Since he still needed to take the children to school, Vahn wrapped up his discussion with Merlin while, back in his chambers, he listened to as Nero droned on about how severely she punished those responsible for Boudica's rebellion. As for the woman in question, she just silently listened at the side with a polite smile on her face. She, like Artoria, always sat in a very ladylike manner, her hands neatly folded in her lap unless she reached for her teacup.
Feeling that Nero could talk forever, as she changed topics quite a bit, Vahn eventually raised his hand in a placating gesture to have her calm down. To his surprise, this caused Nero to fall silent, so, for a brief moment, silence dominated the room as all four girls attentively waited for him to speak. Things like this always gave Vahn the urge to smile wryly but, understanding there was little he could do to change how they acted around him; he maintained his usual smile as he said, "It seems like you are getting along well. That is good to hear."
In response to his words, Nero nodded her head with an 'umu' before answering, "Indeed. It is as you say, Master. I greatly respect people like Artoria and Boudica. Umu, it is not easy to lead your people during trying times. Now that fate has gathered us together like this; it eases my heart to be able to clear up matters that always weighed heavily on my consciousness."
Hearing Nero's words, Boudica issued an elegant, pleasant-sounding, laugh. She used her gloved hand to politely cover her mouth, her aquamarine eyes glimmering with complex emotions until she noticed Vahn's glance. Her laughter had turned everyone's attention to her, so, with a kind smile on her face, she stated, "Pardon my behavior…". Then, turning her eyes back to Nero, she added, "I, too, am pleased by how things have turned out. Vahn's power grants us a unique opportunity…the ability to correct the mistakes of the past. The future he envisions…we should do our best to make it into a reality."
As she spoke, Boudica brought her hands together like she was praying. This caused a scene that would shake most men to their core as, with her large breasts and low-cut dress, it almost looked like they would pop out at any moment. As a result, Artoria, Gray, and even Nero glared at the deep crease while Vahn, with his eyes closed, sipped at his cup of tea. He would have no part in whatever they were thinking inside their minds, at least for the time being…
Though her eyes and briefly focused on Boudica's breasts, Artoria quickly cast a glance toward Vahn before ultimately nodding her head and saying, "I cannot help but agree with your words, Boudica. The only thing I would change is…the future is not Vahn's alone to decide. We, too, must work hard to make our dreams a reality. I have chosen a path that runs parallel to my husband, not behind him. This is my conviction as both an Empress, a Mother, and a Knight."
Vahn felt extremely gratified to hear such words from Artoria, his gaze overlapping with hers as they both stared at each other, eyes filled with passion, resolution, and love. It was only when Nero began to lightly applaud that they looked away from each other, staring at the golden-haired beauty who had a brilliant smile on her face as she lightly exclaimed, "Bravo~! Well said! Umu! Umu~!" Then, as if the gazes of everyone empowered her, Nero rose to her feet, hands on her hips as she stated, "If this is how things are to be, I, too, have made my decision! Umu!"
Following her outburst, Nero moved toward Vahn but, before she could cross the relatively short distance, Gray barred her passage; her icy-blue eyes turning a deep crimson as she asked, "Have you forgotten yourself?"
Though she had already broken free from his absolute authority over her, Gray had a propensity to be overprotective of her Master. She didn't like how Nero behaved so, seeing her try and approach Vahn after interrupting the moment between him and Arotira, Gray was more than a little annoyed.
Nero appeared slightly taken aback by the fact Gray had blocked her passage, her smile growing in size as she took a slow and deep breath through her nose. Instead of lashing out or doing anything to cause a further scene, however, she ultimately released an exasperated sigh before shaking her head and saying, "I merely wished to bend the knee to my Master. Forgive me for lending a bit of gravitas and flair to a climactic moment in my life…it was never my intention to offend. Umu…"
Hearing what Nero had to say, Gray suddenly felt a little anxious and, though she had gotten a lot better at controlling it, her face took on a ruddy glow due to her rising embarrassment. Fortunately, her Master helped to deescalate the situation, rising to his feet to pat the top of her head as he said, "Thank you for worrying on my behalf, Gray…please, take a seat."
Backing down on her own would have been difficult so, after enjoying her Master's caress for a short while, Gray returned to her seat. Nero's eyes had followed her throughout the entire process so, with the golden-haired Empress observing her, Gray lowered her head apologetically. This caused Nero's smile to return to normal, followed by her turning back to Vahn; their height difference requiring her to crane her head a considerable amount to lock eyes with him.
With Nero looking directly at him, Vahn gave a nod of approval while maintaining his usual smile. In response, she lightly pulled at the side of her dress while lowering her body. This allowed the cloth to flare out in a graceful manner, almost like a flower blooming as she lowered her head. By doing so, she was effectively throwing away her status as an Emperor. Though it had been an empty title in the present, the only person who could truly strip away Nero's title was the woman herself…
The problem with this situation was that Nero hadn't made clear exactly what it was she had decided upon. Her taking a knee was symbolic of loyalty and service but, in the grand scheme of things, there was any number of official roles and responsibilities to assign her. Like this, it almost felt like she was leaving the decision in his hands, a troublesome matter to be sure.
As if to indicate this was, indeed, her intentions; Nero remained silent, her golden bangs and forelocks concealing her face from view. The only thing Vahn had to go off was her massive ahoge, the largest of all the girls residing within the Inner Sanctum. If he had thought about it prior to this moment, Vahn would have been able to understand just how deep Nero's trauma had been. After all, the existence and size of an ahoge seemed to be directly tied to how much a person had suppressed their emotions…
Seeing the gravity-defying ahoge begin to dip slightly, Vahn began to feel slightly anxious and a little apologetic. Even the gazes of Boudica, Artoria, and Gray seemed to become a little tense so, after a moment of internal deliberation, he took a deep breath and, not really knowing what else to do, as he couldn't just arbitrarily assign a post to Nero; Vahn reached out his hand and began to stroke the top of her head.
Though the atmosphere immediately became a little awkward, Vahn decided not to mind it. Instead, he continued to rub Nero's head, periodically removing his hand to see the state of her ahoge. It had reverted back to its usual vitality and, after a bit more effort, began to wiggle around a little. Once it seemed 'happy', Vahn retracted his hand as he softly stated, "I will not tell you what path you should follow, Nero. All I've ever wanted for others was their own happiness…so long as it does not interfere in the happiness of others, feel free to follow the route you please. Happiness is something you find within yourself so only you can make decisions about your future."
While it may sound a little hypocritical given the fact he had summoned her to this timeline for a very specific purpose, Vahn still wanted everyone he summoned to be happy. In exchange for their service, he would do his best to grant their wishes. Nero's wish wasn't something he was privy to so, without knowing more about her character; he was simply unqualified to determine what path she should walk. At best, he could give her a small push but, in the end, only she could take those first few steps…
Hearing Vahn's words, Nero lifted her head to show a mixture of confusion and loss in her eyes. She didn't seem particularly upset but, within her emerald-green irises, a deeply rooted uncertainty was visible. Her smile had also faded away to reveal a largely neutral expression while her aura, usually vibrant like a golden sun, had turned mellow and calm. It reminded Vahn a lot of Kenshin, someone who had cultivated a certain personality their entire life…someone who emulated emotions without truly understanding them.
When Nero finally spoke, Vahn didn't quite know how to respond as she plainly stated, "You are a strange one…". Then, after looking around at everyone else in the room, Nero turned back to him and added, "Is this why people love? Compassion…empathy…or is it your strangeness that attracts them? If I sincerely wanted to become your sex slave, would you allow me to walk that path? What if I chose to abandon the Empire and live amongst the masses? Would you let me go, knowing full well how my personality would influence others?"
Without waiting for an actual response, Nero shook her head as if to dismiss her own ideas. She then adopted a serious expression as she plainly stated, "I never wanted to be an Emperor. I never wanted the responsibility of leading people I could never understand. Even now, I never wanted to return to this world, summoned into a situation entirely unrelated to me. Here, I have nothing, know nothing, am nothing. All I desire is acceptance…a place to belong…someone that understands me…"
Toward the end of her words, Nero averted her eyes once again, looking between Boudica, Artoria, and Gray. A wry smile then slowly replaced her blank expression as she added, "I wanted to believe this was the place that would accept me…".
At this point, the atmosphere had become tense and solemn but, as Nero was not yet finished, they could only listen silently as she turned back to Vahn, smiling in a way that didn't read her eyes. This caused the latter to feel as if she suddenly gripped his heart tightly, a painful feeling seizing him as she stated, "It seems I was mistaken. I believed you had summoned me here because you wanted me to be here. I thought that after nearly two-thousand years…someone finally needed me. Now, I have come to learn just how mistaken I was…"
Before Vahn was able to say anything to refute Nero's claims, the latter pulled out a small dagger that had been concealed between her hands. Time seemed to slow to a crawl in an instant as all the hair on the back of Vahn's neck stood on end. He instinctually moved his hand to intercept the small blade but, catching movement from the side, he slowed his actions marginally to avoid crashing into Boudica. She knew better than most what the look in Nero's eyes represented so she wasted no time in interfering, blocking the blade by grabbing it with her right hand.
Due to how quickly she had moved, Boudica ended up basically tackling Nero to the ground, their bodies tumbling a few times in the process. When they came to a stop, Boudica had an angry and teary-eyed expression on her face as she shouted, "You stupid girl!" in the characteristic way only mothers could manage. Then, as confusion colored Nero's expression, Boudica hugged her tightly and began sobbing in a heartwrenching manner…
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Literally the longest day ever…','TFW you dodge a trap only to step on a landmine…','A wild Boudimama appears…!')
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