The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 41: A wallflower does not need validation

Chapter 41: A wallflower does not need validation

In the end, we came back after having simple lunch in the park.

But I knew there was still a peak event tonight, the coronation of the carnival’s king and queen, with a circus performance and a lot more entertaining shows. It should be the most important part of the festival, and Zia had been talking about it since we were still on the way to this city.

So I told her to just left me in the townhouse and go watch the show. Or rather, I ordered her to, exercising my right as the house’s mistress or whatever.

"If you don’t go and enjoy yourself as planned, I’m going to feel really really bad and become really really sad," I told her while sipping on my tea in the afternoon. "And I need someone to fetch me some of those animal-shaped balloons."

Zia pouted over her cookies, lips pursed in dilemma over pursuing her plan or watching over me. But in the end, with my...persuasion, she went ahead with Angwi, although both of them kept looking back repeatedly until I closed the front door.

It wasn’t that bad, spending the afternoon reading the book I bought this morning and nibbling on the leftover candies from the first town. When the loud voice of the masses started to reach the townhouse, I climbed the stairs and went to the attic. There was one with a small balcony that had the perfect view of the central plaza.

When I reached the place, the first firework just had been launched. Focusing mana to my eyes just like how Natha taught me, I could see the stage and the merry celebration surrounding it.

Looking up, sparkles of the magic lanterns and the remnant sparks of fireworks decorated the entire airspace of the port city, almost making it as bright as the day.

Ah, I remembered now, vaguely, that first kiss. The taste of cold lips and heated cheeks; noises that were so loud it deafening and made me hear nothing but the sound of my heartbeat.

I gripped the railing, feeling my heart beat fast again. I had a feeling that from now, every time I saw fireworks, I would be reminded of that kiss.

And unfortunately, the unsavory emotions I felt after.

The loud sounds didn’t drown my heartbeat. It also didn’t mask the sound of footsteps coming from behind.

"Why aren’t you down there with the others?"

I gripped the railing harder. I wanted to turn around and see his face, but I felt like I would make an embarrassing face if I did, so I just pressed my lips and concentrated on my vision, tracing the various colors blended into the night sky.

I felt his temperature first before his hands, gently draping his coat over my shoulder. "Are you tired?"

Yeah, that was my excuse, wasn’t it? I was exhausted from the sudden outing, overwhelmed with the festive atmosphere.

But that was just an excuse.

"No," I answered truthfully. "I just didn’t feel like doing it...without you."

I retracted the mana from my eyes, and as I closed them to get rid of the slight dizziness, I felt him pressing against my back, arms circling my waist and chest. I felt his head next, heavy on my shoulder, blue strands tickling my neck and curved horn grazing my cheek.

It somehow calmed me down, the sheer fact that he wasn’t in disguise. I also realized then, that he had lifted the spell on me, as I felt my head becoming lighter from the lack of hair length.

"I’m sorry, to leave you like this," his embrace got slightly tighter. "Even though I’m the one who invites you here,"

I looked up at the night sky, which felt bright from the colorful magic lanterns that I could no longer see the stars. "I...it’s okay," yeah, it didn’t matter. I felt so childishly upset all day, but everything suddenly felt fine now.

How amusing.

"Sweetheart..." he murmured against my shoulder, and I heard him breathing deeply, as if inhaling my scent. For a while, he didn’t say anything, and we just stayed like that; with me looking into the sky and he pressing his face on the crook of my neck.

"...does it not go smoothly?" I asked finally, when time passed without us saying anything.

"Hmm?"

My fingers, which had been gripping the railing, rubbed the cool iron bar slowly, just to help calm my heart. "Because...your subordinates found out about me. You must have been busy...taking care of that?"

It might be presumptuous of me, but as he said, he was the one who invited me here. We had planned to enjoy ourselves at the festival for at least two days, and then he’d sent me back to the tower too. He was the one who planned all of that, but then, he suddenly left for a whole day. And I had a feeling that he only came tonight to tell me that he had to go again.

And everything happened right after one of his subordinates found out about my existence. That deep loathing—I might not have the ability to sense thought, but I could feel that much.

So...it should be because of that; why he ended up leaving for so long. His voice and gestures, which were usually full of confidence, were now wavering.

"Mm," he lifted his head off my shoulder, and I felt his cold lips on my hair. "You don’t need to worry about that," he said with a smile, which I could trace from his tone.

I felt his fingers on my hand next, pulling me off the railing. I looked down, and before I knew it, a ring had been slipped on my fourth finger.

An intricate band, as if threads of mithril were being woven into refined cords of root circling the base of my finger. It reflected the lights of colorful lanterns in the sky, glimmering slightly in iridescent bloom.

"I picked it up earlier," he said in a whisper. There was a trace of delight inside his voice, and he left me staring at the ring while laying his head on my shoulder again, closing his eyes.

’Ah...this is bad...’ I pressed my lips tight.

I shouldn’t be happy about this. I shouldn’t think that it was mine.

I stared at the beautiful, silver-colored diamond embedded at the center, the shine and ripple were twins of Natha’s eyes. Yet all the while, rather than admiring the beauty of the jewelry, my mind swirled with another thought.

I had to tell him. I had to tell him.

I had to tell him that I wasn’t the Valmeier that he met and fallen in love with before. I had to tell him so he wouldn’t direct his feelings to the wrong person. I had to...

"It’s nice,"

I wanted to throw up from those words spewing out of my mouth. This cowardly heart of mine that did not want to give up on all the good things I had experienced was so unsightly.

So nasty.

I was so glad I couldn’t see my own soul, because I was sure it would be ugly as hell.

Natha raised his head from my shoulder, and I could see his eyes flutter open with a smile. "I’m glad you like it," he planted his lips on my temple, and then pressed them on my cheek, before turning me around.

Ah...

I was sure that I just saw him last night. But why was it...that I felt like it had been a long time since I saw his face? The gleaming silver orbs that looked like twin moons, gazing at me with a gentleness that he did not bother to hide...

My heart—my fast-beating heart—told me that I missed him, told me to say it to him. But what came out of my mouth was something entirely different.

"You have to go again, don’t you?"

The gentle gaze hardened for a bit, before it came back. He brushed my hair, which had become messy from the night wind, away from my face. "Yes," he said, with a soft voice that came out trained to mask the coldness below.

"I want to take you to the Lord Castle," he said while stroking my cheek with one hand, as the other held me by my waist. "I had planned to ease the news for the others, but since it come out abruptly, it’s...not as easy as I thought it would be."

In another word, it was hard. Well, I expect as much. After all, I wasn’t just a human, but an enemy human. And the human that apparently almost killed the Lord.

Honestly, I had never thought of going there. I thought I would either live my life in his lair, or get chased out of the border. After all, before this festival event, I had never entertained the thought that Natha harbored any romantic feelings for me.

Lust, perhaps. Or amusement.

And both of that would not require him to go out of his way to bring me into the Castle. I was perfectly fine living isolated. Hell...the lair’s compound was so large I couldn’t even feel like being isolated. Compared to the hospital room and ward, Natha’s tower felt like an amusement park for me.

"Soon," he stroked my hair gently, and added with a smile; "I’ll sort it soon, and then I can bring you there, so I’ll be able to see you every day."

Ah...so that was the significance of moving to the Lord Castle.

"Don’t worry, you will—"

In an impulsiveness that even shocked me, I cupped his cheek and brought myself up, tiptoeing to drown his words with my lips. I pressed them there, unsure of what to do next, and just enjoyed the coldness that spread to my lips.

Ah, so this was how it felt. It was cold, and soft, and made the inside of my mouth tingle. A rush of electricity ran through my spine, and my heart fluttered like vulnerable butterfly wings. When I pulled away, I could see the bewilderment in his eyes, and smiled to myself.

"I’m not worried," I whispered against his lips, before coming down, leaning back to see his face clearer. "I...don’t need validation," I stroke his cheek lightly with my thumb. "I just need you."