The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 213: Playing with your familiars and friends is a good way to avoid reality

Chapter 213: Playing with your familiars and friends is a good way to avoid reality

This was...hard for me to fathom.

Did it mean that voice...was the voice of a God?

I stood in silence for a while, right in front of the hidden door. No, it wasn’t because I got goosebumps or anything. It was actually quite the opposite; I didn’t feel particularly alarmed, or scared. Surprised, yes, but...

Was it because I had heard that voice a few times before? It just felt so...familiar. So close. Rather than some mysterious, untouchable entity that was supposed to have ceased existence for almost two millennia, the voice felt almost like a friend. Someone I knew, someone I longed for.

This calmness, despite everything, felt so bizarre. It was weirder than having a panic attack at the unexpected factbomb.

"Are you alright?" Natha stroked my hair, and I nodded in a daze.

Perhaps because for the past couple of weeks, I had been bombarded by so much information pertaining to dimensional travels, meeting a Goddess, meeting half of my soul...I seemed to grow some kind of immunity to absurdity.

Was this kind of feeling good? Or would it count as impudent? Blasphemous?

But I had no time to delve deeper into this...spiritual discourse, because as soon as I stepped out of the treasure room, I could hear Jade’s voice. Soon, it was followed by the colorful figure flying toward me.

[Master out!]

"Good morning, Jade," I raised my arms to welcome my first child--the familiar born in my hand.

[Good morning, Master!] the little bird chirped loudly and cheerfully. The green head nuzzled my cheek as usual the moment it landed on my shoulder. [But where Master gone to?]

"Where did I go?" I repeated the bird’s question while walking out of the hallway. "Ah, right. I never told you about the treasure room."

"Treasure?"

The one who responded was Ignis, who was perching above the big stone fireplace in the living room. Very fitting, I must say. The red glow of the salamander’s body gave contrast to the cold-looking black stones.

[Treasure?] Jade repeated with a tilted head.

Hmm...I looked up at Natha, who was instructing the servants that we were ready to have breakfast now rather than waiting until later. Ooh...having breakfast in my pajamas felt so much like a vacation.

When he came back to join me in front of the fireplace, I asked him if I could bring my two companions inside the treasure room. After all, it was filled with precious collections, and bringing a child who sometimes acted unruly and an edge lord who might combust anytime would be...risky, to say the least.

And I was pretty sure a law regarding damage to the Lord’s treasure room existed; punishment and fine included. I read that during one of Eruha’s routine lessons.

"Everything inside that room is protected by preservation magic, but I’m not sure it would hold a candle against a Salamander’s fire," Natha said--and I could see the little gecko’s smug face from here. "But I see that Ignis get better at managing its fire so, as long as you’re careful, I don’t see why not."

I turned and looked at him with widened eyes. It wasn’t just me, but also Ignis and, especially, Jade. We were staring at this sudden generosity and leniency.

"You must be in a very good mood if you’re this kind so early in the morning," Ignis commented in all its unchanging honesty.

Natha just chuckled calmly and this time, it was Jade who made a remark. [Nightmare not even make fun of Jade! Nightmare must be so happy!]

So that was the standard?

"Are you really?" I tilted my head to look at his face, staring at the sparkles inside his eyes.

"Am I in a good mood? Of course," Natha replied relaxedly with a smirk. "Who wouldn’t after getting woken up by--"

"Aaahh--look Jade, your jelly!" I pointed at the servants who were placing a plate of Jade’s usual snack on the table.

[Jelly!]

"Ignis, are you comfortable in Jade’s room? Or would you like your own place?" I shifted the focus around after letting go of the little bird who flew around the jelly-bearing servants.

"It’s fine," the little gecko narrowed its bright blue eyes at my sudden shift of topic. "A great being like me can live everywhere."

Natha stifled a laugh before responding. "Oh, so the great Salamander doesn’t want a cave with a hot boiling tub to soak around in?"

The gecko’s head, which had stopped flaming for the past week, suddenly blazing again. Just a few seconds though, until Ignis supresses the fire again. It showed how excited the Salamander really was.

"W-well, I supposed if you prepare such a place, I have no choice but to accept it," the little gecko cleared its throat and turned its head to appear nonchalant. "Because I’m great and benevolent."

Natha just chuckled and I pulled on his sleeve. "Are you really going to make that? A room for Ignis?"

"Why not?" he shrugged. "We can’t have the brat’s room accidentally set on fire. Too many flammable things there," Natha reasoned. Yeah, woods and grass and things like that.

Apparently, making a customized room for a Salamander was an easy decision that could be made just like that. Pfft--rich people and their money. So generous just because he was in a good mood.

"Hey, seriously," I tugged at his robe’s sleeve again, shifting closer so I was half straddling him. "Are you really that happy?"

He looked up and stared at me with the stars in his moonlight eyes. "Sweetheart," he reached up and stroked my cheek. "I had been tethering on unanswered questions for such a long time. And now, with you, things got answered one by one,"

I leaned into his touch, lowering myself to sit on his thigh. My eyes didn’t leave him, absorbing the wondrous fascination on his face. "I have no reason to be unhappy, don’t you think?"

"That’s not quite the same with you being happy,"

"Well," he leaned forward, and whispered so quietly in my ears that no one could hear his words. Thankfully. "The only way I could express how happy I am right now is through some things improper to be done in front of children."

I bit my lips and pinched his cheek. "Are you saying it’s proper in front of adults? Are you an exhibitionist?"

Natha laughed and patted my waist as a response. "But I’m not the one who sits in other people’s lap,"

Belatedly, I realized that we were in a living room, with servants coming in and out to set the table and prepare our breakfast. Agh--this must be because we were still in our nightwear, so I did it freely out of habit.

Thankfully, Jade was already busy with the plate of jelly, and Ignis did not care about our antics. Or if the Salamander cared, it did not explore its curiosity with detailing questions.

I immediately jumped off his lap and shuffled toward the dining table to join the little bird with its feast.

"Good morning, Mara. I want something heavier today," I told the maid who was specifically tasked to prepare my meal. Except for the chef who cooked the meal, no one else was allowed to touch it. She was also the one who prepared my herbal drink, so she was like my Angwi in this Castle. I was told that it was to prevent a case of poisoning or something similar.

"Certainly, Young Master. Should I serve the meat broth instead of the vegetable one?"

"Mm," I nodded cheerfully while poking Jade’s cheek. But then, I caught the smile on her face, and I bit my cheek. "What? I’m just hungry," I mumbled in embarrassment.

Her smile did not falter, and even grew deeper. "Of course, one would go hungry after an exercise,"

"Wh-what exercise?" my hands crept into the little bird and covered the bird’s ears.

"Didn’t you have a little walk this morning?" she put a small bowl of steaming broth in front of me, and while lowering her head, whispered quietly. "My, what kind of exercise are you thinking, Young Master?"

My face was heated instantly. "Stop teasing me!" I hissed in fluster, and she laughed softly in response. When she went back to the trolley specifically containing my meal, Natha, who had just arrived at the table, and rubbed my pouting lips.

"What’s wrong?" he asked and took a seat beside me.

My eyes narrowed at the servants who avoided my eyes--although they were indeed usually avoiding my eyes by default culture. But they didn’t usually do it while holding their smile and stealing a glance. This had never happened before, even though I had been sleeping in the same bed with Natha all this time.

I knew they must have been talking about us because...well, unmarried couples did not usually share a bedroom here. But it seemed like they also knew we never consummated our relationship--I had no idea how, but servants always knew, okay? So they never teased me like this before, with meaningful glances full of innuendo.

I leaned closer to Natha and whispered. "Did they know?"

"About what?"

"That we...did it?"

Natha raised his brow and chuckled. "Sweetheart, we were staying inside the bedroom for three nights. Do you think they won’t know what happened?"

"But...they didn’t come to the airship, though?"

Natha glanced at Mara, who averted her gaze while giggling. "You can’t expect something like that to be a secret," he said.

I shot a flustered glare at her when she put a slice of spice bread beside the broth bowl, and she just winked at me. Haa...

Well, I guessed Natha was right. Servants always knew, and unless we specifically told them to not speak, they were free to gossip downstairs.

But they didn’t have to tease me about it...

Natha laughed when I pursed my lips again, and put the spoon in my hand as a sign for me to start eating, just in time with Arta and Opti’s cheerful morning greeting. They commented about the fact that we were still in our nightwear, but Malta--my hero!--shushed them and told them to have their breakfast.

"By the way," I tilted my head and looked at them, especially Arta and Malta. "Is Lesta not coming today?"

Arta pressed her lips and lowered her head, and I could see she was stifling her laugh. Opti whistled some unknown melody while sipping on his morning wine, while Malta just continued eating her breakfast after letting out a little sigh.

"I give him a day off today," the one who answered me was Natha.

"Oh?"

Opti stopped whistling and asked with a raised brow. "Just a day?"

"Eruha promised me he’d only take a day," the Lord simply shrugged, before getting back to drink his coffee.

...oh?

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