The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 221: Sometimes, even a wallflower wants to blend in

Chapter 221: Sometimes, even a wallflower wants to blend in

"I almost thought you’d stay the night there," was what Natha said when he saw me crouching in front of the fireplace that night.

It was quite late; I only got back after having scrumptious dinner, as Angwi made all my favorites. She kept putting food into my plate as if she was about to let me go to a pilgrimage. After that, I had to peel Zia off me and Jade off the tower, so it had gotten pretty late when we entered the portal.

Izzi immediately scampered toward the research tower, while I went back to the Lord quarters with Panne, who had been waiting for me. When I arrived, however, I couldn’t find Natha. Panne told me Natha only came back briefly, and after I said I would have my dinner in the Lair, he went out to the office again.

"Zia almost made me," I confessed, tilting my head up to receive his kiss. "What will you do if I really stay the night?"

"I’ll go there and sleep with you, of course."

I laughed as he pulled me up from the floor. Jade was already catching on its delayed nap while we were waiting for Natha, so I had put the little bird in its room. I bid a good night to Ignis, who preferred to sleep above the big fireplace, and followed Natha back to our bedroom.

"Were you really in the office all this time?" I asked curiously. "Just a day after we get back?"

"I had a pretty energizing morning, so..." Natha threw me a smirk, and I smacked him hard--he wouldn’t feel a thing if I did it lightly. "I’m catching up with the month-long report of the Capital," he finally gave me a genuine answer. "And what’s the point of coming back to an empty room?"

Hey...I’d feel guilty if he said it like that! It made me kind of happy, though--what a complicated feelings.

I took his hand and whispered. "The point is to not make your subordinates worked too hard," I poked his cheek with my other hand. "How can they go and rest when their Lord still working in the office?"

Natha looked at me and raised his brow. "Oh? Look at my pretty bride saying such a wise thing."

"Don’t tease me!" I pinched his waist and pursed my lips, stomping up to the bedroom with his chuckle behind me.

I received an attack of apologetic kisses all the way to the dressing room, whispering how he missed me with soft, alluring voice. Of course, someone with decades of experience knew how to make their lover feel better easily.

"A package come for you, by the way," Natha said once I relented to his kisses.

"What package?" I tilted my head in confusion. Did I have someone who would sent me package out there?

Natha took a box and a letter from his storage ring and put them in my hands. "It’s from the Druid," he said, just as I saw a beautiful, cursive handwriting of Amarein’s name on the envelope. "Inside the box is a scroll for a druid’s breathing exercise."

"Oh?" I opened the box swiftly, and there was a scroll there. It looked plain, unlike the royal scroll, perhaps because it was only a common skills that all druid should know.

"It’s used to strengthen druid’s mana circuits, so she said it should help with your healing," Natha explained further. "It’ll be good for you to do it every morning."

"Oh, I see!" I took out the scroll excitedly and ended up studying the scroll and reading the letter sent by Amarein to explain further about when, where, and how I should use the breathing technique.

I was so focused that I didn’t realize Natha took over to change my clothes. Once I finished reading the scroll and the letter, I found out that I was already in my nightshirt.

"Huh?" I looked down in confusion, and before I could even digest what happened, I was already getting carried to the bed.

"You really haven’t change; can’t see anything when you’re focused on something," Natha chuckled as I covered my face with the scroll. "No wonder the brat got jealous during your research."

Ah...I was reminded of Jade’s naughty act when I was trying to put a condense mana inside the bullet. I peeked at Natha and asked sheepishly. "What about you? Are you jealous too?"

Natha looked at me silently for a few seconds, before the corner of his lips curled up into a suspicious smirk that got my heart skipped a beat. "Different from the brat, I have a good way to vent my jealousy."

"H-huh...?"

And then, the Demon Lord threw me into the bed.

* * *

"You don’t look too good," I tilted my head, observing Lesta’s slightly pale face and apparent dark circle. "Are you sure you only need one day off?"

The demon made an exasperated expression and exhaling long. "I’m not the one who said we only need one day. He only need one day--I need more."

I smiled wryly and patted his back. Lesta groaned quietly and I stroked his back, channeling my mana inside his body. Lesta raised his head and looked at me in surprise. "What is...oh?"

"How is it? Is it working?" I asked him eagerly.

"Is this...druid’s rejuvenation?"

"Uh-huh," I nodded, my lips stretched into a grin once I had a confirmation that it worked. "I just learn it this morning."

Aside from the breathing exercise to strengthen my circuits, Amarein also taught me how to ’heal’ other people. It wasn’t anything like what a bonafide healer or a priest could do; I couldn’t cure people’s illness or healed injury--not yet, anyway. But I could at least helped recovering other’s stamina.

"That’s neat," Lesta cracked his neck and moved his shoulder around. "Huh...so this is what made you able to suck his Lordship dry, huh?"

"Hey, I’m helping you here," I smacked his back in retaliation. "Stop teasing me!"

"That kind of reaction only make people want to tease you more, Young Master," Lesta chuckled. Oh, so now he could finally smile, huh? So annoying.

But...was what he said true? Was people kept teasing me because I always reacted to them? Ugh...I better started practicing how to put on a poker face or something.

"Don’t," Natha pulled me back to walk with him instead of his vassal. "Your honest face is what adorable about you."

Excuse me?? So you want everyone to keep teasing me? And how did he know what I was thinking about?

"You promised me you wouldn’t sense my though anymore!" I protested.

"I didn’t," he glanced at me with a smile on his face. "I don’t have to sense your thought, it’s written all over your face."

See? See?? I had to learn this poker face thing. I wonder if Malta could teach me...but her stone face seemed to be a natural trait. Eruha? Yeah...I think I had to ask Eruha. He was my teacher anyway--

"We’re here," Natha informed me quietly, and I snapped out of my pondering.

I looked up to see the double door of the diner hall, where the other vassals usually had their breakfast. Not all the time, and not always everyone. The one eating here was usually the vassals who lived in the Lord Castle; the seven ’friendly’ ones, and the one named Kulmut--the big one.

And Natha, I guessed, before I came here and hogged all his morning time.

Nope. I wasn’t sorry one bit. Even the Lord should have a clear nine-to-five, right?

This time, however, Natha said they would all be there. Perhaps because Natha said he would attend the breakfast? Or did he tell them to come because I said I would join the breakfast yesterday?

Anyway...well, this would be the first time I attended the ’morning meeting’, and somehow, it was as nerve wracking as the banquet. No, I wasn’t nervous because I still didn’t know whether the other three had ’accepted’ me.

It was more because...this breakfast time that doubled as a meeting where they gave their report to Natha was kind of a tradition, a habit that they had built for a long time. While I didn’t feel guilty about changing it, there was something about finally being able to join this...event.

In Arta’s words; it felt like I finally becoming a part of the group?

The servants in front opened the door for us, and I let go of Natha’s hand. I didn’t want to...how do I say this...being seen as if I was clinging to him? I could sense Natha looking at me with narrowed eyes, rather displeased by it. But really--I was already the youngest here, so I didn’t want to be seen like a child tagging along their guardian.

The moment the door opened, the vassals were standing up. It made the ocassion seemed formal, but Arta and Opti waved their hands at me, signaling for me to sit beside them. I greeted Haikal, who I hadn’t met yesterday, and glanced at the other three as I took a seat which Caba pulled for me.

Surprisingly, Hagai nodded politely at me, looking exactly like his grandfather when the old demon thanked me inside the carriage that night. The other two, Bhuwa and Kulmut, awkwardly followed Hagai and bowed slightly to me.

After that peaceful start, the breakfast was served, and Mara still handling my food. Just as Arta said, the conversation was filled with the vassals’ morning report, from financial to security matters. Arta didn’t like talking about work while she was eating, so she didn’t join the other to deliver her report and engaged me in a conversation instead, talking about my visit to the Lair yesterday.

That being said, I still listened to what the other was saying, because from the glint in Eruha’s eyes, I feel like he would ask me something about them once our lesson resumed next week. Couldn’t let my guard down with this vampire.

Thanks to this caution, however, when the report somewhat turned into discussion, I could still kind of participating, as someone--usually Lesta or Eruha--would ask my opinion on those matter.

See...this couple were really testing me, as if they were of the same mind. But why did they sat so far from each other as if they were having a fight? Was it Lesta’s habit to run away right after having a pair of puncture wounds on his neck?

That being said, thanks to those questions which allowed me to enter the conversation around the dining table, I truly felt like I was a part of them. Like I belonged there.

Mm...that went well, right?