The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)-Chapter 31: Honesty came with a side effect

"No!" he cut me off instantly, voice sharp and firm.

"Oh...sorry, I went out of line," I retracted my hand completely. There was an uncomfortable sting in my heart that left a bitter aftertaste in the back of my tongue.

He got up then, straightened his back, and gently held my face. "It’s not that," his voice had returned to the gentle tone he always used. "The scar simply couldn’t be erased with healing magic."

"...oh?" I only realized I had been clenching my fists when I loosened them up. "Was it made by an artifact?"

"...Yes," there was a suspicious delay before he answered as he caressed my cheek softly. But he didn’t sound like he was lying either. Although, to be fair, it was in his right if he wanted to hide it too. "Sorry if I sounded harsh just now, sweetheart."

Ah, so that was why I felt heavy. That tone reminded me of the scary Natha that got pissed about me having so much rejection about being his bride. He had never shown that side of him again after, always the kind and sometimes mischievous demon.

I didn’t think that he would already have this much presence and influence inside my mind. Even the way my heart felt at ease with just his gentle words and caresses.

Why? Why were you being so good to me? I was an enemy that asked to be saved out of nowhere. It should be enough for him to just make me into his worker or anything—hell, I’d gladly be his spy inside the kingdom if he told me to. It would be understandable even if he turn me into his plaything.

If all of this gentleness was his trick to bring me to his side willingly, it was unnecessary. Not even the real Valmeier would be that shameless to ask for a miraculous cure for nothing.

It was heavy, this feeling of becoming comfortable in his presence. Perhaps because there was a looming problem shadowing my own emotions and conscience.

"...Natha,"

"Mm?"

Still within his caressing hand, I took a deep breath before speaking again. "You...asked me before...about the name I was calling during the treatment,"

His hand stopped, and my eyes fixed hard on my own hands that had been clutching the blanket tightly. There was a cold feeling running down my spine, and a hot sensation pooling on my neck. I just felt how hard it was, to convey the things inside your mind to the other person. I couldn’t even lift my gaze to stare at his face. No—I did not dare to. I felt like I would have cold feet and back down if I looked at his face right now.

So while I still had the courage to speak of it, I had to let the words out. "It’s the name of a person I knew...in the past," even in my ear, my voice sounded quite shaky. "He...umm...took care of me when I was sick, so it might be why I called out his name..."

The energy inside my voice was dwindling with every word that sounded like an excuse. I couldn’t say it was because they were both practically cut from the same cloth—not without telling him about my transmigration. I didn’t even know exactly why I was calling that name even while being delirious.

I was sure I had no feelings for the doctor anymore. Not since the man transferred out of the hospital without saying a word, and I realized that everything was probably simply a rose-tinted false perception on my part.

But probably, having someone that was modeled after the doctor taking care of me so gently just ignited some ashes inside my heart. And it made me feel horrible.

Why couldn’t my subconsciousness, my delirious self called the Demon Lord’s name instead? Then I would just feel embarrassed.

Not this heavy guilt that surfaced from time to time.

Natha didn’t say anything, and his hand retreated from my head. With the absence of that gentle touch, the hot and cold sensation mingled in my neck, suffocating, pressing into my lungs. My heart beat fast and loud in my ear, and I started to blabber.

"Bu-but I don’t have any feelings for that person, so—I mean, I think I did, but I d-don’t anymore! I swear! I just—I don’t even know why I called...you just looked so similar to him..."

Dizzy...I felt so dizzy. The loud thumping of my heart was all that I could hear. My vision was getting blurry, and I thought I was trembling when I realized what kind of a shit move it was to say that they were similar.

"Oh—no! I-I didn’t mean...no, what I mean is—"

What? What did I want to say? What have I been saying? I had no idea. I didn’t know what I was saying anymore.

"...I...I’m sorry...are you—please don’t get angry—"

"Val,"

Hands, large and cold, enveloped my tightly clenched fist. The cold fingers slipped inside my fist and slowly unraveled them. Those hands came to wrap around my body next, pulling me closer into a cold embrace, where cool, soft lips pressed on my temple.

"...yeah?"

"I’m not angry," he said gently, caressing my back in long strokes.

"...oh," my tensed body immediately slacked from that, as if I had just inhaled a relaxant. I leaned my head down into his bare shoulder, the coldness spreading through my forehead. "Thank you..."

I felt my body sway forward as he leaned back into the headboard of the bed, arms cradling me still. "Were you afraid I’d get angry?"

"Yeah..."

"Why?" he asked calmly, slowly.

For a while, I couldn’t give him any response. My mind was churning, flashes of buried memory coming out of the vault. Angry shouts, disdain glares...

—why can’t you swallow the capsules?! It’s not that big!—

—I’m busy enough as it is, why do I have to take care of you too?!—

—I’m tired of you! Stop whining! Don’t get sick if you don’t want to feel pain!—

—I can’t take this anymore! Why don’t you take care of him this time?!—

—You’re the one who makes me angry! Fuck—can’t even take care of yourself—what useless...—

Oh...it had been a while since I remembered those things. I already told myself not to dwell on those memories. I shook my head slightly to shake off those words from my mind and let out a quiet mutter.

"...I don’t want you to...abandon me, I guess?"

It was such a selfish reason. It wasn’t because I was considerate of his feeling or anything, I just didn’t want to be hated by someone that was mattered.

But still, I wanted to be allowed to feel selfish.

"Why would I abandon my bride?" he chuckled while patting my back.

"Maybe if you find me annoying and burdensome..."

"Oh, sweetheart," he pulled me closer, and I was practically on his lap now, leaning all my weight on his sturdy build, pressing my head on his shoulder. "Even if you turn annoying and burdensome one day, I still won’t abandon you,"

My hands, which were resting on his shoulder for support, found themselves on his neck and back. Those words might be sincere, or they might be no more than lip service.

But I didn’t care right now, clutching tightly to his soothing temperature. Like a child. Like a child that was wanted. Probably loved. It was nice, being caressed and spoiled.

My body felt cold, but there was only warmth in my heart.

* * *

Did I ever tell you what it felt like to wake up inside a Demon Lord’s embrace?

It felt like a heart attack.

Why? Because I was sure my heart stopped beating for a few seconds when I opened my eyes to a scrumptious feast of a sturdy chest and defined muscles. When my blood rushed again, it rush to my face and heated it up like a fireplace. And then the coldness from his skin and morning air made me shiver and tremble.

"Good morning," he said, with a soft, low, sultry voice as if we had just spent a scandalous night together.

No, we did not. I was just fallen asleep from relief while he still cradling me.

But yes, it was indeed a good morning. Tastily so. If my hand lingered for a few seconds more above his pecs before I pulled away in fluster, it was just because I was stunned by his beauty.

This old man looking so good in the morning must be his real protagonist power, huh?

Lately, I had this thought that perhaps Natha was supposed to be one of the leads in the next volumes of the novel. Because there was no way a Demon Lord who was also a King candidate only had a minor role in the hero’s chronicle. Perhaps he would become the hero’s sponsor or something? Since he was wealthy and everything.

Wait—if that was the case, then wouldn’t I have to face this damn hero at one point? Since the hero would come to Natha at least once to acquire the Amrita.

"You’re thinking about weird things again," Natha roused and gave me a light peck on my cheek before getting out of bed.

As soon as he left the bed, Jade flew straight into my face and nuzzled my cheek while chirping sorrowfully, as if he’d been separated from me for a long time.

Now that I thought about it, the little bird had never been away from me during the night. Jade had even moved to sleep beside my head after a week. But with the way things unfolded last night, there was no space for the little bird to nestle between my hair like usual.

"There, there, it’s just a one night. You don’t have to be so sad," I patted the wailing feather ball, the deep green eyes glittering with unshed tears. Could an elemental bird actually cry?

"Ah, I forgot to mention," Natha suddenly spoke from the side while wearing his nightrobe—where was that thing last night? "You can’t bring the little guy to the festival." ƒreewebɳovel.com

A sudden, loud chirping sound ensued. It sounded both angry and in panic. My face was getting blasted by the wind from Jade’s frantic wings flapping. "Ouh—uh, calm down, Jade—"

The chirping only got louder and angrier when Natha picked the guy up with a smirk on his face. "It can’t be helped since this guy is still an infant. It wouldn’t be able to hold long outside an environment that isn’t rich in elemental mana, so you—" he brought Jade in front of his face and they had this intense staring contest, "—you can’t get outside the tower yet."

The chirping slowly died down, along with the white wings. Natha put Jade on my palm then, as I laughed softly at the sulking bird.

"It’s also bad for the disguise, since children of nature generally don’t have a light attribute elemental bird as familiars, so people might end up questioning it."

I patted the whining bird gently, stroking its little head with my thumb. "Sorry, Jade, be patient for now, yeah?"

Jade chirped once wistfully, before curling up in despair. I stroked its head again, and another hand stroke my head in turn. When I looked up, Natha was smiling softly.

"Let’s get your disguise ready."