“If I continue, I’ll probably crash your city wall down. I really want to supervise you as you think about how to live, but I have to take care of Liu Yue,” said Ling Yue.
Ling Yue rested below the city wall, unreasonably shoving away the line of people preparing to enter the city. Everybody was startled and stepped back to avoid the huge fox. The guards on the city wall were also startled. In their panic, they took up their rifles and aimed them at Ling Yue. Their legs must’ve been shaking. Their rifles looked pitiful before the huge fox. I doubt they had any confidence they could defeat her.
Ling Yue looked at the guards with her eyes narrowed. I could tell that she extremely hated having others aim their weapons at her. Perhaps it was due to her past experiences.
“Miss Lucia!! Miss Lucia!! There is a fox at the city entrance!! A very, very large fox!” cried a Guard.
Lucia dallied for a moment, and then looked at the guard: “There’s no need to be all flustered. That’s Miss Ling Yue. She won’t harm us, so there’s no need to worry.”
“No… No… What I meant to say was, more importantly… H-His Majesty… is on the fox! His Majesty has returned!! His Majesty has retuned!!”
Before he could even finish half of his report, Lucia had already given him a slap to the face that sent him staggering to the side, where he crashed into a table and nearly tripped. Lucia sped off through the corridor similarly to a gust of wind. She ignored everything and everyone, from maids to guards and lamp stands to flower vases. She shoved aside everything that was in her way, leading to people shrieking and things shattering.
Lucia was an assassin from the Shadow Squad, without a shadow of doubt. Her speed when she ran full pelt was unmatched. The young girl’s short hair blew in the wind similarly to a flag with loyalty and passion written on it. Nobody doubted the young girl’s loyalty and love when they heard her footsteps zip by.
I lied on top of Ling Yue’s body. I discovered I had an extra string of fur in my hands. I looked up and saw her angry look just as I expected. I gently cleared my throat:, “It’s okay, Ling Yue. Your fur will grow back, so it shouldn’t matter, right…?”
“Your fingernails can regrow at any time, too, so how about I rip them out for you?”
Ling Yue narrowed her eyes. She then stood up and shook out her fur. She went over to one side, and then turned around to take one last look at me. Her gaze teemed with encouragement and reluctance to part. She didn’t say anything in the end. Instead, she took off, eventually appearing as a vague red flame.
I turned around to look at the people behind me, while they looked at me, dumbfounded. I was sure that they were very bewildered. The first thing they were bewildered with was why I was there, and the second they were bewildered with was why I appeared before them in that fashion. I raised my hands up high: “Everyone, I’m back.”
“Your Majesty!!”
The people all around respectfully cheered. I saw the scene of the crowd in Hilles City cheering, “Your Majesty,” again. When I saw the scene at Hilles City, pride and glory filled me for some odd reason. I didn’t enjoy the respect for me as a ruler. They only addressed me as such due to my Mom’s status. This time, however, their King was me. I was the Elizabeth of Hilles City in the North. In the North, they cheerfully call me “His Majesty,” because of me. But alas, I didn’t know how much longer I could rule the place.
I must admit the prophet was a legit prophet. I assumed I could meet him again. I believed there was still a shred of hope if I could find him. I needed to return. I needed to return to my wives and moms. I didn’t want to settle on just ruling as a King. I also wanted to live on and fulfil my obligations as a father and son. I didn’t need my mom to give me life or a way to live. I found the will to find a way to live with my own effort. I swore to win an opportunity at life for myself.
“Your Highness…”
I was just about to enter the city, but I heard someone at the door call out to me. The voice was hoarse, and its owner was short of breath. I could distinguish the voice regardless of when. It was my most beloved Lucia’s voice. I could never forget her voice.
I turned around to see Lucia standing at the city door huffing and puffing. I couldn’t discern if it was sweat or tears that her face was covered in. She didn’t even have shoes on; she left a trail of blood behind her. The sight of it wrenched my heart.
“Your Highness… Your Highness… You’re back… You’re home… I was right. You won’t leave me, as I thought… You’ll always be my side, always. You’ll always come back… You’ll always be by my side. I’ve always believed that…”
Tears of joy gushed forth from Lucia’s eyes. She leaped straight at me before I could walk over to her. She hugged me tightly and gave me a kiss on my lips. She kissed me with her lips that were smothered with her tears. I relished her fine and slippery tongue. I shut my eyes and clasped her face as I earnestly responded to her kiss. The two of us locked each other in a tight embrace as though we wanted to become a single entity. I had prepared for imminent death, but Lucia, who was in my arms, was unwilling to let go.
I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to leave. The girl in my arms was so gentle and warm that I didn’t want to leave in the slightest. I never wanted to let go of her. My heart ached as if it was being ripped apart whenever the thought of never seeing Lucia again seeped into my mind. My will to leave weakened. I was more reluctant to die. I wanted to be with her. I want to always be with her.
“Your Highness… Your Highness… I am so glad you are still alive… I am so, so glad you are still alive… I love you… I love you, Your Highness… Please don’t leave again… Please… don’t leave again… I believe in you… But I really want to lead a peaceful life by your side. Please don’t go now that you’re back…”
Lucia and I didn’t release each other until we couldn’t breathe. Lucia leaned on my chest and sobbed, while I hugged her tightly. Lucia never pleaded me to be by her side before. She always unconditionally supported me in the past regardless of where I wanted to go or what I wanted to do. I just had to mention it, and she’d support and wait for me at home feeling reassured. Unlike Nier, she’d believe me unconditionally and firmly believe that I’d return. The fact she pleaded sufficed to indicate she was truly afraid. She was genuinely afraid that I wouldn’t return.
“I overdid it. I should now stay at home and look after my children. I should peacefully live with my moms and wives,” I thought. I gently stroked the side of Lucia’s face: “Lucia, I love you… I love you… I really love you… I don’t want to leave you… Honest. I swear I don’t want to leave you at all. Trust me, Lucia. I’ve never thought about leaving any of you. You’re my most beloved wife. If I can, I’ll definitely stay by your side. I want to tell you about something, though. Let’s head back. Let’s talk after we return to the palace. I want to see our girls, too. Let’s go Lucia. Let’s head back.”
“Mm, mm, sure, let’s go home. Let’s go home. The girls would surely be happy to see you. They really miss you.”
Lucia meekly nodded then tightly clung to my arm. I looked at her bleeding feet. I lingered for a moment before picking her up around her waist. She exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, and then tightly hugged me around my neck. Flustered, she looked around. Her ears turned red, too. With her arms tightly around my neck, she buried her head on my chest and shyly said, “This is embarrassing, Your Highness… I’m so embarrassed…”
Me in my mind: “Is that something a woman who kisses me in front of a crowd says? You just kissed me, yet you’re now embarrassed over a princess carry?”
I chuckled but didn’t let go. I whispered in her ear, “It’s fine. What’s wrong with a husband carrying his wife? You’re my wife. Why are you embarrassed?”
“Mm…”
Lucia’s face was flush red with bliss and embarrassment. She then tightly grabbed my shirt, but I could still see the smile of bliss she wore on her face.
===========
Before Nier was a forest. She took out a map and nodded: “This should be the place. His Majesty should be inside the forest. This is the Galadriel Tribe’s land. Their villa is located here, so there should be elven guards present.”
“What shall we do, then?” asked Tanya.
“If possible, let’s avoid conflict. If they stop us, we won’t back down. I must find my husband. There’s no way I can allow them to lock up my husband,” Nier answered.
Although Nier said that, Tanya could still see her eagerness to fight the elves. The Valkyries resented elves due to their fighting in the previous war. Nier still held onto those feelings despite no longer being a Valkyrie since long ago.
With their eyes on the forest, they tapped their steeds with their feet and advanced forth.
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