The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)-Chapter 657: When suddenly being alone becomes a luxury

"D-D’Ara?"

I flinched in fluster, because frankly, we were in a rather compromising position. Suddenly, I was grateful about feeling too exhausted to roll in bed with Natha because...imagine? If we did as we planned, D’Ara would come in while we were going at it.

The horror!

But as someone who had lived for thousands of years, something like straddling and kissing wasn’t enough to faze her, so she just got to the point without even addressing the way she barged in.

"Come, the time to get surprises is up," she clapped her hands and sat down at the chair in front of us--which was mine.

Natha chuckled and gently lifted me, putting me in his chair while he got up to leave. "B-but, why can’t Natha stay?" I asked in confusion.

"Because it’s not something I should listen to," Natha patted my head. "I’m sure Teacher has her reason."

D’Ara, who somehow had produced a glass and a wine while leaning back on my armchair, just nodded lazily. She didn’t look like someone with an urgent message, but she did look like a bit exhausted...just like me after dealing with Shwa.

"I’m not going to take long," D’Ara said.

"Better be; we don’t have much time left," Natha replied cheekily.

"You think I don’t know how newborn works?" D’Ara rolled her eyes, and I suddenly wondered how a newborn vampire would be.

Would they act just like regular newborns? It was kind of weird imagining Eruha as a baby. Did he cry miserably if D’Ara was away? Or had he always been looking cunning and stingy with genuine expressions like now?

Oh--I digressed. My wandering mind returned with D’Ara’s snapping fingers. Natha had already left the room, but she still putting on an isolation barrier. It suddenly dawned on me that while she looked all nonchalant with a glass of wine in her hand, what she wanted to talk about was something important.

And I could only think about one thing.

"Is this about the place we can use to run away to if things go bad?" I whispered unconsciously, since the vibe seemed secretive.

"No need to whisper," D’Ara chuckled. "I already put a barrier, and between us, An’Hyang won’t be able to pry."

"Oh?"

D’Ara smiled and glanced out the window, where we could still look at the Castle staff walking around to finish their job for the day. "Deities are not omnipotent, but they can see their followers through their faith."

"You mean...the more devout someone, the more the deities could see them?"

D’Ara nodded. Honestly...that made sense. I mean, how else would they hear the worshiper’s prayers? There should be some kind of payoff for those who diligently devoted themselves to their God, right?

"Through that and the worship site--for obvious reason," D’Ara waved her hand. "Naturally, I have an immunity. And you--"

"I don’t believe in him like that," I nodded. I mean, for me, he was just someone very, very strong. We were even trying to rescue a Goddess, for fuck’s sake. "Wait--are you saying Natha is still--"

"No," D’Ara raised his hand to calm my slightly agitated voice. "The moment he activated his seed, it created natural immunity. Still, it wouldn’t be as good as what we have, since he used to be a devotee. In case one day he couldn’t stave off the influence for any reason, we better take precautions for now."

Oh. Perhaps...Natha already knew this, and that was why he didn’t question D’Ara’s order to us alone.

"Wait--then what about all of my plans..."

"The plans you do in another realm?"

Ah, right. He wouldn’t be able to see what happened in the Human Realm, even if he tried to see through Heraz’s eyes.

This was why you shouldn’t divide the field your parent gave you. Just cultivate them together, geez.

"Besides, you looking for the Goddess has no direct correlation to summoning your baby to the Sanctuary," D’Ara chuckled. "People don’t usually assume that you do that so you’ll have an ally when you go for a verbal war with him."

Well...I guess? I grinned and shrugged.

"Anyway, now you know that we have to look for a place that he can’t possibly breach to look for your baby," she continued after gulping her wine. "We can’t hide you in another realm in case it will become a justification for war, and we can’t hide you in my place because technically, it’s still in his territory."

Hmm...wouldn’t that mean we couldn’t hide anywhere in this land? Unless we went to a place that wasn’t under the influence of the three deities. But that kind of place only belonged to Sacred Guardians and...

Oh.

Oh! I looked at D’Ara with sparkling eyes. "The dragons?!"

"Yes, I visited my friend to request a place for a couple of asylum seekers," she let out a hollow chuckle. "Haa...talking to a bunch of dzurrakh was so tiring."

Oh?

"Well, they won’t be isolating themselves if they’re so open to strangers," D’Ara shrugged. "And Terre is such a whimsical creature. I had to wait for him to finish his bath for five days."

So long just for a bath? Was it because dragons had a big physique?

"He fell asleep while soaking in magma," D’Ara rolled her eyes.

"Oh. Like Ignis," I nodded in understanding.

"Well, when you’re already living for thousands of years in such a small world, you just don’t really care anymore," D’Ara shrugged. "He needs to find a mate or something, geez."

Wasn’t she also avoid to have an eternal?

"Anyway, I had to go through a long talk with him and the council and so on, but I finally got approval," she took out a scroll sealed with mana-infused cord and dark brown wax with red streaks on it. "If you bring this, you can enter their island and be granted residency--I have a house there, so you can just use it."

The scroll flew and landed on my opened palms, and all I could do was look at it with parted lips and widened eyes--totally stunned and loss for words.

"They’ve been isolating themselves for so long, so you’ll find some things to be inconvenient and not up to the standard you have here," she continued. "But it’s a nice place, near the beach and lots of raw nature--kind of like that island your husband owns. You can even bring your wyvern, though she’ll be like a baby to them."

I bit my lips and looked up, carefully holding the scroll like a relic. "Thank you, D’Ara."

She smiled and raised her glass--which was already filled with more wine before I knew it. "I told you; Natha is like a son to me--and so does you, by extension," she said. "How can I let the kid be whisked away before I can even play with him, tsk."

I couldn’t help but laugh, but it was easier to accept rather than a purely altruistic reason. At any rate, Shwa would still need a good teacher to manage his massive power gently. After all, I didn’t want him to meet the same depressing situation as his past life.

"Of course, we’ll hope that you won’t have to really use it as an asylum seeker," she pointed at the scroll with her chin. "But you can still use that as a visitor ticket."

My eyes widened. "Really?"

I would be able to see dragons--no, dzurrakh--for real?

"It’s one-time use only, so whether or not you can visit again depends on whether or not you can coax that difficult friend of mine," she shrugged nonchalantly, but there was a twinkle in her eyes that told me she wanted someone to bother the Dragon Lord for her amusement.

Damn. Now I am really curious about that place and Lord Alteria. Natha would love it just to see someone who could exasperate his teacher.

"Well, that’s it. I better fly before An’Hyang sniffs something--ah, remember that you can’t tell Natha, okay?"

I put the ’visa’ deep inside my storage ring and nodded. Perhaps I should quickly open that puzzle box and use it to solve the scroll inside.

"Alright, good luck with your search," she stood up and kissed the top of my head, like a blessing. Before even the warmth from her lips left me, she was already gone.

Wow...she was the storm among all storms.

About thirty seconds later, just before I stood up to call Natha, the bedroom door opened, and his horned head peeked inside. "I feel the barrier disappeared, can I come--oh, she’s gone."

When he saw that no one but me was inside, he hurriedly entered and locked the door. I pressed my lips to hold back laughter--no matter how nonchalant he looked when he stepped out, it seemed like he was still anxious after all.

Oh, if only I could tell him.

Perhaps reading it in my face, Natha smiled and patted my cheeks. "It’s fine, I know that’s what’s best for us...right?"

"I hope so," I nodded, circling my arms to his back and pressed my head on his chest. At least, we had secured our worst-case scenario escape route. "But I hope we don’t have to use it."

"Me too, sweetheart," he pressed his lips on my temple. "I’m just sorry I can’t be more reliable."

Oh, how could he say that? He had far more disadvantages. It wasn’t like he could choose to not be born as a demon. Rather, this conception would not work unless he was a demon.

I raised my head and grasped his cheek, kissing him wholeheartedly. "Carry me," I whispered. He picked me up in confusion, but I kept kissing his face. "I’m sweaty for playing with Shwa all day, so you have to bathe me."

"You’re completely dry--"

"Bathe me!"

He raised his brow and chuckled against my jaw. "I thought you were exhausted?"

"Were."

He laughed and I shut him up with another kiss while he walked to the bathroom with me in his arms. Well...I guessed we’d have that intimate anniversary celebration after all.