Book 15: Chapter 6
Lucia held Nona and gave her daughter a kiss on her face. Nona looked at the empty spot next to her mom with a somewhat sad look; she was on the verge of tears. Lucia tightened her hold on Nona just slightly. Next to her ear, Lucia told Nona, “It’s okay; it’s okay, Nona. Dad will be back soon. Dad will definitely be back. Don’t worry. Don’t worry, Nona. Dad will come back to us. He definitely will.”
Lucia placed Nona and Vera in the spot next to her. Vera rolled over and crawled over. The girls didn’t dare to cry after Lucia lashed out last time. The only time Lucia ever lashed out was because they mentioned their father and cried. Nona and Vera learnt they couldn’t anger their mom. Therefore, the two of them lied there as if they were lying in their dad’s arms.
Lucia blankly looked at the way her daughters laid in her husband’s spot. Her voice was hoarse. She caressed her daughters’ heads and let out a long sigh to suppress her tears that wanted to burst forth. She stood up and went to the door. That was when she saw Nier at her door, wiping her tears. Lucia was surprised to see Nier at her room. Nier violently quivered; she did her best to wipe her tears away, but she couldn’t hide the fact that her eyes were moist.
“Nier…” uttered Lucia.
Nier gave a muffled response. She sniffled then covered her face. Voice soft, she said, “Daisy… Looking at the way Daisy is searching for her dad in tears… I really… can’t bear it… I would rather bear with another dozen years of training than watch my daughter wailing and crying for her dad.”
Lucia understood the pain. She couldn’t bear with it and thundered at the girls before. Lucia pursed her lips and softly responded, “He’ll be back; he’ll definitely come back. His Highness will definitely come back. His Highness has never let me down. He’ll return to our sides, because he promised us. He has never disappointed me.”
Nier wiped her eyes, and then took in a deep breath. In a hoarse voice, she replied, “I really shouldn’t have stayed here. I would rather climb mountains and cross oceans to find him. I’d rather overcome all obstacles and die with him than stay here. This is so painful. I can’t bear with this feeling. It’s too painful, too agonising. I dream of him every night. I dream of him walking away and me futilely trying to catch up to him… I can’t bear with it anymore. I really can’t bear with it anymore. I really want to go and find him…”
Lucia gave her a serious nod. She couldn’t be any more familiar with that feeling; she felt it in the past. She wanted to quit on countless occasions while in the Shadow Squad. She wanted to return to the side of the man she loved, but she knew she couldn’t be by his side once she gave up. When she thought of him at night, the memories felt akin to a horde of ants gnawing at her heart. The pain and torment was difficult to forget. That was exactly how Nier felt. Lucia had been freed from that torment, as she had faith in her husband. She believed he would return to her side, and therefore didn’t suffer as much compared to Nier.
Lucia took in a deep breath: “The only thing we can do is wait. Nier, believe in him. Believe in my Prince. My Prince has never let me down, and I’m sure that will be the case this time, too. Everything will be well once my husband returns. There won’t be any more painful separations again.”