Athena's question made Royce nod his head immediately. But the man secretly smiled a little. In fact, Royce had deliberately wanted to meet Athena first, because he was too worried about her and harbored a bit of longing.
But of course Royce also misses his sister. He had not seen Lucy for three days.
And actually since three days ago, Royce wanted to continue to be near Lucy. But it was not recommended by Queen Georgiana. Since the queen was also a mother, she knew exactly how Lucy was. And Lucy does need some time alone. If Royce continues to be near Lucy, then Lucy's sadness will continue to grow because she always remembers her parents.
Now, the girl is feeling better. Three days Lucy spent with lots of rest, contemplating, painting, and occasionally talking with Georgiana. Because Georgiana was very kind and diligently visited Lucy every morning and evening. So it was as if Lucy felt the presence of a mother nearby thanks to Georgiana's sincerity.
"Princess Aubrey deliberately put princess Lucy in that building. Because it's a dormitory for teenage girls who will become noble girls when they grow up. There are also lots of intelligent women who teach children various things. There are many activities as well as painting, embroidery, writing, sewing dresses, studying makeup, and many more. And princess Lucy seems to be very keen on painting." Athena said.
They had arrived in front of a three-story building. The building is specifically for teenage girls who focus on learning many things. The building was also the same as the educational institutions in every village, the difference was that it only contained children from the nobility.
Queen Georgiana built the building because she didn't want the noble girls to look confused looking for a place to study. And that building was also very impressive since it was within the palace grounds of the Crystalball Kingdom.
Royce looked at Lucy. The girl seemed to be sitting alone on the green grass watching a collection of blooming cosmos flowers. The man smiled and immediately walked quickly closer to his sister.
While Athena chose to sit on a chair. She would only observe Royce and Lucy from afar. She wanted the two of them to enjoy some time together. Besides, Athena always visited Lucy every day, and now it was Royce's turn.
"How are you? Do you do a lot of activities here?" Ask Royce.
Lucy gave a small smile, but the look in her eyes remained the same as four days ago. "No I don't. I'm just painting."
"You got a lot of friends?" Royce asked again. The man also tried to tuck Lucy's hair behind her left ear.
"They are all very friendly and nice, but I just want to be alone."
"Why? Didn't you always want to have lots of friends? Look now, they are all your friends. You can play and learn with them, Lucy. You can feel things you've never felt before." Royce said softly.
Then Lucy looked at Royce with her beautiful round eyes. "But if Mother and Father are gone, I don't want a lot of friends. What's the point of having a lot of friends if you have to lose your parents?"
Lucy's question really made Royce speechless. Even a girl at Lucy's age could conclude something well.
Royce smiled and changed his sitting position to be as comfortable as Lucy. The green grass around them is very fresh and provides comfort as a place to sit on the ground.
"Lucy, listen to me... father and mother aren't here anymore, but they're always watching us up there. They're always watching us and they always know what we're doing here. If they could just talk and tell us, surely they will say that you have to live and continue day after day well. Too long to be sad is not good, Lucy. Didn't Mother always say that?"
Lucy nodded. "But now I can no longer meet and hug them. If I can catch them up there, then I will leave this world!!"
"Hey, sshhh... don't be like that. You have to grow up nice and cheerful like you used to. Have fun with girls your age. And listen to me, we are a family. Until whenever, you and I will always be strong through many things. Okay?"
Even though her tears were falling again, Lucy still nodded and tried to understand Royce's words. Then the girl immediately hugged Royce so tightly.
Royce could only exhale deeply and gently stroked Lucy's head with his left hand.
From a distance, Athena smiled looking at the two of them. Every now and then Athena imagined that if her position was like Lucy's, surely she herself would not be that strong. Moreover, Lucy also saw the sad bodies of her parents. The girl was really strong and Athena hoped that Lucy wouldn't have any trauma in the future.
***
"I can't tell Lucy right now. When I met her and talked to her, her condition still needs time to heal. I think she is mentally disturbed, but she is strong enough to deal with it all. But I couldn't bring myself to tell her that I would leave her here." Royce said.
Athena nodded in understanding. "You have to tell her slowly, but it can still be done tomorrow or the day after. Princess Lucy is a strong girl, prince. Ah! I mean... Royce."
Hearing Athena's words, Royce chuckled. Apparently the girl still had trouble calling his name because she wasn't used to it. "Hahaha, okay I understand."
"When are you leaving?"
"Maybe another three or four days. The wound on Uncle Edgar's stomach needs to be completely healed and dry. I wouldn't dare take him out if it wasn't completely healed."
Athena nodded. "How long were you gone?"
"Erm, I can't say for sure. It's been too long since I've seen Aunt Jasmine anyway. It may take a long time to get there and be there, more than a month." Royce said.
"Why don't you let me accompany you? I can help you guys." Athena really wanted to keep Royce going to England. She wanted to do this as a form of her loyalty as a servant. Of course she still respects Royce as before.
Royce thought for a moment, should he ask Athena to go with him?
*****