The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 315: Socializing needs a proper bodily setting and condition

Chapter 315: Socializing needs a proper bodily setting and condition

"Amarein!"

Right after my shout, Halurean stopped on his track, and Natha snatched my waist to prevent me from colliding with the druid. Huh? What? I looked at Natha, and then back at the druid. The sudden stop made my heart beat fast in surprise.

"W-what?"

"Ah, pardon me," Halurean turned his head and gave me an apologetic smile. "I was just surprised that you called Lady Amarein so casually."

I blinked in a different kind of surprise now. "Huh? Oh...sorry?"

"Oh, no--no..." he turned his body completely now, shaking his head and his hands at the same time. "Of course, you’re our prince, Your--ahem, Young Master, so you’re allowed to do that," he explained, before adding with a sheepish smile and an awkward gaze. "I’m just not used to it."

"Oh,"

Indeed, he was still hesitant every time he called me youngmaster instead of his highness. And Amarein was their High Priestess--the medium to receive Mother’s voice. For druids, she must be a really important person.

I glanced at her figure, who made no move to approach us at all. But she still staring at us and smiling gently, as if waiting. It made me think that I was too hasty, and that she might be a trap cast by one of the forest dwellers; an illusion. I looked at Halurean and asked carefully in a whisper. "But...umm...so, is that Amarein?"

[No, Master! Not Aunty Druid!] Jade shook its head on my shoulder.

What?! So was it really an evil spirit?

"It’s my Lady’s projection," Halurean said. "Probably so she could tell the Council you’re almost there, Young Master."

Oh, phew...I had thought we had to fight against a ghost or something. I really wasn’t good with those types of creatures. I very much preferred to face something I could slap.

"And to tell you that she’s already there, I presumed," Natha added.

"Oh, I see," I nodded. As High Priestess, Amarein did not stay in one place for too long. She would go around from tribe to tribe, consistently traveling to keep watch of the realm as Mother’s eyes. So she had a house in every tribe settlement, it was just a matter of whether or not she was there. "Ah, she’s dispersing..."

Suddenly, the figure in front of us flickered and got fainter before vanishing like smoke. Hmm...should I ask her how to make something like that? Seemed interesting as a prank or creating an alibi--

"Shall we continue?" Halurean cut my useless train of thought and we continued our journey. This time, we didn’t run as fast as before, because we weren’t that far from the settlement and there was enough time for a more leisurely journey before we lost the light of the day.

Anyway, I probably should be more tactful about calling her casually later, especially in front of the other Chiefs.

* * *

The dark, tight forest got thinner and thinner, and at some point, we finally arrived at a real pathway. I could see an opening further down the dirt road, and my heart pounding knowing that we were almost there. Not long after, we arrived at the end of the road, which led to a small meadow with a creek running through the middle of it. This one had a proper non-magical bridge, which we crossed while looking at the blooming flowers all around.

I knew these flowers were probably here all year round, but I couldn’t help but feel like they were welcoming me; a road of flowers, so to speak.

On the other side of the small, refreshing creek was another pathway, with neat trees and plants that seemed to form a big tunnel as we walked through it. It was only a short journey, with an ivy gate at the end of the path, reminding me of the gate in Mother’s abode, which led to Her garden.

And below that gate, standing in a shimmering brown dress, was Amarein.

Slowing my steps, I whispered to Natha hesitatingly. "Umm...that one is the real Amarein, right?"

[Yes!]

"I think so," Natha nodded.

As if to answer my doubt, Halurean hastened his pace and bowed politely in front of her. "My Lady."

Oh, so she was real. Knowing this, I let go of Natha’s hand and jogged toward her. "Aunty!" I called out reflexively, before recalling that I needed to be mindful and correct myself. "I mean, Lady Amarein."

She laughed and lifted my bowed head, green eyes sparkling under the dimming sunlight. "Oh, too bad. I liked the first one better."

"Aunty?" I tilted my head, and she nodded with a delightful smile on her lips, prompting me to let out a quiet giggle reflexively.

"How are you, my dear?" she asked in a soft, nostalgic voice, almost as if it belonged to Mother.

"Good," I nodded, enjoying the brief caress on my cheek, and added with a stretched lips. "Happy."

"Yes, I can see that," she pinched my cheek gently. "Is it hard coming here?"

"No, it was fun," I shook my head. "I saw a lot of new, fascinating things, and...my body really liked it."

[Jade like it too!] the little bird flapped its wings energetically, flying around Amarein like a colorful satellite.

"Jade likes it too, and Ignis works hard to not set the forest on fire," I pointed to the little gecko that was still perching on Natha’s shoulder.

She laughed and took a half step back to observe me better. "You must be tired, hurrying through the forest for half a day," she said while patting the dust off my shoulder. I wasn’t sure if there was dust there, but the edge of my pants and coat was indeed a bit dirty.

"More like thirsty...and hungry," I patted my stomach. We did eat a bit in the post before we started the journey, but everything got digested with the hours of constant running through the forest.

She smiled and took my arm, leading me to start walking toward the settlement. "Let’s go to my house so I can give you some dinner."

"Oh, we’re not going to greet the Chief first?"

"No, you can do that tomorrow when you’re already freshened up," she said. "Besides, some of the Chiefs that came from afar will only arrive past midnight."

"I see..."

"Don’t worry, I already told them about it," she patted my arm in assurance, before adding in a whisper. "They would like to put you in the Chief’s house, but I reckoned you’d be more comfortable staying with me."

"Oh, thank you!" I whispered back in relief. Staying in the Chief’s house when I didn’t even know him? I wasn’t at that level yet, unfortunately. "You know me so well already, Aunty!"

She chuckled and I would too, if not for my eyes finally catching the view of the tribe settlement.

I had imagined the settlement to be something of a village, but...I felt it was too big to be considered a mere village. The houses looked like cabins made of intertwining vines and trees that twisted their branch to form the living area. There were cabins in the ground, there were cabins in the cliff, but there were also cabins in the huge trees that fenced the valley.

The biggest tree, however, stood in the middle of the settlement as the center of the tribe. It was on a more elevated land, so I could see it clearly, including the platform beneath the tree that looked like a podium and perhaps...an altar?

The cliff, which was on the other side of the gate, was a backdrop for a beautiful waterfall, which cascaded into a small lake below. The sounds of rippling water, together with the ruffling of the leaves and the murmurs of friendly animals, created a harmonious symphony that felt like home; the home my grandmother yearned for.

Oh, if only I could bring her remains back here...

I would have enjoyed the scenery more had the whispers and the stolen glances weren’t prickling my senses too much. It was the banquet experience all over again, where the gazes were full of probing and curiosity. The fact that they actually looked like me--various shades of green eyes and brown hair--made it feel weirder, strangely enough.

"Don’t mind them for now; there’ll be plenty of time to know everyone tomorrow," again, Amarein patted my arm assuringly, walking steadily closer to a more elevated land. The druids gave way for us, bowing while peeking at us--well, me, to be exact. "Socializing is better when you’re all nice and filled with warm meal."

I looked at Amarein’s gentle smile, before leaning down to whisper. "...you’ll be there with me, right?"

"Of course, my dear."

I glanced toward Natha, who was following behind us with Ignis—Halurean seemed to be separating himself after finishing his guiding task, and Ilya said he’d visit his druid friends. He caught my eyes and gave me a smile, signaling with his chin for me to pay attention to the road.

We went uphill, to a rather big two-story cabin surrounded by flowers and herbal plants. The climbing plants and roses all over the wall and above the door reminded me of the cabin in Mother’s abode, so I almost expected myself to see that beautiful white tree where I talked with my other half.

But of course, there was no tree inside the house; just a cozy-looking open room with a seating area, a kitchen, and a dining table near the patio’s door. A spiraling staircase tucked nicely on the side led to a second floor that consisted of the library and the bedroom gallery.

Another druid, significantly older, was in the middle of setting the dining table, which emanated the delicious smell of a warm cooked meal. The druid grandma perked up and hurried to welcome us. "My, my, this must be the little Prince."

Uhh...

"Hurry, give me your coat and wash your hands before eating--you too, Sir."

She swiftly took the coat right off my body and grabbed the coat that Natha gave her, before ushering us toward the wash basin. She did not give us time to wander around the house before sitting us around the dining table.

"Now, tell me about your journey," Amarein said, and I started to tell her about all the fascination I felt on our way here along the sound of Jade’s chirping and a bowl of hearty stew.