The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 579: Just to be clear, all babies are miraculous (but my baby is slightly more)

Chapter 579: Just to be clear, all babies are miraculous (but my baby is slightly more)

The druids and the elves reacted comparatively differently to Shwa’s presence.

Grandmas and Grandpas gathered around the armchair where I sat with Shwa in my arms, on their knees so everyone could see the abby clearly, and Shwa could ’see’ them too--as much as a ten-day-old baby could see. They were clasping their hands and clamoring, even shoving each other to get the front row. Like a bunch of teenagers at a concert.

The elves, on the other hand, were standing in the back calmly. Whether it was because they wanted to give the druids priority seating, or because they were programmed to act elegant at all times, Issa and her entourage simply smiled while staring at Shwa in silence.

How should I say this? One looked like a neighborhood oldie, and the other looked like a visiting coworker. That kind of vibe.

Meanwhile, Shwa was blinking slowly at the commotion; moving his head slightly and wiggling his hands in the air, parting his lips and making a soft sound in service when the audience exclaimed.

Enjoying his main character moment.

"Ahh~ so beautiful! Our Littlest Prince is so beautiful!"

A sentiment that everyone there agreed with, including Jade, who was dangling on the backrest. "Yes! Shwa is the beautifulest!"

"Of course, he is! Look at how beautiful Your Highness is!" one of the Chiefs said.

"But Shwa looks exactly like Natha," I argued while stroking the baby’s cheek, eliciting a soft, cute little giggle.

There was silence around the room, and for a few seconds, the pavilion was only filled with Shwa’s soft baby voice and Jade’s giggle. I felt like I heard Natha’s sneer too, but it might be nothing more than my imagination.

"...ahem, yes, I’m sure your gene contributes greatly to this radiance, Your Highness," the Chief cleared his throat and added.

"Natha is very handsome, so I’m sure Shwa will grow up to be dashing too," I argued some more. My only contribution to that face was skin and eye color.

"Uhm...well, yes, I’m sure..."

"What’s with that doubtful tone?!"

I glanced at the awkward grandpa and gasped dramatically, prompting the other Chiefs to laugh. The sound triggered Shwa’s senses, and he opened his mouth wide to laugh too--cooing adorably and making everyone squeal. Yeah, me too.

"Aww--see? He’s just like Natha when their nose scrunch," I giggled while rubbing our son’s pink nose, and Shwa caught my finger with two tiny wrapped fists. "You’re so~ going to grow up handsome like your father~"

"Your Excellency is full of affection as always," one of the elves finally spoke, and while Grandma Tiralein patted my head in agreement, Natha smirked.

"Well, I’m sorry for monopolizing it."

The elves and the druids gasped at that confident declaration uttered in a smug tone and prideful face--although I wasn’t sure they could see past his fearful haze. Amarein, who was the only one who had been snacking on the refreshments while the others were busy with Shwa, finally opened her mouth.

"Are you sure? It seems like your son will monopolize it from now on," she remarked, and I could see the corner of Natha’s eyes twitching.

And Natha’s number one rival banter added wholeheartedly. "Papa also love Jade very much! Papa say so!"

"Mm, yes~" I patted the green head and chuckled. "Of course I love my children the most."

"Yaaay!"

"...my heart stopped for two seconds."

Natha clutched his chest and spoke woefully, but Amarein raised her brow. "Just two?"

Pfft--I never thought I would see the day when Amarein and Natha could exchange jest, but there we were. The visit might start formally, but I prefer this kind of familial atmosphere. It was something I wanted Shwa to always experience--an environment full of affection and laughter.

"Are you going to keep him here all the time, Your Excellency?" the other elf finally allowed himself to join in the merry conversation. "The child is also a child of nature. I’m sure if we brought him to the elvendom for education--"

"No! My baby stays with me," I raised my palm in rejection.

"Jade will stay with Papa and baby!"

"Then you can also go, Your Excellency," the other elf chimed in, golden eyes sparkling.

Wait--I suddenly remembered that they were trying to take me to their place back then too, in this place, the first time we met.

They were still trying to do that?

Naturally, a firm rejection came behind me. "No, my husband stays with me."

Perhaps because of the casual atmosphere, Natha did not sound angry or offended, and the elf replied with slightly pursed lips and a whining tone. "...then, Lord Natha can also--"

"Ahahaha! Are you trying to kidnap the whole family? Not that I would mind bringing them to the tribe," Grandma Tiralein laughed while clapping.

"This is diplomatically disastrous," Lesta, who was also there because he was in charge of external affairs, raised his face from his cake plate and frowned. "Please don’t kidnap our Lord."

"Ahaha! What do you think, Lady Issaelmaer? Should we kidnap them for real?"

I glanced at Issa, who had been quiet all this time. Not just quiet; she also had been staring at Shwa keenly with a serious gaze.

"Hmm..." she muttered when the attention shifted to her. "How peculiar"

"Huh?"

"I was doubtful at first, but..."

I gulped nervously and glanced at Natha. Did she find out? I looked at her and asked carefully. "What’s wrong?"

"How miraculous," she said almost breathlessly, and I got more nervous with each word. "I thought that the demon trait would be stronger since Lord Natha is pure blood, but..."

"Ah..."

"To think that the energy of three races could blend in harmony like this," she took a deep breath while placing her hand over her heart. "This is the first time I’ve seen one..."

Oh, the way I deflated in relief. My clutch on Shwa loosened slightly, and my quick-witted older son stroked my back soothingly.

"That’s because Valen made it so," Natha said while stroking my hair.

"Yes?"

"He united the three essences into a harmonious one before placing it in the vessel," Natha paused and touched our giggling son’s cheek. "Flower."

"Ah..."

Amarein smiled and nodded, adding to Natha’s testimony. "Yes, Valen had worked hard to train before then."

Bashfully, I hugged Shwa closer to hide my fluster. What is this? Why did they suddenly talk about that? They might mean it as a compliment, but I couldn’t help thinking about the ’process’ instead, which...you know...involved Natha putting his essence inside me.

Fortunately, Issa’s comment sparked a chain of discussion between these children of nature, so they didn’t see me getting all flustered--which was good, because I heard old people teased the hardest.

Was this karma for teasing Zia so much the other day?

Sighing, I looked at Shwa, who was still fiddling with my index finger. Well, he was indeed a miracle. Something I never thought I would have even after living twice. It was kind of weird thinking that I wasn’t the only one who thought that his existence was miraculous.

Didn’t feel bad though.

"I want..." I muttered while nuzzling the plump pink cheek. "I want this world to be like that too."

The discussion stopped when I started to speak, and I could feel their attention shifted to me. But perhaps because Shwa was smiling so adorably at me, as if giving me support, I didn’t get flustered this time.

"I want it to be harmonious, without walls separating us--just like the old days," I held the fiddling hands and kissed them, laughing when Shwa giggled in response. "I wish for a place like that for us."

"Your Highness..."

"Mm, yes," Natha brushed my hair and leaned down to kiss the top of my head. "Once I’m no longer the Lord, it will be nice to have a place that is not tied to any specific roots."

"New home? We’ll have a new home?" Jade climbed to my armrest, sitting there and swaying Shwa’s arm excitedly.

The shift in the atmosphere was palpable as they looked at us with widened eyes. "Lord Natha, that..."

"That is as if...you are declaring independence," an elf said cautiously.

Natha just smiled and replied nonchalantly. "Is that so?"

Mm, it was indeed good to talk about this before with him. We exchanged a gaze and we could see each other’s mischievous expression in the reflection of our eyes.

"But..." another elf mumbled on the back while stroking his chin. "With a King candidate and an heir to the throne..."

It was a quiet voice, perhaps a result of thinking out loud. But no one else was talking, so we could hear his voice clearly. I glanced at him and he flinched, bowing in fluster.

"Ah, p-pardon me..."

"Don’t worry about it," I chuckled.

Well, I had no intention of becoming a King or a Lord, but I did wish for a territory of our own, where I could invite my friends without needing to disguise them or being mindful of what the elders said. However, I also understood that we couldn’t get things without paying for it. If we wanted to live by a different order, we had to make that order first.

"If only..." Grandma Tiralein lowered her gaze. "If only we still--"

"Ah!" I smacked the armrest--it was to stop the sudden gloomy atmosphere, but also because I had almost forgotten one of my main agendas that day.

Naturally, they were all looking at me with eyes widened in surprise. "Your Highness?"

"There’s actually...something I want to show you," I said quickly while carefully passing Shwa to Natha’s arms before turning toward the elves. "My apologies, Lady Issa, but would it be alright for me to talk alone with the Chiefs?"