Demon King's Gardener

“Not unless someone seeks it out.”

“Kaenaz,” Jurao greeted, “Good afternoon.”

“Your highness,” Kaenaz bowed, eyeing Gaele curiously, “Rumors about dignifiedLord Halvern having an indiscretion in the King’s Office are already spreading – when I heard it was with Head Weaponsmith Ierge, I thought to confirm it myself.”

“As did we,” Wogar, one of Feyl’s sisters, grinned. She had the same pale orangish-red skin as Voulmae, Mascu’s coudus, and Mascu’s white spotted markings like Kaenaz. Her straight hair was a pale green, and she left it long and free.

Dasti, his other sister, stood next to her looking bored. She had pale yellow skin similar in tone to their vokes – but white banded markings and pale, wavy blonde hair cut short at her chin. She yawned, “I didn’t much care; Wogar dragged me out to tail Kaenaz.”

“Oh, that was faster than I thought,” Feyl snorted, then added, “And it is true – Gaele is their offspring.”

“Don’t you have enough siblings?” Dasti yawned again, sitting behind Feyl and leaning into his back, “I’m taking a nap.”

“You’re not twenty anymore,” Feyl snorted, though without any attempt to dislodge her.

Wogar took a seat behind Gaele – just between fos and Feyl – and laughed again, “I know we’re not blood, but if you’re Feyl’s sibling, then you’re mine too!”

Gaele seemed to be struggling with what to react to – face dark with a blush.

Kaenaz sighed in bemusement, “You two really should have asked to join first, you know.”

“I do not mind if no one else does,” Jurao said, as the highest-ranking member of their party.

“And we knew he wouldn’t!” Wogar huffed, “I mean, he’s the King, but he’s still Jurao! Right, your highness?”

Feyl reached out with one hand to flick her on the forehead, “You shouldn’t be using his name so casually, either.”

“He’s right,” Kaenaz agreed, sitting to Jurao’s left – near where he’d approached, “Feyl is the one with a personal connection, not you, Wogar. For those of you I have yet to have met, I’m Kaenaz – Feyl’s younger brother.”

“Oh, right,” Wogar cleared her throat, “I’m Wogar, his sister. Also, a valet to Lord Egae, Head of the Armory.”

“Dasti,” the last mumbled, “Castle runner.”

“Oh, yes,” Kaenaz chuckled, “I’m currently working as a groom in the stables.”

“Oh!” Ayelma said, “I thought I recognized you!”

“Yes,” Kaenaz agreed, “Though I work in a different stable than the one your mount is kept in.”

“A Sculi stable hand?” Goyl arched a brow.

“Is it so surprising when we have a Sculi General?” Kaenaz returned.

“I rather forgot she was one,” Goyl chuckled, “But even so, General still has prestige.”

“Was!?” Malson frowned, “Did she get disowned!?”

“Not that I’m aware,” Goyl replied, considering, “It is more…”

“Unless established adult demons fall in line with their family’s reputation,” Feyl supplied, “They are often considered a separate entity – Kaenaz was a castle runner like Dasti up until a century ago, which is a typical lead-in to becoming a valet, so he hasn’t been distinguished from our family name yet.”

“Nor do I desire to be,” Kaenaz added, “And our cousin was an enlisted soldier before she was General.”

“True enough,” Goyl shrugged.

“So there was a ‘Sculi parade’, I see.”

“Gnene,” Kaenaz chuckled, “You came out as well?”

“So it would seem,” Gnene, the second oldest of the Sculi siblings, replied dryly. They were closest to Mascu in appearance – yellow skin with white spotted markings and teal hair carefully braided up into a bun. They readjusted their glasses before adding, “But what is it I am now party to?”

“Oh,” Meir’ril said, “You’re Lady Carvve’s valet, right?”

“Correct,” Gnene bowed their head.

“We’re just missing Apae, and it could be a reunion,” Feyl mused.

“Rumors say Lord Halvern had sex with Head Weaponsmith Ierge in the King’s Office, and we came out to ask Feyl if it was true,” Wogar laughed, throwing an arm around Gaele’s shoulders, “And it is, so Feyl has yet another younger sibling!”

“Can we stop talking about my dads having sex, maybe?” Gaele lamented weakly.

“I see,” Gnene snorted, and asked, “Do you mind if I join you as well, your highness?”

“I do not,” Jurao replied, finding himself smiling at the antics of his best friend’s siblings.

“It’s nice to put faces to names,” Braelin commented.

“Feyl complains about us to the King and his partner,” Kaenaz said in a falsely conspiratorial tone to Gnene.

“I’d say it’s more like bragging,” Braelin chucked.

“You brag about us?” Wogar grinned, leaning towards Feyl.

“I brag about Kaenaz and Gnene,” he replied.

Gnene sat next to Kaenaz, “I understand bragging about me, but Kaenaz is hardly as established.”

“Ouch,” Kaenaz laughed.

“Hey, I’m at least as accomplished as Gnene!” Wogar scoffed, “We’re both valets for Branch Heads!”

“Gnene is a valet for an older established Branch Head who took them on for their skill,” Feyl snorted, “You’re a valet for the youngest Branch Head who took you on because he was too flustered by how pretty you are to say no.”

Wogar scoffed again, “So?”

Regardless of what Feyl was currently saying, he was very proud of all his siblings – while it was true Wogar had gotten her position with her looks, she half ran the Armory on Egae’s behalf by all accounts – bringing in her past experience as a valet to other lordi before. She was several centuries older than Egae, but she was quite fond of him and unlikely to seek another position soon. All of which were things Wogar would bring up herself if her brother’s teasing bothered her at all.

The rest of the meal was quite lively with all the additional company, Feyl and his siblings bantering as easily as Braelin, Malson, and the twins did. All seemed to agree with Wogar’s sentiments regarding kinship with Gaele, though fos didn’t seem any closer to knowing how fos felt about that by the time they all went to return to their duties. Braelin gave fos the option to take the rest of the day off, which fos did – considering how much fos had to process, Jurao was not surprised.

As Feyl had predicted, Alae had sent for cleaners before Jurao and Braelin returned to his office. Though Alae himself didn’t comment, the smell of cleaning solution faintly lingered as they both turned to their work.

“It was nice,” Braelin remarked after some time, “Getting to meet most of the rest of Feyl’s siblings.”

“Feyl always treats them to a meal on their off-birthdays,” Jurao smiled, “And they all get together a few days after his birthdecade.”

His partner hummed, “Could you elaborate on that? Off-birthdays and birthdecades.”

“Ah,” Jurao nodded, “With our lifespans, we do not celebrate our birth as often as humans – at least, not in the same way. Birthdecades are for bigger celebrations and milestone gifts, while birthdays outside of the birthdecade – off-birthdays – are more often a casual gathering with friends or close family for meals.”

Braelin nodded, “And Feyl doesn’t celebrate on the date of his birthdecade because it made his patron Vislaelos?”

“Yes,” Jurao confirmed, “Minaz, Forvi, and I often treat Feyl to meals a few days before or after his off-birthdays as well – Nevve is the only person he’ll accept a gift from the day of, but she gifts in the spirit of the smithing tradition of giving apprentices and former apprentices gifts on Rainbow Day. So it’s just a coincidence.”

“I see,” his partner nodded again before lapsing into silence as they both worked.

It was at the Department Head breakfast when they heard the resolution of the previous day’s events.

“It would seem Lord Halvern and Head Weaponsmith Ierge are getting romantically married,” Hujur mused.

Festi made a noise of disgust, “Wait, does that mean they really – you know?”

“Even if they did,” Kloy said, arching his brows, “It would be very inappropriate for anyone at this table to confirm it.”

“Ah, yeah,” Festi sighed, glancing at Jurao before resting their chin in their palm, “That’s true.”

The Demon King hardly noticed – he was distracted by the thought of who would perform the ceremony. As Head Weaponsmith, Ierge couldn’t perform his own ceremony – and the only person he’d acknowledge as an equal in skill and rank was Nevve, but that wasn’t the kind of relationship they had. Or was it? They did consider each other friends, but with their rivalry, he wasn’t sure...

“I’m sure Gaele is glad for the union,” Braelin chuckled, “Or will be, when fos has had a bit of time to process it all.”

“I mean, they’ve been flirting around each other for centuries; it’s about damn time they-” Minaz started, then paused, “Why would Gaele be glad about it?”

“Because fos is the child of both of them,” Braelin replied, “There was… a situation, about it.”

“I just wonder if it will make Ierge’s visits to the Administration offices more or less frequent,” Hujur snorted, “Since he won’t need the excuse of dropping off Branch reports that should go through his Main Branch Head anyway…”

Vajur scoffed, “Don’t act like you didn’t appreciate Halvern fixing those reports.”

Hujur shrugged with a smile and noncommittal noise.

“That’s the only reason he never stopped the visits,” Minaz snorted, “Even with Ierge’s corny flirting distracting everyone…”

“Sometimes it’s nice to be distracted,” Kloy smiled.

“What are you thinking about, Jurao?” Braelin asked, having been watching his partner for some time.

“Who would perform the ceremony,” the Demon King replied, “Perhaps my aunt, but… perhaps not…”

“Is that who you’d have perform your ceremony, my lord?” Jouvi asked, “If you and Braelin were to wed?”

“Of course,” Jurao replied, “But my aunt and Ierge have always had an adversarial relationship, even if it’s a mostly convivial one now.”

“It seems a little early to be thinking about marriage…” Minaz snorted, looking to Braelin.

“I was not considering it,” Jurao tilted his head, “There is simply no other person I would have perform the ceremony if it occurred.”

“Out of curiosity,” Braelin asked, looking amused, “How long have the three of you been together, Minaz? Hujur, Vajur?”

“Eight centuries for Vajur and I,” Hujur replied, “Five with Min as well.”

Braelin hummed, then said, “Not that I was considering it either, but that kind of timeline isn’t exactly feasible with a human lifespan.”

“Ergirri married Vallen after only a decade,” Kloy chuckled, “That’s a bit more reasonable, I think.”

Jurao hummed – yes, human lifespans were… short. Even if they wed within a decade, that would put his partner at a relatively much more advanced age than Jurao – the same progression would take him centuries. Which was… troubling.

Perhaps Nosu would have an answer… Jurao thought, resolving to visit his patron’s temple after the meal.

“Something wrong?” Braelin asked.

“I was thinking that I would like to have more time with you,” Jurao replied, “And that I would consult with Nosu about it.”

His partner smiled warmly, “I’d like that as well.”