Aestra and Nymeria spent the next hour inside the chamber, while Taranis remained outside in the hall, practicing his sword techniques.

Aside from the grand chambers of the King and Queen, there were fifty other royal chambers surrounding the open hall. Within these chambers lived the families of elders and close relatives of Voltrex. Most of them remained empty, as the men of those houses had gone to the frontlines with Voltrex, the children were away training in the sect below, and the ladies had moved to the city below, finding life within the towering walls suffocating.

An hour had passed since Aestra and Nymeria entered Aestra's chamber. Taranis stayed outside, practicing his swordsmanship to calm the storm of thoughts stirred by the news of his father's arrival. Voltrex was supposed to return two months earlier, but due to rising tensions at the frontlines, he had been unable to return until now.

From the moment Taranis first heard the heroic tales of his father, uncle, and Aurelion at the frontlines, he had longed to accompany his father—to become part of a legendary tale and leave behind this dull life where everyone was too afraid to even hold a proper conversation with him. He should have been excited that the day he had wished for so long was finally approaching. But something had changed. While he was still eager to meet his father, an invisible weight now pressed upon the young prince's heart.

"Why is my heart beating so fast?" Taranis murmured, touching his chest. "What could be the reason for this restlessness—"

As he struggled with this unfamiliar dilemma, the door to Aestra's chamber slid open, and Nymeria and Aestra stepped out, their faces adorned with gentle smiles.

The moment Taranis's golden eyes fell upon Nymeria's luminous face, he realized that the source of his restlessness was undoubtedly connected to her.

"What did Mother talk to you about?" Taranis asked, moving closer to the two.

"Nothing much. Aunt Aestra told me stories about her and my mother when they were young," Nymeria replied, tapping her chin with her index finger as she recalled their conversation.

A faint blush spread across her face as she continued, "S-she also told me about the time w-when… you—"

"We were having private conversations between girls," Aestra interjected abruptly, gently covering Nymeria's mouth with her hand.

"You mustn't tell him that," she whispered into Nymeria's ear, making sure Taranis couldn't hear.

"What were you about to say?" Taranis pressed, raising an eyebrow. "Did she say anything unnecessary about me?"

"Aghh!! Why is this brat so sharp!?" Aestra exclaimed inwardly before narrowing her eyes at Taranis.

"We only talked about girl things. You shouldn't concern yourself."

Before Taranis could probe further, Nymeria spoke up.

"I must return now, or Mama will punish me."

"Huh? You aren't staying for dinner?" Aestra asked, holding Nymeria's hands.

"I didn't inform Mama about coming here. It's already getting dark. If I stay out any longer, she will scold me again."

"Then you must come with your mother next time," Aestra insisted, her determined gaze leaving no room for refusal.

"I will inform her," Nymeria replied before adding with her usual charming smile,

"Aunt Aestra, I'm so happy that I met you today."

Just like that, the young goddess enchanted the heart of the mother as well.

Pausing briefly to pull herself away from Nymeria's radiant smile, Aestra wrapped her in a tight embrace.

"Kyaaa!!! You are so adorable, Nymeria!"

After embracing her for a few more seconds, Aestra parted from Nymeria and clapped her hands.

In an instant, the Five Wardens appeared, kneeling before her.

"Take Lady Nymeria and her guards back to their mountain. Treat her as you would treat me. Any disrespect toward her will be considered disrespect toward me," Aestra ordered, her eyes sharp and her voice cold.

"As you wish, Your Majesty!" the wardens replied in unison, summoning the grand chariot once more.

After bidding farewell to Aestra, Nymeria climbed the chariot's steps. Just as she reached inside, she turned back and shouted,

"Let's meet tomorrow, Taranis!"

"Of course," Taranis waved back with a smile.

---

From the next day onward, Taranis's demeanor strangely changed. Although the duo continued to meet at the Mountain of Ten Thousand Beasts, spar as usual, and even began venturing into the fourth layer of the mountain, Taranis started avoiding Nymeria's gaze and any close contact with her.

His attacks against any beast daring to confront them grew noticeably fiercer, and the gentle smile he usually wore had dimmed significantly.

For the first five days, Nymeria didn't question the change, assuming it was merely her imagination. However, on the fifth day, when Taranis nearly caused a life-threatening injury to a beast, she finally spoke up.

"Taranis, what is troubling you?"

"It's nothing," Taranis replied flatly, sitting beside a tree to steady himself.

"You're hiding something from me. Tell me what it is," Nymeria insisted, stepping closer.

"I'm fine. I just need some space," Taranis muttered, his brows furrowed.

"You've been keeping your distance for five days now, and you almost killed a beast today," Nymeria countered, sitting down in front of him. "What are you hiding?"

"I already told you I need space!" Taranis shouted, his voice rising. "Can't you understand that much?!"

Nymeria flinched at the sudden outburst, her small body stiffening as if struck by an unseen force. For a heartbeat, she simply stared at him, her creamy eyes wide with disbelief. Slowly, they began to glisten as hurt, confusion, and an unspoken fear welled up within them.

"N-Nymeria, I didn't mean to—" Taranis blurted, realizing his mistake. But before he could apologize—

"Jerk!" Nymeria whispered before sprinting out of the forest.

"Now I've really done it," Taranis muttered, facepalming himself.

After taking a few minutes to compose himself, Taranis rose to his feet and followed Nymeria's trail, leaving the fourth layer as well.

When he reached halfway through the third layer, he finally found Nymeria—sitting alone atop a round rock, her head lowered, her face hidden behind the curtain of her ethereal snow-white hair.

With deliberate steps, Taranis slowly moved closer to the stone.

"Nymeria," he called, his voice calm.

Nymeria flinched slightly upon hearing his voice but didn't move an inch from her place.

"Go away," her voice came from behind the curtain of her hair.

After a brief pause, Taranis said, "I'm sorry for lashing out at you."

"I said go away!" Nymeria muttered, her voice louder this time.

"Hey, are you crying?" Taranis teased, extending his hand to move aside the hair hiding her face.

Before he could touch it, Nymeria grabbed his hand, stopping him from probing further.

"I told you to go away!?" Nymeria shouted, a faint crack splitting her voice.

"I-is she really crying?" Taranis thought, stunned.

His other hand moved instinctively, sweeping aside the curtain of hair that veiled her face—revealing a fragile side of her that not even her parents had been allowed to see since she had grown up.

Tears streamed down her luminous cheeks, staining her porcelain skin as her eyes reddened and her breath came in short, broken gasps.

The sight struck Taranis like a blade to the chest. A sharp, unfamiliar pain bloomed in the young prince's heart—one he had never known before, and one he could not ignore.

"Wh-why won't you… leave me alone!?" Nymeria murmured, averting her eyes in embarrassment.

At that moment, Taranis's body moved on instinct. Without even realizing it, he wrapped Nymeria in a gentle embrace, one hand resting on her waist and the other on her head.

"Please forgive me for my rudeness, Nymeria," Taranis said softly, patting her head.

"Y-you shouted… at me. No one… no one has ever raised their voice at me… not even Father," Nymeria uttered with a trembling voice, tears pouring down her face.

"I… I hate you."

"I promise I will never raise my voice at you again," Taranis said, his embrace tightening despite Nymeria's weak struggle.

"Please don't hate me, hmm?"

"Y-you don't even care… if I hate you!" Nymeria shot back, trying to pull away but lacking the strength in her arms.

"I really do… You're the last person I want to hate me."

For a few seconds, Nymeria said nothing—or rather, she couldn't.

"Stupid Taranis," she muttered, the only words she could manage.

Her resistance finally faded as she accepted Taranis's embrace.

When the two parted, Taranis gently wiped away her shimmering tears with the long sleeve of his robe.

"Would you look at that~?"

A familiar, amused voice—one Taranis hadn't heard in a long time—came from ahead.

Immediately after, another voice followed,

"N-Nymeria..?"

A chill ran down both young gods' spines as they heard those familiar yet unexpected voices.

They slowly turned and found two figures standing a few feet away, arms folded, eyes widened in shock.

One was a handsome man with silver hair and silver eyes, dressed in a long white robe. The other, with sky-blue hair, wore a golden circlet upon his forehead.

"F-father!?" the duo whispered, swallowing hard.

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