The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 280: Coaxing your lover is different from coaxing your familiar

Chapter 280: Coaxing your lover is different from coaxing your familiar

"Was?" Natha expressed his surprise and looked at me intriguingly.

"I used to," I said, shrugging my shoulder a little. "But after reading this, I started to...hmm...getting greedy?"

I recalled the red letter from my storage ring, giving it to Natha. He hadn’t read the content yet, because our Demon Lord surprisingly respected a certain level of privacy.

"Oh?" Natha took the red envelope and read the letter inside. I watched his eyes move and his brow arch while sipping on a glass of warm milk the servant put on the bedside table.

I waited until he finished reading it, and once he gave the letter back, I stood up to hold his arms. "Nat, can I ask something? No--two things!"

"Let’s hear them," he replied easily, pulling me along to sit on the bed.

I looked at him hesitatingly, and only managed to speak after fiddling with my shirt for half a minute. "Umm...I want to ask for the Amrita--"

"It’s yours."

"...thank you," I replied awkwardly at his swift answer that was bare of any hesitation, as opposed to the way I made the request. Well, he did say he acquired the Amrita solely for me, so I could see why he easily granted it to me.

But my second request might be trickier, since it had nothing to do with a physical item. And...it might be a sensitive topic for Natha.

I fiddled with his green pendant and looked at him carefully, feeling my voice waver even more than before. "And...is it okay if I use my ability again? The purification, I mean..."

Just as I thought, his smiling face immediately hardened. The silver eyes darkened, and I witnessed a cold expression I hadn’t seen in a long time. I was getting reminded of the face he made after I purified the forest village the last time.

"I promise I won’t get overboard! Promise!" I added immediately, urgently, cupping his face and stroking his cheek in the hope that it would melt his cold gaze. "I won’t do it all at once in one day, and...and...you know I already completely healed, right? And I will get a lesson from the druids in the spring, so..."

I knew it sounded like I was throwing him a bunch of words that sounded like excuses, but none of them were false. But I also knew it would be hard to convince him because I did betray his trust in this matter the last time.

And Natha...Natha wasn’t someone who forgot this kind of matter easily.

"I’m not doing it because of a sense of duty or anything, just...business, you know?" I spoke further, sliding into his lap for leverage. "You can send someone to chaperone me if you want."

With a lowered head, I peeked at him through my lashes, sliding my hand down to his shoulder, waiting for his judgment. It took a few minutes of silence before he finally replied with a sigh.

"Well, you are your own person, so I don’t have any right to ban you from doing what you want to do," he said, with a tone that sounded rather dry.

Ah...he must have felt conflicted about it. He didn’t want to chain me, but he also couldn’t help but be worried. I grasped his face and kissed his cheek. "But it’ll feel so much better with your blessing."

The silver eyes flicked to stare at me sharply; not in an angry way. From the way his hand tensed around my waist, he was just finding it difficult to hold back from pushing me to the bed. It took him a few seconds to battle his carnal desire and let out another sigh; fingers loosening around my waist.

"That’s one thing, but..." he stroked my thigh and looked into my eyes. "You want to go to the human realm?"

Oh? Was that what he worried about? It wasn’t just about me ’using my ability for strangers’, as he called it?

"Can’t I?" I put my arms around his neck, tilting my head. "I don’t think anyone will recognize me, anyway."

And truthfully, thinking about going to the realm of nature soon made me curious about the human realm too--you know, other places that weren’t searching for my dead body.

"Please?" I whispered, kissing his jaw in an attempt to appease him--just like how I usually try to appease Jade.

"Haa..." Natha, unlike Jade, did not nuzzle me in response. He leaned back until his upper body lay on the mattress, and I ended up straddling on top of him. He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh, before clicking his tongue in irritation. "I can just rob the palace for you."

"Hey, don’t make war so easily!" I slapped his chest, scowling as he opened his eyes in surprise. "What about our wedding? What about our child?"

His brow arched while my lips pursed in annoyance, and, after a few seconds, he let out a chuckle. "Fine."

I perked up, but before I could totally revel in my success, he already spoke again; grabbing my hip to get my attention. "One condition," he said, and I tilted my head inquisitively. His lips curled, rather mischievously. "Call me that again."

I blinked, shuddering as I took in his smile. Slowly, realization filled my mind and I instinctively shifted away as my face started to burn--only for Natha to raise his upper body and snatch my waist.

"Come on, sweetheart; you have to try to coax me somewhat, don’t you think?" Natha tilted his head, lightly pressing his lips on my shoulder.

Stop looking at me with your bedroom eyes! I bit my lips and turned my head away. No way--there was no way I could say that while completely sober. It was too embarrassing! Too embarrassing I tell you!

But this Demon Lord had to go and whispered in his sultry voice. "Sweetheart..."

Hngg!

"Valen,"

Agh!

"Uhh...umm..." I glanced at him; his dreamy silver eyes gleaming softly like a pair of moonlight, and the beautiful face that only I could see clearly.

Mother...I’m not your strongest child.

I bit my lips and lowered my face--my totally flushed, totally red face. "Will you...grant my request...h-husband?"

He grasped my jaw to tilt me up and kissed me. "Again," he whispered against my lips.

"Uh, why? What if it lost the effect once we got married?"

Natha laughed and rubbed my waist as he persisted with his request. "It won’t, so say it again,"

"Ngh--" I bit my lips so bad that Natha had to rub my lips to stop me.

But that didn’t mean he stopped pestering me about it. The silver eyes gazed at me, patiently waiting with a glint of expectation. Slowly, in a trembling voice that made me even more embarrassed, I said it. "Hus...Husband?"

In the next second, I got attacked by a shower of kisses.

* * *

[Master, Salamander not here yet?]

Jade greeted me with a question instead of a good morning; the disappointment was palpable from the less energetic chirp.

"Oh, that’s right!" I looked up from my plate. "I wonder if Ignis stays in the Lair or follows Zia to Lust..."

Closing my eyes a little bit, I tried to feel where my contractual beast was. Vaguely, I felt Ignis somewhere far, definitely further away than the Lair. "I think Ignis is with Zia, Jade. Let’s call her later and talk to Ignis too."

[Okay...] The little bird still looked disappointed; the colorful wings slumped down despite the jellies and candies surrounding it. [Jade want Salamander to meet Wyvern...]

I gently stroked the green head. "Vrida won’t go anywhere, so you can introduce her to Ignis anytime."

[Mm...]

Aww...looked at my little bird wanting to introduce its two friends as soon as possible!

But Jade continued to be sad, so I brought the little bird over to Vrida’s nest; somewhere not far from the platform where the airship was. Surprisingly, the keeper was already here, feeding the wyvern huge pieces of meat.

Apparently, Natha called the vampire castle yesterday, and told Eruha to send the keeper first, since no one could take care of Vrida here. The Castle’s beast keeper, while adequate to guide Vrida to her nest--she was a smart girl, anyway--wasn’t equipped with the knowledge of wyvern grooming.

"Good morning, Young Master," the keeper bowed politely; someone called Gaela. She said she had been with Vrida for three years, and seemed to be very passionate about wyvern-keeping--which was good.

"Hmm...I think I’ll have to take Vrida to fly to the Lair, sometimes...maybe after Zia comes back," I pondered aloud while watching Jade fly around the wyvern. The little bird finally perked up after seeing one of its friends. "Do you think she will feel better to live near the forest?"

"Well, it’s always preferable to have a large playing ground, Young Master." Gaela nodded. "Tamed wyvern is already used to buildings and cities, but they will amass less stress if they live closer to nature."

"Mm, I agree,"

That being said, moving Vrida to the Lair would sadden my little bird, and I also had to ask for Natha’s permission first. Not for Vrida, but for her keeper. After all, only Natha’s trusted subordinates could go to the Lair.

And...she would probably have to pass Angwi’s test first.

"Oh, right--do you know where the other two will come?" I asked her.

"Ah, Sir Eruha said they might be back this morning--hmm?" Gaela paused and narrowed her eyes, staring down the hill toward the Castle. "Oh! I think that’s their carriage, Young Master!"

I turned my head and circulated mana to my eyes so I could look afar. And what do you know--there they are, riding the carriage from the magic tower’s direction.

Wow...she could see that far? Was it because she was a wyvern keeper?

Anyway, what a nice timing. I bid farewell to Vrida and her keeper, and told Jade to come to the research room when I called Zia later, before immediately climbing down the hill to greet those two vassals. Or rather, I want to see Lesta.

And ask him about the mark of eternal.