Chapter 75

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Two Skies
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Lucy hesitated for a moment at his gesture, which seemed to invite her into his arms. She then sat awkwardly on his thigh and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Walter lifted her with his left arm and grabbed the railing with his right hand. Then, as if leaping over a low wall, he vaulted over the balcony and landed in the garden.

The monstrous strength to lift a grown woman with one arm, the casual act of leaping from a second-floor balcony—anyone else would have been horrified, but Lucy simply focused on holding his neck, her expression serene.

*Well, it's not like this is the first or second time.*

She had grown quite used to being carried in one arm like a piece of luggage, leaping over walls and rocks.

“It's just past the forest. Please let me know if you feel cold.”

Feeling the thin lace of her dress fluttering against his thigh, Walter worried she might catch a cold and tightened the cloak he had draped over her.

The rustling of leaves, the crunch of footsteps, and the chirping of insects blended into an autumn night's symphony. After walking through the undergrowth for some time, they reached a place that was somewhere between a lake and a pond, where Walter finally set Lucy down.

“Wow…”

In the heart of the forest, consumed by darkness, the Milky Way of the night sky was perfectly reflected on the pitch-black surface of the water, where not a single ray of light fell.

At the fantastical sight, which made it seem as if there were two skies, Lucy let out an involuntary gasp of admiration.

“It's beautiful… I can't tell where the ground ends and the sky begins.”

She bent down and dipped her fingers into the pond. Ripples spread out in concentric circles, causing the night sky reflected below to shimmer and sway, creating a mystical scene that blurred the line between reality and illusion.

“How did you find a place like this?”

“I discovered it while scouting for tactical training grounds. It seems to be unknown to others.”

Walter, who had been looking down at the lake, turned and scanned the surrounding forest. Spotting something, he tapped Lucy on the shoulder.

Lucy, who was splashing the water with both hands, stood up and turned around. She saw Walter approaching a tree stump, beckoning with his hand.

She looked where his hand was pointing and saw something emitting a small, blinking light float up into the air.

“Is that…”

As if mesmerized, she stepped closer, her eyes following the trajectory of the light.

The tiny creature blinked on and off, revealing its position with a captivating glow.

“It's a firefly.”

The moment the words escaped her lips, Walter raised a finger to his own, then carefully grasped the sword at his waist.

Just as she sensed a blue light—the sign of sword energy—shimmer around the scabbard, the firefly hovering in the air froze in place. Walter reached out, parting the suspended moment in time, and gently caught the motionless firefly.

“Your Majesty. Your hand.”

Walter, cradling the firefly as gently as a baby bird, transferred it to Lucy's open palm.

Not knowing what to do, Lucy cupped her hands together, enclosing the firefly. Once it was completely covered, Walter released his grip on his sword.

“Oh… my gosh! Wow, it's sparkling between my fingers!”

Peeking at the firefly through the gaps in her fingers, Lucy looked up at Walter with a broad smile.

Beneath his black hair, which seemed to cascade like shattered starlight, his jet-black eyes held a boyish smile that belied their ominous color. His gently curved eyes were fixed on Lucy, and a low whisper brushed past her ear.

“Slowly open your hands.”

As she uncupped her hands, the firefly, which had been lying on her palm, stirred and righted itself.

Then, buzzing its tiny wings, it began to fly toward the sky at a very slow pace.

Its blinking grew more frequent, the yellow light appearing and disappearing several times. Watching the light that had started in her hand slowly ascend into the sky, Lucy unconsciously parted her lips.

Against the backdrop of the star-strewn Milky Way, a single, brighter light naturally blended in among the stars.

“Walter. Did you see that?”

“Yes.”

*It was like a star taking flight.*

Lucy mumbled to herself, then asked in a thick voice.

“…Did you bring me all the way here just to show me this?”

Walter paused before speaking in a hesitant tone.

“Yes. Well… to be honest, ever since you said you were coming to the Southern Command, I thought you might like this place, so I planned to bring you here.”

His tender words made her feel a lump in her throat.

She felt as if the stardust in the sky was showering down upon her heart. Lost for words, she looked up at the sky and answered as if letting the words slip out.

“It's lovely. I don't think I've ever seen a view this beautiful.”

Her moved whisper was entirely sincere, without a hint of falsehood.

The world's oldest castle, the most magnificent palace, the grandest ballroom.

Ruins built five thousand years ago, and the mountains and seas considered the most beautiful on the continent.

She had seen so many sights, but none had ever stirred such a quiet, profound emotion in her as this one.

*In truth, the scenery itself might not be that special.*

“I have been here many times, but it feels particularly special today. Perhaps having you here by my side makes it seem all the more beautiful.”

Perhaps it was his low, smiling voice that gave this ordinary scene such a special narrative.

“Have you ever been here with anyone else?”

“No. This is a place I've always come to for walks by myself.”

“So I'm the first person you've brought here?”

“That is correct.”

*…A strange sense of pride.*

Lucy bit her upper lip hard to keep the corners of her mouth from turning up.

“I like it. I'll save it as my secret spot from now on.”

“I am honored that it pleases you.”

Wondering whether to say it or not, Lucy cupped her hands and brought them to Walter's ear. After a moment's hesitation, she whispered in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

“You can't bring anyone else here, okay? I'll hate you if you do.”

Walter, who had been standing still, let out a soft chuckle. It was too dark to see his expression, but his voice, when he spoke, was much lighter and more cheerful than usual.

“Understood. Let us consider this a place known only to you and me.”

His ready agreement left Lucy feeling more bewildered than relieved.

*What kind of man says something like that with a straight face?* Lucy turned to Walter and retorted in a chiding tone.

“You know, you often say things that could be easily misunderstood. Are you always like this with other women?”

“…I have no idea what you mean.”

The way he moistened his lips and replied with a troubled look suggested he truly had no ulterior motives when he spoke of their 'secret place.'

*If he's not doing it on purpose, that's even more dangerous.* Feeling embarrassed and on the verge of saying something foolish, Lucy hastily threw out a random question.

“Walter… uh, aren't you going to get married?”

“Married, you ask?”

Realizing too late what she had just asked, Lucy bit her lip in dismay.

*Of all the things to blurt out in a panic.*

But it was also a question she had been very curious about. Was it true that your real thoughts slip out when you're flustered?

Thinking about it, it was strange. Why would a man like him not only be unmarried but not even engaged?

The Hyverges were one of the most prestigious military families, and there were few nobles who could match Walter's current skill.

*So why hasn't he married yet?*

Speculation about the reason was rampant, but he had never actually answered the question.

*Why is that?*

“I have been asked that question many times… but now that you are asking, Your Majesty, I am unsure how I ought to reply.”

Walter bent down and fastened the buttons of the cloak he had draped over Lucy.

Only after he folded the loose sleeves several times did her slender, white hands appear.

Staring at the back of her revealed hand, Walter furrowed his brow, feeling troubled.

He had been asked why he wasn't married more times than he could count, and each time he had dodged the question by saying he wasn't interested or wasn't ready to take responsibility for someone.

But giving such a generic answer to Lucy felt wrong.

He had moved his hands to buy time to choose his words, but he still couldn't find a suitable answer. Deliberately avoiding Lucy's direct gaze, Walter fiddled with his neck.

“Why do you ask such a thing?”

“No reason… um. I was just curious. You seem like you'd be popular, so I wondered why you've chosen to remain unmarried…”

His eyes, deepened by the darkness, gazed intently at Lucy.

After a brief silence, Walter lowered the hand that was gripping the back of his neck and spoke in a husky voice.

“I thought that someday I might meet someone I feel is my true destiny, and until then… I wish to keep my side empty.”

Before he could finish his sentence, his gaze, which had been fixed on Lucy, shifted to the sky.

*Because if he kept looking at her, a truth he himself hadn't acknowledged might just slip out.*

*Because her existence might be reduced from a sovereign he must serve with his life to a woman named Arsinoe.*

*And because the greenhorn named Walter Hyverge, who saw that woman as a member of the opposite sex, might be revealed to the world.*

…He couldn't bring himself to face her.

“Shall we head back now?”

Fortunately, it seemed Walter himself was the only one who noticed the bitter emotion laced in his final words. He fell silent, oblivious to the ambiguous look in Lucy's eyes.

Only the crunch of their footsteps spread through the silence.

Against the pitch-black backdrop, their unspoken feelings drifted faintly, like motes of dust suspended in the air.