"I want your answer."
Scarlet was looking at Ren, wanting the answer she was waiting for.
When they last talked, they were rudely interrupted by the rebels, but now this was the most important to her.
"Scarlet...is this honestly what you want?" Ren asked.
"Yes, more than anything." Scarlet said with determination.
Ren closed his eyes to contemplate how Scarlet felt. Last time he was in this kind of situation, Lucilia chased after him and Asha in her knight. The last thing he wanted was a repeat of that scenario.
"Scarlet...you mean a lot to me, and in the past I have thought about you romantically, but things have changed quite a bit since I got captured. I do love Lucilia, but those feelings for you also still remain. So Scarlet, I do accept your love, but if you want to get serious about us being together, I have to run it by Lucilia and Asha." Ren said.
"Asha?" Scarlet asked, picking up that final part.
"Crap..." Ren thought to himself.
"Are you also with that dragon girl?" Scarlet asked, getting closer to Ren.
"Yes..." Ren replied honestly.
"Are you serious?" Scarlet said loudly.
"Things...happened, and there is a thing with their culture with fated ones, and it's a long story, but yes, I am technically engaged to Ashastha." Ren said as he tried to explain as best he could.
"Then why would your being with me be an issue? Seems you're getting around enough." Scarlet said, pouting in jealousy.
"It's not like that—not entirely. I care about them; it's not like I'm just being a playboy and being with any cute girl I see." Ren said.
Ren knew that while there were many girls he was attracted to, he wouldn't act like a horndog and go after everyone. He wanted to respect their feelings, and while he did accept polygamy into his life due to other planet cultures like Volaria and Versaerth and being around Lucilia and Ashastha, he knew most of the girls he knew, like Scarlet, never really thought about being in a polymerous relationship before.
"So why would your being with me become an issue?" Scarlet asked.
"Lucilia is, well...possessive." Ren said trying his best to describe her, while Asha could also be possessive. Lucilia was on a different level.
He recalled a time when he was still recovering from being poisoned by Cilan, and a maid accidentally caught him in the bath. He hadn't seen that maid again, and according to Rumia, she was relocated to a different part of the building.
"I don't care, Ren... I've waited for this for years... I just want to be with you. I understand you being with others, and while I'm not okay with it, I can deal with it if it means I can be with you." Scarlet pleaded.
Ren was speechless. He wanted to accept her feelings wholeheartedly, but he didn't know how Lucilia would react.
"You should do it, Ren." a voice said from outside the door.
It was Ivy standing there in a seductive pose, looking at the two in the room.
"But what about-" Ren tried to say before Ivy interrupted her.
"Once you marry Lucilia, nearly every day some nobles will try to sell off their daughters to be members of your harem, so this kind of situation won't exactly be uncommon. Plus, you two have history. Even if my daughter gets upset about it, she will accept it. After all, it would be what you wanted, and she would do anything you wanted." Ivy explained how she saw the situation.
Ren sighed and looked at Scarlet, who was still staring at him in the eyes.
"We still have to tell Lucilia; I don't think she would like it if I were suddenly kissing Scarlet." Ren said accepting the situation.
"I'll handle that; how about you two handle your business as I tell her." Ivy said as she waved goodbye.
"What did she mean by-" Ren said before Scarlet planted a kiss on his lips.
"I love you, Ren."
Scarlet and Ren kept kissing, and Ren eventually pushed her onto the bed as the two started to undress each other. Scarlet laid on the bed in her underwear.
"Be gentle, Ren..."
AN: Yeah, y'all know where this is going(Peep the Patreon for patrons only.)
*On the bridge*
Lucilia and Aurelia were sitting on the bridge as it exited hyperspace, being right in front of the planet Volaria.
"It's time, sister." Aurelia said, looking over at Lucilia, who was looking very nervous.
"Yeah..." Lucilia replied.
"You know the Emperor won't accept him, which means..." Aurelia tried to remind her before Lucilia interrupted.
"I know..."
Aurelia sighed "Do you think he can survive it?"
"He has too... I refuse to lose him right when we're so close..." Lucilia said, putting a hand on her chest, where her heart is.
"I'm just worried, sister...you know I am with the emperor..." Aurelia said.
"You told Ren, didn't you?" Lucilia asked.
"Yes... I figured it was best to warn him what kind of man the emperor is." Aurelia said.
"Well, now that he knows, I should tell you something." Lucilia said.
"What?" Aurelia asked.
"Ren is the exact kind of man our father hates to deal with." Lucilia said.
"You think he'd-" Aurelia tried to say before being interrupted.
"Oh...I know." Lucilia said with a smile.
"Well...that can either work against him...or perhaps it will favor him in the end...but there is something I want to run by you, sister." Aurelia said.
"Now's a better time than ever to say it." Lucilia said.
However, right when Aurelia was about to tell Lucilia her thoughts, the bridge door opened.
"Lucilia, my daughter." Ivy said, greeting her.
"Mother? What's up?" Lucilia asked.
"Well...there's something I have to tell you." Ivy said with a nervous smile.
Afterwards, Ivy told Lucilia what happened, which infuriated Lucilia.
"IN OUR BED?!"
Meanwhile, as Ivy was talking to her daughter Lily, Serenity and Eleonora were on the hanger. Lily and Serenity were talking to each other as Eleonora was still obsessing over the specialized knights.
That's when Mae walked over to the group and spoke to Eleonora. "Hey, your Eleonora, right?"
"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you." Eleonora said.
"No need to be so polite; you really like the knights, do you?" Mae asked.
"I do...their design is just so cool!" Eleonora said.
"It's been awhile since we've seen this side of her." Lily spoke from the side.
"First time I've seen her smile since we found Ren." Serenity said.
Mae then told Eleonora "Follow me; I have something to show you."
Eleonora nervously followed her into what appeared to be Mae's office, and the only thing they could hear was Eleonora saying loudly "THESE ARE AWESOME!"
Lily and Serenity looked at each other, confused.
"What could they be talking about?" Serenity asked.
"Who knows?" Lily responded.
*Back on Earth*
Aurora was walking on the street; she was noticeably paler than usual and seemed very lethargic.
Since the Battle of the Sirius System, she has been dealing with all the losses her crew has taken.
After the sentinel pilot casualty list was created, there were 30 casualties and 7 M.I.A., including six members of Fireteam Epsilon.
Aurora had walked up front to a house and took a deep breath before walking up to the door and knocking on it.
After a few seconds, a woman around the same age as Aurora with long red hair appeared.
"Oh hello." The woman said.
"Hello...uhm Mrs. Rose Lister?" Aurora asked the woman.
"Yes?" Rose responded.
"There's something I have to tell you...regarding your daughter Scarlet." Aurora said.
These words sent a shock of fear into Rose.
"What happened?" Rose asked.
"Ma'am, in the latest battle against the Centauri Empire, your daughter, along with a few others, were not accounted for in the return to our system. We have designated her as M.I.A. I'm so sorry..." Aurora said this wasn't the first talk she had with a family member who had just lost with someone.
Rose dropped to her knees upon hearing this news, and tears ran down her face uncontrollably.
Rose was grieving over her daughter and spent a few minutes crying.
She first lost someone she considered a son in Ren...and now the same fate has met her daughter.
But then a thought crept up in her mind.
"What happened to Lily Holmes?" Rose asked Aurora.
If Lily was fine, then she would've been the one who told Rose, not someone she didn't know.
"She is also M.I.A." Aurora responded.
"Tyler Lawson?" Rose wasn't close to Tyler like she was with the others, but they were friendly with each other.
"Sadly, the same thing." Aurora said.
Rose just lost multiple people in her life, causing her to break down and cry in the middle of her living room with Aurora watching her.
"I'm sorry." Aurora said once more before leaving.
"I will never get used to this..."
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