The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 129: My first clothing store experience is...not in a clothing store

Chapter 129: My first clothing store experience is...not in a clothing store

"Vaaaal!"

It had become a habit now that Zia would greet me with a tackle hug regardless of who was there with me. An easy feat since she had those two wings to launch herself at me. And then Jade would join us in a three-way hug. Fun stuff.

"See...you never visit me..." the first thing Zia said after that greeting was complaining about my lack of presence in the Tower, which...well, yes, it was my fault. I had promised her that I would go at least once a week, but I hadn’t been there ever since I moved here.

"I’m sorry..." I bit my lips, truly feeling guilty now that she was looking up with a pout. "I didn’t think I’d be busy here..."

Which was true. I had thought all I’d be doing here was reading books and having lessons with Eruha, resulting in a lot of free time during the day. But between training with Alveitya and the soldiers, as well as trying to work out a failed invention, not to mention Eruha’s more-than-eager teaching...

Well, I suddenly found my days usually full. Which wasn’t a bad thing, because I felt productive. But it made me neglect the plan of going back and forth to the Lair.

"Ugh--fine! Tell me what you’ve been up to then," Zia huffed and crossed her arms in a show of magnanimity.

With a laugh, I told her what I had been doing this past week, including the whole shenanigans in the training ground and the elf--minus about him being someone from another world. It was fine, since it was just us and the two guards, who already knew about everything anyway.

"What...you’re actually got angry?" Zia gasped, uttering it in a whisper as if we were talking about something scandalous. "And you ignored him?"

"Well...more like I just go straight inside so I didn’t have to talk to him, but...yeah."

Zia looked at me in silence for a while, before raising her thumbs. "Good job, Val. That’s what you should do. You don’t have to accept everything Lord Cousin does to you."

Should I tell her that I completely forgive him the moment I saw his smile? The only reason it took so long was because I shut myself inside the training chamber. Hmm...probably not. Or that we ended the day with a very intimate...touching? Hahaha...yeah, no, let’s not tell her that.

"About that Elf, though...he sounds weird..." Zia pursed her lips, and gave me a side-eye. There was something in her voice and reaction that made me think she might be a little bit...jealous?

Maybe because I spent more time with Izzi nowadays and it was one of the reasons I hadn’t been able to come to the Tower.

"Yeah, everyone said so," I tried to reply as nonchalantly as I could. "I don’t really care as long as he can work."

Zia raised her brow and let out a small giggle, visibly brighter and no longer pouting. So she did feel jealous? I guessed I should make sure to make time and visit the Lair after this, going back to my other training.

"Ah, I read your book for a bit," I added for good measure, and I could practically see her eyes sparkling. So we ended up spending the entire evening playing catch up, and I finally found out more about the delegation from Lust and why Zia had to be here too.

So it seemed, as I had thought, the real power in Lust basically always paid their homage to Natha. Coming to the banquet and offering tributes was done annually for that. It would also be used to negotiate financial support and affirm their loyalty. The same way representatives from Pride would come every year to negotiate on the realm bonds sitting in Natha’s hand.

Aside from that, the delegations from Lust were also there to see how Zia was faring, since the succubus refused to write letters or anything back home. Natha had ordered Zia to always be present during this time and show her face to the delegations, so...you know, Natha wouldn’t be accused as a kidnapper. Because although Zia came here by her own devices, others seemed to see her as a hostage of some sort.

Oh, it was kind of funny that the resident of Natha’s Lair--meaning me and Zia--were, in others’ perspective, might very well look like kidnapped princesses. If they didn’t know the story, it would look like Natha took Zia and locked her up to gain control over the Realm of Lust, and he kidnapped me from the human realm to be made his bride.

"That’s actually an accepted valid view out there," Natha told me during dinner. "There’s those that think like that."

"For real?!"

So somewhere out there, people--demons--saw Natha as the mythical fairy tale’s evil Demon Lord who kidnapped princesses to his tall, dark Castle deep inside the eerie jungle of a tall mountain?

I ended up spending like...five minutes laughing with Zia during dinner. I received a disapproving stare from the Lord--not because I laughed about him, but because I choked on my food from excessive laughing. Fun times.

My astonishment did not end even after dinner because I also found out that...we had a bedroom guest in the private quarters. All this time I thought there was only one bedroom in this place, which we used. Perhaps...I should explore this place a little bit more.

Of course, normally, Zia would stay in one of the castle wings for foreign envoys, or, if Natha was particularly generous, in the section of the castle reserved for the Lord’s family members. Tonight, Natha was extra extra generous, because he let Zia sleep here.

Perhaps he knew, if he put us in a different section of the building, either Zia would stay here until late, or I would stay in Zia’s place until he had to pick me up, probably past midnight.

Because that was what we did that night; talking late and snacking with Jade.

"Oh, tomorrow will be fun!" Zia exclaimed when I was about to go back upstairs before Natha got upset.

"Hmm? Why? Because demons from Lust will come?"

"Why would it be fun because of them?" Zia looked positively morbid at the idea that she would be happy seeing her kins. "Although I guess Sister Aleena is okay...But no! I’m talking about your fitting!"

"...my what?"

* * *

A fitting? Out of nowhere?

Well, it wasn’t out of nowhere, I just only heard it today. "But how is it that you know about it earlier than me?"

"Oh, Arta told me," Zia answered with a giggle. "Why else would I come here before those people from Lust? I would have just come on the day of the banquet."

"And why you told me not to ask Natha about it?"

When Zia told me about the fitting last night, she also told me not to go to Natha and ask him about it. She didn’t explain more, just making me promise to keep my mouth shut, and so I did.

"Because we didn’t tell His Lordship!" Arta replied from the door. She came into the living room with a few other demons, carrying huge boxes and clothing racks and mannequins.

"Can you do that?" I tilted my head. "Keeping it secrets from Natha?"

"Sure I can," Arta nodded confidently. "I’m the one in charge of your logistic here, Young Master, which means I’m the one who picked all of your clothes. I have a bunch of funds from His Lordship, so I thought; ’why not just make something special while at it?’"

While explaining, she also directed the demons she brought to work, as they pulled out some outfits and set them up on the mannequins. Before I knew it, the living room had been turned into a salon, and all I could do was just blink in confusion.

"And not just something special," Arta pulled me gently and made me stand in front of the full-body mirror. "I made matching outfits for you and His Lordship," she whispered, smiling sweetly through the mirror.

I got to admit, that did make me excited. But I still feel very much confused as the procession went around me like a storm, and I was just a frightened statue standing in the middle of its eye. Did I ever mention that I never went to a clothing store before? Yeah...

[They wrap Master! Like Candies!]

"His Lordship’s shape and size had never changed in the last thirty years, so we don’t have to worry about him. I am an expert if it comes to his taste. But you, Young Master," she told me, as the seamstresses put the garments on my body and pinned them with needles and whatnot. "While I applaud His Lordship who knows your size all too well, and I pride myself to choose clothes that suited you very much, we’ve never made something especially for you, in your current size."

"My current size..."

"Because you’ve plumped up," Zia giggled.

I gasped, clasping my cheeks which, I had to admit, looked so much fuller than when I first arrived on the Demon Realm.

"Please be still, Young Master," one of the seamstresses scolded me, and I stiffened up again.

"It’s a good thing, you look even cuter," again, Zia giggled. "Not that you’re not cute before."

[Cute like Jade?]

"Not as round as you," Zia laughed. For some reason, she could perfectly understand the little bird even though she couldn’t hear the word.

Hmm...was that why Natha had been pinching my cheek a lot lately? But he also looked happy when he did it, so...I guess it was a good thing?

Valmeier wasn’t necessarily skinny. After all, he was a battle priest. But after the war--which was right when I woke up in his body--this physique was getting torn by residual magic. I was in so much pain that I could hardly eat, and the only reason I could even function was because I had been used to that kind of pain in my previous life.

The little money that I had left after paying the Spear ’debt’ and trying to find Amrita, I used to buy painkillers for the time when it became unbearable. What was left wasn’t enough for a proper meal, although, in my condition, I couldn’t really eat a proper meal anyway. I almost missed having an IV drip at that time.

So of course, when I first came to the Demon Realm, I was pretty...really thin. No wonder they always trying to make me eat more. I even thought Natha was trying to fatten me up before he ate me.

I couldn’t help but giggle at the memory, and when I saw my reflection in the mirror...well, I might as well say it was a whole other person. I did look fuller, my cheeks rounder, and my arms weren’t just bone anymore. My face used to grimace a lot because I was holding back pain, but obviously, I didn’t have to anymore, and it brought out the light in my eyes again. And now that I had long hair too, I doubt those people in Lenaar would recognize me.

"Pfft..." I let out another giggle, and very carefully tapped my abdomen. "I’ve never been this fat before. Being healthy is truly nice!"

I laughed as the seamstresses continued to pin the garments on me and take notes on the measurement.

Behind me, Zia let out a sigh, and for some reason looked forlorn and muttered quietly. "You’re not even fat..."