A full moon night huh? Upon waking up, I let Luna wipe me down. I remember now. Today is a full moon.
Why do I feel that so much happened this month…? So much that I"m feeling lost. Perhaps it was because I just did something shocking. It took me an entire month to deal with the church. I didn"t do anything else in the end. And too much happened this month. All sorts of things happened. Freya, Nier… so many things happened with both of them.
However, I"ll be returning to the elves after this. I wonder if Lucia has returned. If she has, I wonder if her wedding dress is ready. If it is, I think I need to have a word with mom. I"ll be with the elves for the next two months as I need to prepare for my wedding.
Oh right, I haven"t told mom about my wedding. But is it really a good idea to tell mom about getting married over in the elven lands? I somehow have a feeling that mom isn"t going to accept an elf as a daughter-in-law.
But I should still tell her… I never got the chance previously but now I do. I have to return soon anyway. I don"t think that mom would lock me up… Yeah… I don"t think so. I don"t think so. I trust that she won"t……. No way……
I was starting to dissuade myself.
"Ah, Nier, Freya."
When I stood up to get dressed I saw Nier and Freya return. Freya was holding a small container in her hand. It was a rare sight to see the two of them together. I called out to them. The two of them entered, made a small bow and replied.
"Good morning, your majesty."
"Good morning, onii-sama."
I pointed to the container in Frey"a hand and asked: "Good morning. Freya, what"s that container in your hand?"
Freya opened it with a smile. Inside was a pearl. She replied: "This is something her majesty gave me. It looks like it was one of the presents her majesty received yesterday. I want to make a necklace and wear it on. What do you think, onii-sama?"
I picked up the pearl. It really did look the same as a pearl. Maybe mom gave this away because it wasn"t unique in any way. I nodded and said: "That"s a good idea. I think it"ll be very becoming of you because the colour of this pearl suits your skin colour."
Freya closed the container and replied cheerfully "Thank you for the compliment, onii-sama."
Nier looked at me and twitched her lips as if she wanted to say something. I looked at her and asked: "Do you have something you want to say, Nier? Tell me. What are you holding back on me for? We aren"t outside. Luna, is breakfast ready?"
Luna poked her head out from the entrance, smiled and replied: "I just finished preparing it. Sorry, your majesty, it is a little late today because the there was a problem with the grills in the kitchen."
"It"s fine, I"m not rushed. So what"s the matter, Nier?"
"Your majesty, I just returned from her majesty"s place……" She looked at me she looked somewhat shy causing me to stiffen up. I never thought Nier could be so shy. She was like a young girl about to marry her husband.
"Oh? Did mom say something?"
"Her majesty said that after I delivered this letter and returned, she would have us get married."
"Pfft!!"
What? What the h.e.l.l is this?! What did you say?!! This… this… she"s so shy she"s like a young girl that"s about to marry her husband! So it wasn"t just my comparison but the actual reality!! What the heck is going on here?! If Vyvyan hears I"m getting married, she"ll go bananas. Why is Elizabeth in such a rush for me to get married? And why didn"t I hear anything about this?!
Why is this wedding so sudden like it was decided just last night?! I"ve been engaged to Lucia for a long time. Marriage requires the maturation of a relations.h.i.+p. Nier and I have only known each other for two months and we"re getting married? Although I"m aware that "flash marriages" exist, I can"t really accept it. I like having the two date until their relations.h.i.+p matures to the point where they are ready for married life.
According to the agreement, Troy only started getting shared after he came of age. They didn"t start sharing him before that due to his young age and thus his safety when travelling, thereby waiting until he was eighteen years old. In other words, my first time coming here to the human empire was the real Troy"s second time coming here. It"s exactly as Nier said, she and I have no relations.h.i.+p.
Nier looked at my shocked reaction and lowered her head slightly disappointed. She said: "I knew that you still couldn"t accept me. I understand that you love somebody else, your majesty, but this is her majesty"s idea. If you do not like me, you can refuse. That"s not a problem."
"No…… If you"re asking me whether or not I like you, I do like you, Nier. It"s just that I"m already engaged, so there"s nothing I can do." I smiled helplessly as I looked at Nier and explained, "Nier, you"ve saved my life and always been by my side to protect me. Of course I like you too. If I didn"t get to know Lucia first, I would happily marry you, Nier. It"s just that… it"s just that……"
Nier looked at me and exclaimed: "Lucia is an elf! Your majesty, you are our prince. You can"t marry an elf! If you marry an elf, you won"t return, and her majesty will definitely start another war!"
"Yeah, so if I get married here, then doesn"t that mean I can"t return to the elves either?"
I smiled helplessly and continued, "That"s how it is. I can"t satisfy both parties unless there"s a half-blood girl that both of my moms can accept. Otherwise, there"s no way I can satisfy both of my moms. If I were to marry you, would you be able to accept another woman? You can"t, right……?"
"I can"t."
Nier clenched her teeth and added, "I can"t accept you marrying someone else after marrying me. That is a form of betrayal towards me."
"The same applies for Lucia."
I wore the pendant on, looked at the heart-shaped pendant and fell into a silence for a moment before continuing, "When I had grievous wounds, Lucia carried me on her back over a very long distance. She didn"t abandon me when I was on the brink of death. She chewed on rotten berries to feed me. She starved herself and fought sleep deprivation as well as risking her own life to save me. I can"t betray Lucia. Lucia almost lost her life for my sake. So it"s no big deal to me for me to give up a part of the world for her."
In a hoa.r.s.e voice, Nier looked at me and asked: "What about me then, your majesty? Can you not give up the elves for my sake?"
I took in a deep breath, walked out of the room and softly said: "Sorry, Nier. I like you too. There"s no way I don"t love you, but Lucia came to me first. If I hesitate, that means I"m disrespecting her, so sorry, Nier."
Nier went silent as she stood behind me. A moment after, she ma.s.saged her face roughly, took in a deep breath, and then recovered her usual calm demeanour. She walked up behind me and said: "I apologise, your majesty. I"ve made it hard for you. Please go and have breakfast now. What plans do you have for today?"
"Nothing. But call Luna to my room tonight, just like that night."
"Go with my son to the elves side this time. If Castell"s negotiations fall apart, kill that Lucia using this poison. She won"t refuse something his majesty gives to her. I"m leaving it in your hands. Kill Lucia. Even better if you can frame up an elf for it."
Freya looked at the small container in front of her in silence……
Glossary
*Flash Marriage = Chinese slang for a marriage between partners who have known each other less than one month
l