The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 155: The relationship between two people does not need consent from the third one

Chapter 155: The relationship between two people does not need consent from the third one

We went through several more villages and towns. There was a recurring theme that they all seemed to be geared toward tourism. It wasn’t just the pretty aesthetic, but also the fact that they had a significant number of inns, restaurants, and even souvenir shops.

And Jade called out every candy shop that those beady eyes caught.

But what took my attention was the road. We were touring the whole northeastern region from the moment we landed until sunset, only stopping for a short lunch in one of the towns. And in that few hours of traveling, we managed to fulfill the itinerary. Granted, the carriage wheel had never stopped, but it was still a huge feat in this world.

And it was possible because the road here was great. They weren’t just flattened dirt, but crushed gravel and something close to asphalt, just white in color, which turned greyish from the sand and soil brought by carriages’ wheels and beasts’ hoofs. What also surprised me was the provided sidewalk pavement for those who traveled on foot. Now that I thought about it, the city where we went to for the festival also had great infrastructure.

Now, I wouldn’t think this was great or anything if this place was the first place that I visited. But the first place I visited was Lenaar, and I could tell you they were shit.

Remember when I told you I didn’t have a good experience with carriage rides? Yeah, that was because I had to endure broken, uneven land that made me feel like I was doing some offroad challenges while I was in Lenaar. With my tattered body nonetheless.

Yes, this carriage also had a better suspension system, but I was sure even with the same normal horse carriage I used in Lenaar, the journey would still feel better here.

Was this something that only occurred in Natha’s territory, or was Leenar just a shitty kingdom in general?

I asked the vassals about it during our lunch break, and they told me that yes, this was something special about the realm of greed. Or rather, this was something special about Natha’s reign.

"It’s the main thing that His Lordship pushed at the beginning of his reign; improving the transportation system," Lesta told me. "He said since we specialized in commerce, smooth distribution channels should be our utmost priority."

"Thanks to that, I rarely have a headache managing the castle’s logistics," Arta grinned.

"And it truly improved the citizen’s livelihood," Opti added. "It’s not just making commercial activities easier, but quickening the time people need to travel between places, including the soldiers."

"So better security too," I concluded, to which Caba responded with a thumbs up.

"That’s also what made Eru agree to come to us," Lesta said with a smirk.

Hmm...come for the infrastructure, stay for the boyfriend?

I nodded at their explanation. In conclusion, my Demon Lord was a revolutioner. Very protagonist material. And from their added explanation, the construction was done to the most remote place, unless the path needed to go past a forest. Perhaps that was why the citizens’ approval rating for Natha was high.

Not that they had any right or ability to choose their Lord, but at the very least, they didn’t have to suffer under an unqualified Lord.

Anyway, it almost felt like we were traveling in a car, what with the carriage could be converted to be with or without a roof. Once the sun started to set, we put the roof back on and headed back to Lu’ann.

"Is this why we’re using flying carriage? Because it doesn’t require pulling beasts?" I asked Natha as the carriage rolled inside the city. If the beasts had to travel non-stop at high speed like that, they might get burdened.

"That," Natha nodded, "And because there will be instances where we wouldn’t be able to find a place to land, so the ship had to be anchored in the sky."

I see...so using the flying carriages came with many benefits. I wondered how much this would cost though, since the carriages were fueled by mana stones. Drumming into the side of the carriage, I wondered if using this was equivalent to the wealthy who used cars when the others still used horses-pulled carriages in the nineteenth century.

Now that I thought about it, the building in this city seemed to resemble nineteenth-century Earth too. It was neat and pretty clean, and the main road was wide enough for four carriages to stand side by side. The manor where we heading was located on a small hill, and while much smaller than the Lord Castle--obviously--was pretty big on its own. It was clear that this wasn’t the Mayor’s manor, but the Di clan manor.

Just like this morning, there were already demons waiting in reception; the servants and the masters of the manor currently available. I saw that guy, Hagai, and his father, the Mayor.

"How’s your trip, Young Master?" the Mayor asked me while we walked to the house, which caught me by surprise, not gonna lie.

"It’s fun," I managed an answer with a graceful smile. "The places around here are beautiful."

"I’m glad you think that," he replied with a smile, and then added in a very quiet voice that only we could hear. "I would like to apologize in advance."

I turned to look at him in surprise and confusion, but he only gave me an apologetic gaze before shifting to the front, just in time for a heavy voice to greet us--err...I mean Natha.

"Forgive this old man for not welcoming you outside, my Lord,"

An old demon in crisp, neat, formal clothes and a mean-looking cane in his hand was coming from the other room; probably a library or something. A throng of demons who seemed to be his attendants followed him behind. He looked like an old version of the Mayor, only with sharper eyes and thinner lips.

Ah, so that was the Elder, the patriarch. I could guess what kind of person he was from the way the other member of the family acted, moreover the servant. They looked like their head would fly if they made even the slightest mistake, always looking down with tense shoulders and alert faces.

It made my respect for the Mayor soar; to think he would defy this strict-looking man that seemed to like going around the place yelling ’You’re courting death!’ or something like that.

The Elder’s sharp eyes shifted briefly toward me, cold and piercing.

Oh, this was funny.

I got the pattern now. I got nervous if the gazes pointed at me were filled with interest, inquisition, and curiosity. But toward a gaze that told me the person had no interest in me whatsoever, or perhaps rather not seeing me at all, I would be fine.

It was because I was already used to that kind of gaze. When you spent more than a decade in a hospital ward, people would just question when you would finally leave; either by getting better or dying. Especially when you were only there to prolong your life for a little bit, without there being any cure. You weren’t a case study, not even a patient anymore. Just...a job; a routine that the caretakers did in annoying boredom--like taking out trash or going through the subway.

I spent a few years getting used to that kind of gaze, so it wouldn’t faze me. Conversely, a seemingly mild interest could make me nervous or giddy, which might be why I fell for the doctor who looked like Natha, despite telling myself something like that was futile. His attention and affection, however momentarily, were warming that year’s winter. It was the happiest time in my first life.

Oh gosh--I shouldn’t think about him when my hand was still inside Natha’s hold.

I shook my head slightly, and looked back at the Elder. He was frowning slightly, maybe because I was staring back at him? I wondered if he considered it as me challenging him or something. Hmm...wouldn’t it be a problem if he did? It wasn’t like I came here to fight. But averting my gaze now made me feel like losing so I didn’t want that.

What to do...

"His Lordship and his companions must be exhausted from the tour," the Mayor interrupted the silence, suddenly positioning himself in front of Natha in a way that I could no longer stare at the Elder. "We should allow them to rest before dinner, Patriarch."

Oof--not even ’father’?

"Hmm," the Elder made another short sound. "Yes, I’ve been neglecting His Lordship’s comfort."

He nodded at Natha, who replied with a deep smile. "You’re very attentive, Elder."

And then, without saying anything else, he turned toward the stairs, gently pulling me with him. I looked at the Elder for the last time, and then at the Mayor, who nodded at me with a smile, before I hasten my steps to balance Natha’s.

Hmm...that wasn’t so bad, I think?

"Haa...I want to curse," Opti hissed as he sunk into the couch of the Lord’s suite. For some reason, they decided to lounge here rather than go to their own room.

Arta sounded her agreement. "Tell me about it."

"Not here," Lesta warned the boy.

"I know."

They weren’t just lounging here, but grumbling. "Why do you want to curse?" I asked them after I changed my traveling clothes to something lighter and more formal.

The answer that I got was keen stares from the four demons, including Caba. When I tilted my head in confusion, Arta asked me with a frown. "What do you mean ’why’, Young Master? They treated you so rudely!"

Huh...was this about the Elder?

"You are His Lordship’s partner, his future spouse. But he wasn’t even greeting you," Opti added with a grunt. It felt quite jarring since I had only ever seen his cheery cheeky expression.

Even Caba sighed from the door where he stood guard. "I know I was part of that side too before, but...even if I was still there, I would never go that far. It’s not just rude to you, Young Master, but also go His Lordship."

"That’s right!" Opti chimed in aggressively.

"Oh..." I didn’t know what else to say. I was happy though, that they seemed to be angry on my behalf.

But they didn’t think my reaction was enough. "Oh? Just oh? Don’t you feel annoyed, Young Master?" Opti asked with a frown--I quite enjoyed his fuming face, looking more genuine than usual.

"It’s okay, Young Master. You don’t have to care about an old man’s antics like that," Arta said while putting a coat over my shoulder.

Aww...look at them worrying about me. "I’m fine," I said with a smile. I didn’t want them to worry about me like that, thinking that I might be stressed over it.

"Huh?"

"I’m used to it," I added with a shrug.

My response was met with silence as they stared at me weirdly, so I added immediately. "Besides, umm...didn’t you just say that I shouldn’t care about it?"

"No--I mean, it’s good if it’s not affecting you, Young Master," Lesta let out a sigh. "But that doesn’t make it okay for the Elder to disrespect you like that."

"Well, he’s entitled to his opinion," again, I shrug. "If he has the will to understand, he might change his mind--I mean, Caba did...right?" I looked at the bald demon, who replied with a sheepish grin. "And if he doesn’t want to, there’s no point in doing anything in the first place."

I didn’t know what made them disagree with me so much, not because I thought I was naturally awesome, but because I knew there were a lot of reasons available. From me being ’not-demon’ and used to kill demons, to me basically a commoner. I just didn’t know which part exactly they hated about me.

But even if I knew, there was nothing I could do about it. Those were things I couldn’t change, and things that Natha didn’t mind. So it didn’t matter in the end, because the one who was in a relationship with me was Natha, not the Elder.

"I’m just going to spend my day like usual, and if he didn’t like it--"

"He can lump it," Natha finished my thought, the voice came behind me. I felt his cold hands on my shoulder and cold lips on my crown. "Because my bride is unbeatable."