The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 495: Financial stability is important during pregnancy

Chapter 495: Financial stability is important during pregnancy

[Papa! Papa! What happened?!]

Not long after our dramatic, teary-eyed conversation, Jade burst in through the open window, leaving a trail of flower petals behind. The little bird flew straight into my chest while flapping its wings frantically.

[Papa upset! Why Papa upset?]

"I’m okay now, baby. I just missed Shwa very much," I caressed the trembling green head that gradually calmed down after sensing that I was no longer in distress.

Jade nuzzled my cheeks while letting out a weak chirp as if whining. The flower petals were now scattered on my lap and around me. Thankfully, Ignis manifested above the fireplace to give us an explanation of this littering.

"Jade said you seem sad lately," Ignis said.

"Did you go around picking flowers to cheer me up, Jade?" my eyes widened and Jade nodded on my chest.

[Jade don’t like Papa upset] the little bird sobbed slightly. [Jade want Papa always happy!]

"Oh, baby..."

Nezja chuckled and flicked her gaze toward Natha. "Even a bird knew him more than you."

Natha pressed his lips and adorably hid behind me, pressing his head on my shoulder and muttering another apology.

"Are you that busy you can’t sense it?" she shook her head and clicked her tongue, looking like a headmaster again.

"Well..."

"It’s alright, Aunty. You said it’s a hormonal thing, so I’m probably going to be upset no matter what,"

"Don’t defend him, Valen. He should be more attentive to you whatever the situation," the strict Great Aunt did not relent. "He should never put his job above you."

"I’m sorry..."

"Don’t be sorry to me--be sorry to your husband!"

Whoa...she was scary when she was like this; even Jade stopped sobbing and hid behind my coat. Being almost a century old did not stop him from getting scolded like a schoolboy, it seemed.

Sorry, dear husband, this one was on you. I also couldn’t help but admit I was a bit upset that he had been going out of the Castle a lot lately. He was so sensitive about anything concerning me before, even if I tried to hide it. But this time, he didn’t even realize I was forcing myself to eat...

Ugh--now I sounded like a spoiled brat that demanded attention all the time.

"Can you just stay here, Aunt?" Natha suddenly asked. "I’ll work harder to be attentive, but I think it’ll help if someone’s here to call me out on it."

Nezja did not answer right away, but shifted her gaze at me. She also didn’t say anything, but I could understand what she meant. "I...I don’t mind," I nodded. "We have yet to talk because of this, so..."

It was rather embarrassing. She visited so we could ’hang out’ and know each other better, but all I did was cry and be all silly and emotional.

"Well, if you don’t mind," she smiled and patted my cheek lightly.

"But...is it okay for you...to be here?" I asked cautiously.

"As long as you don’t drag me into a congregation, although..." she rubbed her fingers and smiled wryly. "I think it’s time for me to try."

Oh! Oh, that was a good news! I’d hate to think that she would spend the rest of her life in isolation without any chance of healing. She was getting older, and she had been estranged from Natha for a long time, so it must have been lonely.

Ah...

That prince...that great uncle of mine...must have been lonely too, especially living with his guilt. Not that I would forgive him that easily, but he also didn’t do what he did willingly.

Perhaps...perhaps one day, I would be able to forgive him. Even if I couldn’t, perhaps I should see him just once, before his life span caught up with him...

* * *

Thanks to Aunt Nezja’s intervention, I could visit Shwa again, every day, or at any time. While I did feel that lethargy bout again, my appetite was back, and I ate even more than before.

We were offering a room in the Lord’s quarters for her, but she refused it, saying that she didn’t want to shove herself between newlyweds. I had thought she would stay in the Hill where I met her for the first time, but she actually stayed in the Castle, in a room on one of the towers. It was located between the library and the Lord’s quarters, so it was perfect for her.

On my first visit after the ban, I went alone because I wanted to be with Shwa by myself--not even with Natha. Was I feeling petty because he had been visiting our flower every day while I was in the ban? Maybe, maybe.

But on the second visit, I brought Nezja along. As I said, she was the safest person to know about Shwa because she was immune to any mind-reading spell. Even Natha couldn’t sense her thoughts, which ironically caused all the communication that was happening. Anyway, it was safe for her to know, so we brought her. Besides, she was also acquaintances with D’Ara, so we could trust her.

"Ah..." she stretched her hand toward the flower, but she stopped and pulled her hand back to her chest.

"What’s wrong, Aunty?"

"My hand is trembling too much right now, so I’m afraid I’ll hurt the flower," she said, for the first time showing us nervousness. "I’ll do it later if I can calm down."

Oh, so she was just like Ignis. Even after knowing Shwa would never get burned by its fire, Ignis still refused to get near the flower, just in case, but spent a lot of time there just to watch or accompany Jade. Such a sweet Salamander...

We also introduced Aunt Nezja to the fairies, so they wouldn’t get mischievous when she was around. I had no idea if it was because they had been tamed by candy, or because the older nightmare’s aura, but the fairies were fairly meek in front of her.

Interesting...

Anyway, things went back to normal, more or less. I still felt the undeniable lethargy, and all of those supplements people sent me as wedding gifts were finally usable for me. Natha also provided tons of elemental mana stones for me to absorb in case the mana around us was too lacking. Kind of like a very expensive energy bar that I took once every few hours while lounging with my companions.

My diet had been changed to include all kinds of ingredients rich in mana, which mostly came from my wedding gift list. Thankfully, our food storage was very advanced and fitted with all kinds of preservation spells, so food could be stored for months and remained fresh. It didn’t taste as good as the usual meal, but still tasty after I regained my appetite.

The herbal drink I took every day was also changing slightly. It was more potent, thicker, and while it didn’t provide additional mana for me, it helped with my circuit metabolism and focusing my mana inside the core, preventing useless leakage.

But of course, that wasn’t enough for Natha.

Three days after my outburst, I was surprised by someone’s visit. Eruha came with another vampire, which I had met once before.

"Aren’t you one of the Vampire Lord’s children?"

"Yes, Young Master," the vampire smiled and curtsied. "It’s a pleasure to be remembered by you."

Oops...would she retract those words if she knew I did not remember her name? Hehe...

Thankfully, Natha told me later that she was called Moikai. She was one of the vampires who tested the potency of my blood during that one dinner feast. Fun time.

"But why are you here?" I asked the vampire.

The one who answered, however, was Natha. "I asked Sada to send me someone with ample skill and knowledge of handling mana-rich ingredients," he explained. "I didn’t think she would send one of her children, though."

"When my mother heard it was for Young Master Valen, she called me right away," Moikai said. "I have spent most of my life curating and creating the best dish for my mother, so you don’t have to worry, Sir."

"Can you also procure rare ingredients?" Natha asked, as if we were in a job interview.

She made a circle with her fingers, and I could see the glint in her eyes. "Everything can be procured as long as the fund is there."

"There is no budget," Natha said while taking out a black-colored card that was almost identical to mine. "Use as many as you need to. I don’t care if you empty the auction hall or make enemies with another clan--buy them."

People would usually act hesitate when faced with an unlimited budget for their job, thinking what a huge burden it was, or wondering if it was a test.

But not her.

She took the card immediately and curled her eyes. "I’ll make sure to get even the thousand-year elhaime roots and the rainbow pearl if you give me the clear."

"Do it."

Whoa...was she actually drooling right now? A collaboration between greed and gluttony...was scary.

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