Chapter 337: Be generous; give home to your local mythical beast, and get your own guardian contract!
When I woke up, my pillow was stiff from dried tears. Jade was caressing my cheek, and Ignis had come back from its cave to curl its tail around my wrist.
I reached out to stroke their head and sighed. "I’m sorry," I whispered, and they scooted closer to my neck, nuzzling me. "I’ll be better tomorrow, promise."
At that time, the bedroom door opened softly, revealing Angwi who held a mug of herbal drink in one hand, a tray of biscuits with another, and a plate of jelly with another hand. She paused for a short few seconds, eyes trained on my face, before finally resuming her steps.
She put everything in her hands on top of the bedside table, and took a seat on the edge of the bed. And then, gently, she patted me rhythmically as if she was singing a silent nursery song. I rolled to my side and scooted closer to her like an automatic reaction. She caressed my hair then, and while she was no Natha, I felt better already.
Yeah, this place was safe. This was my first home, where I knew everyone who lived here, and trusted them with all my heart. Angwi was the one whom Natha tasked to take care of me and take me away if Natha--for whatever crazy reason--were to lose his mind and try to harm me. We might not see each other much lately, but Angwi would always be my first caretaker in this world.
"Sorry for being so childish," I muttered against the blanket. Haa...how could I still be like this when I was about to get married?
But right away, my sigh turned into a pained whine as I felt Angwi’s finger flicking my forehead. And Angwi had a mean finger flicking, I tell you--Jade had tasted it before, which was why the little bird jumped in fright.
"Ouch..."
Wordlessly--obviously--Angwi took the herbal drink and hovered it above my head, prompting me to get up with a sheepish grin as I received it.
As I sipped on my drink and Jade tiptoed toward the plate of jelly, we heard the sound of the suite door creaking open, followed by a series of soft footsteps. Not long after, the bedroom door opened slightly wider, and we could see a succubus’s head peeking into the room carefully.
"Is Val--oh, you’re awake!"