The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 550: Being a parent means holding back your tears in front of your child

Chapter 550: Being a parent means holding back your tears in front of your child

I spent the time before luncheon being all clingy and preventing my husband from getting back to work. Not that he minded, it seemed, since he didn’t even let me go one bit.

Well, I just used the chance to act all spoiled.

To be honest, I still felt sad even with the promise of a portal connecting me to the human realm. I mean...what was the use of that portal if Zarfa and Aina were on a journey with the Hero?

And so, since I couldn’t openly show it outside, I just sulked all I wanted when it was just the two of us.

Thanks to that, I felt fairly lighthearted during luncheon--until Jade came with D’Ara, that was. I spent a few minutes staring at the cheerful little bird gushing out about its training day before the panic settled in.

Oh, no--oh, no!

How should we explain everything to Jade?!

Looking around, I found no presence of Zia and Izzi. We checked the nursery too, and they had left without telling us. Well...they probably need more time to talk things through--it correlated heavily with their future after all.

Uhh...it would be weird talking about Zia leaving without Zia here, right? With that reasoning, I postponed telling Jade about it, thinking I would give it to the little bird bit by bit through hint until the day Zia would depart.

Except...Zia came the next day dropping the bomb that she would leave that day.

Damn, girl. No ’take it slow’ or ’get used to it’ first?

[Zia leave?] the green head tilted innocently; naively. [For vacation?]

See? It was so abrupt that Jade only thought Zia was getting back to her homeland for the weekend. Or a long-week honeymoon.

"No, Jade..." I let out a repressed sigh and held the little bird gently in my hands. "Maybe for a long time."

[Huh?]

I glanced at Zia, who was lowering her head and biting her lips before I dropped the bomb’s bomb. "A few months...a few years maybe..."

Understandably, Jade stiffened. The green beady eyes blinked slowly; the confusion inside those innocent eyes turned into dread as the little bird finally digested the information.

[W-why?] Jade trembled in my hands; the colorful wings hugging my thumb pitifully. [Why Zia gone?] Jade jumped off and flew toward the succubus, chirping loudly and frantically. [Zia don’t like playing with Jade anymore?]

"No, no--that’s not it, baby!" I caught Jade immediately because Zia looked like she was about to cry too. She couldn’t understand what Jade was saying exactly, but she could feel the sentiment.

No matter how tight I held Jade, however, the little bird--who had gotten stronger suddenly--escaped from my hold. I had thought Jade would bother Zia again, but the little bird flew toward Natha instead.

[Natha! Natha! Give Jade lots of stones!]

Ah...

Fortunately, my husband was feeling generous these days--and well, Jade did sound desperate enough. "I guess we can spare some now."

Natha took out a box of mana stones, which I guessed he had always carried around for my emergency, and fed Jade enough to turn the little bird into a little boy. Immediately, the little boy ran to the teary-eyed succubus.

"Zia! Zia!"

"Oh, Jade..."

It had been a while since Zia could converse properly with Jade, and they hugged each other so tightly people would think they would never see each other again. They were talking while sobbing and...well, we left them so they could have a proper farewell.

Meanwhile, Izzi was talking to Natha--perhaps regarding the contract. The debt was paid, but the elf still had an employment contract with both of us. Izzi also gave me a box and a letter for Neel, I guessed about their project and manual for some of the inventions.

I had no idea what Zia and Jade were talking about huddling up so long, but when I started to get jealous because--hey, I wanted to have a proper farewell with you too, girl--they finally tugged on the sleeve of my dazed self.

"Are you done?" I asked the two pairs of wet eyes looking at me like the purest jewels in the world.

"Yes..."

I pulled the little boy to my lap and stroked the green hair. "Are you fine now, Jade?"

"...Zia is going on a journey to be strong," the little boy lowered his gaze sadly while clutching my coat tightly. "Like Jade..."

The face that Jade made was a mix of sadness and fighting spirit; something I had been seeing in Zia since yesterday. Yes, if it came to it, I guessed Zia was stepping out of her comfort zone and taking responsibility that came with her bloodline. She would be an adult after the New Year, and while she didn’t have to, she was a good girl who understood there was something she must do in this world.

In a way, stepping up to her birthright and challenging what she had been running away from was a method to get stronger--at least mentally.

The saddened little boy let out a heavy sigh. "Jade understand," and nodded with teary eyes.

"Oh, baby..."

"I’ll...I’ll at least visit when Shwa is here," Zia held Jade’s arm and stroked the trembling back.

Shifting his head to look at Zia, Jade made the cutest voice. "Promise?"

"Promise," Zia nodded strongly, and they proceeded to seal it with their pinkies. Oh gosh--they were so adorable.

It would be nice if we could visit Zia instead, at least for the succession. Unfortunately, we couldn’t visit Zia because it might be seen as if Natha was controlling her. Besides, I couldn’t go anywhere before Shwa was born, so...

Ah, I had to make sure Izzi recorded the whole session and sent the viewing orb by mail.

"Val..."

I looked down at Zia’s slightly trembling hand fiddling with my sleeve. Putting a smile on my face, I asked her with the most cheerful tone I could eke out. "Are you leaving right away?"

"It’s better to do it as fast as possible," she nodded. "It’ll be advantageous to announce it in New Year--you know...in the Temple."

"Ah, that’s right," I nodded.

Speaking of that, I should be able to join the procession this time instead of seeing it from far away like last year. But oh...I wish I could attend it with Zia too.

No, Val! Grow up!

I swallowed my sigh and asked with a grin while glancing at the elf who was still talking with Natha. "Are you going with Izzi?"

"For a bit, yeah...he’ll go to his family after the situation settles for a bit before...umm, coming back," she replied quietly with an adorable blush on her cheeks.

Hmm...I smelled something juicy here, but I would hold back this time and ask in a letter instead so she could get flustered in her own bedroom. My eyes curled at how she was fidgeting bashfully, but instead of freaking out and slapping me like usual, she whispered carefully.

"You’ll...allow it, right?"

I tilted my head and glanced at Izzi. "As long as he’s useful."

"I’m always useful," the elf pursed his lips and grumbled--seemed like he heard it, heh.

Zia bit her lips and hugged me tightly, pressing Jade between us. "Thank you," she said with a restrained voice and pulled back before Jade got suffocated. "And I’m sorry."

I squeezed her cheeks and smirked. "What are you sorry about?"

"I don’t know, but..." she sniffed once, shaking her head. "I’m sorry..."

"Silly girl," I pinched her nose and laughed. "Just take care of yourself, then I won’t be mad."

"I’ll...I’ll make sure to be here when the baby comes," she repeated the promise she made to Jade earlier. "For sure."

I couldn’t help but smile at the determined gaze in her eyes. No amount of sadness in my heart could prevent me from sending her with my best smile. "Okay, that’s all I need," I nodded and stroked her head. "That, and you being well."

She hugged me again, this time being careful not to squeeze Jade between us. "I love you," she whispered in a trembling, restrained sob.

Haa...even though I tried so hard to hold back my tears...

I patted her head and tilted my head up to prevent my tears from falling. "Yeah, I love you too, girl."

Thankfully, I managed to stay calm and cool until the end, instead of throwing a tantrum and holding her back from leaving. Phew...I was so afraid that my hormones would act up again, but perhaps taking pity on my weakened state, my emotional state had been better ever since I collapsed after the last growth.

Eh, you lose some you gain some, I guessed?

Anyway, I waved my arms energetically as Zia and Izzi left in a comfortable carriage with guards that Natha generously provided. Jade turned back into the little bird’s form and chased the carriage until it was out of the Castle’s gate. Even after that, Jade flew high and hovered in the sky until the carriage was out of L’Anaak Eed.

Me?

I was in Natha’s arms; being carried helplessly while wetting his shoulder with my tears.

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