Elizabeth got worked up and got up from her chair. Shocked, she exclaimed: "What?! You want to go to the desert now?! Son, you"re a father now! You want to leave now?! You"re going to leave Nier with me and go? Nier won"t say anything but she is definitely hoping for you to stay. Think about your child and your wife!"
I nodded and replied: "I know. Of course I know that. But I have no choice. I don"t want to give up on this matter either. Plus, Nier will be with you. I trust you. You will definitely look after Nier wholeheartedly. I"ve also seen how meticulous you were with Nier"s arrangements so I don"t have to worry, which is why I can go without a worry."
Elizabeth looked at me with a slightly complex gaze. She then sighed and said: "It"s not like that, son. Of course you trust me. You"re my son after all. Nier is also the child I like the most so there definitely won"t be a problem. However, that"s not how you"re supposed to think about this."
Elizabeth looked irritated. She put one leg over the other and rubbed her temples looking extremely irritated. She sighed with an upset and wronged look. I"ve never seen Elizabeth look like that. Her gaze looked particularly complex. She looked like she was wronged and she was suffering like her husband left her. It was like the one that was actually upset was her and not Nier.
I looked at mom and said: "Why? What"s the problem? Nier said she didn"t have an issue with it either. I think that Nier can take care of herself. I don"t want to let this opportunity go to waste for nothing either……"
"Because this is about love!"
Elizabeth tapped on the table and looked at me with a hint of anger. She raised her voice a fair bit: "Son, you can"t think like that. You have to know that to Nier, you are her husband as well as your child"s father. Nier"s ident.i.ty as the princess won"t allow her to stop you, but you"re her husband! You"re her love! A woman doesn"t want anything when she"s pregnant. She doesn"t want a Valkyrie or some maid, but you!"
"Nier……"
Elizabeth slammed her hand on the table hard and then looked at me furiously. She exclaimed: "Nier is a Valkyrie and your princess! She won"t stop you because of this but she"s also a woman, don"t you know that?! No, you don"t! But I understand it! I"m a woman! I get it! You"re the same as your father. Do you still not get it?! Do you not know what I want?! I dreamt of your father a few days ago. I dreamt of my husband. Do you know what a woman wants?! She wants her family!"
She looked at me with her eyes full of tears. Her voice sounded somewhat hoa.r.s.e as she spoke: "What will Nier think if you go and leave your wife behind? Would Nier be able to raise your child in peace? Would she be able to take care of her child in peace? Won"t she miss you? You think you"re the only one who misses her? She"ll miss you! She"ll miss you! You want her to live here in peace because of your problem? What after? And then you"ll go to the north and go missing and have just your ring return?! What do want Nier to do?! What do you want Nier to do?!"
I was speechless. What Lorana said rang in my ear. No one"s fate is safe in the desert. Even Lorana mentioned that it was dangerous. She"s the strongest sword saint on the continent and even she said there was danger, so I"ll be at risk too. It"s not as dangerous as the dragons up north, but I don"t think I"m as powerful as my father either.
This was a repeat of Elizabeth"s past. Elizabeth understood the feeling. History was repeating itself. In the end, she didn"t get to see her husband one last time. Her husband left just like that. Only a ring came back and it wasn"t even with her. She only had his sword and cape.
She felt that history was being repeated. She felt the same fate would befall us again. She wasn"t being wilful or stopping me. She saw Nier as another her right now. That"s why Elizabeth is stopping me right now. Elizabeth was worried about Nier right now.
"You are the prince, and you should deal with this matter. If you hadn"t gotten married yet, and if Nier hadn"t gotten pregnant yet, I don"t care where you go. Nier would be able to accompany you to the desert too. I would be very a.s.sured with the Valkyries" sword instructor accompanying you, but what about now? You"re now Nier"s husband. You"re the father of the child Nier is carrying. What you"re doing is too dangerous! Nier can"t accompany you too, so how do you expect me to feel a.s.sured letting you go? Who else could you bring along that would put me at ease? Freya or Luna? Lucia has already gone to the elven side, so who else left do you have? Mommy has already experienced it once, and there"s no way mommy is going to let Nier go through that same experience even once. Not happening! She"s not the only one worried about you, there"s mommy too! Mommy is worried about you!"
I looked at Elizabeth silently without saying anything. I had no argument for what Elizabeth said. I was indecisive about it to begin with. Now it"s even more impossible for me to make my decision.
How do I protect Nier? But I don"t want to just do nothing like this. I agreed on this with the Lorana. This is also the most crucial matter I need to take care of as the lord of this city. Plus, this is the first large job of this scale I"m carrying out since coming here. I don"t want to give up this opportunity just like this.
Of course I won"t abandon Nier. If Nier needs me, I"ll give up on it without any hesitation. I"ll let go of everything without hesitation just like I hugged her before if she needs me. But… but Nier already said I could go. If I stay, Nier will feel guilty for sure, won"t she? But as Elizabeth pointed out, Nier definitely wants for me to stay to.
"In any case, you no longer are who you were before. Son, you"ve gotten married, but your thinking hasn"t changed at all. Mommy is very disappointed with your rashness this time."
Elizabeth let out a heavy sigh like she had just aged several decades. She stood up and walked to the door. She then softly said: "Son, you"re a husband and a father now. You can"t just think about yourself anymore. You need to think about your family as well. Don"t copy your father. You need to understand that it"s not just your life alone as countless others are also worried for you."
"I understand."
I lowered my head and let out a heavy sigh.
Elizabeth turned her head around, looked at me with a complex expression and said: "Don"t rush this matter too much. Think carefully and then you can decide what you do. Son, grow up a little. Care about the people around you. You are becoming more and more like your father. But don"t copy your father. Your father was also forced to. He had no choice, but no one is forcing you now so don"t do something that would let your family down. You have a family. Do not. Do not neglect your family as your pursue your career. Your family is your real treasure."
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