The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 585: It can’t always be sunshine and rainbow

Chapter 585: It can’t always be sunshine and rainbow

Natha’s outstretched arm as he tried to catch me struck the barrier first.

"What?" his eyes widened, and he pounded the invisible barrier with his fist. "Vale--"

Khieeeeeek!

A loud screeching sound filled the air, and we were shaded by a looming shadow. Before Natha could look up, the wyvern legs had already slammed to the ground behind me. Hard and threatening.

SLAM!

The force of the rough landing pushed the astonished guards back, and Natha looked at me with widened eyes; stunned and frozen. Did he start to question everything now? Would it be enough to snap him out of the King’s influence?

I sure hope so. Otherwise, what was the point of me bleeding our hearts?

[Papa!]

Jade, finished with the mission of calling Vrida, flew toward me. The bird was not alone, however. Three fairies who previously stayed inside the shed and had been spending their time roaming the forest all this time came too. They circled the sleeping baby in my arms while Jade landed on my shoulder.

"Thank you, Jade."

As I whispered weakly, the air shifted and someone walked out of a distorted point. "Sweetling?"

D’Ara looked at me, at Natha, and at the barrier I had just conjured. She frowned, the sharp red eyes gleaming in intrigue.

But I had no time nor the energy to explain things right now, so I hoped Eruha would later--although the vampire probably didn’t know much. I strode toward her and asked urgently. "Can the Demon King affect you?"

Her eyes twitched slightly, but she answered quickly. "No."

"And the Demon God?"

She must have been surprised by my inquiry, but she still answered firmly--perhaps because she could feel the urgency in my eyes. "We are the children of the Primordial One. He shall never affect me."

The firmness in her answer gave my tense body a little bit of respite. I could almost ignore the shouting Natha beyond the barrier. Holding Shwa just a tad bit tighter, I asked in a restrained voice.

"Then, will you grant him a naming gift?" I stepped forward, close enough for her to touch Shwa. I could feel my own voice quiver, and so did my fingers stroking the tiny curling fist. "I want you to keep him safe. Protect him from everyone while I’m gone,"

"Valen!"

I closed my eyes and bit my lips tightly before continuing. "Even from my husband."

She did not answer for a few seconds. In those few seconds, I saw so many possibilities flash through her ruby eyes. This was a massive gambling. She was closer to Natha than to me, as Natha was her disciple. There was a bond between a teacher and a student, especially someone who rarely took one like her.

But while this bond might make her side with Natha, it was also this bond that made me believe she wouldn’t.

Because it was a teacher’s duty to put a sense in their student’s mind.

"...I promise," she nodded solemnly. I had no idea if she knew why I acted this way, but I believed in her.

"Valen!" behind me, trying to break the barrier, Natha gritted his teeth and softened his voice. "Sweetheart, what are you doing? Let’s talk, yes? Why are you doing this?"

I closed my eyes, hard, and as my cheeks trembled, D’Ara stroked my head gently. "I promise," she repeated.

"Thank you," I whispered heavily, before moving Shwa to her arms.

But even though I had already steeled my heart, I found it hard to take my hands off my baby. I was scared, so scared that once I returned, my baby would no longer be there, whisked away by the greedy eyes of fire. Scared that the person I asked for help would betray my trust, even though she already promised me twice.

It had been a while, but I was reminded of the feeling I had when I first arrived in this world. Confused. Frightened. Alone.

While I was occupied with my tumultuous mind, I heard a soft, friendly voice. "Valen," Amarein, who had unknowingly caught up to us, took my hand. She closed her eyes and murmured a spell quietly. With a soft glow, green lines danced and formed a picture of a tree on my hand before disappearing. I could still feel the carved spell, however. "This will let you enter the Tree with no question."

"Thank you," my voice almost got shaky from gratitude. "Ignis--"

With a blaze of fire, the Salamander appeared on my shoulder before I even finished calling its name. Ignis did not ask anything, perhaps already knew the situation from our contract bond.

I exhaled slowly while stroking my baby’s cheeks. "Please protect him."

"Alright," Ignis, who had been avoiding the baby from the fear of burning him, slithered toward the bundle in D’Ara’s arms and curled himself on top of the baby’s stomach.

"Valen!"

Ignoring the agitated voice and blasting cold behind me, I stroked the soft cheeks and whispered. "I’ll be back soon, baby," leaning forward, I kissed his cheeks, his forehead, his tiny fists...trying my best to hold back the sob stuck behind my throat. "You’ll be safe, I promise."

I promised. Even if it was a God, I would fight for him. Even if I had to do it without Natha, I would fight for him. It would be best if everything turned out to be nothing more than extreme paranoia, but my instinct told me that my fear was right.

It could only be understood by someone who had met the Demon God before. Those who had already seen his eyes and heard the way he talked about the Primordial One.

At that moment, perhaps because of my wavering feelings in the wake of leaving my sweet child behind, the barrier weakened and Natha managed to shatter it. Biting my lips, I let go of the tiny fists and swiftly went to the awaiting wyvern.

Natha, who was breaking through the shattered barrier, stiffened as he saw me approaching Vrida. "Wait... we-where are you going?!"

He paused, looking at me and Shwa alternatively as if confused about where he should go. In the end, perhaps because it was clear that I was trying to leave, he turned in my direction.

Khieeeee!!

Protectively, Shwa screeched and halted Natha’s steps. "Val--"

Trying not to look at him so my resolve wouldn’t waver, I took out the spellbook that Uncle Sol gave me as a wedding gift. I never thought I would ever use this spell, but you truly never know what the future might bring. The book opened randomly, but since there were a lot containing the spell I wanted to use, it appeared immediately.

A glowing teleportation circle appeared beneath us, and Natha hastened his movement.

"No, wait--wait! Valen! Val--"

The last thing I saw before we were whisked far away was Natha’s shaking eyes. I shut my eyes tightly--not because of the teleportation, but because of the wrenching pain in my whole body as I saw that devastated look on Natha’s face.

I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.

It was so painful that I couldn’t even bother with the nausea coming from the teleportation spell, which we had to do a few times before reaching the druid territory.

It was so painful that, as we flew above the Great Forest of Alnin to reach the druid settlement, I kept asking myself if I did the right thing. Was I not acting too hasty? Should I talk it out more first?

But my churning guts told me that I wouldn’t be able to function before I found the answer.

People said mothers had this instinct regarding their child’s well-being. It was unexplainable, perhaps a sixth sense born from their bond with their child during pregnancy.

While I did not carry Shwa in my body, I carried his soul. And I believed that what my instinct told me at that time was no different than those mothers’.

That was why, I held onto this feeling.

A feeling that I might lose my child.

It might sound unreasonable and unprovoked, but it wasn’t something I was willing to dismiss. Because it was something regarding my child. And I shall not take lightly of it, even if people would call it unreasonable.

But because of the nature of this concern, which seemed to stem out of nothing, I couldn’t explain it well to anyone.

That being said, at least, I thought Natha would understand if I explained it. I thought I didn’t have to justify my feelings for him to take my side.

Natha, the only person that should...

Natha...Natha did not understand.

[Pa...Papa...] Jade rubbed my wet cheeks.

Before I knew it, tears had been streaming down my cheeks, scattering on the sky as we flew above the Great Forest.

Perhaps...perhaps if he apologized for answering without my consent, it wouldn’t hurt this much. Even if he was doubtful, if he didn’t just dismiss my concern as nothing more than a bad hunch, it wouldn’t hurt this much.

If...if he had taken my hand and soothed me, telling me that my feelings were valid and we should look at it together, preparing for the worst possibility, I wouldn’t be thousands of miles away from him, feeling like my world was crumbling.

My knuckles were white as I clenched the saddle tightly. My ears were ringing, and my temple was throbbing. In a place where the only thing I could hear was the belting wind, I screamed and cried my bleeding heart.

For the first time since we found out about our past, I felt alone in this world.