“Oh, Your Majesty.”
I arrived back at the outer court late as I thought. I thought I might’ve been able to get back to the bed if I made it back before Nier woke up, but I was late. Nier sat on the sofa with her arms folded and one leg over the other. Voice void of emotion, she stated, “Your Majesty, I am certain your story last night was incredibly amazing, and I happen to have lots and lots of time to listen to your story. So, I hope that you can tell me what exactly happened to you last night.”
Nier was absolutely serious. As a matter of fact, there was a violent aura oozing from her. She was the same as the Valkyrie Nier who wanted to kill me in the past. I knew that I’d die if I didn’t answer her properly.
Cautiously, I replied, “Erm… If I told you that I went to the inner court, would you believe me? You might not believe me, but I really did go to the inner court to see Empress Elizabeth yesterday. Mm… You know that I have no chance of coming back if I go to Mommy Elizabeth, don’t you? That’s why I slept there.”
“Really…?”
Nier’s gaze showed her befuddlement. She believed I went to see Her Majesty, but she was wondering why. If I had business, I could see Mom the next day; there was no need to go in the middle of the night.
I took in a deep breath: “Erm… you might not believe it… because I didn’t make it up. Every word I speak is the truth. What I’m trying to say is I didn’t get serious with you last night purely because I was thinking about Her Majesty the entire time. That’s why I couldn’t get into the mood with you…”
“I see…”
Nier seemed to trust me thanks to my honesty. Or rather, she’d believe everything I say unconditionally as long as I gave her an honest reason. She hopelessly sighed: “I really don’t understand what you’re doing… Why did you suddenly go looking for Her Majesty? What exactly happened to you?”
“Well, I don’t think that ‘happened to me’ is the right description… All I can say is that I want Mom to spoil me sometimes… Does that reason work for you?”
“What in the world are you doing…?” Nier sighed. She then rubbed her head before looking at her chest: “If you want to be spoiled, I think I can help you with that… The only difference between me and Her Majesty is here, right…? Moreover… moreover… I don’t think there’s a significant difference, is there…?”
I laughed. Looking at Nier made me honestly feel guilty. After all, I essentially ignored Nier last night. Then, went off to do it with Mom. I essentially cheated – except that the person I cheated with is a little special. I walked over and gave Nier a light hug. She didn’t push me away; instead, she reciprocated the light hug. She quietly said, “Your Majesty, if you want to do that again, just tell me. I won’t stop you from seeing Her Majesty; still, it’s best if you notify me. I don’t want to wake up to find myself alone… You know… the feeling of nothing being there… I had everything I want, but woke up to find that you weren’t there. That really scared me. I was very, very scared… I was afraid of everything that’d come after. I met you, married you, had Daisy… I was afraid that it was all an illusion. I was very afraid… I’m afraid the most blissful days of my life and the things that happened were all fictional. Please… I can’t stand it…”
“Of course it wasn’t. Of course it’s not fake. None of it is.”
I tightly hugged my wife, who was, uh, one of the women I loved. Nier clung to me. The Valkyrie who could kill anyone while looking indifferent was afraid that our story was all an illusion that she quivered. I hugged her tighter because the state that she was in made me feel even guiltier, and the feeling of cheating was emphasised. I crouched down to meet her height and gave her a light kiss on her lips. She anxiously clasped my face and passionately kissed me back. She stroked me and kissed me with all she had in an attempt to prove that everything that happened between us actually happened, and that I was real. The truth was… I wasn’t real.
“I never thought you were that type. While you could say that Vyvyan is not your mother, Elizabeth is your biological mother, yet you won’t spare even her? I really feel sorry for Inard. How did he end up with a son, like you?” teased the woman in my head.
I was mentally prepared for it, but the fact that she spoke to me all of a sudden almost caused me to bite off Nier’s tongue due to the fright. Though she admonished me, her voice didn’t sound aggressive in the slightest. In fact, I’d say that there was a hint of glee and eagerness in her voice.
“Can I add a request? Before you speak next time, can you give me a quiet signal beforehand?”
“That would mean that I can’t talk when I feel like it, then. Don’t worry. I won’t thoughtlessly speak. I just happen to be quite happy this time. I did see a different world, after all. I’ve come to learn about humanity, about you and Elizabeth. By the way, what would happen if I told Vyvyan about you and Elizabeth?”
“Please show mercy…”
“Haha.” She heartlessly laughed and then stopped speaking.
I was shaking, for I had no way of anticipating what she’d do… Nier released me then touched my face. With a smile, she questioned, “Okay, Your Majesty, let’s wrap up here. I don’t plan to question you any further… Do you want to have breakfast now? I’ll go prepare it now. Do you have any plans for the day?”
“I plan to make a trip outside for a walk on the streets.”
“Do you need me to come along? Daisy won’t be in danger during the day at the outer court.”
“Erm… Sure, why not? But nonetheless, you best wear the guards in the North’s uniform. This time, we must hide our identity. I don’t want to be recognised.”
“No problem.”
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