Young Girl’s First Time Being Shy
“Your Highness…”
“Lucia…”
The two of them met again for the first time after their vacation. They used to share everything with each other until now. The two stood opposite each other and hesitated. The maids on both sides watching them were surprised when they saw Lucia’s clothes. Usually, the two of them would’ve held hands and cheerfully ran off already, yet they were both silent.
“They didn’t fight, did they?” wondered the maids.
Lucia nervously looked at Troy. She looked at his hand by his leg and took in a small breath. Previously, she could hold Troy’s hand while completely relaxed and feel his warmth and soft hands. Today, on the other hand, just thinking of holding his hand made her heart race.
The two of them recalled the peck they shared on their vacation. Troy didn’t know the significance of that peck, because his mom often kissed him that way. At the time, he just had a random urge to kiss Lucia, the young girl who plucked his heartstring. It was a feeling he’d never forget. The gentle feeling of their lips touching was different to the feeling when he kissed his mom. It was a blissful, numbing sensation that coursed through his entire body. His heart thumped so hard it was as if his heart would jump out of his chest when they kissed. His mind roared at him, but the feeling and bliss felt so warm, intensifying his desire to kiss her more.
After that, the two’s lips touched countless times, and they’d separate as if they were electrocuted every time. Nonetheless, the blissful feeling and intoxicating love was an addictive sensation they couldn’t get over. If people didn’t interrupt, the two of them would probably continue to kiss until they passed out. They kept kissing and tightly holding each other’s hand.
The two of them felt that way after they woke. They didn’t know why, themselves. It was a secret between the two that nobody knew of. The two of them didn’t know the meaning behind kissing. Still, the two of them were oddly shy. They didn’t know why their encounter would make them both blush.
They suddenly felt as though the shy feeling didn’t make them feel awkward. To the contrary, it made them oddly happy. They were very embarrassed when they looked into each other’s eyes, yet they couldn’t resist the urge to look. They desperately wanted to hold hands, but they couldn’t muster up the courage.
Troy clenched his teeth, and then turned his head aside. He grabbed hold of Lucia’s hand. She reacted surprised, and Troy lingered before quickly releasing her hand. Flustered, he apologised, “Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! I… I… I shouldn’t… I… I squeezed your hand too hard…”
“No… No… You didn’t…”
Lucia quickly shook her head; then, she slid her hand into Troy’s hand. She felt her face burn up as soon as she felt his warm and soft hands. She didn’t dare to look at Troy. Troy’s heart raced so fast that he could hear it beating. He wanted to tightly hold the young girl’s hand, yet he was afraid that he’d hurt her. It was as though her hand was a delicate leaf that would break if he tightened his grip ever so slightly.
“L-Let’s… go…”
“Mm… Mm…”
Lucia’s hand jerked before she slowly interlocked her fingers with Troy’s. The two of them were worried the other would let go, so while they bordered on holding hands and letting go, they never did let go…
On the other side, inside the corridor of the Imperial Palace, Ecthe looked at his Queen walking in front of him. He hesitated for a long time as he watched her blonde hair sway. He uttered, “Your Highness…”
Vyvyan stopped and looked back. With a smile, she asked, “Is something the matter, Guard Echte?”
In a slightly shaky voice, Echte replied, “Yes… It is about my daughter. Your Highness… did you say that she would always be allowed to stay at His Highness’s side if she could become a member of the Shadow Squad?”
“Yes.”
Vyvyan didn’t say anything unnecessary. She looked at Echte, with a smile as usual. Her gaze didn’t change. She waited for Echte to continue. He hesitated for a moment before continuing: “Your Highness, I hope you can take back your order… After all, you are aware that becoming a Shadow Squad member is extremely dangerous… She is my only daughter…”
Vyvyan laughed in a gentle tone, and then cut him off: “Guard Echte, have you mixed something up? I have never given that sort of order. I would not order a young girl to be my son’s bodyguard out of the blue. Guard Echte, what I said was, if she could become a member of the Shadow Squad, then she could become my son’s bodyguard. I never ordered her to go and join the Shadow Squad.”
“But… but… if you say that… Lucia will surely want to join the squad… Because… because… Your Highness, Lucia… She may have fallen for Prince Troy.”
“I know.”
Echte froze. He was ready to accept her fury. It didn’t matter what punishment he had to be subjected to as long as Lucia was safe. He didn’t expect Vyvyan to sound so gentle. It was shocking news, yet Vyvyan didn’t jump. In fact, she didn’t even bat an eye.
Vyvyan nodded. Smiling, she responded, “I also know that Troy really likes Lucia. What’s wrong with a young boy and girl experiencing first love? Guard Echte, you wouldn’t happen to think that Troy isn’t worthy of Lucia, would you?”
“No! No! No! No! No!!!” Ecthe shuddered. He almost dropped to his knees. He looked at Vyvyan with absolute fear and waved his hands: “What I meant was, Lucia is not worthy of Prince Troy. Prince Troy is your son, while my Lucia is just an ordinary girl. How could she be worthy of Prince Troy?”
“Oh?” Vyvyan’s mouth curled up into an eerie smile. She then turned around and resumed walking: “From that perspective of yours, Lucia isn’t worthy of Troy, indeed. Regardless of whether it’s her mana or background, our Galadriel Tribe won’t choose her.”
“Then…”
Echte suddenly felt a weight lift from his shoulders upon hearing Vyvyan’s response. He didn’t know why he was so relieved, either. Perhaps it was because he was relieved his daughter wouldn’t be in danger, and therefore didn’t have to worry about her falling deeper and deeper. A short lasting moment of pain was better than long sustained pain. A moment of pain wouldn’t do anything. If Lucia was rejected once she was more understanding, her life wouldn’t be in danger. All he had to do now was get Lucia to understand that, and she’d be fine after one night.
Vyvyan then turned her head around with a smile: “But I think that we never asked them. Leave it to them, Guard Echte. This isn’t something you and I should be sticking our noses in. Love is holy. We shouldn’t be disturbing them. They’re still kids, but they’ll understand with time.”
That was all Vyvyan had to say. Echte looked at her blonde hair and spaced out. The before and after was so different, thereby leaving him speechless. He found himself in a dilemma again after feeling relieved. He wasn’t sure if he should be happy or not. If Queen Vyvyan said that, then it meant it was possible for Lucia to marry Troy if she really wanted to. That meant that he could get promoted from a low-rank soldier. Unexpectedly, he wasn’t happy in the slightest.
People always had things they shouldn’t have. Echte firmly believed that receiving what didn’t belong to you at the wrong time would definitely lead to misfortune. Lucia was just an ordinary girl. By no accounts did she qualify to become a member of the Galadriel Tribe. Should she have what she wanted? Or rather, was it worth having? Additionally, the Shadow Squad recruitment criterion was very strict. Same went for the training. Deaths of members weren’t considered a problem. Plus, their death rates were definitely not low. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be such a small squad.
“Is it really a good idea to let Lucia join?” pondered Echte.
“Guard Echte, if Lucia genuinely has the courage and determination to do it, you should help her. You should teach her how to fight and how to survive. I would rather trust her, who likes my son, than entrust him to somebody else. I believe Lucia will never harm Troy.”
Vyvyan stood at the door to the room. Echte’s job as an escort ended there. Echte blanked out. Vyvyan smiled: “Being trustworthy is one thing, but being able to protect my son is another. Guard Echte, train Lucia well. I have very high requirements for members of the Shadow Squad; after all, I can’t entrust my son to a guard who doesn’t meet the requirements. As for whether she will survive or not, let us pray for her.”
Vyvyan made herself very clear. Echte also understood what she meant. What she meant was that if Lucia wanted to become a member of the Shadow Squad, she’d have to undergo stricter training than others. Put another way, Vyvyan didn’t outright reject Lucia, but if she wanted to be with Troy, then she’d have to pay the price. If Lucia wanted to marry Troy, then she had to accept the challenge.
He gritted his teeth and looked at Vyvyan. In a soft voice, he responded, “I will, Your Highness. If Lucia wants to become a member of the Shadow Squad, then I will definitely assist her.”
“I look forward to seeing her determination and abilities, then.”
Vyvyan revealed a faint smile. The smile actually contained a hint of mockery. She didn’t believe for a second that Lucia could withstand the Shadow Squad’s training. Hence why she didn’t hesitate or worry. Love may be great, but if Lucia couldn’t physically bear it, then it was meaningless.
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