Chapter 458: The Dinner (II)
Jaenera, however, tried to stay composed herself. Normally, this was cause to flare up.
A smile appeared on her face, though it did little to hide the irritation in her eyes. "One more word from you, Revendor, and I will slit your throat, and feed the cock of your dead body to your twin."
Hayley lost it here as she burst into laughter.
The table erupted into noise as the other demons joined in, while Revendor’s twin brother began throwing their own remarks back at Jaenera.
The wives themselves, however, stayed surprisingly quiet, saying nothing as the argument continued around them.
Eventually, Nathan’s voice cut through the commotion. "Children, please."
The entire table went silent.
For nobles, the behavior at the table was terrible.
Humans and demons of the Western Continent lived by two very different social concepts. Unlike what was happening around this table, actual nobles rarely spoke unless they were spoken to.
Even when conversation was expected at a gathering such as this, they knew how to conduct themselves with a certain level of manners and restraint.
These demons were the complete opposite.
They were rude, vulgar, and seemed to have little understanding of when to speak or when to hold their tongues.
From what Ethan could tell, the only person they respected—or perhaps feared—was their father, Lord Krygon.
"These are our guests," Nathan said. "And you are all to behave yourselves in front of them."
With that, he said nothing more. He shook his head, growing tired of the whole situation.
The table stayed quiet for a while until one of the girls narrowed her eyes at Ethan.
She looked at him, then at Nathan, before turning her attention back to Ethan. Her expression slowly changed as she studied his face.
"Is it me, or does the Taint bear a similar look to Father?"
Ethan’s eyes widened. So did Nathan’s.
The other guests also reacted, glancing between Ethan and Nathan as the resemblance was suddenly pointed out.
Before anyone could say anything else, the white-haired demon with black horns, who had been staring at Isabella earlier, cut in.
"Enough about the Taint, please."
He then turned his attention toward Isabella and pointed at her. "You..."
Isabella seemed not to have been paying attention to him.
When he pointed in her direction, she moved her eyes toward him with a slightly puzzled expression.
He nodded toward her. "Yes, you. Are you human?"
Ethan immediately gained a look that was difficult to read, somewhere between annoyance and surprise.
He clearly didn’t appreciate the way the demon was addressing his wife.
Before Isabella could answer, another one of the female demons interrupted. "I mean, that’s such an obvious question. Why would you even ask that?"
The white-haired demon turned toward her and glared. "You will not—"
"Enough!" Nathan’s voice cut in again, carrying a renewed edge of irritation.
He looked across the table at his children.
"Listen to me. Enough of the stupid questions from all of you. Let us be done with this and allow our guests to leave. Have I made myself clear?"
The demons immediately turned their faces away.
"Yes, Father," they answered almost in unison.
For the next few minutes, the dinner stayed relatively quiet. There were a few stares here and there, but for the most part, everyone just continued eating.
Eventually, Lilinlea tried to ease the awkward silence by asking the foreign guests about the work that had brought them to the Demon Continent.
Nathan immediately shut the question down.
"That is a matter concerning my administration," he said. "It has nothing to do with this dinner."
Lilinlea went silent at once
Nathan looked around the table.
"And I am sure I made myself clear earlier. I don’t want any more questions."
If he allowed Lilinlea to continue in her intended conversation, the children would start talking again, and Nathan had no desire to go through another round of it.
He just wanted this dinner to end already.
Eventually, the meal was finished. Servants came to clear away the dishes as the guests rose from their places.
Most of the children headed back inside along with Nathan, who looked particularly tired and seemed eager to put the entire affair behind him.
Ethan and the others slowly made their way down the stairs; while Lilinlea followed behind them, with Jaenera walking beside her.
When they reached the bottom of the staircase, Lilinlea stopped them.
"I would like to offer my sincere apologies for how tonight turned out," she said formally. "I assure you, this is not how we normally conduct ourselves.... We do not have the opportunity to meet foreigners very often."
"This In fact, is the first time I have personally met anyone from outside the Demon Continent. I was only curious about what life was like beyond our borders, and I thought it would be pleasant to speak with you all."
Ethan then spoke on behalf of the group. "It’s fine. The food was good."
Lilinlea seemed relieved by the response. "Thank you."
Jaenera also spoke in a sweet voice to him. "Thank you for coming."
Ethan gave them a nod before turning to leave.
As he did, Isabella’s hand slipped naturally into his. Ethan closed his fingers around hers as they continued walking together.
Jaenera’s eyes narrowed slightly. A small sting touched her chest, though she couldn’t quite explain why.
She said nothing. But instead, turned away and continued walking beside her mother. After a few steps, she glanced back one last time.
Ethan and Isabella were still walking together, smiling and laughing as they descended the path.
Jaenera watched them for another second before turning away and continuing on with her mother.
——
Much later, at an unknown hour of the night, the towering doors of the Demon King’s throne room opened, and a figure with gray skin and red horns walked through.
The moment she entered, she bowed her head.
"Come forward," the Demon King commanded.
The figure obeyed, walking several steps closer before lifting her head.
It was Lilinlea.
"My King," she said.
The Demon King regarded her from his throne before speaking in his deep, commanding voice.
"Lilinlea, do you believe you are finally ready to avenge your late husband and deal with the usurper who has taken his place in your life?"
Lilinlea lowered her head again. "Yes, my King."
The Demon King grinned, revealing his rows of claw-like teeth.
——
A/N: Hey Guys! I would post the art for some of these characters much later on discord.
But for now, I gotta go, cause its MY BIRTHDAYYYYYY!!!!
I’m usually not so psyched about my birthdays cause It’s also the day i lost my dear uncle (about 5 years back)
But I want to be psyched about it this time. So I will be signing off here to go touch some grass.
Say a Prayer For Me! And yes, I will be accepting gifts 😌🤭