The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 225: Within The Falling Snow

Chapter 225: Within The Falling Snow

The Demon Lord had a busy day walking around the Lord Castle to inspect the condition of the estate that day, followed by his aides and a few of his vassals. They were talking about the reparation for some worn-down gates and the tightening of security for the New Year ceremony in the Temple when the snow started to fall.

For a moment, the Lord stopped walking in the middle of the hallway and just stared at the falling snow. His entourage, who had to stop with him, could see the nostalgia filling the silver eyes. Those sharp eyes were softening, and his cold face was filled with tenderness.

It was something that happened in an instant. But it happened so naturally these days that his aides and vassals no longer felt it was jarring. Most of them knew what it felt to fall in love, and they easily caught it in the Lord’s face.

"Didn’t you pick up Young Master Valen during the winter in that kingdom, my Lord?" Dhuarta asked.

If the realm of nature had no seasons, the human realm would have opposing seasons from the demon world. And it was winter when the Lord had his disguise on, approaching the tragic hero on the balcony of the palace.

"Mm," the Lord smiled in response. It wasn’t a rooftop, but, well...it was pretty similar. Seemed like they had a connection with falling snow, which was nice, to think that such cold weather contained their warmest memories.

"Oh?" Dhuarta suddenly exclaimed and approached the railing to look at the yard better. "Isn’t that Young Master?"

They were standing at the side of the castle not far from the research tower, and they could see the tower’s front door. As Dhuarta had pointed out, they saw the beautiful half-druid walking--no, skipping out of the tower with his little elemental bird in tow.

Even from afar, they could see his bright expression and hear the crisp, joyful laughter full of youthful spirit. His head was tilting up to the sky, the dark hair flowing behind as he jumped up and down between the falling snow. A pair of imps holding a fur coat and blanket followed him anxiously, telling him to be careful of the slippery ground, but the young master just responded with laughter.

Even more behind, following the mirthful pair of master and familiar playing around under the first snow of the season, were the Lord’s two vassals and a grumbling, shivering elf hugging a little gecko.

"Oh, that’s where they are," Dhuarta commented as she saw her twin brother and the vampire. "I should play more in the research tower, seemed like a cozy place."

"They’re not there to play, Dhuarta," Malta scolded her sister dryly. But her tone was softer than the usual scolding, perhaps because they could feel the joy emanating from the half-druid.

It was really such beautiful scenery, looking at the pretty figure laughing under the falling snow, skipping and twirling around with the colorful little bird. The laughter and the chirping made them feel like they were in the middle of spring instead of winter. As if the flower would just bloom in the garden and the sky would be all sunny. It felt possible as they saw the sparkling pair of emerald and rosy blush on the fair cheek.

"Haa...Young Master Valen is just so pretty," Dhuarta sighed, leaning against the railing and propping her cheeks, watching the beautiful scenery with dreamy eyes. "Can’t we go and join him for a bit, my Lo--"

Dhuarta turned to look at the silent Lord and paused, the words vanished inside her throat. There, on the Lord’s cheek, she found a single tear sliding down the silver eyes that had never left the sight of his beloved bride.

She blinked in confusion, as well as the rest of the entourage.

Why...would the Lord cry in this warm, joyful moment?

"...my Liege?"

Malta asked carefully, and it seemed to snap the Lord from his momentary stupor. But instead of replying to them, the Lord immediately stepped into the yard and walked straight toward the half-druid.

Hearing the firm footsteps, Valen turned around to see the Lord crossing the field to approach him. Immediately, the cheerful face brightened up even more, and he laughed to greet the Demon Lord.

"Natha! Look--it’s snowing!"

The Lord did not reply. Wordlessly, he took off his coat, draped it over the half-druid’s shoulder, and swooped Valen up, carrying him as easily as he would carry a child.

"Hey! Why are you lifting me? I want to play in the snow!" Valen pursed his lips in protest, and was about to hit the Lord’s shoulder when he saw the tears on the handsome cheek. "Huh? Why are you crying?"

The fair hands, still warm due to his connection with the Salamander, held the Lord’s cheeks, thumbs wiping the leftover tears. "Why? I won’t get sick anymore, you know. Amarein told me I would never get sick from a simple cold. And Ignis kept me warm so I’ll be fine even if I play in the snow for a long time..."

"I know," the Lord replied, his voice sounding almost like a whisper, shaking. "I know, and I’m so glad,"

Valen tilted his head. "Are you telling me this is a happy tear?" he asked, laughing softly as he wrapped his arms around the Lord’s neck.

"Yeah," Natha still replied with a soft voice, watching the wide smiling face of his beloved with a crushing heart. "I guess so,"

He still remembered the night when he met Valen for the first time; the broken soul, the broken body, and the warmest smile who thought the world was beautiful. The soul was no longer broken, the body was getting healthier each day, and the smile...the smile was still warm and bright.

Natha couldn’t be more grateful.

He remembered the moment he knew how severe Valen’s condition was. He remembered seeing the man--barely a man--writhing in pain, burning with fever, vomiting nothing but phlegm. He remembered the longing gaze Valen would have as he looked outside the window, at the falling and piling snow, at the children healthy enough to play with them.

Still, the smile persisted.

The smile that would get brighter when he came to talk to this lonely, broken soul. He remembered the helplessness he felt, unable to do anything to lift the pain or fulfill the wish of the beloved soul he fell in love with.

Now, this beautiful soul had learned to whine, to argue, to protest; had learned to voice his desire and do something to fulfill it.

To play beneath the falling snow without the fear of collapsing.

"I just..." Natha frowned, tightening his hold on Valen so the man wouldn’t fall to the wet ground, "...regret it that I couldn’t help you enjoy it faster,"

The green eyes widened for a bit, before they curled adorably. "It’s not like you didn’t try. And for me...hmm...it’s only like...two years? Yeah, it feels like it’s only two years ago when we met, so..."

The frown only got deeper, however. "But you have to suffer more within those two years," Natha said. His voice was now filled with palpable regret, uttered with gritted teeth and clenched jaw. "After suffering for such a long time already."

But the warm hand caressed his cheeks again, and the tilted head was adorned with a sweet, beautiful smile. "It’s fine," Valen presses his lips lightly on the furrowed brows. "I just think of it as something that leads me to you," he said. "If I didn’t go through all that, I wouldn’t be so desperate to reach out to a Demon Lord for a cure."

Natha looked up, blinking, so utterly flabbergasted and filled with wonder.

"It’s because I suffered that I want to live, and it led me to you," Valen said with a bright smile. "Isn’t that wonderful?"

For a minute, Natha said nothing, just looking at the beautiful face, and even more beautiful soul beneath. And then, slowly, he put the man down, carefully so Valen wouldn’t slip on the wet ground. He pulled the coat and fastened it so it wrapped Valen better, even though the man already said he was warm enough from the Salamander’s heat.

Looking at the confused and curious face, Natha stroked the fair cheek once, tucking a stray hair behind the reddened ear, and brought his hand down, rubbing the mark on the back of Valen’s hand.

The mark he made half a year ago. The mark he made in desperation to make sure Valen would never leave him.

This mark that was made with ulterior motives and arguably dubious consent was a taint to the sincere feelings they shared with each other.

"Valen," he whispered, feeling his throat parched. "I’m going to erase this."

The green eyes widened, and Valen pulled his hand back, clutching it against his chest. "W-why?" he asked with a shaken voice.

"No, no, it’s not--" Natha caressed the dark hair, swiftly stroking the trembling cheek that seemed to be on the verge of tears. And not the happy kind.

In his confusion about how to salvage the situation, Natha did the only thing he could think of at that time; getting on his knee, looking up at the confused green eyes, and asked. "Valen, would you marry me?"

The round, beautiful green eyes blinked. "What?"

Slowly, Natha took the clutched hand and held it in his own. He rubbed the mark and continued with a sigh. "I would like to change this mark," he said. "I don’t want our relationship to be defined with a contract."

It took Valen a full minute to process the words, before his face was filled with blooming red that was not caused by the cold.

"O...oh..."

Natha smiled at how adorable his lover was. His lover, whom he would officially ask to be his bride. The one he would bind in sacred matrimony.

Provided Valen was willing, of course.

"Would you?" he asked again, staring at the adorable, flustered face.

"Uhh...umm..." Valen looked around to avert the Lord’s gaze. But it only made him realize that there were a whole bunch of people watching them; the vassals, the aide, some servants, and even Izzi were there, holding his little companions.

It got him even more flustered, and couldn’t help but come back to the Lord, who patiently waiting for his answer. And looking at those silver eyes, he knew Natha did this without any plan. But somehow, this impromptu proposal that came out of nowhere, was just...perfect.

Within the falling snow, just the way they met for the first time in his first life.

Within the falling snow, just the way they met for the first time in his second life.

Is there anything else Valen would answer with?

"Yes," he said, biting his lips in embarrassment. But his voice was clear, firm, and devoid of hesitation. "Yeah, okay. I’ll marry you."

Was that a cheer he heard in the background? Valen had no leeway to care about it, because right then, Natha covered the mark on the back of his hand, and with a soft glow and a bit of a tingling feeling, the mark was gone.

There was something that suddenly felt empty in his heart. A bond that got severed. But immediately, Natha kissed the back of his hand, and he could feel another tingling on his ring finger. The emptiness he felt inside from the severed contract earlier was being filled.

And he felt even fuller than before.

When the Lord let his hand go, Valen immediately shifted the ring away, to see a new mark there, curling the base of his finger like a ring tattoo.

"What...does this say?" he asked quietly to the one who made it.

With a smile that was full of joy and relief, Natha answered;

"The One I couldn’t live without,"