The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 303: If there’s no dating spot in your place, just make them...I guess?

Chapter 303: If there’s no dating spot in your place, just make them...I guess?

"There, it should feel less tight, right?"

With Natha’s help, I took the saddle off Vrida’s and put them in the storage ring. The yellow eyes looked at me keenly, inquisitively; a trace of worry was in her deep purr.

"I’ll be here for two nights, so you can have time for your own, Vrida," I stroked the wyvern’s snout, and her yellow eyes blinked, widening slightly in surprise. "The air here is quite different from the demon realm, and there are supposedly a lot of interesting places from above. I don’t have much time to explore, so, you can do it for me instead, yeah?"

When I talked about the trip with Natha, we predicted that we wouldn’t have much free time. Unlike back home, there would be no keeper here, so Vrida might be lonely during the next two days. That was why I decided to give her time for a free roam.

"There," I pointed at a mountain west of the city. "They told me you may hunt for your food there, but if you don’t want to, you can just come here and I’ll give you your meal, okay?"

Vrida let out a screeching sound and Jade jumped over to the wyvern’s snout. [Jade will fly with you tomorrow!] the little bird announced. [But Jade want to be with Master first!]

Vrida purred deeply and nuzzled my side, making me feel a bit ticklish. "Still, be careful, alright? I don’t think anyone will hurt you here, but don’t you go into an accident, okay?"

The yellow eyes blinked slowly to substitute for a nod, and Vrida raised her body then, shuddering as her wings stretched.

[Bye-bye!] Jade waves its tiny wings and the wyvern screeched once mirthfully, before taking off the white platform.

"Would that be alright, Your Excellency? The wyvern might not come back," one of the elves that came with Issa asked.

"Vrida is a good and smart girl," Ignis told him with a hint of glare from the pale blue eyes.

[Vrida is a good and smart girl!]

"She’ll find her way," I told them, and heard Natha chuckle softly, proudly as he put his hand on my waist and led me to walk toward the other elves.

Issa pointed to a young elf lady, and introduced her to us as Illurirae--I’ll call her Irra. "She would tend to your needs during the visit, Your Excellency. Anything that you need, please relay them to her; whether it’s food, clothes, a guide to visit the city--anything at all."

As I listened to her, I had to squeeze Natha’s hand because I couldn’t help cringing at the way they referred to me. But it was also annoying to correct them, so I would just have to grit my teeth and get myself used to it.

The young elf lady respectfully bowed her head, her eyes, a tad bit paler than Issa’s, were almost twinkling. "Thank you," I nodded to be polite, and next to me, Natha was taking out a piece of hard paper, almost like a card.

"This is his meal schedule and dietary restriction; please refer to the enclosed brewing method for his morning drink. Only plant-based milk, no cold water. Please make sure to use only lean meat as he hated the smell of fat, and..."

I could only blink as Natha told Irra all about my dietary preferences because...I didn’t even realize I had them. But the more I listened to him, the more I realized that yes, those were the kinds of food I would eat on a daily basis, and the kind of food I would pick if there was a whole spread of food on the table. I always did it unconsciously and never thought much about it. Perhaps...because every meal I got was always personally catered to my taste.

Was I...really that picky? Natha even wrote about my preferred temperature for drinks and bath water.

"Understood," Irra, fortunately, received the instruction with grace, as if all of that was something normal.

Actually, no one raised their brows at that. Was it a normal thing to have that kind of specific request during someone’s stay? Personally, I didn’t mind having whatever they gave me here, though, since I would only stay for two nights, but...

Am I the weird one to think it was too much?

"It is my honor to tend to Your Excellency’s needs," Irra bowed politely and gave me a sweet smile. "I would try my best to make your stay as comfortable as possible."

"Ah, yes...please take care of me...?" I replied hesitatingly, since everything still put me in a daze. Irra then separated herself from the reception group, probably to prepare our room. I turned to look at Natha, who just smiled charmingly at me.

Do you like it, my Lord--making them run around?

"If you would take this way, Your Excellency," Issa gestures toward a path that was the opposite of the one Irra took. "You must have felt famished, taking such a long journey through the air. We had prepared a small feast--not everything to your preference, but I hope you still find something you will like."

Ugh...that made me feel guilty somehow, like I was being reprimanded for being too picky. But whatever, I was indeed hungry because everything I could eat while flying at high speed was biscuits.

From the platform, Issa led us through a large outpost building and a giant gate. It was beyond that gate, where the palace stood, and between the gate and the palace was a vast garden.

The garden was...fascinating. It was built on top of a large pond, with several tiny islands that were brimming with vitality; green shrubs and vibrant flowers atop a calm, blue water. As we walked across the beautiful white bridge, I couldn’t help but think of the garden mirroring the palace itself.

[Master! Fishes!] Jade hopped off my shoulder to the railing of the bridge, followed by Ignis. They looked down at the splash of color fleeting beneath the clear water that reflected the color of the sky, the fascination was clear within the moving tails and dancing flame. [Colorful Fishes!]

The Lord Castle had ponds and lakes, and they did have fish in them. But the lake’s fish were so deep underwater, and the one in the Castle’s ponds only had one or two varieties. Here, the fish were of a vast variety, and as Jade said, they were colorful.

"It’s like looking at the elemental birds, but in water," I muttered unconsciously, and Issa smiled in response.

"The elemental birds have but one shape only," she said; which was true, since they were all the same except for the colors. "You can see all kinds of freshwater fishes here."

I glanced at the water along the way, and she was right; the fish there were in different shapes and sizes, not to mention colors. The view made me tug on Natha’s hand to get him to lean down and whisper in his ears. "It’s like an aquarium," I told him with a small giggle. I had never been to one, of course, but it might have the same vibe, right?

Natha nodded in agreement, and for a minute or two as we walked through the bridge and saw even more fish swimming around the island of flowers, he was silent.

...wait--

"Would it be possible for these fish to live in another realm?" he asked the elves.

Ah, I knew it...

Issa raised her brows and, for a second, I thought she would gatekeep the garden pond just like they did the tower. But then, she looked at me for a while and smiled softly at the end of it.

"I would like to say no, because that would mean His Excellency would have to come back here if he wants to see those fish again," Issa answered with a small chuckle. I felt like if it was our first meeting, she would really go through with that. "But I had been reprimanded once for forcing that kind of thought, so I won’t do it again."

"Reprimanded? By who?" I asked in surprise, tilting my head curiously. To scold a High Elf like Issa...must have been in a pretty high place, right?

With a twinkle in her deep golden eyes, Issa answered lightheartedly. "Why; don’t you remember doing that the first time we met, Your Excellency?"

Did she talk about how I got angry when they insinuated I should leave Natha’s side and live in the realm of nature instead? Natha let out a soft chuckle and I cleared my throat awkwardly.

"Oh..."

"And the answer to that is yes, they could live in another realm, providing you could make the environment as close to this place as possible," Issa explained while sweeping her gaze across the garden. "That means the temperature couldn’t be below a certain threshold, and the water should be rich in elemental mana."

"Hard, but not impossible," Natha commented. Coming from here, it was very believable.

If someone could make a greenhouse, why couldn’t they make an aquarium? I had a feeling that if Natha did bring some of those fish to his territory, he would build something like an aquarium on Earth; with a fish tank instead of a natural pond so he could control the temperature and mana content easier.

Nothing a money couldn’t resolve.

Would these elves permit such practice, though?

To answer that, Issa called out someone from the group of elves that was accompanying us. "This is Aezzariass, our commerce specialist. You may talk to him about safely importing the water commodity."

"I’ll be in your service, Lord Natha."

"Good," Natha nodded, and for the rest of the journey to the palace, he made several inquiries about what sounded like a full-fledged aquarium to the elves--you know, the one usually visited for a family outing or a date between couples?

[Master! Master! Are we going to have fishes home?] Jade flew back to my shoulder, chirping energetically.

Looking at Natha and the elves, I could see the aquarium already half-forming back home, wherever they would be. "I...guess so?"

I glanced carefully at Issa, checking if she felt displeased somehow by Natha’s intention. But she had a subtle smile on her face, and in the end, she even pitched some advice for Natha so the plan would be more feasible.

Ah...I guessed I should just feel thankful that so many people think of my happiness above their agenda.