Chapter 393: The Demon’s Confession

"I want a giant, ridiculously fluffy pink blanket," she added, peeking at his face out of the corner of her eye.

Grayson paused. He looked at the bright, bubblegum-pink blanket on the screen. He looked down at his own dark, sharp shirt, then back at the screen.

He let out a quiet, resigned sigh and tapped ’Buy Now’. "Done. Is there anything else?"

Mailah couldn’t contain it anymore. She burst into a bright, loud laugh, leaning her forehead against his upper arm. "You are hilarious! You didn’t even try to argue!"

"I am trying to make amends," Grayson said softly, his arm sliding around her shoulders to pull her comfortably against his side. "I made a terrible mistake. I left you alone in a cold house when you needed me most. If you want to fill this entire estate with pink blankets and yellow rugs, I will personally carry them in."

Mailah’s laughter faded into a warm, gentle smile. She reached up, placing her palm against his sharp cheek, feeling the steady heat of his skin.

"You don’t need to buy out every store to fix things, Grayson," she whispered softly. "You just need to stay right here."

Grayson turned his head slightly, pressing a warm, lingering kiss into the center of her palm. "I am staying," he promised, his deep voice carrying an absolute certainty. "I am not going anywhere."

Less than two hours later, the main gates of the estate buzzed open.

Grayson had not simply ordered the items; he had paid an astronomical fee for same-day, high-priority delivery. A large black delivery van pulled up to the stone driveway, and two workers began unloading boxes of all sizes.

Grayson took off his sharp blue button-down shirt, leaving him in a simple grey t-shirt that showed off his broad shoulders and strong forearms. He insisted on carrying every single item into the sunroom himself, refusing to let the delivery workers step onto the slick stone floors inside.

Mailah sat on her long sofa like a queen on a throne, her bad leg propped up safely on soft pillows. She held a cup of warm tea, watching the powerful demon lord work.

"Where should I place this?" Grayson asked, carrying a giant, heavy ceramic pot containing a tall monstera plant as if it weighed no more than a bag of feathers.

Mailah tapped her chin, looking at the corner of the room. "Put that one near the grand window. It needs sunlight."

"Understood," Grayson said solemnly. He walked over, setting the heavy pot down with silent precision.

Next came the giant yellow rug. Grayson unrolled it across the cold stone floor, smoothing out every single wrinkle with his hands until it sat perfectly flat beneath the sofa.

Then came the lights. Grayson brought in a wooden stepladder, placing it next to the tall, ancient stone pillars that held up the glass dome. He picked up the rolls of golden fairy lights and climbed the ladder.

Mailah watched him with a smirk. Seeing a centuries-old incubus lord standing on a stepladder, meticulously wrapping tiny glowing lights around cold stone pillars, was pure entertainment.

"A little higher on the left pillar, Grayson," Mailah called out, waving her hand. "It looks crooked."

Grayson paused, his long fingers wrapped around a string of tiny lightbulbs. He turned his head to look at her, his dark eyebrows pulling together. "Crooked? Mailah, I am using a precise vertical angle."

"It looks tilted from here," she lied cheerfully, taking a slow sip of her tea. "A real lord of the estate would make it perfectly straight."

Grayson let out a long, dramatic sigh. "I am being tested," he muttered to himself, though he immediately adjusted the string of lights two inches higher, exactly as she wanted. "Is this acceptable?"

"Much better," she approved, beaming at him. "You’re a very good worker, Grayson. I might give you a bonus."

"My only desired bonus is a passing grade on my probation," Grayson said dryly, stepping down from the ladder.

Finally, he brought in the last box. He opened the tape with his thumbnail and pulled out the giant, ridiculously fluffy pink blanket.

He held it up by two corners. The blanket was huge, soft, and bright bubblegum pink. It looked wildly out of place against his dark clothes and intense, handsome face.

Mailah clapped her hands together. "Oh, it’s so soft! Bring it here!"

Grayson walked over to the sofa and draped the pink blanket gently over her lap and shoulders. Mailah snuggled down into the warmth, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"Now," Mailah said, pointing toward the wall switch. "Turn on the lights."

Grayson walked over and flipped the switch.

Instantly, the entire sunroom transformed. The golden fairy lights wrapped around the stone pillars flickered to life, casting a warm, cozy glow across the room. The bright yellow rug brought color to the stone floor, and the tall green plants made the wide space feel alive, fresh, and welcoming.

Mailah looked around the room in genuine awe. It no longer looked like a cold, empty museum. It felt like a home.

Grayson walked back over to her sofa, looking around the bright room with a quiet, surprised expression. "It actually looks... pleasant," he admitted softly.

"See?" Mailah smiled, reaching out from under her pink blanket to grab his wrist. "I told you. Color and light make everything better."

As the late afternoon sun began to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple, Grayson brought out a small silver tray. On it was a bowl of warm water, a clean white washcloth, and the brown glass bottle of medicine Soren had left earlier.

He knelt on the soft yellow rug right beside her sofa, positioning himself near her injured leg.

"Time to clean and rewrap the knee," Grayson announced gently.

Mailah watched him as he carefully untied the white bandages. His large, strong hands moved with unbelievable care, peeling back the cloth so he wouldn’t pull at her skin.

Underneath, her knee was still somewhat swollen and bruised, though the rest had clearly helped reduce the inflammation.

Grayson dipped the washcloth into the warm water, wringing it out before gently wiping away the dry medicine from her skin. His dark eyes were fixed on her leg with intense, quiet focus, his jaw set tight.

"Does this hurt?" he asked softly, looking up at her face.

"No," Mailah said, her voice turning quiet. "It feels good, actually."

Grayson opened the brown bottle and poured a small amount of the liquid onto his palm. He began to rub the cool herbal medicine over her swollen joint, using slow, circular motions with his thumbs.

Mailah leaned back against the sofa cushions, watching his downcast eyes and sharp cheekbones lit by the golden fairy lights.

"Grayson?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, my love?" he replied without stopping his gentle massage.

"Where were you?" Mailah asked softly.

Grayson’s hands stilled for a fraction of a second before he resumed his careful movements. He let out a long, slow breath, looking down at her bandaged knee.

"I was living in the city amongst humans," Grayson admitted quietly.

Mailah blinked in utter surprise. "In the city? Among humans?"

"Yes," Grayson said softly, his dark eyes rising to meet hers. "I rented a small apartment on the north side of town. I lived like a normal human man for four weeks."

Mailah stared at him, trying to picture this ancient, terrifying demon lord sitting in a small city apartment, walking down paved sidewalks among regular people in jeans and sneakers.

"Why on earth would you do that?" Mailah asked, genuinely bewildered.

Grayson looked deeply embarrassed. A faint, dark blush crept up his neck and reached his sharp cheekbones. He looked away for a moment, clearing his throat before turning back to her.

"Because I realized I was a terrible husband," Grayson confessed in a quiet, low voice. "I have lived hundreds of years, Mailah. Most of my existence was spent in dark castles, dealing with ancient power, war, and political conflicts. When I lost my memories of my exile, I had completely forgotten how humans think, feel, and live day-to-day."

Mailah listened intently, her heart softening with every word.

"When we argued before I left," Grayson continued, his voice thick with sincere emotion, "I saw how frustrated you were with me. I didn’t know how to comfort you. I didn’t know how human emotional dynamics worked. I realized I had zero memory or understanding of how to treat a human woman properly. I felt entirely useless."

"So you... ran away to study humans?" Mailah asked, her lips twitching slightly as the hilarity of the mental image started to hit her.

"I did not ’run away,’ I went on a learning expedition," Grayson corrected defensively, pulling his shoulders back with dramatic dignity. "I bought books. I went to human grocery stores. I stood in the aisle for forty minutes trying to understand why there were thirty different types of cereal."

Mailah gasped, holding her hand over her mouth as a giggle escaped her lips. "You spent forty minutes in the cereal aisle?!"

"It makes no logical sense!" Grayson insisted, looking deeply offended by the memory. "Why does one species need so many variations of toasted wheat? And the people in the store kept looking at me because I was taking notes in a notebook!"

"You took notes in a notebook at the supermarket?!" Mailah was practically wheezing with laughter now, clutching her fluffy pink blanket.

"I took notes on everything!" Grayson declared dramatically, gesturing with his hands. "I watched human couples walking in the park. I watched how human men spoke to their wives when they were upset. I watched human television dramas in my apartment until three in the morning!"

Mailah stopped laughing for a second, her jaw dropping. "Wait. You watched K-dramas?"

"I did," Grayson admitted with utter seriousness, as if confessing to a grand secret. "I watched a show about an ancient guardian goblin and his human bride. I took extensive notes on his behavior. I learned that human women appreciate subtle acts of care, like making warm rice porridge, brushing their hair, buying houseplants, and apologizing when one is wrong."

Mailah looked at him in total shock. The image of this dark, powerful incubus lord sitting alone in a small city apartment late at night, wrapped in a blanket, taking serious notes on K-drama male leads just to figure out how to make her happy, was the most absurd, hilarious, and deeply swoon-worthy thing she had ever heard in her life.

"Grayson..." Mailah murmured, her laughter melting into pure, overwhelming affection. "You are completely out of your mind."