Chapter 31

　　“Son… There’s no point in you waiting here . You can’t help Lucia . ”

　　 I raised my head up in a hazy state from Lucia’s bed . I turned around to see Mommy Vyvyan holding a small bottle in her hand . She sighed . “I am not willing to acknowledge what Father said, but what he said was true, my dear son . Lucia doesn’t have enough mana to nurture the child in her body . ”

　　 “Are you saying that this is the same for all elves? Are you saying that she can’t raise a child just because of her background? If that was the case, why did you want for me to marry Lucia in the first place?”

　　 Vyvyan sighed . She then walked up behind me and softly replied, “I never supported your marriage with her from the start . Your child with Lucia is a violation of the Galadriel’s tribe to begin with . Son, you should marry somebody with the same lineage superiority as you . That way, you will be able to give birth to a normal child; even I would do . This is how we elves have continued to reproduce and survive until now . Elves encourage free love, but those romances may never come to fruition . That’s why the integrity of elven mana has been able to be maintained . ”

　　 I turned my head around to look at Vyvyan . I smiled helplessly . “This is the first time I’ve felt elves were such cruel creatures . Two people loving each other, and yet they can’t be together . And the reason that they can’t be together isn’t because of their family backgrounds, but because of lineages and mana stopping them from having children!”

　　 Vyvyan sighed . She handed me the bottle in her hand . “This is the elven spring water . You can get Lucia to wake up for a while by using this pure elven mana . However, she can only stay awake for a while, as the child will instantly absorb virtually all of the mana . ”

　　 “Mom, I want to know something . ” I took the bottle . I looked at Vyvyan . “Who exactly does this child belong to?”

　　 Vyvyan froze She kept silent for a long while . She lowered her head and interlocked her fingers . She didn’t answer my question . However, that was the equivalent of answering my question . I sighed feeling hopeless . “It’s not your fault, mom . It’s not your fault . I’m very grateful that you helped Lucia and I and put up with my wilful desires . ”

　　 I reached my arm out to hug Vyvyan . She wrapped her arms around me gently . She rested her head on my shoulder . I could feel her shaking a little . She hugged me and softly replied, “It’s all right . It’s all right, my son . It’s all right, my dear son . I’m your mom . Mommy will protect you no matter what you do, when or what you want to do . Mommy will always protect you . ”

　　 I stroked mom’s back . “Uhm, Mom . Mom, I want to take Lucia away . ”

　　 “Where to? Troy City or the North? Troy City is situated in humanity’s lands . There is no mana there . The temperatures in the North are extreme . Where do you want to take Lucia to?” asked Mom, with a sigh . She then shook her head . “Lucia can’t go anywhere until she gives birth . She must stay here, for this place is closest to the elven spring and has the highest level of mana . She requires the elven spring water to stay alive . I know that you want to keep Lucia by your side, but you can’t take her away . ”

　　 “I’ll stay here by her side, then . I’ll stay here, no matter how long it takes . The North has Freya, while Troy City will be secure and sound . Even if something does happen to it, I won’t return . The entire world can’t compare to my Lucia . ”

　　“I’ll stay here by her side, then . I’ll stay here, no matter how long it takes . The North has Freya, while Troy City will be secure and sound . Even if something does happen to it, I won’t return . The entire world can’t compare to my Lucia . ”

　　 I walked up to Lucia’s side and gently raised her head . I carefully poured the elven spring water into her mouth . I supported her head as I poured the liquid that was now Lucia’s life force in .

　　 “Your… Highness…”

　　 “Lucia!”

　　 “I… knew… it was you…” muttered Lucia, accompanying it with a soft giggle . She couldn’t turn her head, but she tried to hold my hand with her powerless hands . She shut her eyes . “Because… only you… only you… would be… so gentle with me…”

　　 “It’s all right . It’s all right now, Lucia . I’m here with you . I’m back . I’m here with you . I’m fine . I’m right at your side . ”

　　 I tightly hugged Lucia’s powerless body . Lucia leaned on me with a blissful look . She opened her eyes to look at me . “That’s great . I am glad you are here . I am glad you are here…”

　　 I tightly hugged Lucia’s powerless body . Lucia leaned on me with a blissful look . She opened her eyes to look at me . “That’s great . I am glad you are here . I am glad you are here…”

　　 “I won’t leave again . I’ll stay by your side until you’re okay . I won’t leave your side . I promise you that I’ll always stay by your side . I won’t leave you . I promise!”

　　 “Uhm… Your Highness… I believe you… With you by my side…, I feel much more rea.s.sured… rea.s.sured…”

　　 Lucia head was a little shaky on my chest . She smiled blissfully . We interlocked our fingers on one hand while I stroked her belly with my other . I quietly and gently recounted my experiences in the North . However, I didn’t mention anything about Ling Yue to avoid aggravating her .

　　 Lucia silently listened to me in my arms with a rea.s.sured and blissful smile . She didn’t say anything, but her hand tightly holding onto mine told me everything .

　　 I don’t know how long I spoke for or when she fell asleep . When I noticed she had fallen asleep, she was already deep asleep, with her short hair sprawled on my chest . She didn’t release my hand, nevertheless .

　　 I smiled, and then placed her back down . I then pulled the blanket over for her . I looked at her forehead and gave her a gentle kiss on her lips . “Goodnight, Lucia . ”

　　 I don’t know how long I spoke for or when she fell asleep . When I noticed she had fallen asleep, she was already deep asleep, with her short hair sprawled on my chest . She didn’t release my hand, nevertheless .

　　 I smiled, and then placed her back down . I then pulled the blanket over for her . I looked at her forehead and gave her a gentle kiss on her lips . “Goodnight, Lucia . ”

　　 I didn’t leave despite saying goodnight . Instead, I sat back down and held her hand . I sat there and looked at her face in silence .

　　 ‘I said I wouldn’t leave, so I won’t . I want to stay here by her side . Lucia beared with all of this while I was away . She beared with all this pain with her small body, yet didn’t shed a tear in front of me . I’m here by her side now, so I want to protect her from her side . ’

　　 ‘Nier doesn’t need me to stay at her side . She’s very well . Lucia is too understanding, so she never asked me to stay by her side . I’m her husband, though . I made an oath, saying that we would never separate when we got married, and we still don’t want to separate from each other . ’

　　 ‘And so, I will not let any harm befall Lucia . I will not let harm befall our child . I will stay by Lucia’s side until she can take the initiative to embrace me . ’

　　 “Son… There’s no point in you waiting here . You can’t help Lucia . ”. I raised my head up in a hazy state from Lucia’s bed . I turned around to see Mommy Vyvyan holding a small bottle in her hand . She sighed . “I am not willing to acknowledge what Father said, but what he said was true, my dear son . Lucia doesn’t have enough mana to nurture the child in her body . ”. “Are you saying that this is the same for all elves? Are you saying that she can’t raise a child just because of her background? If that was the case, why did you want for me to marry Lucia in the first place?”. Vyvyan sighed . She then walked up behind me and softly replied, “I never supported your marriage with her from the start . Your child with Lucia is a violation of the Galadriel’s tribe to begin with . Son, you should marry somebody with the same lineage superiority as you . That way, you will be able to give birth to a normal child; even I would do . This is how we elves have continued to reproduce and survive until now . Elves encourage free love, but those romances may never come to fruition . That’s why the integrity of elven mana has been able to be maintained . ”. I turned my head around to look at Vyvyan . I smiled helplessly . “This is the first time I’ve felt elves were such cruel creatures . Two people loving each other, and yet they can’t be together . And the reason that they can’t be together isn’t because of their family backgrounds, but because of lineages and mana stopping them from having children!”. Vyvyan sighed . She handed me the bottle in her hand . “This is the elven spring water . You can get Lucia to wake up for a while by using this pure elven mana . However, she can only stay awake for a while, as the child will instantly absorb virtually all of the mana . ”. “Mom, I want to know something . ” I took the bottle . I looked at Vyvyan . “Who exactly does this child belong to?”. Vyvyan froze She kept silent for a long while . She lowered her head and interlocked her fingers . She didn’t answer my question . However, that was the equivalent of answering my question . I sighed feeling hopeless . “It’s not your fault, mom . It’s not your fault . I’m very grateful that you helped Lucia and I and put up with my wilful desires . ”. I reached my arm out to hug Vyvyan . She wrapped her arms around me gently . She rested her head on my shoulder . I could feel her shaking a little . She hugged me and softly replied, “It’s all right . It’s all right, my son . It’s all right, my dear son . I’m your mom . Mommy will protect you no matter what you do, when or what you want to do . Mommy will always protect you . ”. I stroked mom’s back . “Uhm, Mom . Mom, I want to take Lucia away . ”. “Where to? Troy City or the North? Troy City is situated in humanity’s lands . There is no mana there . The temperatures in the North are extreme . Where do you want to take Lucia to?” asked Mom, with a sigh . She then shook her head . “Lucia can’t go anywhere until she gives birth . She must stay here, for this place is closest to the elven spring and has the highest level of mana . She requires the elven spring water to stay alive . I know that you want to keep Lucia by your side, but you can’t take her away . ”. “I’ll stay here by her side, then . I’ll stay here, no matter how long it takes . The North has Freya, while Troy City will be secure and sound . Even if something does happen to it, I won’t return . The entire world can’t compare to my Lucia . ”. I walked up to Lucia’s side and gently raised her head . I carefully poured the elven spring water into her mouth . I supported her head as I poured the liquid that was now Lucia’s life force in “Your… Highness…”. “Lucia!”. “I… knew… it was you…” muttered Lucia, accompanying it with a soft giggle . She couldn’t turn her head, but she tried to hold my hand with her powerless hands . She shut her eyes . “Because… only you… only you… would be… so gentle with me…”. “It’s all right . It’s all right now, Lucia . I’m here with you . I’m back . I’m here with you . I’m fine . I’m right at your side . ”. I tightly hugged Lucia’s powerless body . Lucia leaned on me with a blissful look . She opened her eyes to look at me . “That’s great . I am glad you are here . I am glad you are here…”. “I won’t leave again . I’ll stay by your side until you’re okay . I won’t leave your side . I promise you that I’ll always stay by your side . I won’t leave you . I promise!”. “Uhm… Your Highness… I believe you… With you by my side…, I feel much more rea.s.sured… rea.s.sured…”. Lucia head was a little shaky on my chest . She smiled blissfully . We interlocked our fingers on one hand while I stroked her belly with my other . I quietly and gently recounted my experiences in the North . However, I didn’t mention anything about Ling Yue to avoid aggravating her Lucia silently listened to me in my arms with a rea.s.sured and blissful smile . She didn’t say anything, but her hand tightly holding onto mine told me everything I don’t know how long I spoke for or when she fell asleep . When I noticed she had fallen asleep, she was already deep asleep, with her short hair sprawled on my chest . She didn’t release my hand, nevertheless I smiled, and then placed her back down . I then pulled the blanket over for her . I looked at her forehead and gave her a gentle kiss on her lips . “Goodnight, Lucia . ”. I didn’t leave despite saying goodnight . Instead, I sat back down and held her hand . I sat there and looked at her face in silence ‘I said I wouldn’t leave, so I won’t . I want to stay here by her side . Lucia beared with all of this while I was away . She beared with all this pain with her small body, yet didn’t shed a tear in front of me . I’m here by her side now, so I want to protect her from her side . ’. ‘Nier doesn’t need me to stay at her side . She’s very well . Lucia is too understanding, so she never asked me to stay by her side . I’m her husband, though . I made an oath, saying that we would never separate when we got married, and we still don’t want to separate from each other . ’. ‘And so, I will not let any harm befall Lucia . I will not let harm befall our child . I will stay by Lucia’s side until she can take the initiative to embrace me . ’.