The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 269: Dragon 101 with Vampire Mother

Chapter 269: Dragon 101 with Vampire Mother

"Actually, I had thinking of proposing to you here," Natha suddenly confessed when the sky got even redder.

I was about to call for Vrida and Jade to come back, but now I couldn’t because I lost my voice then. Or rather, I was almost choked in surprise.

"After coming back from the Sanctuary, when I was looking at the sunset and daydreaming, I thought of proposing to you here," Natha let out a silly smile, a smear of red on his cheek; whether it was a blush or just a reflection of the sun’s last light.

"I like your proposal," I told him sincerely, taking his hand again; a cold hand that reminded me of the falling snow. "It’s us. Our meeting, our moment. It’s something only we know."

And I loved how abrupt it was, how unplanned, how impulsive. Knowing how much Natha liked to plan things in an orderly manner, the proposal tasted even sweeter.

He turned to look at me, still with the same smile, and I knew from his eyes that he thought the same. He raised our hands and kissed my knuckles, before tilting his head toward the valley. "Alright--call the brat, and let’s get ready for dinner."

Surprisingly, however, Jade wanted to spend more time with Vrida. Talking about flying, the little bird said. So I gave Jade a bag of jelly and two pieces of candy for dinner, and the little bird flew down toward the wyvern again after pecking my cheek.

Hmm...was it because they were both flying creatures? Jade got close fast with Vrida. Or was it because Vrida had to stay outside and Jade felt bad about her? Ah, well, either way, Jade has become such a good bird now.

As we walked down the stairs from our bedroom, the quietness of the building suddenly struck me. There was only one quiet golem cleaning the fireplace, and no one else. No servants ran carefully behind the pillar to get ready for our summon, no guards stood outside the door to escort us to the dining hall. It was quiet, but not in an eerie way, and it was...

"I think...this is the first time I feel like we are truly alone," I whispered, even though no one could hear me but Natha. Tightening my hold on his elbow, I scooted closer and leaned on him, giggling quietly. "This is nice."

"Indeed," Natha looked at me with a subtle smile, as if he was contemplating something. "Perhaps we should do it more often."

"Huh? Going here?"

He laughed and caressed my tilted head, before telling me the answer. "Going somewhere we could be truly alone, just the two of us and no one else."

My eyes widened and my heart swelled in excitement. "Yes! Yes, please, let’s do that!" my voice raised from excitement, and I had to clasp my mouth because it started to echo in the empty building. "Hehe, sorry..."

"Well, you’ll need to make sure the brat doesn’t follow us, though."

"Oh, don’t worry," I covered my mouth and giggled. "Jade has a lot of sitters now," from Zia to Lesta, or even Vrida, I could just leave my little bird to them for a few days. Jade had been listening to reasons better too, so negotiating with the little bird was easier these days.

As long as there’s candy and jelly involved.

"Good," Natha smiled and, by the look on his face, he seemed to be planning something already. Mm, couldn’t wait to see what it would be, but for now, we had dinner with vampire mommy--I mean, progenitor.

And as expected of the progenitor, her dinner too, was filled with delicacies that were brimming with mana. But unlike the time in the Vampire Capital, there was only enough serving for three people, which was nice. I didn’t have to worry about being forced to eat as much as my stomach could muster.

"Ah, you’re here?" she came to the dining room just as I took a seat, so I stood up again to show courtesy. She waved her hand, though, telling me I shouldn’t bother with it.

Hmm....it seemed like she really didn’t want to impose a strict rule. Those kinds of rules were probably boring after a few centuries, especially when you didn’t have many guests to begin with. That was probably why the dining table had a round shape; no edges, no hierarchical order. It was just the way we had dinner in the Lair, like a family gathering.

Ah, it was getting nicer and nicer. Even the conversation ended up in the scope of a family. "What’s my youngest up to these days?" she asked while we started to enjoy the main course.

"Still trying to woe his beau," Natha replied with a shrug.

I almost choked on my sweet potato when I heard him.

"Hmm...well, it’s only been a few decades," D’Ara replied nonchalantly.

"An ordinary demon doesn’t have that much lifespan, Teacher."

"Ah, that’s true. Well, as long as he does it before the other one dies,"

I ate my veggies in silence while they talked about Eruha like he was a free-spirited youngest sibling in a household with ordinary relationship problems. Well, well...wasn’t that interesting?

"I think Lesta will give his answer soon, though," I told them, recalling my conversation with the demon that morning.

D’Ara and Natha stopped talking and looked at me in surprise then, their brows arched. They looked at each other after, curling their lips in a suspicious smile.

"Oh, that would be fun,"

"Seems like it’s time for the youngest to return home,"

Oh? Was Eruha living here for the first two hundred years of his life instead of the Vampire Castle? Interesting. Whatever it was they wanted to do to him, I could only pray for you, my teacher, because your boss and mother looked like they wanted to tease you to death right now.

They continued to converse after that, talking about things outside of the abode, even outside the demon realm. It made me remember the things I had been curious about for the past week, and now that I had been given the chance for an inquiry, it only piqued my curiosity even more.

"Are you going to use your first ticket now?"

Suddenly, as I was drowning in my own thoughts, D’Ara asked casually after swallowing the food in her mouth.

"Y-yes?"

She took the wine glass and sipped on the drink a little bit, before looking back at me. "It seems like you can’t concentrate on your meal, so let’s get one out first so you can eat better."

Oh...was it that obvious? I didn’t even realize I had stopped moving my fork for a while now. Uhh, well...they did say I was so easy to read. I glanced at Natha, who gave me a little nod, but also made sure I didn’t let go of my knife and fork.

Well--here goes nothing. "Umm...I...I want to know more about the archdragons."

"Archdragon?" she tilted her head, looking confused, which made me confused. Why was he confused about my question? It took a few seconds more before she finally snapped her fingers. "Ah--you mean those Dzurrakh?"

Again, I looked at Natha, who finally said something. "Ah, yes. Archdragon is what common people call them. The name of their race in Old Tongue is Dzurrakh," he explained.

I could hear D’Ara click her tongue and shake her head. "If you want to teach him something, kid, you should have taught him correctly."

"I am," Natha argued. "I’m just using a more common and modern phrase."

D’Ara sighed, just like how the elderly would sigh while looking at the youngsters abandoning traditions and old teaching. It almost made me laugh; she might looked like an ethereal goddess of the night, but she was also...how should I say this...a boomer.

"So...about this...Dzurrakh?"

"Ah, what would you like to know?" she asked while continuing her meal.

What would I like to know? Well, a lot. Would each question require a ticket, however?

"Ah, I’ll treat the whole topic as one ticket usage," she added, as if reading my thought from my hesitation.

Oh! How generous. In that case...

"Why...have they decided to isolate themselves?"

I thought about it while getting ready for dinner earlier, about what I wanted to ask her. Since I heard the story from Natha, I already got a basic understanding of their societal and hierarchical structure. There was no doubt in my mind that they were real too, and it would be a waste to ask her about trivial things such as what they looked like.

So I had to ask about something that only someone like her knew; something that happened before the New Age of Three Gods.

"That’s not entirely true," D’Ara replied while swirling her wine. "The one who decided to isolate the Dragon Island wasn’t the dragons, or even the Dzurrakh."

Huh? Then?

"It was the solitary decision of their leader, the High Priest," she explained. For a little bit, she had a forlorn look on her face, eyes slightly downturned in bitterness. "He sealed the whole island and its residents, preventing them from communicating with the other three races."

"Why?"

"Why..." she smiled wryly. "Perhaps because we have been using dragons in the frontline as we waged wars among each other."

We...when she said ’we’...

"You mean...all three races employed the dragons as soldiers?" I asked carefully.

"Soldiers," she smirked, "Or cannon fodder."

My eyes widened even more in surprise, but also in confusion. Thankfully, she immediately elaborated. "Dragons had always been a neutral force, and while they have a structure of power, they were also free to roam the world. The priests and the High Priest functioned more like an advisory council rather than sovereign," she explained, with a tone that was getting lower and more serious.

"During the era of confusion after the Primordial One vanished, the three races waged wars in the name of their Gods. Against the order from their priests, the Dzurrakh and their dragon cavalry joined the war as mercenaries."

Ah...I think I got it. Since they were mercenaries, they weren’t just employed by one side. Dragons and Dzurrakh, naturally, had great destructive power. When one side used their service, the other side would look for another cavalry’s service to balance the power. Naturally, these mercenaries were usually employed at the frontline of the battlefield, which means...

I bit my lips, and my fist clenched around my fork.

I could see it clearly, the cruel outcome of the battlefield; while the others fought against other races, the dragons were fighting against their kins.

"It seems like you understand it well," D’Ara smiled as she looked at me; a smile that contained an inaudible sigh. "Well, I can’t give you the details because of my oath. What I can tell you is this; the High Priest bound everyone with the dragon bloodline to him, and he bound himself to the Dragon Island. He became their chain, lock, and key, sealing himself and his race so no one could take advantage of his kin anymore."

She ended it in a bittersweet tone, her smile looked as sad as it was beautiful. "It seems like...you’re very close with the High Priest?"

"Well, yes; he’s my best friend, after all," D’Ara chuckled before emptying her wine glass. "He was so young too when he had to take on that responsibility."

Ah, no wonder she looked so sad. Natha also said that she visited the island from time to time, probably because her best friend was trapped there, right? Ah, foolish mortals and their clumsy patron Gods.

"But why do you want to know about it?"

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