The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 546: It’s harder to punish your family than your enemy

Chapter 546: It’s harder to punish your family than your enemy

"Um...so, what are you trying to say?" I scratched my neck, not sure where the conversation was going now.

[Ah, I mean, Zir’Kal wouldn’t be the one to instigate it] Aleena said. [It’s most likely the elders who did it. They probably brought him along just in case they needed charm while infiltrating--as pathetic as he was, no one could use charm better than him]

I see...he was also good at making people erase any persisting doubt about the charm itself--almost like brainwashing, even. I could see how he could use it for wandering servants and guards, I guess, and it was a perfect skill for someone who couldn’t fight like him.

But you wouldn’t be able to manwhore your way out of this, Ra Zir’Kal.

"So...you were saying he was getting dragged into this mess?"

"Not exactly ’dragged’, sweetheart," Natha tapped his fingers slowly--which was really, really scary. "More like someone asked him to jump and he dove straight into it. I will not charge him as the instigator, but I’m sure as hell will never consider him an innocent bystander."

The coldness from his eyes despite the soft voice permeated through the room. Zia was trembling slightly, whether from fear or anger, so I instinctively felt like I needed to say something.

"But isn’t he a coward? Would someone like that willingly go to an ambush in an enemy’s territory?" I tilted my head.

[...I feel bad for saying this, but...you don’t seem to understand the extent of his hatred of you, Valen]

"Me?" I blinked. But all I did was put a hex on him; shouldn’t he hate someone who dragged him down from his power more?

"Sweetheart," Natha smiled amusedly at my confusion. "How would you feel if you’re unable to feel pleasure during...our intimate moments?"

I gasped. Oh--oh! I swallowed and turned my head away to hide my embarrassment. I remembered giving that hex while I was still a virgin and had yet to discover this high sexual drive of mine.

Ugh--well, okay...I’d hate that too, I guess? But...

"It’s not like I castrated him," I muttered. "He’d be fine if he turned a new leaf and tried to understand love."

"Yes, it’s not your fault, Val--he’s just pathetic," Zia let out a long sigh of disappointment. "Like you said, he could just try to undo the hex, but he was just..." she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. "He just could never see that he was the one in the wrong; he’d follow anything those traitorous elders said as long as they fed his ego."

Oh, so I guessed that tremble was anger after all.

"In conclusion, we won’t be adding the crime of instigating an attack to his list of charges," Natha said.

It was only eliminating one, but the difference in punishment would be significant. It was the difference between those who entered the house to rob it and the people standing outside to give a signal if someone came.

"Malta, give us his charges."

Readily, Malta read the content of the parchment in her hand, which she had just modified based on an earlier discussion. "Ra Zir’Kal is guilty of breaking the term of his house arrest, emblazing the clan’s money to finance a crime against a Lord, illegally entering a realm that is banning his entry, and attacking the Lord of the realm’s property," she read. "The charge is also applicable to the rest of the elders and the incubi who came with him."

That being said, since no one among them killed the guards, they wouldn’t be charged with the death penalty. I guessed...at least we didn’t have to cross that heavy bridge with Zia. Being angry was different than wishing for his death, after all.

I glanced at Zia, but I couldn’t decipher what she was thinking or feeling at that time. Her face was hardened with a mix of fury and sorrow, and I had no idea which one was greater among the two. Her eyes looked tired as if she didn’t want to deal with this anymore.

As I started to think whether it was truly the best decision to involve her in this, Natha looked at me. "Sweetheart, the right of punishment is still in your hands."

Oh, right; the law. This time, they were all looking at me. "Umm...but not all of them are the crime done in this realm, right?" I asked to make sure. "Like breaking the house arrest of embezzlement, I think that should be proceeded by the Realm of Lust...don’t you think?"

I glanced at Natha--we talked about discussing the punishment with the others, but nothing about how the punishment would be carried. I wondered if I pushed the matter in the right direction, but Natha’s subtle smile behind his covering fingers gave me relief.

"Yes, Young Master. By law, we only have the right to give punishment regarding illegal entry and attack," Malta replied.

"It’s usually enough to warrant life imprisonment though..." Arta muttered beside me--not to demand the same thing, but just to inform me what the Lords usually do for such crime.

This was another complicated point; unlike the others, who were a bunch of underworld criminals and exiled, the incubi were still considered ’nobility’. We could consider them political prisoners, but they weren’t exactly ’jailed’ back in their homeland. We couldn’t just kill them without Aleena needing to explain it to the council.

Hmm...it really was hard when the people still had some relations with you, no matter how distant. It would be easier if he just straight up hated me enough to kill me with his own hand--like the Spectre--but...haa...what should we do for someone whose main crime was stupidity?

Truly, what a stupid incubus.

All he had to do was stay out of trouble and try to find love. But someone like him probably didn’t know which one was trouble and which one was not. He seemed to be growing up being stirred and gaslighted by the elders who wanted him to be a puppet Lord. In that sense, I kind of pity him.

Which only made it harder to make a decision.

"Do you need more time?" Aunt Nezja asked softly, perhaps realizing my dilemma.

I didn’t think it was something I could solve just by thinking about it more though. In fact...I felt like I already made a decision--I just had no idea if it was the right thing to do, or if Natha would approve.

Well, only one way to know.

I turned toward the desk. "Umm...Nat, do you know ’extradition’?" I asked carefully. "I mean... regarding criminal law?"

The one who reacted first was actually Izzi, who gasped sharply for a second before pressing his mouth shut. The other looked at me inquisitively, but Natha took over for me, thankfully.

"So you’re thinking about returning the criminals to their home country to be trialed over there?" Natha raised his brow, to which I responded with a nod.

Well, it was no different from what I did with the Spectre--by giving the right of punishment to someone else. In this case, I just let the Realm of Lust ’fix’ their initial mistake.

Malta and Aunt Nezja actually gave me a fascinated look and a nod of approval. From a diplomatic point of view, it was a good way of maintaining positions; the Realm of Greed would appear generous and merciful, while the Realm of Lust would be able to take accountability.

"Can we pile the crime they did here to the one charged in the Realm of Lust, Aleena?"

[With Lord Unc--with Lord Natha’s letter of proxy, it’s possible]

I looked at Natha then; while he said the right was on me, he was still my husband and a member of the Ra Clan. As I feared, he did not immediately agree this time.

"I don’t mind giving you the proxy," Natha rubbed her lips in contemplation, and everyone was waiting anxiously for the next part. "But you can’t possibly expect me to believe that you’d give appropriate punishment after you failed once."

Zia flinched and lowered her head. Ugh--that was rather harsh, but...it also bore the undeniable truth. If they had treated Zir’Kal and his supporting elders harshly--like how Natha treated the one attacking me--those demons might not involved in this whole incident.

Looking at it from Natha’s perspective, he had given the Realm of Lust a chance by supporting the coup and putting Aleena on the throne, so if he exhausted his patience, it would be understandable.

"How can you convince me that you’ll really put those incubi in their place?" Natha tilted his head, looking sharply at Zia. His slow tapping on the table sounded like a trumpet of doom. "How can you convince me that you won’t be swayed by the fact that he had ’Ra’ in his name?"

Ugh--even I found it suffocating, so I couldn’t imagine what the others felt, even if they weren’t on the line of fire. Even Arta averted her gaze from the desk, and Aunt Nezja let out a heavy sigh. I glanced at Zia and fortunately, Izzi was holding her hand tightly.

[If you would tell us what kind of punishment you would like to--]

"No," Natha cut Aleena with a calm yet sharp tone. "I want to hear your commitment."

Uhh...this felt more and more personal, and as nothing but an in-law, I had no voice in this. Aleena had also fallen into silence, probably in the middle of racking a way to appease Natha together with her team.

And so, I was surprised when Zia spoke first. "We won’t be swayed if he’s no longer a part of Ra clan."

Huh? Was she talking about banishment?

I realized then that Zia had stopped trembling and raised her head. "There will be no need to save face or any responsibility to take care of him if he’s no longer a ’Ra’."

[Zia?]

"And how would you do that?" Natha asked dryly. "Can you make the elders agree?"

"I can," Zia nodded; her hand was gripping Izzi’s tightly, but her eyes and voice were steady. "I can control them if I become the Clan Head."

...what?!