The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 287: Communication is the key for any kind of relationship

Chapter 287: Communication is the key for any kind of relationship

At the end of the forest path leading to a nice viewing spot on the other side of the lake, I saw Arta sitting crossed legs on top of a boulder; my wedding journal on her lap.

I stopped behind the line of trees, contemplating how to approach her, but Jade had already flown toward Arta before I could prevent it. The little bird chirped lightly and landed on Arta’s shoulder, touching the demon’s cheek.

Arta turned to look at me, smiling as usual even though I could see her swollen eyes. "Does Lesta ask you to talk to me, Young Master?"

I almost hiccuped from being found out so swiftly, and she chuckled slightly while scooping Jade off her shoulder--this time, the little bird pliantly left itself to be held. "This is not your usual walking route," she added.

Well, I guessed it was too obvious. Jade being so soft and agreeable also contributed to that, I presumed.

Honestly, Lesta did not say much. He just told me they were fighting because of his bond with Eruha, and asked me to check up on Arta if I could. So there I was, awkwardly scooting closer to her, taking a seat on another boulder.

"Umm...you’re okay?"

"I’m calmer," Arta shrugged. "Well, you know me. I got excited fast, and cooled down easily."

She stroked Jade’s colorful plume, and the little bird nuzzled against her palm. Her eyes gazed at the cold water, probably because it provided nothing, like a blank canvas. It was indeed nice to meditate on our emotions.

"Is it because of the eternal bond he made with Eruha?" I asked, peeking at her face.

The corner of her eyes twitched, and her jaw tensed in reflex. Only for a short two seconds, though, after which she let out a long sigh. Her dark eyes lowered, containing both frustration and shame. "Did you see it?" she asked.

"...yeah, sorry," I replied awkwardly.

"Well, I did yell loudly earlier," she smiled wryly. "I’m the one who’s sorry you have to see that."

"Do you...want to talk about it?" I asked carefully, peering at her downturned eyes.

She lifted her gaze, looking at me, and asked; "Do you know about it, Young Master?"

I bit the inside of my cheek, feeling guilty for a whole other reason. It didn’t occur to me before that Lesta hadn’t told his sisters about making an eternal bond with Eruha. No wonder he told Arta I was merely doing a ’medical procedure’ the other day, instead of telling her I was looking at his eternal mark.

And somehow, it didn’t occur to me that Arta would get so angry about it.

"Yeah," I confessed while fiddling with the edge of my sleeve. "It came up while we were talking with the Lord of Gluttony."

"I see..."

The conversation stagnated again, and I didn’t know how to proceed. It was usually me who was in her position; clueless and needed to manage my thoughts about things. It was usually me whom people tried to talk to. My homebody self wasn’t equipped to start a deep conversation.

So I just waited patiently; if she didn’t want to talk, then...at least she could get calmer with Jade.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long. "I just found out today," she said. "I came to his room when he was changing and saw the thing on his chest."

She paused, eyes hardened and lips stiffened. "I wonder if he would ever tell us if I didn’t see it."

Ah...

She gazed at the lake and let out a long, heavy sigh. "You know...I’m not angry about him making a bond with Eruha--I mean, we all know there’s something between them already," she said, which I was fully on board with. "It’s just..." another sigh, and she pulled Jade close to her chest. "I just wish he told us about it, you know..."

Jade didn’t completely understand what we were talking about, but the little bird knew enough that Arta was sad. It patted the demon’s cheek, chirping softly to ask if she was alright.

"Binding himself to someone, becoming immortal...did he think it’s such a trivial thing that he couldn’t be bothered to consult us about this?" Arta bit her lips.

"Perhaps he thinks you might oppose it?"

"That would only hurt me more!" Arta almost yelled, but held herself enough by taking a deep breath immediately after. "I’m sorry, Young Master."

"No, it’s fine."

"I..." she pressed her lips for a few seconds, her conflicting expression was so identical to Lesta’s when he told me about his inferiority complex. "You know what, I think that’s actually what pissed me off earlier. I thought he didn’t want to tell us because he thought we would oppose it, and it hurt me to think that...that he thought I am so narrow-minded."

She pulled her knee up to her chest, and let go of Jade so the little bird could hop onto my shoulder instead. She tucked her head between her knees, grumbling incoherently for a while, before lifting her gaze that was now filled with irritation.

"I mean...isn’t what he did with Eruha basically a marriage?" she exclaimed. "Aren’t you supposed to tell your family first before deciding on something so monumental? And doing it in another realm at that--aagh!" she buried her face in her palm to muffle an exasperated scream. After a few seconds, she lifted her face again, which was decorated with a scowl. "But fine; let’s say he didn’t want to tell us because he was afraid of that possibility--why continue to hide it? It’s not like we can tell him to undo the mark!"

Well, if she said it like that...

With me, I didn’t have a direct family like these siblings. Amarein was my aunt, but she was more of a second or third cousin, and what happened between me and Natha was almost a public consumption already--what with how he proposed on the castle yard.

But yeah...I understood what she meant. When I finally decided to hold the wedding, I was truly eager to tell Zia, who wasn’t just my best friend, but almost like a sister already. And then, when I told the others about it, it wasn’t just for the sake of preparing for the wedding, but because I wanted to tell them, the people I wanted to be present at my wedding the most, about it.

Ah...

I blinked at the sunlight falling into the lake like the light shedding my heart. In this surprising event, I suddenly realized how many people I held dear in my heart; precious people with whom I was eager to share my happiness.

"Haa...forgive me, Young Master. I just rambling on and on. I didn’t mean to sound so--"

"You know..." I turned and looked at her. "You’re kind of like a sister to me too."

Her dark eyes blinked slowly, and I suddenly realized how out of place my remark was. "Ah, sorry--it’s not a nice time to talk about myself, isn’t...it?" my vision was abruptly filled with her hair as she hugged me.

"No, please don’t be sorry," she whispered, before laughing softly. "I’m happy, Young Master, it’s an honor," she released me, and I could see her usual cheerful smile. "You have no idea how much it repaired my mood in an instant."

Oh, really? It was nice that I could help. Although, if I thought about it, I was maybe, probably, the one who pushed Lesta into making that bond.

"Umm...I’m sorry," I whispered, feeling even more guilty.

"Why?"

So I told her about my conversation with Lesta, along with my conclusion. "Both of them probably felt...I don’t know, rushed? Impatient? They have been pining on each other for decades, and Lesta..."

I remember he told me that he had been feeling inferior, undeserving--due to the difference in their background. Perhaps, there was a part of him that thought Eruha might change his mind, and felt like he had to do it swiftly before that happened.

"Lesta probably got too dazed afterward,"

"Maybe," Arta sighed again, but at the very least, she no longer sounded agitated. "But like I said, I wished he still told us immediately."

Yeah...I didn’t have any defense for you in that regard, Lesta.

Arta propped her elbow against her knee, and leaned onto her palm while staring at the lake and the greenhouse on the other side. "You know, Young Master...us three siblings only have each other for the longest time. Sis took care of us for as long as we remember--when we were still no more than street rats," she said, the dark eyes gleaming in bittersweet nostalgia. "I know he’s an adult now and entitled to his own decision, but...it feels like he forgot that he had us, that he had Malta. I just wish he showed her the respect she deserved."

"Yeah..." I looked down awkwardly, feeling like she jabbed my past self. "I guess Lesta is not perfect, after all..."

"Pfft--of course he’s not!" Arta scoffed, before falling into silence once more, blinking slowly as she pondered about something. "...I think I’ll have to drag him in front of her right now, I don’t want Sis to get angry."

Oh, talking about anger...

"I think I need to see Angwi right now," I stood up abruptly as I recalled my initial objective of going to the garden.

Arta chuckled then, and I was glad that she looked better already. She left the boulder too, and patted my shoulder, fixing my clothes and hair while at it. She did not let me go immediately, however, looking into my eyes with a soft smile.

"Young Master...make sure you always talk to His Lordship, okay? Especially about important things," she told me seriously. "Don’t worry about making him angry or hurt or uncomfortable--it will only hurt more if he knew you’re hiding something important from him."

"...yeah, thank you."

She smiled and, after pinching my cheek lightly, grabbed her journal and scurried away to catch Lesta, wherever he was.

Hmm...I knew that already. I had experienced upsetting him by hiding certain events from him. And while I knew that, and had tried to change it bit by bit, it was nice to be reminded of it every now and then.

For now though, rather than Natha, I needed to face Angwi first.

[Master...] Jade suddenly tugged on my hair to catch my attention. [Master...is Master hurt because Jade hide something?]

Oh? I raised my brow and looked at the conflicted green eyes. "Is this about the secret you have with D’Ara?" I asked, and Jade nodded adorably. "Hmm...that one is fine because you told me it’s not dangerous. Also...it’s supposed to be a surprise for me, right?"

Looking at my smile, Jade immediately perked up after receiving confirmation that I wasn’t hurt by its action. [Yes! Big big surprise!]

Well...I was feeling a bit lonely these days because Jade spent more time without me, but it was rather bearable because I had to deal with the wedding preparation too.

"For now, let’s visit Angwi and the others, and tell them about it!"

[Let’s go!]