The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 485: punishment should be given by the one who is wronged

Chapter 485: punishment should be given by the one who is wronged

Natha stared at the druid he just caught, who was trembling like a leaf from a nightmare assaulting him from nowhere. From how it looked inside the druid’s mind, however, Natha felt like this one had been living in a perpetual nightmare anyway.

Was Amarein said it was the Prince? The only remaining Prince from the fallen kingdom--aside from Valen--was the King’s brother, Valen’s great-uncle.

Natha glanced at the side; a leftover firepit, remnants of roasted meat from last night, and a pile of grass and hay beneath a thin, worn-out hemp blanket. The druid himself wore the same worn-out clothes, albeit clean--probably because he had been camping near the water. His trembling figure was not dirty, even if the unkempt hair and beard made him look like he belonged in a shady alley of the empty region.

Who would have thought, that this homeless-looking druid was the last remaining royal blood who had ever lived in the druid palace.

Natha had no idea what this prince was doing here, however. He had felt the druid’s presence from the first time they found the spot, and with Amarein’s story, he was sure this druid was the one staying in this place. But the spirits did not deem him threatening, and Natha did not sense any malice--that was the only reason he did not do more than paralyze the druid with fear and tie him right after.

Yes, the prince did not appear to be dangerous. But as long as he didn’t know the druid’s intention, he would not let the druid meet Valen.

And it seemed Amarein was in agreement.

"You have been running away and hiding from us for decades, but now you come here, living here in the open," Amarein lowered herself so she could be on eye level with the old druid. "What do you want, Your Highness? Do you wish to see your niece’s grandson? The last bloodline of the Seahl?"

"That’s..."

Her words seemed to be jolting the prince out of his nightmare. He spoke one word and gasped, as if choked by his own attempt to speak, and fell to the ground, gasping. Natha let him go, stepping back slightly and nodding at Amarein, who was asking for confirmation. He could sense the image of his beloved in the prince’s mind, so at the very least, the old druid knew who Valen was.

Indeed, there was a desire for that in the old druid’s mind. It was the name of Seahl that spurred him awake, but it was also the one that paralyzed him in fear.

Like a sin chasing after him.

"I’m not saying I won’t let you meet him, but...l believe you owe us an explanation," Amarein continued, watching the prince trying to get ahold of himself. "Frankly, I can’t let you see him before I know what you want of him," she glanced at the imposing demon behind the prince, "much less his husband."

"...husband," the old druid gasped once more, lifting his head to meet Amarein’s gaze, and then flicked his head, turning around to look at the demon who subdued him earlier. "Husband?"

"Yes, husband," Natha remarked with firm confidence--perhaps a bit of pride too.

"I...I see..." the Prince looked down again; tears welled up in his eyes as a lot of emotion flashed through his head. "I see..."

"Yes, you see, but we don’t."

The dry tone hit like a hammer to the heart; even Natha could feel the slight animosity there. It made him wonder--shouldn’t a druid rejoice when they found this lost prince? From the story, the prince seemed like a pitiful soul who went manic because he lost his family when he was away, eaten by guilt.

But why...did the High Shaman treat the Prince like a common criminal?

And the prince could feel it too.

"I...I just...I just want to guard this place," the old druid said.

"Guard?" Natha tilted his head, feeling more surprised when he sensed it was genuine.

The prince added quietly. "Because I know...it’s important for him."

"For Valen?"

"Y-yes..."

Amarein narrowed her eyes. "How do you know?"

"He’s been spying on us since the first time," Natha told her.

Amarein snapped her head up to look at Natha in a mix of surprise and confusion. She would have scolded the demon for concealing the fact if she hadn’t known how protective Natha was of Valen. There was no way this Nightmare would let off anyone he deemed dangerous for his sweetheart.

"I let him because I didn’t sense any malice," Natha explained. As if to support him, the spirits bobbed their upper body up and down.

"Hmm...how reassuring," Amarein stood up and said in a surprisingly mocking tone. "I also believe he didn’t have any malice when he played around in the human realm, got drunk, and spilled every detail about the border and the palace to the humans," she tilted her head and stared coldly at the trembling druid on the ground. "Did you, Prince?"

Abruptly, a burst of dread filled the space again. The old druid shuddered and gasped, while the spirits dove inside Amarein’s cloak in tremble. For the first time, the High Shaman also felt the piercing coldness directly, freezing her with a feat she didn’t know she had before.

"Lord Natha..." she clenched her fist behind her back and called the demon with effort.

Natha closed his eyes and the dreadful cold vanished in an instant. He took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. "Forgive me."

"I understand your feelings, but we can’t let him paralyzed before we finish the questioning," Amarein said after managing her nerves.

"I’ll be careful," Natha nodded apologetically.

Amarein let out a soft sigh and flicked her fingers to send a soothing purified mana to the trembling prince whose eyes had been shaking without blinking since earlier. Again, he gasped and choked, clutching his chest as if something had just stabbed his heart repeatedly with the utmost brutality. He didn’t even dare to turn his head and see the blue-skinned demon.

Once he regained his wit somewhat, he looked at Amarein and asked in a stutter. "Y-you...you knew?"

Natha clicked his tongue, and Amarein could guess what made the demon upset.

"Did you hide yourself because you felt guilty, or was it because you were afraid people would know?" she asked coldly.

The prince opened his mouth, but after a few long seconds passed in silence, what came out of his mouth were not words, but wails. A sound that was more suitable to come out of a little boy instead of an old druid swirled within the stifling air of apathy.

"It’s too late for that, isn’t it?" Amarein remarked coldly, almost as cold as the assault of dread from the Nightmare.

Sniffeling and hacking, the old druid replied with a stuttering mess. "I’m...I know--I...I know I d-don’t have the right...right for forgiveness..."

"So you chose to not ask for it anyway?"

"I know! I know I’m a coward!" the old druid slammed his head to the ground, hands gripping the unkempt hair. "I want to atone but I don’t know how! I’m too scared!"

"So you think ’guarding’ this place is a way for you to atone?"

"N-no! That’s not it!" dirt smeared the old druid’s forehead as he shook his head. "I...I just want to do something for him..." he sobbed to the fertile soil; the fertile soil that his youngest niece loved so much. "I just...want to do something...for her..."

Amarein closed her eyes before turning around and walking away, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly to regulate her breathing and emotions. Her long sigh could be heard by Natha, who approached her after making sure the former prince had no thought to run away.

"Haa..." she looked at the bright sky and asked the approaching demon. "What do you think?"

"Not now," Natha answered without hesitation. He already made his decision right after hearing about what the old druid had done. "Later, after everything is done and we know Valen is in a stable condition."

Amarein glanced at him, and Natha continued with a sigh. "I know he’s strong, but he’s also very sensitive and emotional," he frowned as his mind flew to his beloved husband. "He’ll just keep thinking about it and it might disturb his state of mind."

"I agree," Amarein might not have known Valen as long as Natha had, but she knew enough to make a judgment. "But we shouldn’t let him go," she turned around so he could watch the curling old druid, whose face had been grazed by traces of misery. "The past eight decades have been a punishment for him, but a self-inflicted one is different from a punishment given by others."

"What are you going to do with him?"

Amarein shook her head and looked up. "I’ll have to consult our Mother."

Natha stroked his chin in contemplation before his eyes landed on the brooch that Amarein wore. "Then, why don’t you put him in Ahrat?" he thought of someone whose identical soul had detained all kinds of people. "Let the Mayor keep him in a room or something--tell him it’s for Valen’s sake."

"Hmm..." Amarein recalled the cordial atmosphere between Valen and Tourma during the reception, and how her sweet nephew called the Mayor by ’uncle’. She nodded. "think that’ll work."

Bzz

Perhaps sensing the situation no longer tensing up, the previously trembling spirits came out and flew toward the Nightmare. They landed on his shoulder and hair, rubbing their head as if sniffing the demon.

"I didn’t bring it with me, so wait for him for a bit."

Amarein raised her head, wondering how Natha could understand what the spirits wanted. "What is it?" she asked.

"They demand their candy payment."

Pfft--