"T-Taranis…" Nymeria whispered, holding Taranis's hand. She had never seen him so serious and cold before. He felt like a completely different person to her.

"I'm fine, Nymeria," Taranis replied, a gentle smile returning to his face as he squeezed her hand, curling his fingers into hers.

"Those people are stubborn. They wouldn't have agreed so easily if I had spoken to them gently," he added, sensing the distress weighing on her heart.

Within minutes, a grand flying chariot made of blackwood, adorned with intricate golden engravings, arrived before the duo, with the Five Wardens soaring ahead of it in a solemn formation.

"Your Highness, Lady Nymeria, please enter the chariot," Zephyron said, opening the door and placing a wooden stair.

Nymeria climbed in first, with Taranis closely following behind her.

"Mr. Oswin, follow me. I will show you to your arrangements," another warden said, stepping toward Nymeria's guards.

"But I must stay with Lady Nymeria," Oswin protested, his voice firm.

"Mr. Oswin, I appreciate your devotion to Lady Nymeria, but there is no need to worry about her safety in our presence. Or are you afraid that we might harm the lady?" the warden asked. His tone was calm, yet it carried a hidden warning that sent a chill through Nymeria's guards.

"W-we shall follow you," Oswin agreed, his voice stuttering under the overwhelming pressure.

Once Nymeria's guards departed, following two of the wardens, the grand chariot rose from the ground and moved upward, trailing behind the remaining three wardens.

"I don't like these wardens," Nymeria muttered, sitting opposite Taranis.

"Haha, the feeling is mutual. They give off the impression that everyone else is beneath them," Taranis chuckled, his voice loud enough for the wardens outside to hear clearly. Not that he cared—he wasn't speaking any lies.

For a few minutes, an awkward silence settled inside the royal chamber of the chariot as Nymeria fidgeted with her fingers.

"I-I'm nervous," Nymeria finally admitted, restlessness evident on her face.

"They aren't that scary, Nymeria," Taranis laughed, completely oblivious to the real reason behind her unease.

"It's not because of them!" Nymeria snapped, her voice rising. "I'm nervous about meeting the Queen."

"Huh! Your worry is meaningless. My mother is very kind—she will surely like you," Taranis replied confidently.

Before Nymeria could respond, Taranis rose from his seat and sat beside her.

"Don't worry. It will be fine… really," he reassured her, gently patting her head.

Surprisingly, the nervousness gripping Nymeria faded away under Taranis's soothing words and gentle touch.

Ten minutes later, the chariot slowly descended into the open hall within the royal gates of Heaven's Last Step—the very place where Taranis used to practice his swordsmanship.

"We have arrived, Your Highness," Zephyron's calm voice sounded from outside as he opened the door.

Taranis stepped out first, then extended his hand to help Nymeria down.

When they reached the hall, the wardens had already vanished. In their place stood an ethereal beauty with raven-black hair, clad in a stunning red robe. A golden circlet adorned her forehead, unmistakably revealing her identity as the Queen of the Hundred Sky Mountains.

"Thank heavens you still remember the etiquette I taught you," Aestra sighed, watching how Taranis assisted Nymeria.

"Mother, I have returned," Taranis announced, his face lit with a smile.

"Mother, this is Nymeria El Snowbane," he said, turning toward her. "And Nymeria, she is my mother."

"Greetings, Your Majesty. It is a pleasure to meet you," Nymeria said, lightly lifting her robe in a respectful gesture. Her body was stiff under the unfamiliar pressure she felt in the Queen's presence. She didn't know why, but she desperately didn't want the Queen to dislike her.

"Oh my~ you've grown so much," Aestra gasped, stepping closer to Nymeria.

"You were just a beautiful little doll the last time I saw you. Now you look even more like an angel."

Aestra's casual closeness and gentle words were the last things Nymeria had expected. Slowly, the tension gripping her heart eased beneath the Queen's calm radiance.

"You have met me before, Your Majesty?" Nymeria asked, confusion evident in her voice.

"Lunaria didn't tell you? She is my closest friend. I went to see you with Voltrex when you were born," Aestra revealed, then continued with a slight frown creasing her brow.

"And why must you address me with honorifics? You are Taranis's friend and my friend's daughter. Call me Aunt Aestra."

"B-but my mama told me—"

Nymeria tried to protest, but Taranis stepped in.

"You should accept her proposal, or she won't back down until you do. She's very stubborn," he said with a sigh.

After taking a brief moment to steel herself, Nymeria murmured, "A-Aunt Aestra…"

"Hehehe~ that's more like it," Aestra cooed, clasping Nymeria's hand between her own before turning sharply toward Taranis.

"You little brat! Is that how you talk about your mother?" Aestra hissed, tugging his ear.

"M-mother, n-not in front of Nymeria, please," Taranis pleaded, tapping out.

"Huh~ you're even getting embarrassed now," Aestra teased, releasing him.

She turned back to Nymeria, holding her hand again as if she were a long-lost companion.

"Come with me. I've wanted to meet you for days, but that brat refused to bring you no matter what. He only agreed after I threatened to forbid him from going outside."

A playful smirk curved Aestra's lips as she continued teasingly,

"Do you know how scared he was at the thought of not being able to see you—"

"Mother, you don't have to tell her that!" Taranis snapped, a faint blush blooming across the young prince's cheeks.

"Hehehe~ look at him turning red," Aestra teased further, pointing at his flushed face.

Nymeria wasn't faring any better. Hearing about this vulnerable side of Taranis stirred something deep within her. Unknowingly, her face had turned even more crimson than his.

"Ohoho~ what's happening here?" Aestra mused inwardly, quickly catching on to the growing chemistry between the two.

"Taranis, I received a letter from your father. He will be returning next week," Aestra revealed as she gently guided Nymeria toward her royal chamber.

"F-father is coming?" Taranis murmured, stunned in place, uncertain how to feel as memories of his father's words before departing for the frontlines resurfaced in his mind.

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