The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 207: Teaching your kids to share is important

Chapter 207: Teaching your kids to share is important

"Oh!"

Just as they said, the southern volcano region was not at all like Ignie’s home. Even though it was almost winter, I could still see that it was lush and rich. There was a leftover scene of the autumn harvest, which was very nice to look at.

"Is it really enough here?" Natha asked behind me.

"Yes, it’s okay," I nodded while holding onto the railing. "I can do it from this distance now."

Even though my blockade hadn’t been completely erased, the healing of my soul made me stronger, and more sensitive than before. I didn’t have to go to the peak or down the core of the mountain to feel the fire elemental mana, and if I could feel it, I could absorb it.

Natha gave a signal to the Captain with one hand, and held me by my chest with another. At his order, the barrier system covering the deck was retreating, and we were blasted with a cold wind. I stumbled back a little, crashing into Natha’s chest. But otherwise, it wasn’t too bad.

But let’s say I understand the importance of the barrier over the ship very much now.

So, without wasting any more time, I started to process the fire elemental. Thankfully, absorbing the elemental mana did not require physical manifestation to occur, so I wouldn’t have to combust in Natha’s embrace. Ignis also helped me fasten the process, guiding the elemental mana to be absorbed faster.

Once the absorption was complete, the barrier could be returned. The purification process itself did not require me to keep getting connected to the source, which was fortunate, because it could take a long time depending on the amount. Opening the barrier for too long wouldn’t be very comfortable, wasn’t it?

But just like how I became more sensitive, purifying the mana also became easier. It took me just an hour, more or less, to refine the fire elemental of a whole volcano into a ball of condensed light-orange energy the size of a balloon.

"No," was the first thing I said when I opened my eyes, because I could feel Jade was going to jump inside the energy ball as usual. "No, this is not for you, Jade."

[Eeeeh?] the bird paused mid-air and flopped down in disappointment. Well, I couldn’t blame Jade because I had been prioritizing its growth before. But it was time for my child to know they should share things with others.

"You know it’s not easy to come upon fire elemental mana, right?" I explained slowly to the little bird. "You know Ignis can only eat the fire one, right? Whereas you can eat everything."

[Yeah...]

"So you have to let Ignis have this one, okay?"

[...Okay]

But even though Jade said okay, it still sounded sad and disappointed. Hmm...Jade usually listened to me well, but this reminded me of the time the bird acted jealous of my attention toward the bullet.

Could it be that Jade was sulky because I spent two days and three nights with Natha inside the bedroom?

Swallowing my laugh, I stroke the little bird gently. "Let Ignis have this one, because you’ll get everything else after this, okay? Sharing is a good thing, Jade, and my Jade is a good child, right? A good bird? Mm?"

[Jade...Jade a good bird...] the bird nodded and I kissed the green head with a laugh, nuzzling the plump cheek.

Did this bird gain weight?

Just then, the Salamander climbed into my hand too, and patted the little bird. "I’ll give you some, so don’t be sad."

"Oh, my--look, Jade, Ignis will give you some, what do you say?"

[Really?]

"Mm, just a little bit, because I’m hungry,"

The bird visibly perked up then, but looked at me first for confirmation.

"What do you say to Ignis?"

Jade turned toward the little gecko and chirped energetically. [Thank you Ignis!]

"Mm,"

[Jade will give Ignis candy and jelly too!]

"Ooh, what a nice boy," I ruffled the green head and Jade chirped loudly in response. Ignis just scoffed, but didn’t say anything about not liking sweet anymore this time.

I proceeded to divide the energy ball into two, and gave Jade a ping-pong size ball. This time, it was Ignis who stayed inside the other ball. The Salamander didn’t roll around like Jade, but it looked happy nonetheless. It was fun looking at them eating in happiness, and I wondered if this was what parents would feel watching their kids eating.

I wondered if my parents ever felt like that about me...

"You really don’t feel tired, Young Master?" Arta crouched down and joined me to watch my two little companions gobbling the energy ball.

"No?" I tilted my head, looking at Arta whose gaze seemed to be a mix of worry and fascination. I felt like everyone had been looking at me like this since I came out this morning, even Panne. "Should I?"

She didn’t reply immediately, just looking at me in silence and intrigued gaze. It was as if she was trying to see if I was telling the truth. "Hmm...you were really having fun, huh, those three nights," she whispered suddenly.

"Uhh..." I flinched at her remark, and then looked around slightly. Finding Natha was talking to the Captain and not there to hear my response, I let out a quiet giggle. Arta raised her brow and I leaned slightly to whisper in her ear. "Umm...I try to do what the courtesans told me."

She gasped and pulled away to look at me with widened eyes. "All of them?"

"Well...I’m curious," I shrugged.

Arta blinked at my response and proceeded to laugh, slapping my arm playfully while whispering back. "Seesh...you should save some for your honeymoon you know,"

"H-honeymoon..." I clasped my hands over my mouth in embarrassment. That sweet phrase somehow held something very sensual about it and I couldn’t help being flustered, even after spending days and nights in bed with him.

Hmm...it did make me wonder if I should have saved some of my curiosity for that allegedly important day. "Well...there’s something that I haven’t tried..." I told her after a while.

"Wow, wow, wow," suddenly, I heard Opti’s voice behind us. "What a scandalous conversation we have here."

It almost made me jump in surprise, but I had no leeway to get flustered when Lesta also chimed in. "So we can expect the honeymoon to be wild too, huh?"

"It...it wasn’t that wild," I muttered while averting the vassals’ inquisitive gaze.

"Yeah, right," Opti smirked in doubt, but even I could hear the bullshit in my defense.

Well, to be fair, nothing was broken, I have to tell you. We just...made a little mess, dirtying the sheet, and the carpet, and the bathroom floor, and...well, it was just a mess, okay? We did not damage the furniture or anything.

So calling it wild was rather too much, wasn’t it?

"But we’ve been talking about honeymoon without even knowing when the wedding would be," Arta said with a long sigh, prompting a harsh reaction from the other two.

"Hey!"

Arta flinched, and, as if realizing something, looked at me with an awkward expression. "Oh, I mean..."

I looked at them in confusion, because they seemed to feel guilty or something. "What?"

Arta looked at Lesta and Opti, and for a while, they just looked at each other in silence. But eventually, Arta opened her mouth.

"Umm...Young Master," she shifted closer and asked in a quiet voice. "Does...does His Lordship ever talk to you about a wedding? Marriage?"

"Hmm...no?" I tilted my head, trying to remember if we ever talked about it. But we had been busy talking about other things, and if it was something that important, I should have remembered it, right?

I caught the vassals’ gaze, and it seemed like they were confused about my reaction. Was it because there was no wedding talk, or was it because I didn’t seem to care too much?

"Oh, but..." I looked down, and stared at my hand--the mark, as well as the ring in my fingers. "He did give me an ’engagement’ ring, and...the contract said the stuff about being a bride came after I fully healed," I told them. "I’m not actually obliged to become one before then, but...you know...I fell for him, so..."

"Then it doesn’t matter isn’t it, whether you’re fully healed or not," Arta commented with a slight frown.

Oh? It seemed like they actually wanted the wedding to happen?

"Hmm...knowing him, he probably wants things to be perfect," I offered an explanation. "Because, you know, there’s still dangers and everything,"

"Make sense," Lesta nodded while poking Jade’s bulging cheek. "The banquet last time could be a test."

"To see if it’s safe to bring Young Master to a public setting?"

"Yes, and to see if people accept him,"

Opti decided to lie down across the desk while watching my two companions eating. "I don’t think His Lordship cares about acceptance, though?"

"He’s not," Lesta smirked, and added while looking at me. "But he cares about making it a happy event for his bride, no?"

"Ah, right,"

I listened to their discussion about this ’wedding’ with a tickling heart, but in the end, I didn’t feel burdened by it after all. "I don’t really care, we’re already together anyway," I told them.

"Well, well, well--look at this confidence," Arta pinched my arms and laughed, and we continued watching Ignis and Jade with a light heart.

"By the way, Young Master," Lesta asked after a while. "How’s the progress with your homework?"

...crap!