The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 68: Weekend gateway at the heart of a demon castle

Chapter 68: Weekend gateway at the heart of a demon castle

When I found myself sitting on a hospital bed with a book in my hands, I knew immediately that I was dreaming. It had been a while since I dreamed of the past. The book that I was reading, of course, was that novel about this world.

I read the strangely clear passages, and found out that it was opened in the Chapter talking about Valmeier. As I read further and further, my heart felt like it was being stabbed, and my guts felt like they were churning.

Although it was just a dream, and I knew such things were impossible.

I woke up with a start, staring wide-eyed at the canopy, and got a momentary panic attack as I stared at the unfamiliar view. The unfamiliar big bed and big canopy, the unfamiliar temperature of the room, the unfamiliar furniture and room decoration.

It made me gasp and clutched the blanket tightly, feeling like I was somewhere I did not belong.

And then something familiar entered my senses. A familiar scent, enveloped me from the pillow and the blanket and the bed sheet. Everything else was unfamiliar, but not this scent.

With that, my lungs unfroze, and I suck a deep breath. Slowly, my stiffened body relaxed, and my heels stopped digging into the mattress.

Exhale...inhale...exhale...

My body sunk steadily to the soft mattress again, and I pulled the blanket over my face, so I could absorb the calming scent more, filling my lung with a cool sensation.

"That’s cute, but what are you doing, sweetheart?"

I didn’t know how long I had been doing it, but Natha was suddenly there, knocking on the blanket over my head. I was kind of glad that I already managed to not look like someone out of a horror show as I pulled the blanket down to my nose.

Natha was...gorgeous as usual, with hair cascading down his shoulder and beads of water hanging from the edge. I loved the fact that I could witness his morning appearance, when he was still rather disheveled. That baritone that went deeper from sleep.

I wanted to believe that I was the only one who could witness it freely. That it was mine alone. Not even Valmeier—

Oh, my gut churned again.

"Sweetheart?" Natha leaned down and pressed his forehead on mine. "Stop scenting me and get up," he smiled playfully, silver eyes curled before pecking my lips through the blanket.

Ugh—so he knew. Well, of course he knew.

He chuckled and kissed my furrowed brows, pulling me up. As I drank the glass of water he gave me, I noticed the sun was already up. The bedroom was flooded by sunlight coming through the balcony door, the wide glass wall, and two big windows. You wouldn’t ever think that this was a bedroom belonging to a Demon Lord.

But it also truly felt like a room belonging to an aristocrat, even while feeling homey. The furniture was decorated with exquisite carvings even while still being comfortable. Whoever designed this place had an immaculate taste that married comfort and luxury perfectly.

Well, I guess that would be the bare minimum for the wealthiest lord in the demon realm, huh?

And then I suddenly realized that I would be living here in the near future—waking up in this bed every morning, and then...

I turned to look at Natha, who was bringing me a herbal drink like usual.

...and then I could see this view every day? Not just on the weekend?

Gosh—what a wicked man you are, Val, taking something that wasn’t yours with such joy and strides.

"H-how’s..." I paused to exchange the cup with Natha while shoving my thought down the rotten corner of my heart. "How’s your morning usually going here?"

He raised his brow before smiling delightfully, sitting on the bed and pulling me to sit between his legs. "If you’re talking about my work day, then nothing much. I don’t like others’ presence, so I don’t use any servant to get ready."

Oh...right, people of high status had various servants to tend to their needs, including helping them with baths and changing. But while Natha provided golems to help me somewhat, he never used one for himself.

"You don’t even use golem?" I leaned back against his chest and looked up.

"The Lord’s Castle should be used as a center of employment, so I shouldn’t use golems to replace the people," Natha explained while caressing my hair—or rather, he was combing my messy bed hair. "Well, the Lair is my private property so it’s fine."

Hmm...was it because he wanted his private time to be free of others’ fleeting thoughts?

"The servants only come if I call for them, and only cleaned the place when I’m not around. If you don’t want to see anyone, we can arrange it like that,"

"That’s excessive, isn’t it?" I didn’t think I was the type that left the room much, so when would they find the right time if they waited until the room was empty? "And then? Did you usually have breakfast?"

"Yes. There’s a dining room downstairs where I have it with the vassals, while they give me morning reports."

Whoa...working even while eating? So though...

"Oh, umm—are you going there today too?"

He looked at me, and I must have made a strange expression because he let out that playful smile he made when he felt amused. Pursing my lips in annoyance, I bowed my head to focus on my herbal drink instead.

With a small laugh, he put his arms around my waist and I could feel his face on my shoulder, nuzzling me lightly. "I didn’t go during my day off," he said casually.

"Why not?"

"Because I spend it with you," he kissed my shoulder, and I felt my face burn. "I can spend it all with you from now on if you want,"

I turned around to look at him better. The silver eyes were looking at me with sincerity, and I knew right away that he meant it. After all, he did ask me to move here, when he could just comfortably hide me in the tower.

"What about your morning reports then?"

"I can just receive them in my office," he replied easily, and then tilted his head as if checking on my expression before adding carefully. "Or you can join us instead."

"Uhh—that’s..." my mind traveled to yesterday, at the faces of Natha’s subordinates. The stiffened face, agitated eyes...could I really eat with that kind of expression around the dining table?

Unconsciously, my hands grab tight into the warm cup, as I looked at the rippling reflection on the surface of the drink. Natha said I didn’t have to worry about his vessels, but...

"I...don’t want to be a nuisance,"

I thought I had overcome it, but there were shadows of my past that clung to my soul, seeping too deep that it refused to go. It would be better for me to eat alone than make the whole table awkward with my—probably—unwelcome presence. After all, meals should be taken in enjoyment.

"You’re not a nuisance," Natha stroked my head. Of course, I knew that he didn’t think of me as one. But the same couldn’t be said for other demons, right?

I was kind of worried that he might think of my thought as an insult to his loyal subordinates, but if he did, he didn’t show it. He just stroked my hand, the one bearing our contract, and spoke gently in assuring tone. "If you don’t want to, then you don’t have to, it’s alright."

Angling my face up, he kissed me lightly, before taking the cup off my hands. "For now, let’s get you something to eat."

* * *

Natha’s way of summoning his servants was to snap his hands, which prompted a bell sound from who-knows-where. We had it on the balcony, which was much smaller than the one in the Lair.

The balcony in the tower was enough for me to host a party, but the one in the castle was already full of a set of tables for two. But it was nice and snug, feeling like it was only for us. Climbing plants were circling the railing, with flowers in white splashing nice colors, and the greens of the plants in the corner gave life to the dark paints of the walls and metals.

Since the balcony was small enough, the leaves and the flowers were right there within arm’s reach, which was nice. If I played with the vines through the druid magic, they would dance and extend to my calling hand, tickling my skin. The breeze was also softer here, since the room wasn’t as high as the tower’s one, so it almost felt like we were in an outdoor cafe.

From the balcony, I could see a part of the castle’s layout; the stone walls and stairs, the many attached connecting halls and annexes. But beneath the balcony, the first thing I could see was a garden. There was a path right in the middle, and at the end of that path was a big pond, almost like a lake. A beautiful bridge connected the path with a small Island, which held only one building.

"What was that?" I asked excitedly. The island and the building were surrounded by what looked like water lilies, which had a glowing center. It must have been so pretty in the night, like floating lanterns.

"A greenhouse," Natha answered, with a voice filled with fondness. When I looked at him, his silver eyes narrowed softly into half-moons. "Your greenhouse."