The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 422: First love will always be messy, no matter how it ends

Chapter 422: First love will always be messy, no matter how it ends

"Why is a bride so busy going here and there?" Zia puffed her cheek, still fuming as we strolled into the forest to visit Vrida.

Be it last night when I broke the news, at breakfast, and even as we had our morning stroll, Zia did not stop protesting. I let her be, though; it was nice hearing someone other than Natha show how much they wanted me to be around.

She also kept holding onto my sleeve, as if worried I might suddenly teleport somewhere without telling her. How cute. At this point, she felt more like a younger sister--even though she was technically older than me.

"Isn’t a bride originally supposed to be busy, anyway?" I responded with a laugh, taking her hand as we went through a bit of a hike. "Preparing this and that, going around purchasing stuff--compared to them, I was just lounging around waiting for fitting and listening to all kinds of progress."

"Rich brides are usually doing just that; nothing," Zia shrugged. "It’s the wedding committee who should be busy."

"Is that so? Anyway, I’m going to be confined at home before the wedding anyway, so..."

Zia still pursed her lips, but she was no longer holding onto me so tightly. I glanced at her and smirked. "Aren’t you supposed to be used to this? I usually stayed in the Lair anyway--I mean, before the culture contract..."

"It’s different knowing I can just pop by anytime and having you thousands of miles away," she muttered dejectedly while fiddling with my fingers. "What should I do if I want to...talk to you?"

O-ho...with the tone she used, I had a feeling that by ’talk’ she didn’t mean just a chatter. "Well, you can ’talk’ to me now," I shook our hands to nudge her. "Go on, what do you want to talk about?"

Faced with the opportunity, Zia was stiffening instead; looking at me blankly as if she didn’t know what to say. "Umm..." she opened her mouth, but immediately closed them again. Slowly, I could see the tip of her ear turned from pink to deep red.

I might be dense if it came to my own situation, but observing other people was easier to do.

It would be more fun to make her say it out loud, but...just like me, Zia was the type to clam up if it was about herself. Or her feelings, for that matter. And she was harder to nudge than me.

"Keep staying here or get back to the Castle," I said while pulling her up to the clearing where Vrida’s nest was.

"Huh?"

I turned and curled my lips--curling my eyes too, while at it. After around five minutes of silence, Zia parted her lips in flusters as the rest of her face became as red as her ears.

Uhh...was I turned like that too when I got flustered? Damn...

"So?"

"Uhh...umm..."

She bit her lips, and I poked her flaming cheek. "It’s just us here, so there’s no need to be shy about it," I chuckled. "I’ve been telling you a lot of things about me and Natha--it’s not fair for you to keep everything to yourself."

Zia gripped my hand tightly. "It’s...it’s not that I don’t want to speak, but...it’s..." her voice became so faint that I had to lower my head to listen carefully. "It’s hard to...speak," she said; a person who was more used to writing things than speaking about it. "Because...because it’s my first...it’s the first time I..."

"Oh, darling..." I patted her head and hugged her. "I know," I whispered. "I know that feeling."

Well...Natha was my first and everything. I knew how much it made me fluster, facing this overwhelming feeling. Especially for a first-timer like us, with no prior ’real’ experience; just fantasy and delusion we read or watch somewhere.

Zia gripped my back and buried her face deeper on my shoulder. "I don’t know what to do..." Zia whispered weakly. "I haven’t written anything at all--I can’t think of anything these days..."

"Yeah, I know..."

"But...but I’m not...I’m not brave enough," she shook her head. "I’m scared of everything."

Of course. How many times did I weep thinking about Natha and who he actually loved between me and Valmeier? Even Natha couldn’t bring himself to do anything when he was in Nathanael’s body.

Being in close proximity with a cowardly heart was the hardest of all.

That being said, she was quite good at hiding it in front of others. She didn’t look any different all this time, and even while interacting with Izzi, she stayed the same. But perhaps that was what made her messy like this--because she had been trying hard to put up a front and act like nothing happened with her heart.

"Then," I looked up in contemplation while stroking her back. "Perhaps a distance will help. At least you should be able to calm down."

She was quiet for a few seconds, before nodding a few times.

"Sorry," I pulled her away and caressed her cheeks. "I’m the one that made him stay here."

She shook her head this time. "No, I...I’m not--I didn’t hate it, just..." she took a deep breath to calm down before continuing. "I...like it, at first," she confessed. "It’s just...my head started to get all messy and..."

"I know," I nodded and patted her head. "I understand. I’ll tell him to go back to the Castle for now--ah, don’t worry; I won’t say anything about you."

She took another deep breath and exhaled it slowly, before looking at me and hugging me again--briefly this time. "Thank you."

[Oh, what’s this? What’s this?] we suddenly heard the sound of loud chirping as a colorful flash swooped in from the sky. [Jade also want to hug Papa!]

"Ugh--" the little bird immediately rushed toward us and tackled my neck, spreading its tiny colorful wings. I had to admit it was kind of hard, but also adorable, so I let it be. It also made Zia laugh, so we continued to Vrida in a more cheerful mood.

Perhaps because of that, Vrida seemed happier than usual. Or was it because she missed me? When we reached the nest, her head already poking out as if waiting, and she was full of smiles. She nuzzled me for a long time, even curling her tail around me like Ignis, as if telling me to stay put.

"Did you miss me? Such a good girl," I stroked her tenderly and she gave me a deep, satisfied purr. "Did you eat well? Did you fly a lot while I was gone?"

I ended up staying long there to appease the lonely wyvern, so Zia went back first. I told Vrida about our adventures in the Human Realm, complete with Jade’s colorful commentary. As usual, she listened keenly while lying down. I sat on her front leg and Jade secured a spot between her horns as usual.

"Don’t be disappointed; you know I can’t take you to the Human Realm," I stroked her apologetically. "But don’t worry--we will go together this time!"

The yellow eyes blinked twice and she lifted her head slightly.

"Do you remember the Realm of Nature? The great forest and mountain ranges?" I turned to look at the direction of our neighbor. "We’ll go there again tomorrow; just us. This time, I won’t leave you on that cliff again--we’ll go together to the great forest, to the settlement of the druid."

Her head lifted even higher. She was usually calm--the most chill among us--but now, I could see the excitement in her eyes. Her pupil kept moving and the beautiful green specks across the yellow irises got brighter, making her eyes literally sparkle.

"Do you like that?" I laughed when she nuzzled my side again. "Are you happy?"

[Vrida is very happy! Vrida won’t be left behind anymore!] Jade relayed while rolling through the wyvern’s snout.

"Since you’re such a good and patient girl, I’m going to give you a gift once we are there," I told Vrida. "Something you can wear."

I had talked to Amarein about it, asking her to convey it to the drows. There were a few things I wanted to make for my companions, and I thought it would be nice to have them made by the drows, considering they were items for magical creatures. The stuff made by the drows had more sensitivity and consideration for those whose entire body suffused with mana--those who couldn’t live without magic flowing through our astral veins.

[Jade will have one too!] the little bird, who was there when I asked Amarein about it, bragged happily. [And for Ignis, and for Nightmare too!]

"Sush--you can’t announce something like that, Jade. That one’s a secret!" I put my finger on my lips, and Jade gasped while covering its beak with wings. Vrida made a deep sound from her chest--the mark of her laughing.

Phew--this little bird. That last one was supposed to be the secret of all secrets!

After all, it was supposed to be my wedding gift for Natha.