The Demon's Concubine

Chapter 12

This chapter doesn't have smut, but there are suggestive themes

~~~

Natsu rushed down the hall towards the entrance to meet up with the others. He cursed himself when he glanced at his watch, they'd agreed to meet up an hour before the ball and now Natsu was barely making it by 10 minutes. 

He'd woken up late, which he'd been doing everyday for the week he'd been staying in his father's castle. The conversation he'd had with Igneel on the afternoon of their first day was keeping him up at night lately.

"I'd like to propose an offer."

Natsu quirked a brow at his father. "An offer?"

"Son, I haven't seen you this happy in 300 years. That girl, Lucy… she's really changed you. You deserve to be with her, but I know you can't do that in your current position. I'm willing to let you come back to my kingdom, perhaps even pass on my throne to you, if it means you get to keep that happiness."

Natsu stared at Igneel for a minute, processing what he'd just said. A smile slowly broke out in his face, but was quickly replaced with a frown once he came back to reality.

"That's a real nice offer, but I can't. I took up Tartaros so Zeref could go and have a family, I can't just let him down now."

Igneel nodded, this was what he'd expected Natsu to say.

"Natsu, I know Zeref cares about you. You gave up your freedom to become a king of a kingdom you weren't even interested in, all for the sake of your brother's happiness. I'm sure he'd be willing to do the same."

"It may sound that way, but it's more complicated than that… who'll take over Tartaros if I leave? Zeref can't do it, he's busy with Alvarez and helping Mavis with the Fairies. And he's got a kid on the way, this is too much to ask for."

"I know, I know. Look, I'm willing to speak with Zeref about this, maybe we can form a compromise. He could maybe find a member of the court that he feels could take on the role as king or queen. I don't know, but it's worth a shot. I don't want you to have to suffer like this. She's a sweet girl, and she reminds me of an old friend..."

Natsu took a deep breath and grinned at his dad, standing up to wrap him in a hug. "Thank you, dad. It means a lot that you're willing to do this. I'll think about it, okay? And I'll let you know where I stand once the ball is over."

Natsu had been thinking about his options the whole week, putting up a front whenever he was around Lucy or Happy. He decided not to tell them about this until he gave Igneel his answer tonight, and he was unreasonably nervous. 

He has yet to admit his true feelings for Lucy, and tonight would be a huge step for him. As he caught sight of his cousins and friends, he decided he'd push his worries to the back of his mind for now.

"Bout fucking time, Salamander. What the hell took you so long?"

"None of the suits fit, alright! My best tailor got sick and couldn't come, so the others had to try and figure something out."

Gajeel looked over Natsu's attire. He wore the traditional colours of Tartaros; red and black. His jacket, pants and shoes were black and he wore a red shirt, ditching the tie but wearing a golden sash to represent his rank as a king. He noticed Natsu wasn't wearing his scarf, and several marks were exposed along his neck.

He thumped him on the head, "And even so, you still look ridiculous." He snickered as Natsu growled.

"Whatever, I just wanna get this ball over with. Ignia's gonna be such an ass tonight, I just know it."