The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 205: Whatever the age, we act the same when we’re in love

Chapter 205: Whatever the age, we act the same when we’re in love

Since it was the last day of inspection before going back, we didn’t return to the lodging, but straight to the airship parked on the hill. Natha came in time for dinner, and we spent time sorting out the things I bought today while he asked about my day. We lounged on the bedroom couch as the airship moved again, sampling some local wine that Natha asked Arta to procure before.

"They said I changed," I made my report after mulling over it while holding into a pretty porcelain doll with a beautiful and intricate dress. The doll was of a succubus, so I was thinking of giving one to Zia.

"Who are ’they’?"

"The vassals,"

"Hmm..." Natha, who was braiding my hair, tilted his head and asked over my shoulder. "Changed how? Prettier?"

"Hey, I’m trying to be serious here!" I smacked his leg--which was caging me from behind--and pursed my lips in disapproval.

"Haha," he laughed softly and pecked my cheek as an apology. "So what did they say?"

It was actually kind of embarrassing repeating what Arta told me this afternoon, but I managed to spell it even though it made me blush for a bit. "They said I seem more confident..."

Fortunately, Natha did not laugh. "Do you feel more confident?" he asked while tying the end of my braid with a cord. He brought the braided hair to one side and kissed my now-exposed neck.

"I...think so?" I put the doll away and looked at my torso--my chest. The steady heartbeat that was wholly mine. "I feel...belonged, finally,"

"Good," Natha gently pulled me back until I was leaning against his chest. As I looked up, I could see his silver eyes gazing at me softly, fondly. He strokes my cheek, speaking in a gentle but firm tone. "You belong here. You live here now, right?"

"Yeah," I returned his sweet smile, sighing in contentment and closing my eyes as I sunk deeper into his embrace. With a smirk, I told him another thing the vassals said to me. "They said you’re changing too,"

"Me?" his voice sounded confused. "What about me?"

I opened my eyes and saw his genuinely clueless face, and I felt flabbergasted. This demon would know if I lost even a kilogram of weight but he couldn’t see how different he’d been acting these past few weeks?

Shifting myself so I could turn around and face him better, I threw him a question while narrowing my eyes. "Don’t you realize you’ve been more..."

"Yes?"

I looked down at his hands, which were grabbing my waist nonchalantly, as if he did it unconsciously, and pulled me to straddle his lap. "Uhh...touchy?" I looked up and saw the mischievous glint inside the silver eyes, curling like a pair of crescents. He was definitely enjoying this; playing dumb. "Flirty?"

"I’m someone in love, how else would I act?" he tilted his head and made an innocent face, as if he was a youthful demon I met for the first time instead of a mighty Demon Lord who already lived for almost a century.

But damn--that fake innocence did work.

It brought me back to the cold but warm days inside my hospital room; nights full of silly banters and serious discussions. The tingling sensation of realizing I had a crush on him, the nervousness of waiting for him to visit, even while I had to fight sleepiness. The fluster at his charming smirk, and the awe of his sweet smile. The anticipation and disappointment of a single graze and accidental touches.

A love story I had no courage of dreaming of.

"If..." I put my arms around his neck, shifting closer to accommodate the quiet sound coming out between my lips. "If there was no restriction at that time during your possession, if...if it was you who was getting transmigrated there for real...what--"

"Then I would not hesitate to confess," he told me, as he said, without hesitation. His hands were now steadily on my back, as if giving support to my quivering heart. "I would tell you how I feel, I would ask for the taste of your lips."

"Probably tasted like medicine,"

He smirked at my snark, and leaned forward to kiss my chin lightly. "Who knows--I’ll ask for a taste every day to see if it’s consistent,"

I snorted at his cheesy remark, before carefully, hesitatingly asking again. "Even though...even though I don’t have much time?"

He paused for a bit, and I could feel his hands tightening around me. His eyes were shaking for a second, but I waited for an answer still. Eventually, he smiled and looked at me with a firm gaze--as firm as the voice he replied with. "I’d rather have your limited time than any power or riches in the world, Valen."

I bit my lips and buried my face in his neck, sinking into the comfort of his caress on my hair and his stroke on my back.

"There were times...when I almost couldn’t hold back," he said, rubbing my nape soothingly. "Times when I wanted to ask for your hand, for your kiss...for your heart,"

"Why didn’t you?"

I mumbled the question against his skin, but he could still hear the incoherent sound and chuckled at the slight annoyance in my voice. "Because I’m a coward," he said. "I’m young and weak and cowardly."

I lifted my head to look at his wry smile, blinking in surprise at this confession he made on a vulnerable face.

"I was barely an adult spending five years in seclusion after a traumatic war," Natha smiled. "I’m a messy boy experiencing the wonder of love for the first time, so you have to excuse my clumsiness for a bit."

Ah...

I forgot that when he was possessing the young doctor, Natha was only what--thirty, at most? He was around Zia’s age then--and it put me in perspective of how young he was by demon standard.

Indeed, he was smarter than his peer, and his circumstances made him more mature. But they said men always regress when they were in love; even a mature adult would act like a teenage boy when they fell in love.

So, essentially, Natha just acted like...well, me.

Me then, and me right now; constantly nervous and in confusion about what to do. Feeling both courageous and cowardly at the same time. Thinking so much about every little thing, mulling over even the smallest touch.

The only difference was that...I tend to let it out in my face, wearing my heart on my sleeve.

No wonder he was very competitive and stubbornly looking for a perfect answer to all my questions--this nerd. So even Matsa Ra Natha had those inexperienced days, huh?

My lips curled unconsciously, even as I leaned forward and kissed him. What would it be like, if we both took the courage of confronting our feelings toward each other back then? Would it be sweet? Or would it be bitter with the impending separation; either he was getting sent back, or I died.

Would it comfort me during my last days, or would it feel agonizing? Would it make things easier, or would it make it harder to leave with so much regret?

Would it make me dare to dream again?

Ah, didn’t matter now.

Now that we were here, together again, with no visible time stamp. Now we could explore the feelings that were buried back then, relishing the dreams and visions of the future I had never dared to look forward to.

We stared at each other after that slow and soft kiss; his hands on my waist, my arms around his neck. My heart felt like it was getting tickled by feathers, and my stomach kept tingling and heating up under his gaze.

"So...umm..."

"Hmm?"

"We...we are going straight home, right?" I asked while fiddling with the thin chain around his neck.

"Home," he repeated with a bright smile. "It sounds so nice coming from your lips," and as if accentuating his point, he gave my lips a light peck. "But yes, we’ll be taking the route near the volcano as you requested."

I whispered to correct him. "As Ignis requested,"

He chuckled and replied in agreement. "As you said, Young Master."

"How long does it take?"

"Before we reach the volcano? Two--three days? The sky above the southern mountain range is rather misty, so the Captain will move more carefully," he told me readily, leaning back to the couch and pulling me along to shift closer.

"Mm..."

He rubbed my chin and lifted my lowered face, looking at me inquisitively. "Why?"

I blinked slowly, merely looking at him without saying anything. My brain was fighting between embarrassment and desire, clutching his neck as my heartbeat spiked up.

"Sweetheart?"

Unknowingly, I swallowed hard the nervousness that I had, and my voice came out quietly. "Would you..." my eyes darted everywhere but his face, and in the end just stay lowered, looking at his collarbone.

"Would you like to, umm..." I tried once again, but I felt too shy to let the world know what I was thinking about, so, after biting my lips in contemplation, I leaned forward and whispered in his ears.

I could feel his hands tighten on my waist with every word I whispered into his ears. When I pulled back with burning cheeks and a sheepish gaze, he looked at me in astonishment.

"Seriously?" he raised his brow, seemingly couldn’t believe what I just ’requested’. Well, even I couldn’t believe it; that I could be asking for something like that.

"Well..." I bit my lips again and looked around, shrugging. "I don’t think we can do it any other time, and...airship," I told him my reasoning.

He looked at me wordlessly, amusedly, before his lips stretched into a smile.

"Hah!" the next thing I knew, I was already gasping at a new height as Natha suddenly stood up with me still holding into his neck and straddling his hips. He held me tight and I felt like I could see him snarling before diving into my neck and whispered in a voice laden with arousal. "Who am I to deny such an offer?"

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