Book 14: Chapter 32
I lowered my head and gave Vera a kiss on her forehead. She grabbed my face with her tiny hand. It was my first time seeing her smile so brightly. She desperately tried to kiss my face as I did to her. I picked her up. She moved her face close to mine and licked me. She then giggled as she hugged me.
Nona and Daisy, who were on the other side, watched me anxiously while making a scene for me to hold them. I noticed myself smiling brightly. Lucia sat to one side and watched me hold the girls whilst wearing a consoled smile herself. She softly said, “The girls really missed you. I couldn’t tell them where you were, so I could only comfort them. They couldn’t understand me, though; hence, they kept crying and making a ruckus…”
After a moment of lingering, I placed Daisy down and went over to Lucia’s side. I hugged her and she docilely leaned onto my chest. Daisy looked in our direction and shrieked, while Nona tried to reach us with all her might. Vera then began to cry. Lucia paused for a moment then got up to walk over to Vera. She wiped away Vera’s tears and softly laughed: “You hungry, Vera?”
Vera tugged on Lucia’s collar. Lucia undid her shirt with a smile and carried her back to my side. I noticed Vera flash a smug look at her sisters. Nona and Daisy looked stunned. I was utterly shocked. Vera took her time suckling.
“She’s not hungry at all! Wow… I can’t believe you’re aware of all this when you’re still just a kid… Vera is seriously frightening…” I realised.
I asked, “Lucia, what exactly happened in the palace? Why did I see such a large statue at Troy City made from pure gold? Who gave the order? I don’t believe Freya gave the order. Freya would never do something that foolish. Who was it? Who is the current ruler of the North?”
Lucia’s expression looked grim. She tried to find the words, but her expression turned grimmer, thereby worrying me.
“What exactly happened in the North? What’s going on in the palace?” I asked myself.
Nothing looked out of place in the Imperial Palace. I noticed the guards around me were still the same as usual. They still obeyed my commands, while the others didn’t seem to have changed. They were as calm as though nothing ever happened, but the statue at Troy City told me something happened. Otherwise, the people around me couldn’t possibly do such a thing!