined with Natha, I returned their smile with a dry one on my own. "The matter between me and Natha is also not something you have the right to meddle," my eyes curled, just like the corner of my lips. "I invoked your understanding."

I held my gaze, hopefully fierce enough to make them see that I had my own agency despite my young age. Yes, I know I didn’t have much experience, but I had enough insight to determine my own mind and make my own choice.

Falling in love and choosing to embrace that feeling was my own choice.

So, being treated as if the choice that I made after struggling with my mind so much was a result of deceit did not bode well with my forbearance.

The elf lady held my gaze for a while, until she finally sighed and this time, bowed her head more earnestly. "Yes," she said. "We speak too far. Once again, we beg your utmost forgiveness."

"Of course," I let the warmth crawl into my eyes and smiled. "So long as you’re not repeating it."

The elf lady returned my smile, and her gentle voice was back. "I understand."

"And it’s not like Natha forbid me to go anywhere," I turned to look at the Demon Lord, who still hadn’t said anything amidst all of this. "Right?"

"Why would I ask for a druid teacher if I want to isolate you?" the Lord shrugged and spread his arms.

"Yes, we see we were being too hasty."

"No, you’re just being wrong,"

The elf lady pressed her lips at the Lord’s response, but she seemed to realize that Natha was no longer willing to play nice anymore, so if she resigned from making any comebacks. Instead, she turned her gaze to me again. "In any case, allow us to apologize."

She then proceeded to give a signal to the other elves. One of them came forward and fetch something from their dimensional storage; an intricate box made of white timber and fitted with preservation spells.

"We brought something that might interest you," the elf lady said, as the elf that brought out the box opened the lid. "We would like you to have it, as an apology."

Inside, laid in a light gold velvet, was a scroll with familiar patterns on the parchment lining and the cord sealing it. The moment I saw it, I knew what it was; one of the scrolls from the druid’s royal treasury.

My first reaction wasn’t to marvel over the scroll, but to look at Natha. He smiled at me, a satisfied one, and it clicked right then.

Why did Natha tolerate these elves’ attitude, why did he agree to this meeting, even though he must clearly know what they were trying to pull.

It was for this. For this scroll, that I had requested from way back. He must have asked to buy this scroll from them, and in exchange, they asked for a meeting with me.

God--if it wasn’t for all these people, I would have jumped onto his lap and kissed him.