Luna, Hot Springs and I (Part 2)
Hot springs are a nice place. Gazing at the sea of flowers below while soaking in the hot springs, enjoying food and wine from Troy City with the company of a beauty in my arms, not to mention the gentle breeze was a most blissful experience. I suddenly realised why Freya prioritised ensuring the denizens had food and hot water. It was because the comfort they provided weakened one’s resolve to fight; the comfort of soaking in the hot water practically erased my determination to do anything. The North and whatever else could be saved for later. I was reluctant to move around as I soaked in the hot water.
Luna rested on me with a blissful smile. She cherished such moments, as we know we couldn’t be intimate once we returned to the North. Once we were in the North, Luna would be my personal servant behind me with a smile, not my wife.
I wrapped my arm around Luna. She rested on me in silence and allowed me to freely run my hands across her body. With an affectionate smile and tone, she said, “It feels so blissful… My Prince… I finally feel I am alive after soaking in the hot springs…”
I nodded in agreement. I could still feel the warm running water despite my scales. I caressed Luna’s body. It was partially me flirting with her and partially feeling sorry for her. I stroked her skin that revealed her purple veins. I whispered, “We can’t do this in the future, Luna. Once we reach the place I live, we won’t be able to do this…”
“I understand, Your Majesty; I understand. I do not have any right to be by your side, either. I do not have that right due to the things I went through in the past. Regardless, I am somebody who has died once, so as long as I can be by your side, watch you from behind and feel your breaths, I am satisfied.”
Luna’s smile was void of any malicious intent. It was so heart wrenching that I choked on my words. I hugged her tighter, and she hugged me back more blissfully as she giggled. Caressing her head, I softly apologised, “Sorry, sorry, I’m really sorry.”
“Do not be, do not be, Your Majesty. I could not ask for anything more than to know you are alive. I no longer have anywhere to go or anyone who could provide me with a shoulder to lean on in this world. You are the only one who can provide me with bliss. I will be happy as long as I can see your smile. Your Majesty, I will feel most blissful, as long as you are with me, for I will be able to gain infinite strength and confidence.”
I nodded. From my embrace, Luna gently took hold of my hand. She giggled: “I wonder how Miss Lucia and Miss Nier are doing now. The two of them used to be very unfriendly with each other. Has their relationship improved after giving birth?”
I shook my head with a helpless smile. Their relationship always remained the same, neither worsening nor improving. They still disliked each other and were still unwilling to be by my side at the same time. With that said, when one of them ran into trouble and I was absent, they would assist each other. My beef with it was they only help each other to a certain degree; they wouldn’t help all the way, so not even I knew if their relationship was good or not.
“I see. I guess it makes sense, though. That way, you will feel you have two wives… Miss Lucia likes you so much, while Miss Nier is even more unwilling to share you with another, so their relationship is bound to never be too good.”
Luna revealed a cheerful smile. The maiden was still a little afraid of the current world. Luna no longer saw the world as the previous world she was familiar with. My home had changed, and so had my identity. I was no longer my past self; neither was the world its past self. Luna felt it was a foreign world. She’d feel confused. She’d feel as though she didn’t belong to the world. For that reason, hearing the two of them still maintained their old characters gave her a reassuring feeling.
Luna kept her gaze on me. She sounded as if she had a yearning feeling when she remarked, “I really want to reach your home sooner. I never thought Miss Lucia and Miss Nier have already given birth… My last memory was them just finding out about their pregnancy… Your children must be very cute. I am very eager to see them.”
I nodded with a smile. I couldn’t help but reveal a blissful smile at the mention of my children. I subconsciously looked toward the North. That was where my children, my family lived. Keeping my gaze on the North, I quietly responded, “My children are all girls, but you’re right, Luna, they’re all very cute. Very, very, cute. I can’t bear to part with them when I see their smiles. I promised them I won’t take the initiative to run into danger again in the future. Never again.”
Luna seriously nodded: “That is good, Your Majesty. You are now a father, so you should stay with your children. I wonder what your children are like… Miss Nier and Miss Lucia must feel very blissful after having children. How blissful is it to have children with them, their husband with them and a blissful family…”
There was a hint of sorrow in Luna’s eyes. She couldn’t have children, because those scum destroyed her womb during her days living in that nightmare. They destroyed her dream of being a mother. All elves yearned for a family; female elves, in particular yearned for a family. They perceived being able to marry the man they loved and having his children to be blissful and glorious. Unfortunately, that was impossible for Luna. I guess that was the past, though.
In theory, a dragon’s heart and blood could repair all damaged organs, so maybe she was capable of having children after I revived her. She was no longer the Luna of past days. The Luna, who was treated as a beast and sold off, was dead. The reincarnated Luna was just my personal servant, the only personal servant of the King of the North, and that was it. Her past was erased long ago.
While holding Luna’s hand tightly, I kissed her earlobe: “Luna, you’re no longer the past you. You’re a new Luna. You’re no longer your past self. Don’t forget you’re now just my personal servant. You could say that you were reborn to be my personal servant. Your body is no longer what it once was. The body I have given you is a complete body, so you can be a mother now.”
There was confusion and surprise in Luna’s gaze after hearing the sudden pleasant news. Actually, I, myself, was slightly nervous. I didn’t know if what I said was true. Luna’s body had theoretically been repaired. Technically speaking, nevertheless, she wasn’t alive. At most, she was a mana-operated puppet. I had no idea If she could get pregnant or not, but I planned to try anyhow.
I grabbed Luna’s thigh. She responded with a gentle jolt. She shyly looked at me, and I looked at her. I solemnly said, “How about it, Luna? Do you want to give it a try? As long as you don’t tell anyone, nobody will know. I can guarantee I can maintain our livelihood, s-”
Luna covered my mouth with her hand before I could finish. It was the first time I saw her look so angry. She took in a deep breath. In a somewhat infuriated tone, she exclaimed, “Your Majesty, have you gotten a little carried now that you have had a bit of success? This sort of thing is… this sort of thing is not something you can thoughtlessly mention. I am willing, would very much so and like to have children, but we cannot consider just ourselves. We have to consider the innocent child. What are we going to do about the fact that our child would not be able to acknowledge his father? Do you want a child to grow up without his father? Moreover, what would Miss Lucia and Miss Nier think? A mother’s child is her true dignity. How could they possibly forgive you if they found out?! Have you not considered these things? You cannot ruin an innocent child for my sake alone!”
What Luna said left me speechless. She removed her hand and gently panted with her gaze still fixed on me. After a moment of hesitation, she lowered her head and softly apologised, “Sorry, Your Majesty… That was a little rude of me… I should not have yelled at you… I know you were suggesting it out of kind will, and I am very grateful… but… I honestly cannot accept it.”
“I know; I know… It was my fault. I didn’t think it through.” I gently stroked Luna’s back; she gently wrapped her arms around me and carefully rested her hands on me. Next to her ear, I whispered, “I understand now, Luna. I understand. But if that’s the case… I am very sorry… Sorry, Luna. I can’t make your dream of being a mother a reality, then… If you have a child, I won’t be able to fulfil the duties of a father and be by his side, so I’m sorry…”
“No, Your Majesty, you do not need to apologise. You are my master, my Prince. You do not owe me anything, and you do not need to give me the same treatment as Miss Lucia and Miss Nier. Your Majesty, I am not them; nevertheless, I do not feel I am pitiful or something. I am already very happy to be able to be by your side. My fate is different to theirs, so we must tread different paths. Therefore, you do not need to worry about me nor do you need to keep thinking about making things up to me. I will be satisfied, as long as you can treat me as you did in the past.”
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