The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 460: This world has all kinds of family dramas

Chapter 460: This world has all kinds of family dramas

Natha did not answer me right away. He looked at me silently for a few seconds before finally replying. "She doesn’t like crowded places," he said. Again. He smiled and rubbed my knitted brows. "Later--I’ll bring you to her later."

"Later?"

"After the banquet," he said.

Hmm...

I stared at him dubiously; it had become more and more suspicious as if he was avoiding the matter altogether. But his eyes were clear, and his smile was genuine, so...I would accept it for now. Not that I had another choice since the other guests were already approaching our table too. I had to focus on this since I didn’t know like...ninety percent of them nobles and rich people, so I had to be careful not to say anything weird.

But I got the trick pretty fast; just like the parade, all I needed to do was smile and nod, while Natha handled the rest. I made sure to remember the courteous ones, however, and the fun ones--you know, those with good vibes.

The best part about the banquet was of course the food. Angwi did provide us with a lot of hearty meals yesterday, but the banquet had even bigger selections--just what you would expect from a dozen top chef and their troop of cooks. It was a different kind of wonderful stuff, which went well with the kind of performance happening below.

There was a stage shaped like a giant lotus, where performers danced and sang, accompanied by real music from what seemed like a whole orchestra. Very different from yesterday’s impromptu show, but both had their own charms, and I liked both.

As long as I wasn’t the one performing.

Without the need to greet all the guests, I enjoyed the banquet more than I thought I would. Eating fancy meals while watching a fancy performance brought a different kind of sensation and satisfaction. I also talked more with the children of nature who came for me, although I had to endure the way they kept gushing out about how pretty I looked, or how wonderful I was.

And they were genuine about it too, which was strangely more embarrassing for me.

A few hours later, Natha excused us, saying I was tired from the parade...which wasn’t exactly a lie. The banquet didn’t end, however, since it was time for the free drinks and a slightly wilder performance for everyone who still wanted to stay and mingle.

Not us. We had another appointment to attend.

"You see...she had a trauma about crowded places--or a crowd, for that matter," Natha said as he led me through the back door. "It’s not just a matter of dislike."

"May I ask why?"

"Well...bad things always happen to our family in a crowd," Natha smiled crookedly. Something in his voice sounded almost like self-mockery. "My father’s execution, my mother’s death, our family’s exile..." he paused in contemplation, before shaking his head as if he didn’t see the need to fill me with useless bad past. "There are still a lot more, but...well, there’s a reason why she lives in seclusion."

"Oh..." I looked down in regret. "I’m sorry..."

I had unknowingly projected myself, who was only a bit shy in front of the crowd, at her. I realized that I had acted so selfish and pushy by asking her whereabouts all the time. It was probably already hard for her to come out from her quiet sanctuary, and I kept asking why she wasn’t in the middle of the crowd.

Natha chuckled and stroked my cheek as we stopped in the garden. "She did want to meet you," he said.

"Oh?"

"Alone."

"Oh..." I blinked, mind filled with so many questions. But there was no point in thinking about the answer since all I needed to do was meet her and figure it out myself. So I nodded firmly. "Okay."

Natha stared into my eyes. "Will you be alright?"

"Yes, I think so," I gave as much conviction as I could in my reply to convince him. "I want to talk to her too, after all."

He kept stroking my cheeks and looked into my eyes for a while, making me wonder what that slightly forlorn look on his face was. Eventually, he nodded. "Alright."

He grabbed my waist and we were enveloped in black wings. I had thought we would go somewhere far away or some secret place inside the Castle, but when the feathers disappeared, I was looking at one of the houses in that exclusive area where Eruha’s house was located.

Wait...it was right beside the house that Eruha purchased for him and Lesta!

"Is this your townhouse?" I raised my brows in surprise.

"Every house here used to be my townhouse," he smirked annoyingly, this smug demon.

Fine! You were a real estate mogul!

He chuckled and knocked on the door. But the moment a movement could be heard from inside, the smile on his face was replied with tension and a slight anxiety that he carefully hid right after. The door slowly opened, and an old lady with a long elegant tunic and a high collar stood there, looking at us through light grey eyes that made me feel like I was getting stared at by a strict governess.

"Natha," she nodded slightly. Even her soft yet firm voice sounded like a strict governess who would stare me down because I forgot to do my homework.

For some reason, however, I felt like it would be so fitting for someone who practically raised Natha after the massacre to have this kind of countenance.

"Aunt," Natha bowed slightly, as one would do to the elder in their family. But it sounded very...stiff and formal. Natha turned his face in my direction and held my shoulder. "My husband."

Nggh...it still gave me goosebumps--in a good way though.

The stern eyes and gentle voice shifted toward me. "Your Highness," she bowed her head elegantly, doing a slight curtsy with her hand as she addressed me.

"Just Valen."

She lifted her gaze to look at me with a slight surprise that was mixed with amusement. "Valen," she corrected herself, which I appreciated greatly!

"I’ll leave you to talk," Natha didn’t even bother with any glib before stepping back.

"Very well," she nodded, but I couldn’t do the same.

"Where will you be?"

Suddenly, I felt rather scared; like a kid about to be left alone on his first day of kindergarten.

"Enjoying the garden," Natha said with a chuckle, before giving me a soft peck and walking away from the porch.

I bit my lips and put on my best business smile before turning to face the Great Aunt again. "Shall we get in?" she asked, and all I could do was follow her inside silently.

Uhh...I never thought that Natha and his Great Aunt, Ra Nezja, would be this...curt? Awkward? Thanks to that, I felt awkward too, as there was no icebreaker or anything between us. Being someone who wasn’t good at small talk or starting a conversation like me, it became even more pressuring, following this lady inside in silence.

And she was all I imagined from a prim and proper lady; she walked with a straight back and relaxed shoulder, head held high and hair neatly arranged. I realized as we passed through several rooms that there was no one in this house except for us; not even a golem servant.

Making me a bit scared, honestly.

As we walked deeper into the dim-lit house, I wondered if I was actually making a wrong decision. I felt like one of those people in horror movies who died first because they were innocently following a stranger.

But then, as I observed her blue skin and the dark horns coiling beautifully on her head, I got this sudden enlightenment.

Ah. So this was what other people felt when they faced a Nightmare.

Their very existence was radiating dread and sending warnings to other people. I couldn’t sense it from Natha because she did not project any toward me, but this should be what normally staying near a Nightmare should be like.

Oh. Fascinating.

She led me to what seemed to be a sun room--with glass windows all over us. Kind of reminded me of the one in Uncle Tourma’s house. There was a nice little tea table with a tray of tea sets and two comfortable-looking armchairs facing it. Naturally, they were for us.

"Umm...it’s nice to finally meet you," I told her when I took a seat on one of the armchairs.

"Is it?" she sounded surprised. "Well, I’m glad. It’s late, but would you like some tea?"

I mean, it was already in front of us, but...

"Yes, please."

Nothing like a cup of warm tea to warm a conversation, right?

"Forgive me, for not attending your ceremony," she spoke as she poured the tea she must have been brewed when Natha knocked on the door. "Natha told me you wanted me to come."

"Well, it was an event for friends and family, and..." I shrugged. "I don’t have one--I mean, I have none that’s connected to me directly by blood--but...Natha still has you."

The hands pouring the tea stopped for a bit. "I see," she said, almost as if she was in a daze, before putting the filled teacup in front of me. "I’m sorry that I couldn’t attend."

"Oh, it’s okay," I shook my head swiftly. "I know you don’t like crowds."

"I don’t, but..." she smiled wryly. "That’s not exactly why."

"Oh?"

"I...don’t think I have the right."

I retracted the hand I was about to use to lift the teacup. "...why?"

She lifted her face, and I could see the same forlorn gaze I caught in Natha’s face earlier. "Because I have been hurting him."

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