Editor: Areth Kyntaul

"Your Majesty, it's almost night time. Just where did Lucia run off too?"

"Her traces vanished here."

I looked at the compa.s.s that had now become a normal compa.s.s and sighed.

The compa.s.s only reacts to Lucia when she has the mana of the wind-elves, which means that she's exhausted it. She didn't control her usage of the wind-elves mana when she's here in a foreign land. It looks like Lucia has lost all rationality. She might do something reckless. I do believe there's a chance she might commit suicide.

I was, therefore, even more anxious now.

We've already run around in the forest for a long while. We saw a part of Lucia's clothes once recently, but the wind-elves' buffs made her so quick that we lost her. We don't know if we're headed in the right direction now, so we can only try our luck. We should be able to catch up soon.

Lucia can't run too far without the wind-elves' buff.

Nier and I continued to ride forwards. However, because the trees grew so closely together, we had no way of going as fast as we potentially could.

Lucia is still a normal elf, at the end of the day. Even without the buffs from the wind-elves, she would still be moving through the forest extremely quickly.

I looked ahead and then spoke out to Nier beside me, "Nier, I have something I want to ask you."

Nier nodded and then replied, "Ask me whatever you want, dear."

I must say, when Nier calls me "dear", her soft voice carries a coquettish hint which is totally different to her usual ice-cold demeanour. It warmed my heart every time I heard it.

I asked, "Nier, can you really accept Lucia? I mean as in without considering my order. Would you run away, like Lucia?"

Nier replied decisively, "No."

I choked at her response.

Nier went up to my side and extended her hand to hold my arm. She said, "I went through so much and tried so hard to be able to be by your side, so how could possibly bear to leave? I'm not Lucia. I wasn't by your side from the beginning. You and Lucia have acc.u.mulated your love over the years, while I don't have anything; I won't leave. Lucia can get mad with you, but I don't dare to."

I smiled helplessly and reached my hand out to grab Nier's arm. I let her know, "I love you, Nier. Maybe it's a little late for me to say that to you. But I liked you from the beginning. I always thought you were really cool. Seeing your silhouette from behind makes me really want to make things a reality and gives me a sense of yearning. When will I be able to be as decisive as you? Nier, in the future, if you feel that I'm not doing well or if you feel that I favour Lucia more than you, you can be mad with me. You can argue with me, but just don't leave me."

"Alright dear… But I have faith in you. I believe that you will love me equally." Nier giggled softly as she leaned her face over towards me, so I gently kissed her on her cheek. Nier giggled softly again and sat back properly. However, her smile then instantly vanished and she drew her sword.

She shouted toward the source of the rustling sound in the forest in a commandeering voice, "Who's there?! Come out! Before you is the prince of the Rosvenor Empire, His Majesty, Prince Troy! What are you plotting?!"

I tugged on my reins, and Nier rode forward in front of me. She kicked her horse stirrups off so that she could dismount and engage in combat at any time.

A few soldiers carrying guns came out from the rustling bushes. All of them wore expressions of relief and replied, "Your Majesty! We are very sorry!! We do not intend to commit treason. A female elf just pa.s.sed by and she attacked us when we tried to stop her… She killed a few of our men. We were really worried if…"

"What was that?! An elf?!"

My body trembled. I shouted, "What did she look like?!"

"Mm… short hair… green eyes, dressed in tight clothing, and she had a bag with a wedding dress… But she might be executed by now…"

The troops tried to recall it, but I rode off toward the rear of their camp before they finished. It looks like Lucia is taking her anger out on the human soldiers.

Nier shouted, "You b.a.s.t.a.r.ds! That's His Majesty's wife, yet you dared to attack her?!"

"What?! What?! We… we didn't know that!"

I didn't pay any attention to what they said. I was occupied with hurrying over to the simple fortress ahead. I rode as fast as I could and jumped over the barricades in front.

The gate-guards got startled and rushed over with their spears.

I kicked them away with my horse and rushed to the square in the centre. Lucia was tied up and pressed to the ground there.

An individual who looked like an officer raised his sword up high aiming at Lucia's neck!!

"Stop!!" I rode over and kicked the officer flying with my horse.

The guards around were shocked. They picked up their rifles and pointed them at Lucia and me. "Intruder!! Intruder!! Prepare to fire! Fire!!" They shouted.

Nier held her sword up high when she reached the gate and killed the gate guards. She then knocked over a few troops and rushed out in front of me to shout, "Before you is the prince of the Rosvenor Empire, Prince Troy Galadriel Rosvenor!! All those who aim their weapons at His Majesty will be treated as criminals for treason! You will be killed with no mercy!!"

I ripped off my cape aggressively and threw it onto the ground which showed the royal family's glorious coat of arms and b.u.t.tons under the light.

The troops looked at me with utter astonishment, not knowing what to do while still holding their guns.

I looked at the troops and shouted at the top of my lungs, "This woman before you is my wife!! Not only did you tie her up, but you even tried to kill her! Are you revolting?!"

I have no idea how ugly my expression looked at the time. The troops looked at me. The captain's lips trembled. His face was white as a sheet from fright.

I looked at them and shouted, "I am Prince Troy Galadriel Rosvenor, prince of the empire. How dare you stand there with your weapons?! Are you rebelling?! Get down on your knees!!"

The troops swiftly tossed their weapons onto the ground, knelt down, and shouted, "We are very sorry, Your Majesty!!"

The officer that I kicked flying away wobbled as he stood up. His legs were trembling terribly from fear.

I dismounted and ignored him. I walked over to Lucia, removed the black bag over her head and untied her. Seeing the wounds on her face made my heart ache.

She was in a hazy state and looked at me in a daze.

"Which one of you hit her?"

I placed Lucia down, turned around and scanned them with an ice-cold gaze.

All of them quaked in their boots. Not one dared to say a word. I picked up the officer's sword and stabbed it deep into the ground, shouting, "I asked you a question! Who hit her?! I'll kill all of you if I don't get a reply!! Who hit her?! Step out! You don't have the guts to own up after hitting her, is that right?! If you don't step out, I'm going to kill everyone here!!"

Nier drew her sword and looked at them with a cold gaze.

The troops trembled. A few of them crawled over to my feet and cried, "Your Majesty! We… we were the ones who got attacked!! We…"

I kicked his head and gave the rest of them a kick. I exclaimed, "That's your punishment! Lucia was wrong first, but you hit her without questioning her first. I'm very mad right now, got it?!"

"Your Majesty!! The elf… the elf!"

A few troops jumped up and shouted.

I turned around and saw Lucia stagger away.

She was running toward the forest. Is she still not willing to be with me?

I tossed the sword in my hand down and commanded, "Nier, you stay here. No one is to enter the forest without my permission."

"Understood."

Nier looked at me with a complex gaze and nodded.

I picked up my cape from the ground and gave chase.

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