"I thought you were brooding, but now it feels like you are boasting." Pupilliam sighed.
Lyn laughed awkwardly. "Um, but you're the only one I can talk to regarding love. I tried doing so with Teo not too long ago but it felt weird."
"I think it was weird because of the context of the conversation." Pupilliam trailed of. "I left you two alone last night and didn't question you, but please work on making children after the war finishes."
Lyn's entire face turned red and she quickly protested that they only did it once.
Pupilliam raised her eyebrows. Has that man actually learned the meaning of self-restraint?
"So err, you don't have to worry. I understand what the consequences would be if I had a child now. But, I have missed him. So, I just want to get close."
She sighs again. "Make sure he doesn't trick you." Pupilliam advised. "-and it's okay to get closer, but you have to be in charge." She trails off. "Why are you turning so red Queen Lyn?"
"T-that-this talk is a bit-" Lyn stammered.
So, it seems like the Queen is still as innocent as ever. She thought Rhys had corrupted her already.
Pupilliam's gaze fell on the scarf. "You don't want to give it to him?"
"It's just, I've never given him a gift before. I don't know how he will react and I'm not very good at this. I have had to redo it so many times."
Now that she thought about it, in the past she had never seen Lyn give Rhys a gift. It was always him getting something for her. In the past tose two had an unusual relationship, so it was normal. But in the present they should be fine.
"Queen Lyn, I know how important he is to you and I am sure no matter what you give him he will be happy. You've woven that scarf so many times to perfection to the point that you have blisters all over your hands."
Each thread is a strand of Lyn's love for Rhys. She truly does love that man. Even if she has accepted their relationship, Pupilliam didn't know how she felt about serving Rhys.
'You have no place-' Pupilliam thinks about the words King Allen told her. Perhaps he wasn't referring to status but this. Can she accept Rhys as the Emperor? Even if he has changed, she doesn't know how to feel about serving him. If she cannot serve him as the Emperor, it would cause a friction.
"That's true, I love him that's why I-" Lyn kept her head down.
"I will take it from here if you don't mind, Pupilliam." A familiar voice suddenly said.
Pupilliam isn't surprised to see Rhys. Actually when she woke up briefly, she noticed that he was awake too. He said that Lyn snuck off, but decided that following her wouldn't be a good idea.
'She has something on her mind recently. I want to give her space until she wants to discuss it with me.'
She said she would check out the situation and he can follow after a few minutes.
Lyn seemed surprised to see him and it takes her a few minutes, as she looks back at her and then Rhys before loudly exclaiming. "Y-you set me up!"
"It's because your stubborn, Queen Lyn. Give it to him already. He might freeze to death out here without one of those." Pupilliam said as she began to walk off.
Rhys takes a few steps closer until he stood right before Lyn. Pupilliam watches as he takes her hands.
"So, you know I'm quite cold after I sacrificed my scarf for you."
"T-then just take it back-"
"Your not the only one who knows how to knit." Rhys trailed off. "It seems we had a similar idea. That's for you, so can I take the one you made me?"
Pupilliam watched as Lyn hesitantly leaned forward and wraps it around Rhys neck. Her gaze softened watching the sweet scene before her. If these two are together, then true peace may truly happen in the Empire one day.
'Even if I am not beside you Lyn, you will be fine as long as you have Rhys. I truly believe that now.'
Even before the talk with King Allen, a part of her was already considering leaving because she didn't think she would fit in with her low status. No, for a long time now she has felt like that the Queen no longer needed her by her side.
'I have spent so many years with her and that is why I can tell. The current Lyn doesn't need me anymore. Ever since she became the Queen. No even long before then. Was it during the war with Queen Lethia? Or was it before.'
It was the moment Kazuya and Rhys entered Lyn's life. That was the moment Lyn's fate changed, and Pupilliam slowly realized that the girl would be fine now. She is no longer the same girl who was crying alone in the gardens or hiding away from people. Lyn has become so strong, beautiful and independent.
Everyone around them is slowly moving forward too. She cannot be the only one who continues to remain still like this. A flash of blonde appears in her head and she shakes her head.
'Andrew, there is no hope for us anymore. I thought I had already given up on you. But, sometimes when I see other couples I remember and when I came to visit that time, I understood. The entire time I suppressed my feelings.'
Had she admitted it sooner, perhaps she could have coped with the rejection much sooner. In the end, she truly never heard him turn her down. But his anguish cries when Lady Gabrielle passed away and his reaction afterwards was more than enough.
'I may grow old and lonely without ever finding love. Or I may fall in love one day.'
Right now, she still doesn't know. An uncertain future, but unlike before she has a better understanding what she has to do.
*Unedited*