The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 351: Greed does not discriminate, so let’s be greedy about people too

Chapter 351: Greed does not discriminate, so let’s be greedy about people too

"So I gathered that your lesson was unsatisfactory?" Natha asked as we resumed our walk in the garden--we had to, or we might end up doing some... exhibitionist thing.

"Mm..." I let out a sigh of disappointment. "Well...Amarein told me it’s not something I could hope to master in one or two days, but...I feel in a rush."

"Why?"

I bit my lips and glanced at him bashfully. "Because...I want to do it as soon as possible," my fingers unconsciously fiddled with the black pendant. Holding his hand tightly, I added with a slightly anxious heart. "I’m worried we might be too late if I take too long."

Natha put his arm around my back, stroking my upper arm reassuringly. "I’m sure you can do it eventually, sweetheart," he said. "I know well how obsessed you can be with something once you put your mind to it."

"Is that a good thing?" I tilted my head, stopping in front of the pond and crouching there.

"It is with your talent," Natha sat on the pond’s edge and brushed my hair back so it didn’t fall into the water.

A gasp slipped between my lips. "I have talent?"

Instead of answering, Natha pinched my nose hard, making me scrunch my face. Ugh.

"You have a talent for making me worry, at least," he said, and it made me gasp again because I suddenly remembered one of the promises I made the day before yesterday.

"Oh, Nat, I have to apologize to you!"

Natha blinked in confusion as I stood up abruptly. He tilted his head and I reached out my hands to ask for his, which he gave me with eyes full of questions. Fiddling with his fingers, I told him sincerely. "I realize now--really really realize--that I had been so reckless...you know, with my training."

"Ah..." Natha let out a soft exclaim, before pulling me gently to sit on his lap. "This is nice, please continue."

Ugh--how embarrassing. But I was in the wrong, so I had to apologize well. "I’m sorry," I lowered my head, letting out a sigh in between my confession. "I should have listened when you told me I should wait for a teacher."

"Mm, and?"

"And...I won’t do any purification again until Amarein gives me a stamp of approval--except for the wood, and earth one, because she said I already mastered it. Also fire, because my contract with Ignis will keep me safe."

"Hmm..." Natha narrowed his eyes, and I caught his intense gaze for a second. That gaze turned soft in the next second, however, as he stroked my back in acceptance. "I guess that is acceptable."

I smiled in relief and kissed his cheek quickly. But then he tilted his head and asked in a teasing manner. "But what if you do it again? Shouldn’t there be a punishment for a promise to be effective?"

Welp! I cleared my throat and averted my gaze. "Umm...I don’t know? Is there really a need for that?"

"Of course there is," Natha scoffed and brought my face back toward him. "Let’s see...if you do something reckless again..."

I blinked in fright, thinking about the time I was being grounded inside the hotel during the annual inspection.

"...I’m going to lock all of your snacks and candies--including the ones in your storage ring--and take the key with me."

What?!

"A month is probably enough--"

"I’d rather you ground me!"

No way! My cookies! My cakes! My jam-filled pastries! My popcorns! My POPCORNS!

I glared at Natha before I could hold myself back. He raised his brow and in the next second, pressed his head on my shoulder as his laughter filled the garden.

What?! How dare you laugh after threatening my snacks?!

"So I presumed the punishment will be effective."

...Oh. Yeah, I guess so. I let out a long sigh and leaned my head on his shoulder, clicking my tongue in annoyance. "Fine, you can do that if I act recklessly again."

He patted my back and kissed my temple as if to console me of my future fate--although this time, I promised myself that I should not do anything reckless again.

"Oh," I lifted my head and blinked at him. "Why are you here at this time? I forgot to ask!"

It was still too early for him to go anywhere but his office. It wasn’t even luncheon yet. But I got so absorbed in our conversation that I forgot about this blatant anomaly.

"Ah..." his hands fell to my waist as his expression suddenly turned sour. "It’s because I got a disturbing report last night."

Disturbing report? About me?

Oh...

"You mean...Heraz’s report about the Hero?" I grasped his cheek and turned his face toward me. "But you already know they’ll come here eventually. I’ve told you."

"Doesn’t mean I have to feel good about it."

Nggh! I pressed my lips and squeezed his cheeks because he’d been acting so cute! I laughed and kissed his forehead, feeling so happy for some reason. "I don’t care about the Hero and the others," I told him. "I just want to meet my old friend."

It was then that his face shifted to normal again. "Ah, the girl who wrote the vision?"

"Uh-huh," I nodded. "If it’s really her, she will definitely come over, because she’s the one who knew how the story should unfold."

"Make sense..."

"Besides, there’s no disadvantage to making the human’s Hero indebted to us, don’t you think?"

The silver eyes narrowed again. "At this point, you’ll just invite them to the wedding," he mumbled quietly after clicking his tongue.

Is he still jealous? He’s still Jealous?!

I threw my arms around his neck and giggled. "Well, I do plan to invite--" the silver eyes flashed sharply, and I laughed while pinching his cheek and whispered. "My friend. My only friend. Just the one," I told him. "Are you really going to prevent me from doing that?"

"Well...I won’t prevent you even if you want to invite all of them," he said, eyes darting to the side and hands tightening on my waist. "After all, the ceremony is supposed to be your day."

But it doesn’t mean I have to feel good about it--I could hear him saying that in his mind, even if I had no ability to read thought.

I pressed my lips on his frowning brows until the knot disappeared. "Why would I do that? She’s the only friend I ever had back on Earth. I don’t even think Valmeier had any friendship with the others."

Natha looked at me with an arched brow. "Your only friend? What about me?"

I blinked a few times as heat traveled to my cheek. "Well...you were more a...crush, than a friend...I guess?"

Finally, after spending the last few minutes sulking from weird jealousy, he laughed again. I could even see the slight pink on his cheeks. "I see..." he laid his head on my shoulder and pressed his lips there. "A crush, huh..."

"Stop giggling like a schoolboy when you’re already this old," I slapped his arm to hide my own embarrassment to admitting my old feelings.

"I’m not that old..."

"You’re past one-third of your lifespan."

"Tsk."

I let out a giggle and hugged him tightly. "Take me to lunch now," I demanded, and he did, carrying me again while chuckling softly in my ear. "Is that the only reason for you to abandon your post today, my Lord?"

"No, there’s also the matter about that inventor from Envy."

"Oh! Has a reply come?"

"Yes, but..." he scrunched his nose slightly. "It’s rather complicated."

"Oh?"

He stroked my head when he heard the disappointment in my voice. Before explaining further, he put me down on the chair in the upper garden where we’d have our lunch. "They said they’d come and stay here instead if we help them get out of the contract with the Realm of Envy."

Ah...yes, that was indeed complicated.

"What if Izzi goes over there, instead?"

"It’s not a matter of distance, sweetheart," Natha curled his lips. "It’s a matter of they want to get out and use their expertise as a bargaining chip."

"Oh..."

Hmm...see, this was why long-distance visual communication distance was important. Ironically, we wouldn’t be able to make it unless that person took part. I never thought that they wanted to come here, though. I thought that person liked that place since they even made a bunker and whatnot. But knowing that someone out there also came from Earth was enough to change their mind, huh?

Wait...

Or...could it be that they had been hiding in the bunker because of that? Because they felt...scared? Cautious? Because they didn’t want anyone to know they came from another world? After all, Natha said their inventions were made to be usable for the demons--you know, unlike our too-idealistic elf.

I looked at Natha and asked sheepishly. "Is...is it impossible? The request?"

His lips curled at my question. "Did I say that?"

"No," I shook my head expectantly. "You only said it’s complicated."

"And what I mean by that is we can’t do it instantly like how we brought that elf here," he said.

"You mean in a box?"

He chuckled and pinched my cheek. "Well, you don’t need to worry about it," he said. "It’ll take a bit of a time, but I can see it done. Just forget about it for now, and only recall it after we smuggle that person out."

Pfft--smuggle. Wasn’t that the same with Izzi, then?

Well...what can I do if my Demon Lord said so? I shall forget about it and not worry one bit.