Lucia looked at me feeling slightly puzzled, “Your Highness, do you have time today?”

I nodded, “Lucia, come for a walk with me, just the two of us . Nier has to go for a check-up today . We haven’t gone out together in a long time, have we?”

Lucia paused for a moment then revealed a happy smile . She wrapped her arm around mine and replied, “Okay, okay, let’s go . Your Highness, let’s go out for a walk! I haven’t taken a good look around Troy City, yet . Let’s go, let’s go, Your Highness! Ah… Sorry… I might have to call you King soon…”

I pinched her face . Lucia giggled quietly then hugged my arm . We left together .

Lucia and I have been apart for a long time .

‘How long has it been since we’ve gone out to play?’

‘I remember going out every day  on carefree strolls with Lucia when I just arrived here . I’d meet Mera, too . Thinking back on it, it feels as though those days of leisure never existed . ’

The streets of Troy City are very similar to the Imperial Capital . Perhaps Vyvyan used her Imperial Capital as a reference when she created them . This business street made us feel as though we had returned to the elven Imperial Capital, Durgana . Lucia scanned the surrounding stores with lots of curiosity; she breathed in the sweet air as the two of us slowly walked through the street . We didn’t have any goal .

We leave our next destination to where our feet bring us, just as we did in the past .

“Your Highness…”

Lucia hugged my arm and softly continued, “I miss Durgana a little now…”

I turned my head to see Lucia with her face down . I touched her long ears and softly responded, “Me, too . I want to go back and see it, too . I haven’t been back in a long time . I miss the elven lands . Lucia, I have to make a trip back there very soon . Come with me when I return . ”

“Will we still come back out?”

“Your Highness… I… I really… don’t want to continue this way…The incident last time, honestly, scared me . I never imagined that there would be someone who would attack you in the Royal Palace… Your Highness… let’s go home, okay…? I really don’t… . want for you to continue staying outside…”

I looked at Lucia’s gaze without saying anything .

Lucia is the one who’s most supportive of me . Lucia knows me more compared to Nier and supports me more . Lucia never even asks for my reasons regardless of what I do . Sometimes, she doesn’t even need to ask me to know what I want to do . Lucia grew up with me, so we have chemistry . She unconditionally supports me and has never stopped me .

This time, however, she was genuinely scared .

‘Perhaps seeing Luna’s corpse frightened her . Perhaps seeing the state I was in

in that night frightened her . ’

‘Whatever the case, this was the first time Lucia begged me to not leave the elven lands . ’

Truthfully, I could do that . I could go along with Mommy Vyvyan’s plan and successfully become the Elven King . If I was willing to, I could handle the politic affairs myself . If I wanted to slack off, I could dump it all on Mom . None of the elves intend to revolt . Due to my lineage and mana, they didn’t oppose me succeeding the throne . I could lead a peaceful life with Lucia in Durgana, sneaking out and strolling on the streets without a worry every day . Such a life wouldn’t carry any dangers with it . There’d be no ambitions, either . As long as I stayed with my wives and mom peacefully, my life would be safe and sound .

The elven side is forever my haven . No matter how b.l.o.o.d.y and turbulent the outside world is, it couldn’t pierce the barrier known as the forest . It couldn’t break through Vyvyan’s protection for me . Mommy Vyvyan has protected me for over ten years, leading to me being under the impression that the world outside was all flowers and roses until now .

When I return to the elven side, it’s harmonious as always .

‘But why do I refuse to return? Why? ‘

‘My heart desires to continue travelling outside, continuing on forever despite the rivers of blood and myself being covered in wounds .

. I’ve already given up so much . If I leave now, Luna and Mera will be very disappointed, won’t they?’

I clenched my teeth . I didn’t dare to look at Lucia . I, instead, looked ahead toward the end of the blue-stone street and softly replied, “Lucia, I might not return . ”

Lucia didn’t say another word . She, instead, tightly hugged my arm . I didn’t dare to look at her, while she didn’t say another word . She just stuck to my arm . We stood in the middle of the street . We didn’t eat anything or buy anything this time . Instead, we were silent right from the start .

“It’s all right, Your Highness…”

A moment after, Lucia looked as though she wiped her eyes then looked up at me . I looked back at her and saw her tough-as-steel determination in her gaze . She smiled and continued, “It’s all right, Your Highness . I will always support you and always protect you… I just hope that you can rest for a bit during the few months that I can’t protect you . After that, I will stay by your side wherever you go . If you are in danger, I will protect you!”

I looked at Lucia’s small face . I looked at her eyes full of determination and love for me . I couldn’t resist hugging her tightly and giving her a firm kiss on her lips .

Lucia moaned softly then closed her eyes to respond to my

respond to my kiss . She tightly hugged me back .

‘I think that our child in her belly is getting crushed…’

Lucia affectionately kissed me . She even exuded the unique scent she exudes on full-moon nights .

‘Is it because she’s pregnant? Why does it feel that Lucia is getting a little Nier-fied…?’

Lucia released me . She wiped my lips, and then earnestly said, “I will protect you… I promise!”

“I believe you . I believe you, Lucia; however, let me protect you in the future, as well… I don’t possess any combat specialities, but I’ll do my best to provide you and our child with a peaceful environment . I’ll make everyone bow down to me . I won’t let there be another betrayal, like that!”

Lucia looked at me . She clasped my face gently and softly responded, “I trust you . I trust… my husband…  I’ll look after myself properly… In the future, I will definitely protect you… I won’t let you be in that sort of danger again, and I won’t… leave you . ”

“Ah… I’m glad to hear that… I’m glad… Lucia… I love you very much… I really, really love you . ”

Lucia hugged me tightly . She lightly rested her head on my chest, stroked my hand gently and tenderly said, “Me, too . Me, too, my husband… My only loved one…”

I stroked her cheek and with a smile, said, “Let’s go, Lucia . Let’s take a carefree stroll around as we did in the Imperial Capital . ”

“Uhm! Let’s go, Your Highness . ”