The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 247: In conclusion, don’t do crime, folks!

Chapter 247: In conclusion, don’t do crime, folks!

"Aahh....that was entertaining," I stretched out my arms once the trial was over.

Truly, it made me miss my popcorn. But I already asked Mara to have it ready after we came back from the courthouse, so it might be fun to have a court review with the snack on the side—you know, like a movie circle or something.

"Which part of it is entertaining?" Izzi grumbled behind me.

"Everything?" I shrugged. "It’s a nice ending, right?"

"Relatively speaking," Lesta commented. "I know His Lordship wishes for a harsher punishment."

Harsher...how harshly do they want to do it?

Initially, before Natha raised the last charge, the High Council’s members would only give the three Elders life imprisonment—which could still be lessened through ’good behavior’—and a certain amount of fine to be paid to me and the government—you know, as a compensation for emotional damage or something.

But after the new charge, aside from the life imprisonment, the clans where they belonged also had to pay the predicted economic loss from the termination of diplomatic relationship with the realm of nature.

And let me tell you; the amount of trade between two nations was not something one or two or three families wanted to shoulder.

In conclusion, those three families had to cough up every coin from their coffers, and if it still wasn’t enough, the Lord had the right to confiscate their properties. And if it was still wasn’t enough? They had to work their ass off and paid the debt, however long it took, for however many generations.

And from what Lesta told me, one clan really had to do that, as with the other two, unless they could find someone willing to lend them the money, they had to let go of their estate.

But where would they try to find a place to lend them the money? Natha was the bank itself.

So, I don’t think they would have any more power left for revenge or whatever. What would be harsher than suddenly finding themselves living in a street after drowning in luxury before? Death penalty? Getting those blasphemy brands?

Wait...did he really wante to...?

"This will do for now," Natha’s voice came from behind me, and I almost jumped in surprise, wondering if what I was thinking was true. "We will have other chances in the future."

I turned around and caught his silver eyes, which looked at me gently despite the harsh implication behind his words. "You’ll still go after them?"

"Of course," he said with a confused tone, as if wondering why I would even question such an obvious thing. He reached out to cup my cheeks and stroked them. "Do you think I will let people who dare to touch you go? In my own realm?"

"Uhh..." I lowered my gaze and bit my lips. I knew I was smiling and all earlier, mocking them, and in all honestly, I didn’t care about people who wanted me dead.

But I didn’t believe everyone from those families wanted me dead. I mean, there must be some innocent kids who had no idea about all of this, and now their future was getting dragged into the problem that the adults created. They would be branded as the relatives of a traitor, just like Natha was, even though they knew nothing about it.

I heard Natha sigh and he kissed my forehead before muttering. "My sweetheart is so kind,"

"I’m not really?"

"No, you definitely are, Val," Zia huffed from the side, crossing her arms and shaking her head, while Izzi nodded beside her.

"Yeah, I agree."

"Agreed."

"Hey!"

Why were they all suddenly agreeing about this? What part of my thinking was kind? I was literally saying I didn’t care about the lives of those people who wanted me dead. I was freaking smiling at them in mockery!

When I was looking at them in confusion, Natha gently turned my head so I would face him. "Valen, what do you think your grandfather would do if he caught someone trying to kill you?"

Uh-oh...he called me by my name. And what kind of question was that? Why did he bring my grandfather all of a sud—oh...

As he looked at the change in my expression, Natha smiled. "No, I think it happened in the past, no? You told me about that,"

"Uhh..."

"Remind me again what your grandfather did," he repeated.

I had already forgotten what compelled me to tell Natha this story at that time; perhaps I just wanted to brag, perhaps I just needed someone else to validate my happiness about being protected by someone, or perhaps I was just missing my deceased grandfather, and wanted to tell Natha stories about him.

"...He...he lined them up and shot them," I told the answer quietly.

There was a time when my hospital room was suddenly guarded by Grandpa’s personal guard, and I overheard them talking about how one of my uncles had tried to get rid of me for the inheritance, and what Grandpa proceeded to do to them.

"And?" Natha urged again, albeit gently.

I looked down and fiddled with the fur lining of my coat. "And...and feed them to...to his pet dolphins,"

[Dolphin? What’s Dolphin, Master?] I heard Jade’s voice from Zia’s shoulder, and in horror realized I hadn’t censored this for my little bird!

"What’s a dolphin?" Zia asked the same question, which Izzi proceeded to answer.

"A vicious fish,"

"Ah, like Leviathan?" Arta chimed in.

Izzi nodded before adding; "But smaller and more numerous."

"That sounds terrifying,"

"They look cute, though,"

Zia shuddered. "Even more terrifying," she remarked, to which Lesta responded by looking at me.

"Like Young Master?"

"Hey!"

I pursed my lips, but once again, Natha held my face and made me look at him. "Do you think I’m too much for wanting to get rid of them completely?"

Ugh—I get it! I got that he wanted to make sure I was safe. And I got that he wanted to end the perpetrator with his own hand. But...haa...

Oh, well.

"I trust you," I said in the end.

He leaned down and kissed me, so sweet and gentle, and made me want to cling myself in his embrace. "Thank you," he caressed my head and smiled. "Shall we go home now?"

I sighed and nodded, suddenly feeling exhausted. "Yeah, I want my popcorn..."

[Popcorn!]

Izzi widened his eyes. "Popcorn?"

"What’s popcorn?"

Izzi then proceeded to tell Zia about it in a whisper, and the purple eyes widened in gradual excitement. Zia looked at me with literal sparkles in her eyes—because that’s how succubus looked when they were excited about something—and gave me the same look as Jade.

"Popcorn?!"

Pfft—I couldn’t help but laugh at the sudden enthusiasm for this popcorn. Perhaps we should make a business out of it.

"Shall we?" Natha raised his hand, and I gladly took it. It was nice to be with him again, and we walked hand-in-hand through the front door.

But the moment I stepped onto the stairs leading to the plaza, I was once again greeted by loud noises. Looking at the plaza in surprise, I realized that the place was still full of citizens, waving their hands at us—at...me?

"Young Master! Young Master!"

"Your Highness!"

I heard their voices, and getting even more surprised. "H-huh? Why are they even more enthusiastic than before? How do they know about—"

"Huh? There are journalists inside, you don’t know?" Zia answered my confusion.

"There are?" I looked at Natha, who proceeded to nod while leading me down.

"Of course, everything should be transparent, no?" he replied with a ’transparent’ business smile on his face.

"Everything?"

"Everything important, anyway," he shrugged and smirked cheekily, and I couldn’t help but giggle at that. "Isn’t it good that they like you?"

"It’s because Valen is so kind," Zia giggled from my other side, and I turned to look at her in confusion. I got confused a lot today.

"What did I do?"

"You make them warm," she replied casually.

I blinked, remembering what I did before entering the courthouse. "Oh, that’s just--"

"I know you don’t think it’s anything special, but they surely think it is," Zia cut me with a stern voice. "Just like how people don’t treat a glass of water as anything special, but what about people who have been lost in the desert for days?"

Hmm...so she was saying that my simple gesture of wanting them to get warm was something special because it was cold today, right?

"You’re so profound today," Izzi muttered from behind, and Zia pursed her lips in annoyance.

"Hey, I’m a top student in my academy, okay?"

Hey, don’t start bickering in the middle of the stairs in public!

"I just felt bad because they came out during such cold weather for the trial..." I sighed when we finally reached the bottom of the stairs.

Lesta, who was opening the carriage in front of us, looked at me with a smile. "Isn’t it endearing that Young Master didn’t even think of it as something special?"

"But it isn’t?"

"Yes, yes," Zia returned Jade back on my shoulder and laughed softly. "Because Valen is kind,"

"Stop this!"

"And adorable, and pretty, and—"

"Nat!"

The Demon Lord tilted his head and I looked at him with pursed lips. "What?" he asked with a smile as I pointed at Zia and Arta who were giggling on the side.

"Stop them?"

Natha raised his brow and, rather than stopping them, only shrugged. "I like hearing my sweetheart get praised."

"Traitor!"

Laughing, Natha patted my head as Arta and Zia ran away to the other carriage. "You don’t have to be embarrassed."

"That’s right, Young Master," Eruha, who I hadn’t seen since the trial was over, suddenly showed up as if he was coming out of thin air. "You should only feel embarrassed if the praise is not true,"

While I was still rubbing my chest from the shock of his sudden appearance, the vampire continued. "But they are true, so you should accept it gracefully. It is a virtue to have self-awareness and self-worth," Eruha said while gesturing for me to climb the carriage. "Only someone who understands themselves can successfully lead others."

Ugh...fine. But why did this suddenly become a lecture?