The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 433: I didn’t know bride received gift too??

Chapter 433: I didn’t know bride received gift too??

"Huh?" I blinked stupidly at the drows. "But I didn’t--"

"Yes, Young Master--why didn’t you?" the drow who made Jade’s necklace asked me with a teasing smile. "You ordered something from us for the first time, but none of it is for you."

I scratched my cheek awkwardly. "Umm--well...I don’t really need anything, though..."

They chuckled in response--not in mockery, but amusement. "For someone who will become the spouse for the Lord of Greed, Young Master doesn’t seem very greedy," they said.

Ugh--whether here or there, they all always said the same thing.

"Can you only order something that you need?"

"Well..."

"What about something that you want?"

I pointed at the stuff my companions just received. "Those are the things I want--"

"For yourself, Young Master."

"But they are mine? My children?"

"For your own use, then."

Umm...how should I say this? Was there really anything I needed to add to my collection? Indeed, I never did any accessories or jewelry shopping, but I already had a full case of them. Every time Arta bought clothes for me, a corresponding accessory would be included. And that did not include all of the jewels in Natha’s treasure room, and most were bought for me before we even met again.

So, personally, there was no room for me to want anything more. This ring I chose from a random jewelry store was enough for me.

"It’s as your brother said," the Mayor spoke while I was looking at them in confusion, looking at Sarttite. I looked at the guide inquisitively, and he gave me a little smile.

"According to my brother, you care more about buying things for others. And for yourself, you prefer something humble, unassuming, and practical."

I...I did?

I looked at Amarein, who smiled and gave me a little nod.

"So we decided to just make you something," the oldest drow, who made my secret request for Natha’s gift, told me. "A wedding gift. Surely we can do that? We know the druids made something for you."

Well, of course, they knew--they also helped in making it after all. But...

"The druid is my kin, though..."

"Are we not your kin?" the Mayor asked me with a deep gaze that made me remember that person even more. "We are all still Mother’s children."

"Of--of course!" I nodded immediately. I didn’t want them to think I was rejecting them or anything. It was just...I felt bad receiving something for free out of nowhere, when I had a fiance fully capable of providing me with the money. It felt like I took advantage of them or something...

"Valen," I flinched slightly when Amarein held my shoulder from behind. "Take this as practice."

Huh? I tilted my head in confusion. Practice for what?

"Mark my word; during the last week leading to your wedding, you’re going to get flooded with gifts from all over the Demon Realm and the Realm of Nature," she said. "And no--it won’t be for your betrothed, but for you, the bride."

I would?! But why? Why would people send me gifts when they were Natha’s guests? I mean...the one from Demon Realm at least.

"It’s just how things are," Amarein chuckled at my flabbergasted face. "Because it’s a day to celebrate, no?"

"But...I’m the one who gets to be happy, so...why would people give me stuff? Shouldn’t I be the one who thanks them for attending my events?"

The drows laughed and Amarein pinched my cheeks. And I just got more and more confused.

"It’s free stuff," Ignis said suddenly--seemed like the Salamander had done parading around the bangle. "I won’t reject free stuff."

"That’s it," the drows laughed and nodded. "That sounds like the stuff the Lord of Greed’s spouse should say."

Uhh...

What can I do if you say it like that?

Well...they already made it anyway, so it wouldn’t be polite to reject it, would it? Honestly, I was rather surprised because I barely had any interaction with the drows, but they treated me so well. I wondered what Sarttite’s brother had written about it, and if any--or all--of it was greatly embellished.

Seeing as I finally accepted their goodwill, the Mayor led me inside his house--for the gift and a dinner. Unfortunately for Vrida, she couldn’t come with us inside, and Jade was too curious about the gift I would receive that he did not accompany Vrida like usual.

The mayor led me to some kind of sunroom--although, obviously, there was no sun to shine inside the room. The light came from the colorful glow in the ceiling instead, and Jade liked it so much he started to regret that he couldn’t fly in human form.

"Here it is," the oldest drow took out a beautifully carved box previously covered by a velvet cloth. He brought it in front of me, and opened it without hesitation.

Immediately, I understood why they showed this in this room.

Laying on top of a velvet cushion, there was a circular-shaped tree branch that looked as if it was made of crystal. From the mana it emanated, however, I knew it was made of elemental mana of many kinds, blended seamlessly like a mini converging point.

Immediately, I recalled that drows had the technology to turn elemental mana stones into liquid, which they would mold into accessories and jewelry. This one, undoubtedly, was made from that.

It must have been made from at least five different mana stones of high quality. It was made so artistically that rather than looking like a swirl of colors, it almost looked colorless. Reflecting the various lights streaming into the room, the color would look different from different angles.

"It look like Jade’s!" my boy jumped up and down in excitement, holding his necklace. "Look like Jade’s necklace!"

"That’s right," the drows nodded. "It’s not exactly the same, but there are similarities."

Mainly on the shape, though. I could tell that they only used regular mana stones for Jade’s necklace, because I only requested for it to be attached with a size-adapting option.

"This one, however, is not a necklace," the youngest drow added. "We, the best artisans, made it together, and the Mayor carefully molded it to perfection."

He did? He looked like someone who would be more adept in handling weapons and others’ lives than craft, to be honest. Well, if this was true, then it showed that he was indeed different from my Grandpa’s subordinate.

"No?" Jade tilted his head, and then looked at my neck. "Oh, right--Papa already have Shwa there!"

My child, didn’t I tell you it’s a secret?!

Fortunately, the drows seemed to think ’Shwa’ was just the name for the black pendant, or probably some pet I kept inside the ’cage’--after all, I did travel with three different contracted companions.

"But where will Papa use this?" Jade scrunched his nose in curiosity.

"..is that...a crown?" I asked. It wasn’t big, and probably looked more like a tiara or a wreath those historical people on a certain Earth Civilization used to wear.

"Yes," the oldest drow, who held the box, smiled. "A crown for the Little Prince."

* * *

It took me a while to stop blushing in embarrassment for once again being called ’Little Prince’ and receiving a beautiful crown as if I still had a kingdom or anything. I had to cool off in the garden of glowing cave flowers while Jade happily tried the crown in my place.

Honestly, I had no idea whether I was embarrassed, sad, or both. It was fine with the druid--who mainly saw me as their long-lost cousin. But being treated like royalty by the elves and the drows were...

It made me feel guilty. I wasn’t even there when the kingdom was still standing, and all I had was nothing more than a bloodline. A mixed one, at that. It just felt weird, really, because nothing inside of me felt like a ’prince’, and while I had vowed to get all of the druid’s artifacts I could get, and take back the land if I could, I had no intention to re-establish the kingdom, much less becoming its ’prince’.

While I was thinking about that, I also wondered sometimes if these people ever thought of me as a...traitor.

You know...being a half-human and marrying a Demon Lord even though I was the last living direct descendant of the royal family...probably.

Haa...I should probably stop whining.

"It’s cold underground during the night," I heard a voice when I was crouching in the middle of glowing flowers contemplating my life.

"My body will always be warm as long as I’m contracted to Ignis," I said, standing up and turning around to see Tourma with a blanket in his hand. I bit my lips as he stopped awkwardly in his tracks, and I stretched my hands out. "But I’ll take that, thank you."

I could see his little smile when he handed me the blanket, and he stood there while I wrapped myself with the fluffy cloth as if he were guarding me.

This silent way of protection, his rather awkward approach...I saw more and more of that person inside this drow. Unable to quell my curiosity, I took advantage of the fact that we were alone. "Umm...why are you so good to me?"

"I don’t think I particularly do," he said. But his expression showed that he was contemplating something. "Although, if I think about it..." he turned slightly to look at me. "I do feel some kind of unexplainable affection toward you."

Oh?