The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)-Chapter 29: Just treat it as cosplay, I guess?

"The festival will still be held?"

Zia slammed the table in the sitting room of the guest quarter where we decided to converge this time. Her purple eyes were blown wide in excitement, and her already pink skin turned even pinker, as if glowing.

When Natha give her confirmation, she even started to jump all over the room, taking Angwi’s hands and swaying them joyfully.

What the hell was this festival that got her so excited?

"It’s not really that special," Natha told me. "It’s just that she hasn’t been out for so long ever since she ran away from home, so she’s been looking forward to this event so much. But it almost gets canceled three months ago, so hearing that it will still be held must be a cheering thought."

"Almost canceled? Why?"

My question was being answered by Zia’s excited blabber, however. "Ahh...I really thought there won’t be any after I heard about Lord Wrath’s death..." she sighed wistfully, and I coughed out my herbal tea.

"O-oh..." I spluttered awkwardly, Jade flying around my head in worry.

Again? Freaking kingdom doing bullshit!

Natha calmly dabbed a handkerchief on my chin, caressing my back with an amused smile on his face. "Uh...sorry?" I sighed and put my head on the table. The little ball of feather landed beside my head and nuzzled on my hair as if trying to cheer me up.

Kind of tiring, really, getting faced with the consequences of this body’s action. Although to be fair, if I was the kingdom’s citizen, there was nothing I could do either.

"Haa...fucking bastard king..." I couldn’t help but muttered a curse. But not really though, since the king was indeed an illegitimate son of the previous king. And even after killing all of the other royal family, he was still plagued with an inferiority complex that he decided to cook up all this scheme against the demon realm just to boast his might and popularity.

Truly, fucking bastard. Also all of the hero’s companions. I wondered if I could strangle them to my heart’s content once this body was back to full power.

My heated thought calmed down once a cool hand landed on my head and caressed my hair. I glanced up to see Natha smiling subtly, and I couldn’t help but feel regret.

"I’m sorry..."

The cool hand didn’t stop the caressing, and I felt like I could fall asleep just like that. But that would be discourteous, wouldn’t it? So I straightened my back regretfully, and was greeted by Zia covering her mouth with her hands and Jade hiding inside my coat, trembling.

"...huh? What?"

She shook her head, and I could swear there was fear flashing in her eyes. She eventually spoke with a rather trembling voice though, eyes darted back and forth from me and Natha. "I...I didn’t mean to make you feel guilty, Val, I’m sorry...."

Huh. Well, that was fine, but why did she look so afraid? It wasn’t as if I got angry at her?

"Demon Lords can die anytime, even in the hand of their subordinates. It’s not a big deal, so don’t think too much about it," Natha interjected my confusion while calmly sipping on his tea.

But Sir, wouldn’t it be a big deal if a leader could easily die at the hand of their own people?

But this particular Demon Lord continued casually. "It’s just an unfortunate thing that it happened near the festival time, and we’re kind of busy managing the aftermath."

My Lord, you sound rather cold just now, treating the Wrath’s death like it was a bad weather or something.

"But now that the new Wrath has already been crowned, there’s no reason to postpone it anymore," Natha looked far into the darkening sky outside the window, as if pondering. "It even feels like we’re celebrating the brat’s coronation, so the new Wrath has been in high spirits."

Hmm...now that I thought about it, Natha was the second-longest-reigning Lord in the realm after Demon Lord of Pride, which I heard was a lich. So in terms of lordship, he could be considered a senior.

He looked so young, though, so it was kind of weird hearing him calling another Lord a ’brat’ and treating them like how he treated Zia; in another word, like a kid.

"But what festival is this?" I asked finally, after the mood had settled back into the celebratory vibe earlier. I carefully picked up the little bird hiding inside my coat and settled it into a jelly plate.

When Natha asked me about going to the festival earlier, he brought me back to the tower instead of explaining what the festival was about. I didn’t even have my shoes back with me since he just teleported us like usual, so I was actually barefooted now.

It seemed like it wouldn’t be just us that went there, but also Zia and Angwi as her chaperone—and a sitter, probably.

"It’s an annual festival to welcome the new year, as well as commemorate the Demon God becoming our patron,"

Crap. Wasn’t that pretty serious stuff? "You postpone such an important event?"

"Rather than postponing the whole event, it’ll be more correct to say that we postpone the festival. Things like rituals and ceremonies are still being held during the new year," Natha explained while taking a cookie, twirling the food over between his fingers and scrutinizing it. "But the whole atmosphere wasn’t really right for a noisy and cheerful celebration, so the street festival was being postponed."

After looking at the round shape butter cookie, he held it against my lips instead, so I opened my mouth in reflex. "What was it like?" I asked while chewing on the cookie, tilting my head in ponders.

I didn’t think I ever attended festivals of any sort before, for the obvious reason of being confined to bed. There was a possibility of seeing one when I was a child, but I had no clear recollection of my childhood days, so I might as well be totally blind about all of that.

As for Valmeier, he had spent his childhood in a secluded monastery deep in the mountain. By the time he came down to the civilization, he was trapped to be the holder of Alveitya and became the hero’s glory road cleaner. So yeah, no festival either.

There was supposed to be one—the festival around the victory parade. But I was busy looking for Amrita and selling Valmeier’s assets to earn money and paying the stupid, unfair ’debt’, just so they wouldn’t throw me in jail.

Besides, what festival could someone enjoy with pain gnawing on their bones and nerves?

So I got pretty curious now, after my regret and guilt got shoved into a corner. Now that I was healthy enough, wouldn’t it possible for me to look at this so-called festival? Even just enjoying the atmosphere should be nice...

"It’s great!" Zia replied to my question with the fervor of a tour guide salesperson. "They will decorate the whole street, and there will be a lot of merchants and street stalls. There will be competitions and a costume parade and a lot of delicious food too!"

"Food..." I bit my finger, suddenly remembering all the pictures and videos I had seen and watched in bed. The tasty, flavorful-looking dishes of street stalls, the so-called junk food...I could never even dream of tasting them before, since my tastebuds also gradually waning.

But now! Wouldn’t it be possible now?

I turned my head to look at Natha, who told me he’d bring me to the festivals, and suddenly this handsome specimen looked even more gorgeous.

"That? That’s what makes your heart move?" the Demon Lord frowned and I could see his eyes twitch.

No, no, no, don’t get me wrong, My Lord. You were already plenty gorgeous before, but right now you were sparkling like a jewel.

I made a motion like sprinkling him with glitter and gave him my bestest smile from the depth of my heart, looking up at him with the gaze I gave the head nurse when I wanted to go and get some air on the rooftop.

You’d really take me, wouldn’t you, my Lord?

"Are you seducing me right now?" he tilted his head, and I moved back as far as the sofa allowed me to, gasping in reflex while clutching my arms.

"Wh-what?! How?"

He smirked and reached out his hand, pinching my cheek out of nowhere. What? What was that? Why were you ignoring my question?

"I already told you I’ll take you," he raised his brow, still with the smirk plastered on his face. "But it’s also nice seeing you acting cute."

Did I? I opened my mouth to refute but he shoved another cookie between my lips so I ended up just glaring at him.

"But Lord Cousin...is it safe taking Val into the town?"

Oh! I swallowed the cookie audibly and blinked my eyes. Right...it was the demon realm festival. And I was a human—no, even worse, I was the human that had a great contribution in causing the death of a Lord and killed their kin; the human that delayed this celebratory event.

Biting my lips, I scolded myself for forgetting about my dicey status and getting too excited.

Yeah...people shouldn’t be too greedy Val.

I had enjoyed enough luxury already. And it wasn’t like I had ever come to any festival before, so unlike Zia, I wouldn’t feel like losing out too much even if I wouldn’t be able to attend. People didn’t miss out on things they never tasted in the first place.

"Do you think I wouldn’t think of a way after going so far as inviting you?" Natha patted my bowed head, and when I lifted my face, he pinched my chin, looking straight at me with those mesmerizing silver orbs. "You’re the bride belonged to Lord of Greed. You should be more greedy, Val."

I thought I was greedy enough, though?

In the first place, I only wished for a healthy body and survival. I even got to eat so many delicious foods that Angwi prepared meticulously every meal. Surely, if I asked for it, Zia would bring me some souvenirs, right?

But, did he say he had a way?

"What way?" the way he said it, and the smile on his face made me feel strangely hopeful—even as I told myself not to.

Natha stroked my cheek and weaved his fingers into my hair. With a mischievous glint in his eyes, he asked me. "Would you mind wearing a guise?"