The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 215: Having someone to share your secret with is a blessing

Chapter 215: Having someone to share your secret with is a blessing

"Just a day?" I tapped the spoon against my lips, tilting my head in confusion. "Is one day enough?"

I mean...they hadn’t met for a month, which meant Eruha hadn’t been absorbing any magic in that period--assuming he only took it from Lesta. And even disregarding that...if I were to be away from Natha for a month, I wouldn’t let him out of my sight for...well, more than a day.

"As expected of someone who was going at it for three nights," Opti commented, his shit-eating grin could be seen from across the table.

"Shush! Not at the dining table!" I hissed at him, once again grasping Jade’s startled head. Why did the conversation turn my way?!

Arta giggled in response, but Malta smacked the shapeshifter’s head for me. Thanks, but...did this mean she knew too?

Ugh--seems like just about everyone knew about it already; not even twenty-four hours after the airship landing.

Fortunately, Natha gave me a genuine answer, caressing my head so I wouldn’t keep pouting. "The end of the year is close, so he can’t incapacitate my aide too much."

Ah...I see! But...

"Are you going straight to work after all those trips? No rest?" I looked at Natha in surprise. I thought, because he acted relaxedly this morning--even having breakfast in his nightrobe--he would take a day off today, since we only came back yesterday.

At my question, the table was filled with groaning sounds from Opti and Arta. "We can rest after we’re done with the internal audit," Natha said with a little smirk on his lips.

Yikes. Poor Lesta, had to work so hard inside and outside his bedroom immediately after coming back from a business trip.

"Speaking about the trip, Young Master was becoming the talk of the realm after that purification event," Malta gave her first report this morning, looking at me with a slight smile on her otherwise stony face.

"Don’t call it an event..." I felt my cheeks grow warm knowing that people talked about me. I did find out that they put it in the newspaper, including the images of us having a round on the region.

It made me remember that I was the Lord’s partner instead of this nobody from nowhere, and it got me flustered every time.

"It’s very favorable," Malta continued, the smile on her face growing just a tad bit wider, making her face soften up slightly. For Malta, that was basically equivalent to laughter.

"Oh, umm...that’s good?" I replied with a sheepish grin. "Ah--I don’t mind doing it again. It should be something that is done regularly, right?"

The vassals all looked at Natha then, so I turned my head to look at him too.

"We’ll talk about it later," he said dryly.

What--was he still on the fence about this? But he knew I was better now that my soul was no longer broken. And I doubt it would be another extreme case like the last time. "Nat--"

"Later," he said. But he traded the earlier coldness with a smile as he stroked my temple. "And you still have to heal fully."

Ah...so in the end I was still a patient in his eyes. I let out a sigh, feeling a bit disappointed, although I knew where he was coming from; the kind of fear he had been keeping inside his heart. So I couldn’t blame him.

Just when I dove into my breakfast again after that sigh, Arta gave me an uplifting comment. "But it’s good, isn’t it, that Young Master’s favorability increase? It feels like he’s truly a part of us."

I looked up and saw her wide smile, as well as Opti’s smirk, and I couldn’t help but blush. "Oh..."

To be a part of them...that sounded really, really nice. To be something that was more than just the Lord’s bride, but someone useful and needed...

"Speaking of which, I think Hagai changed his mind about you, Young Master," Opti added, leaning forward and propping his cheek to his palm on the table.

"Oh?"

"I don’t know about the other two, but they usually followed him, so..."

Arta scoffed. "What is this, a clique?" she rolled her eyes and I giggled, squeezing Jade’s cheek to hide the way my mouth twitched from suppressing a grin.

"Young Master,"

"Yes?"

"Would you like to try having a meal together?"

I looked up and stared at Malta, trying to digest the thing she just said--suggested. When the realization hit me, my eyes widened by themselves. "You mean...in the dining hall?"

"Yes,"

I turned to look at Natha, eyes still wide, and I didn’t even think I blinked. "It’s up to you," he said, smiling sweetly. "I do think you’ll be fine now."

"Although...it might be full of boring conversation," Opti shrugged.

"This is why I always told you guys to stop talking about work during mealtime!" Arta slammed the table while pursing his lips, which awarded her a glare from Malta. She shifted her face to me to avoid her sister’s piercing eyes. "Oh--but I can just talk with Young Master then!"

I looked at her, who seemed to be genuinely excited. When I glanced at Opti, he nodded his head eagerly with a laugh. While I was still blinking in surprise, Natha took my hand and stroked the back of my fingers.

"Would you like to?" he asked, in that nice and gentle voice of him. "We can just try it first, it’s not like you have to do it."

I looked at his eyes then, the brilliant silver eyes telling me he was still in a good mood. Well, I was in a good mood. "I...I’ll try," I told him, not too quietly, I hoped.

I felt his cold hand patted my head, and his smile stretched wider. Knowing he was happy about it, in turn, made my heart swell with happiness too.

* * *

"Nat, can I go to the Tower?" I asked him later, as I watched him getting ready for his Lord duty. "I promised Jade some purified mana, and I want to give the souvenirs I bought for them,"

I glanced at the pile of boxes above the table. I had spent the time sorting out the things I bought for the demons living in the Lair when Natha was taking a shower earlier.

"Sure, it’s your home too," Natha replied, nonchalantly giving me a wink. This demon was really in a good mood, huh?

But hearing him call it my home made me giggle joyfully. It was fortunate that Jade was having a morning exercise of flying around the castle, or else I might squeeze the poor bird’s cheeks again like a plushie.

Hmm...I needed a plushie.

Looking up at his approaching figure, I asked shyly. "Did you really build it for me?"

"Mm," his unhesitant answer came with a smile.

"Did you know about me being a druid? It’s such a perfect place for me," I fiddled with the hem of my nightwear--not because I was nervous, but out of embarrassment.

"How would I know about that?"

My brows raised in surprise. "So it’s just a coincidence?"

Well, it did make sense. He didn’t know my condition until after I told him the night I pleaded for the Amrita.

"Hmm...you don’t seem to remember it," Natha tilted his head, before taking a seat on the table so he could face me who was crouching on the couch.

I blinked confusedly at his response. "What?"

"In the hospital," he smiled. "You tell me what kind of home you want to live in if you can leave the hospital,"

"Oh?"

I did?

"You said you want a place that’s similar to your grandmother’s, with forest and hill and river, surrounded by flowers..."

I let out a reflexive gasp and grabbed his sleeve. "When you purchase the mansion in the port city, could it be that you also..."

"Of course," the corner of his lips curled. "After all, I bought it with the thought of using it as our home someday," he said, before frowning slightly. "Although a fox has claimed the house now."

I laughed at his exasperated expression. "But I like what she did with the house too, it’s interesting,"

"It’s messy," he rolled his eyes in disagreement. "Anyway, I found a better spot, so..."

I stared at his smiling face, which had a hint of smugness as if he was proud of his decision to make that Lair. Lair; for us to spend the rest of our lives in...I stood up and wrapped my arms around his back, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you," I whispered, and he caressed me gently while laughing softly.

"Oh, umm..." still circling my arms on his torso, I looked up to see his face.

"What?"

I hesitated for a bit, and he waited for me patiently, still with hand stroking my head. It took me half a minute before I could finally voice it. "What do you think about...telling Zia about us? About...me," I asked quietly. "I...I want her to know my real name."

She was the first person, aside from Natha, to whom I mentioned my name. I introduced myself to her as Val, and while she did use that to call me that, she still thought I was Valmeier. There was nothing wrong with that, of course, but...

"Val," the stroking hand moved to my cheek. "It’s your secret to tell," Natha told me gently. "I do think it’s good that you feel comfortable enough to talk about it with someone else."

I nodded in agreement. "She’s my first friend here,"

"Technically, she’ll be your niece--"

I hit him to make him stop giving me that teasing smirk. "D-don’t make me blush!"

"What kind of silly request is that, to be asked of your lover?" Natha scoffed, rubbing my reddened cheek and pinched it lightly. "Well, I don’t mind if you want to tell her, but you’ll have to strictly tell her not to use it as material for her book,"

"Ah..."

Right. She had been asking us about our ’love story’ as she called it.

"Speaking of which, did she already come out of seclusion?"

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