Chapter 50 — Sea of Flowers
"Sir Hero Ren, I heard people talking in town about a beautiful place nearby. Do you want to go visit it?" Lyra asked, leaning comfortably against Ren inside the carriage.
"Well, let's check it out then."
Ren had heard people talking about the place as well and already knew its general direction, so he guided the carriage toward it.
After traveling for a while, they finally arrived.
The two stepped out of the carriage.
"Beautiful..." Lyra said softly.
Before them was a vast valley covered in flowers. Flowers of countless colors stretched across the entire valley, creating a beautiful sea of blossoms.
Ren dismissed the horses and the coachman before storing the carriage inside his Storage Mark.
Then, holding Lyra's hand, the two walked forward along the pathway.
Flowers surrounded them on both sides, stretching as far as they could see. Here and there, couples could be seen walking hand in hand, enjoying the peaceful scenery together.
At the entrance to the valley, Ren paid the worker the required entrance fee.
Although the place looked like a natural wonder, it had actually been artificially created and maintained by a local mage organization. They had turned the area into an attraction for travelers and charged visitors a small fee.
Ren and Lyra continued walking through the valley, taking their time.
They walked arm in arm, passing flowers of countless colors and varieties. The gentle breeze carried the sweet scent of flowers through the air, while colorful butterflies flew between the blossoms.
After walking for a while, they found a quiet place away from the main path and sat down together.
Flowers surrounded them from every direction, and butterflies continued fluttering around them.
Lyra then spread her legs and gently guided Ren down, allowing him to rest his head on her lap.
She slowly ran her fingers through his hair.
"Sir Hero Ren... in this life, I only want you. I don't want anything else."
Lyra wasn't stupid.
Even though she had once been naive and sheltered, her mother had revealed the truth to her long before she passed away.
King Valen was not her real father.
Her mother had been with another man and had secretly given birth to Lyra. When the truth eventually came to light, King Valen still chose to raise Lyra as his own daughter.
He had never mistreated her because of it.
Because of that, Lyra had always felt indebted to him.
So when King Valen gave her an order for the first time in her life, she decided to obey.
That order was to get close to the Hero.
At the time, Lyra was still completely innocent. She had misunderstood the King's intentions and believed that he simply wanted her to become friends with the Hero.
But after she was sent to Ren's private room, things gradually started to make sense.
As the days passed, Lyra slowly realized why King Valen had deliberately sent her there. His intentions had never been as innocent as she had first believed.
Then, Ren revealed something else to her.
He showed her the Mark of Obedience hidden inside her Storage Mark.
"Don't worry. I've already deactivated it," Ren had told her.
He also revealed that he had been given the same Mark of Obedience when he received his Storage Mark, explaining how the mark worked and that King Valen was the one who controlled both of them.
That revelation finally allowed Lyra to see the King's actions from a different perspective.
She understood what she actually meant to him.
She wasn't truly his daughter in the way she had once believed.
She was a pawn he could control whenever he needed her.
And her sheltered upbringing had not been an accident either.
Her innocence, kindness, and helpless appearance made it easy for others to lower their guard around her. They naturally wanted to protect her.
She had been raised to become a useful pawn.
And although she had once been naive enough to play directly into the King's plans, she understood the truth now.
She also knew that King Valen had used her against Ren.
Yet, strangely enough, she was glad that Ren was the person she had been used against.
If it had been someone else...
Lyra shuddered slightly at the thought.
She would rather have died.
At least with Ren, she had found someone she truly loved.
Someone who had given her a life far different from the sheltered existence she had known inside the King's palace.
To Lyra, Ren had become the light of her life.
"I know, Lyra."
Ren looked up at her.
She smiled.
Her fingers continued gently stroking his hair.
"Don't ever leave me, Sir Hero Ren. I know I've become very naughty, but I'll behave."
She said it jokingly, a playful smile appearing on her face.
Ren smiled and lightly pinched her cheek.
"Don't worry. Since I was the one who turned you into a slut, I'll take responsibility. You'll stay by my side forever."
Lyra's smile widened.
For her, those words were enough.
She gently lowered her gaze toward Ren, her fingers continuing to run through his hair.
"Forever..."
She whispered the word softly.
Ren closed his eyes and relaxed against her lap.
For a while, neither of them said anything.
Ren rested his head on Lyra's lap while she continued gently stroking his hair.
Surrounded by a sea of flowers and fluttering butterflies, the two simply stayed there together, enjoying the peaceful moment.
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