The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 163: They said a fight is a fertilizer for relationship

Chapter 163: They said a fight is a fertilizer for relationship

Throwing up twice in a day...was nostalgic.

Again, it reminded me of the old days, when I was still sick. Not just on Earth, but those first two months here when I couldn’t eat solid food well. The difference was that there was no pain this time. It just felt like I was drinking some bitter liquid and letting it back out because I couldn’t swallow it.

And against my better judgment, I chuckled at those memories, while the black filth dripped off my mouth. It got me choked on it a little bit and the rest of the dark substance left my body in a fit of cough.

"Young Master!"

I heard loud anxious shouts and a cold breeze brushing me. The next thing I knew, I was getting snatched back, bundled in a big coat that smelled of parchment and sandalwood, and my feet were no longer touching the ground.

It took me a couple of seconds to realize I was being carried in Natha’s embrace. Due to the poor lighting, I couldn’t see his face, but I could feel his anger through the dry coldness.

Oops? I guessed, despite my promise, I pushed myself too hard.

It wasn’t a long journey; a couple of harsh, angry strides, and I was seated inside a dark carriage. The only lights that I could see were a pair of silver eyes, gleaming in silent vexation.

He didn’t stay silent for long though.

"What did I tell you?" his voice was cold and stern, like a string getting pulled until it strained and on the verge of snapping. His hands were clutching the backrest on either side of my head, caging me.

I knew I had to answer him well, because he had been voicing his disagreement over me doing all of this from the very start. But at that time, under the cold of his eyes and his voice, I could only stutter.

"Umm..."

And the string snapped.

"What did I tell you?!"

I flinched, clutching the coat wrapping me tighter. It was the first time he ever raised his voice at me, and I could see a glimpse of how others had been seeing him--that glimpse of nightmare.

"I’m...I’m sorry..."

I bit my lips and sank back into the corner of the carriage, burying myself inside the coat that smelled of the same demon yelling at me.

"Haa..." Natha lowered his head until all I could see were his dark locks and horns. He let out a long, drawn-out sigh and I could see he was slightly trembling, which subsided the slight fear that I felt.

A few seconds that seemed to stretch for so long passed, and his hands let go of the backrest to stroke my face. I only realized he was trying to wipe the residual filth after he used his sleeve to rub the corner of my lips.

"I shouldn’t raise my voice," he said, finally, in a soft tone that I was familiar with. The gleam in his eyes was no longer harsh, and he looked more distressed than angry now. "Did you not promise me to not push yourself too hard?"

"I did..." I gripped the coat even tighter, lowering my gaze in guilt.

He raised my face by lifting my chin, and asked again. "Did you not promise me to speak when you feel tired?"

"...I did,"

"Do you think I said that just for my own amusement?"

A choked gasp came out of my throat and I scrambled to hold his hands and shook my head frantically. "No! No...not like that."

"Then why--"

"You told me they looked like me!" I bit my lips to stop my voice from getting higher. But then the silver eyes shook and I just...

I lowered my gaze and said in a quiet voice that was almost like a whisper. "I can’t...I don’t want to wait until tomorrow..."

"Val--God, Val!"

I could hear his frustration again, and I couldn’t bring myself to raise my eyes, just staring at my fingers that were fiddling with his coat. "I’m sorry, okay? But I’m really alright--"

"You are banned from using that word from now on."

My body stiffened at the coldness in his voice, prompting me to look up. "What?"

"Every time you say ’fine’ and ’alright’ you just lied," he pulled back, hands getting away from me. The dancing light of the fire cast a shadow that darkened his eyes.

"Wha--that’s not fair!"

"I’m not trying to be," he opened the carriage door and proceeded to leave.

I scrambled forward, trying to follow him out in frantic. "Nat! You can’t just...uhh...what?"

The moment I called out to him, I saw him stiffened, pausing at the carriage door and turning his face to look at me again. His eyes were hardening for a second, making me forget what I wanted to say.

"...no. You stay here. And you stay on the ship for the next few days."

In the end, he just closed the carriage door and left me there, stunned and alone. I pressed my lips and retreated to the couch, crouching in the corner with my legs up and my knees pressed against my chest. The big coat wrapped around me was warm, it smelled of him, and it was both comforting and frustrating.

I had no idea how long I had been sitting there silently with pursed lips before I heard a knock on the carriage door. It opened before I managed to react, along with a calm and cool familiar voice and a delicate sweet scent.

"Young Master, I bring your drink," Lesta peeked his head inside, a steaming mug in his hand, and a smile on his face.

[Master!]

"And your familiar," he added, as a bundle of feathers flew inside and headbutted me, before landing on top of my knees.

"...thanks," I muttered quietly, taking the warm mug and bringing it closer to my chest.

Lesta didn’t go, and climbed inside the carriage instead, closing the door and brightening up the mana lamp for a bit--so it didn’t feel too depressing here, I guessed. He watched me nibbling the edge of the mug with his usual smiley face, calmly waiting until I let out a long sigh and took a sip of the warm drink.

As the warm liquid filled my mouth, something else was entering my system that made me gasp a little bit. I blinked at the golden surface of the drink when I realized there was Amrita inside the drink.

"Ugh..." I let out a subdued groan as I lowered my head and pressed the warm mug against my forehead.

[Master alright?]

It was then that Lesta opened his mouth. "Young Master, you do know that His Lordship is just worried about you, right?."

"...I know," I muttered quietly. "But to ground me like that..."

"Do you know that we are worried about you too?"

I raised my head and blinked at the smiling face. "Huh?"

"If even we, his servants, feel this worried, how do you think His Lordship would feel?" Lesta said it calmly with his melodious voice and a smile on his face. But his eyes were firm, which kind of reminded me of Eruha in teaching mode.

"He cherishes you, Young Master, so much," he continued, still in that steady voice. "I know it hurts him to see you like this."

Well, of course, I knew he was worried about me--I knew they all were. But wasn’t it still too much to keep me from going anywhere just because I felt tired after working for a whole day? It wasn’t like I got sick, and it wasn’t like I did it for fun.

"I’m not in pain or--"

"Maybe not," he cut me, and continued with a slightly sharper tone. "But you looked like you did."

Again, I blinked at his words. What...I looked like I was in pain? How...

In my confusion, I turned my head to part the curtain and look at my reflection in the window--and stiffened. Although it wasn’t clear because it wasn’t a mirror, I could see my pale complexion. And as I had already drunk some Amrita-infused water, that should be my better complexion--meaning, I looked worse than this before.

Also, even clearer than my complexion was the black stain on my clothes; trailing from my collar to the chest area, with some dribbled lower. From the reflection, it looked as if I was throwing up blood.

I bit my lips, and Lesta spoke again. "Even if it’s not hurting you, aren’t you feeling lethargic right now, just like this morning?"

"...a bit."

"Young Master,"

I pressed my lips at Lesta’s rarely firm tone, and finally gave up with a sigh. "Fine, yes, I feel exhausted."

I pursed my lips as Jade patted my cheek with its wing and Lesta smiled widely while leaning back. "Please don’t get mad at His Lordship too much."

"...it’s not like I’m...mad at him or anything," I bit my lips and hide behind the mug, sinking back into the plush cushions and the warmth of Natha’s coat.

"I understand," I could feel Lesta’s smile even without looking directly at it. The demon opened the carriage door to leave, but not before giving me some words of wisdom. "Oh--and don’t worry, he just said that because he’s still pissed. If you begged and seduced him later, I’m sure he won’t ground you or anything."

I looked up to see him winked before slipping out of the carriage, leaving me alone again. Well, not alone.

"Are you worried about me too?" I asked the little bird.

[Small worry! Master tire, but Jade know Master not sick!]

I laughed at the way Jade huffed and puffed its chest as if it was proud it knew my condition better than any other people out there, including Natha. Well, of course, since Jade connected to me on a soul level.

"So you slightly worried about me?"

[Mm! Small worry!] the bird nodded, and then made a pondering gesture, moving its head left and right. [But Nighmare big big worry! Nightmare scary!]

"Is that so..." I heaved a sigh and continued to clutch the mug, propping my lips on the side of the glass while I thought of my previous conversation with Natha.

That was...a fight, right? I groaned and pressed my head against the soft fabric of the curtain, wondering when Natha would come inside again before I longed to talk to him again. I didn’t like it; this stinging sensation in my left chest when I thought about him being mad at me.

And I didn’t like the creeping fear of abandonment that followed.

When the carriage door creaked open, I instantly straightened my back. My heart was palpitating, and I almost called out his name. But the figure that climbed the carriage then wasn’t Natha.

It was that Elder; the patriarch of Di clan.