"Your majesty, you do not need to explain yourself to me since I have no right to stop you from being with any woman."

"I told you, I wasn't doing 'that'. We really were talking business……"

"Then why would she need to strip?!"

I had no response for that…… I could only grab Luna's hand tightly so that she wouldn't run away. Luna didn't resist me. She just continued walked back to the hotel. Though she was saying she wasn't angry, I wasn't convinced in the least. But I really don't want to take the blame for this because we really didn't do anything!

Surely Luna is using her jealousy in the wrong place!  Elves may be very jealous but they do have their criterion. To be fair, Luna isn't my wife so she shouldn't be getting jealous over me……

"Luna, you have to believe me. I honestly didn't do anything. You have to believe me. We really only talked business. As for the stripping part. I would never ask a girl I just met to strip. You have to believe me. I can only say that it's one of this city's lord's techniques for negotiations I guess……"

We stood in front of the hotel. Luna listened to my desperate explanation and then sighed heavily. She then said: "I feel like the question is: why are you so foolish when it comes to this sort of stuff? I am not really angry since I have no right to be angry about this, and I know you, your majesty. You are not that sort of person. I can only say that I stood outside all night, yet you did not bother with me, and when I happened to open the door, I saw that scene and therefore pouted a little. So you do not have to explain yourself to me so anxiously. If you want to explain yourself, you should go and explain yourself to Miss Nier and Miss Lucia."

I let out a sigh of relief. I then pressed my hands on Luna's shoulders and nervously asked: "Luna, will you tell Nier and Lucia?"

Luna smirked and replied: "Your majesty, since you don't feel guilty, why would I need to tell Miss Nier and Miss Lucia about it? Were you not discussing business? If you were indeed discussing business, Miss Nier and Miss Lucia would be able to understand you."

"I beg you, please never tell Nier and Lucia……"

"So you were guilty after all!"

"This is about the less trouble the better!! This is… this is……"

Seeing my distressful state, Luna finally couldn't help but smile. She covered her mouth and started giggling. I looked at her hopelessly. She shook her head and said: "It is alright, your majesty. I will not tell Miss Nier and Miss Lucia. However…… can you hug me? You are seriously…… I already sent you hints, but you still did not understand."

I smiled and pulled Luna into my arms. Luna wrapped her arms around my waist and brushed her head gently on my chest. She then closed her eyes peacefully and gently asked: "Your majesty, you only have me by your side now, so could you treat me the way you treat Miss Nier and Miss Lucia?"

I stroked her back while I held her gently and softly replied: "Only when there is no one around since if the guards caught us…… Ah……"

I felt Luna's arms around me suddenly stiffen up so I turned my head around and saw Lorana holding a paper bag looking at us with interest. When she noticed us looking at her, she waved her hand and brushed it off: "It's alright, just ignore me. I didn't see anything. I don't care about your private life either, your majesty. Inard whom I taught was the same after all, wasn't he?"

"I… I!"

Why am I so unlucky?! I got busted every time I was with a girl today! What, am I supposed to bribe big sis next?!

"Umm.. uhh… we… we……"

I stuttered as I looked for my words. But then Lorana walked over and patted me on my shoulder. She then looked at me with an "I get it' gaze. She said: "It's fine, it's fine, I can understand. I can understand. Luna is gentle and cute after all, plus she's your personal servant. I can understand if sparks fly. But do not get her pregnant, or else…… Lucia will be very angry…… When an elf gets angry about this stuff… they're seriously frightening."

Luna looked at the ground with a lonely look and then muttered: "I won't. I cannot have children. His majesty is aware of this. I also have no plans of becoming part of his majesty's family. His majesty is both my saviour and my reason to live. I will do anything for his majesty no matter what the cost."

I looked at Luna but didn't know what to say. I sympathised with Luna. My feelings for Luna are so complicated I don't know how to describe them properly either. I'd be lying if I said I don't like her, but I don't have a desire to marry her. But then my feelings for Luna aren't the same as my feelings for Freya.

I don't know what my feelings for her are myself. I just want to keep her by my side forever. I don't want to let her go.

"Is that right……?" Lorana paused for a bit then looked up at the sky and said, "The guards are going to get up any moment now. Your majesty, you two go on back first. The lord must have told you something last night, right? Let's talk about the details in your room."

Luna and I broke up. Luna patted her clothes. Lorana walked into the hotel. I turned my head around to look at Luna. I stretched my hand out and said: "Let's go, Luna. Let's head back."

Luna froze up for a second and then nodded before wiping the corners of her eyes. She took my hand and with a smile said: "Alright, your majesty. Let us head back."

When we returned to my room, Lorana had a very simple breakfast ready. I had an apple for breakfast while she had her breakfast next to me. She listened to me recount the meeting with the lord, but for the sake of making it sound reasonable and believable, I left out the part about her stripping.

"I see…… This is no longer about searching for the mine anymore." Lorana then did some thinking to herself and then elaborated, "Your majesty, it looks like everyone knows where the mine is. Since the lords would be know more about their territories than anyone else, it's impossible for them to not know such a mine appeared in their territory. So it must be in that no-man's land area. If that's the case, we've narrowed down the search perimeter a fair bit. However, that also means that it's going to be a death match."

"Yeah."

I nodded. A sea and sky of sand, bloodthirsty jackals and people who are putting their life on the line for wealth. It's essentially the arena for a game of death. I don't know how b.l.o.o.d.y and terrifying it is in there. I believe that humanity's character will be tested to the max in that lawless area with no one managing it.

It will be a man-made h.e.l.l in there.

But even if it is h.e.l.l, I'll cross the sea and sky of sand because I'm the same as them. I'm here to put my life on the line for that mine. I have no reason to be afraid or turn tail because we have the same thing to gain. Hence, I shall eliminate everyone in my way.

  l