“Son… There’s no point in you waiting here. You can’t help Lucia.”
I raised my head up in a hazy state from Lucia’s bed. I turned around to see Mommy Vyvyan holding a small bottle in her hand. She sighed. “I am not willing to acknowledge what Father said, but what he said was true, my dear son. Lucia doesn’t have enough mana to nurture the child in her body.”
“Are you saying that this is the same for all elves? Are you saying that she can’t raise a child just because of her background? If that was the case, why did you want for me to marry Lucia in the first place?”
Vyvyan sighed. She then walked up behind me and softly replied, “I never supported your marriage with her from the start. Your child with Lucia is a violation of the Galadriel’s tribe to begin with. Son, you should marry somebody with the same lineage superiority as you. That way, you will be able to give birth to a normal child; even I would do. This is how we elves have continued to reproduce and survive until now. Elves encourage free love, but those romances may never come to fruition. That’s why the integrity of elven mana has been able to be maintained.”
I turned my head around to look at Vyvyan. I smiled helplessly. “This is the first time I’ve felt elves were such cruel creatures. Two people loving each other, and yet they can’t be together. And the reason that they can’t be together isn’t because of their family backgrounds, but because of lineages and mana stopping them from having children!”
Vyvyan sighed. She handed me the bottle in her hand. “This is the elven spring water. You can get Lucia to wake up for a while by using this pure elven mana. However, she can only stay awake for a while, as the child will instantly absorb virtually all of the mana.”
“Mom, I want to know something.” I took the bottle. I looked at Vyvyan. “Who exactly does this child belong to?”
Vyvyan froze She kept silent for a long while. She lowered her head and interlocked her fingers. She didn’t answer my question. However, that was the equivalent of answering my question. I sighed feeling hopeless. “It’s not your fault, mom. It’s not your fault. I’m very grateful that you helped Lucia and I and put up with my wilful desires.”
I reached my arm out to hug Vyvyan. She wrapped her arms around me gently. She rested her head on my shoulder. I could feel her shaking a little. She hugged me and softly replied, “It’s all right. It’s all right, my son. It’s all right, my dear son. I’m your mom. Mommy will protect you no matter what you do, when or what you want to do. Mommy will always protect you.”
I stroked mom’s back. “Uhm, Mom. Mom, I want to take Lucia away.”
“Where to? Troy City or the North? Troy City is situated in humanity’s lands. There is no mana there. The temperatures in the North are extreme. Where do you want to take Lucia to?” asked Mom, with a sigh. She then shook her head. “Lucia can’t go anywhere until she gives birth. She must stay here, for this place is closest to the elven spring and has the highest level of mana. She requires the elven spring water to stay alive. I know that you want to keep Lucia by your side, but you can’t take her away.”
“I’ll stay here by her side, then. I’ll stay here, no matter how long it takes. The North has Freya, while Troy City will be secure and sound. Even if something does happen to it, I won’t return. The entire world can’t compare to my Lucia.”
I walked up to Lucia’s side and gently raised her head. I carefully poured the elven spring water into her mouth. I supported her head as I poured the liquid that was now Lucia’s life force in.
“Your… Highness…”
“Lucia!”
“I… knew… it was you…” muttered Lucia, accompanying it with a soft giggle. She couldn’t turn her head, but she tried to hold my hand with her powerless hands. She shut her eyes. “Because… only you… only you… would be… so gentle with me…”
“It’s all right. It’s all right now, Lucia. I’m here with you. I’m back. I’m here with you. I’m fine. I’m right at your side.”
I tightly hugged Lucia’s powerless body. Lucia leaned on me with a blissful look. She opened her eyes to look at me. “That’s great. I am glad you are here. I am glad you are here…”
“I won’t leave again. I’ll stay by your side until you’re okay. I won’t leave your side. I promise you that I’ll always stay by your side. I won’t leave you. I promise!”
“Uhm… Your Highness… I believe you… With you by my side…, I feel much more reassured… reassured…”
Lucia head was a little shaky on my chest. She smiled blissfully. We interlocked our fingers on one hand while I stroked her belly with my other. I quietly and gently recounted my experiences in the North. However, I didn’t mention anything about Ling Yue to avoid aggravating her.
Lucia silently listened to me in my arms with a reassured and blissful smile. She didn’t say anything, but her hand tightly holding onto mine told me everything.
I don’t know how long I spoke for or when she fell asleep. When I noticed she had fallen asleep, she was already deep asleep, with her short hair sprawled on my chest. She didn’t release my hand, nevertheless.
I smiled, and then placed her back down. I then pulled the blanket over for her. I looked at her forehead and gave her a gentle kiss on her lips. “Goodnight, Lucia.”
I didn’t leave despite saying goodnight. Instead, I sat back down and held her hand. I sat there and looked at her face in silence.
‘I said I wouldn’t leave, so I won’t. I want to stay here by her side. Lucia beared with all of this while I was away. She beared with all this pain with her small body, yet didn’t shed a tear in front of me. I’m here by her side now, so I want to protect her from her side.’
‘Nier doesn’t need me to stay at her side. She’s very well. Lucia is too understanding, so she never asked me to stay by her side. I’m her husband, though. I made an oath, saying that we would never separate when we got married, and we still don’t want to separate from each other.’
‘And so, I will not let any harm befall Lucia. I will not let harm befall our child. I will stay by Lucia’s side until she can take the initiative to embrace me.’
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