“Don’t leave me...” Shin’s weak voice entered the eardrums of the gorgeous beauty. All of his muscles were trembling involuntarily as if he were experiencing a seizure. It has been a long time since Shin had lost all control over his emotions. Being calm and collected no matter what the situation was, was what he strove to perfect… Alas, due to recent events, Shin feared to lose Kanari to yet another tragedy.

Kanari gently slapped the back of Shin’s shoulders and spoke back: “Shin… I...”

“I know this is selfish for me to say!” However, Shin wasn’t going to let her finish her statement. His arms were trembling, but they still held onto Kanair’s thin waist, fearing that she would disappear the moment he let go. “I know that it’s irresponsible for me to keep hoarding you and keeping you away from your responsibilities as a Duchess, but I don’t want to separate from you ever again!”

“Shin… Like I said...”

“I don’t care if your parents hate me or the entire Duchy scorns me! Please, Kanari… Just stay by my side… Please...” Shin lifted up his torso and gazed at the Witch of the South right in her ruby eyes. All these years, throughout all the ups and downs, Kanari had been staying by his side. At his lowest point, Kanari acted as a pillar of support, lifting Shin up from the darkness. In Shin’s brightest moments, Kanari was also standing by his side. She brought joy to the young man’s heart just by existing, just by breathing the same air that he did.

At this point in his life, Shin couldn’t imagine life without Kanari by his side. He didn’t want to think about the cold and soulless nights that would follow with Kanari’s absence. He couldn’t fathom not having his most faithful ear to rely on when the going gets tough. Shin… couldn’t live without Kanari anymore. And more importantly… He couldn’t live without giving Kanari a title anymore…

Shin thought about all of the things Kanari had done for him up until this point. From giving him the backing of the Highgarden Duchy to staying by his side for three long years… Everything that she’d done for him was nothing less than a sacrifice. Yet… What has Shin done for her? Although he had directly repaid the Highgarden Duchy through favourable trade deals, Shin hadn’t truly given Kanari anything in return. So… It was about time that Shin changed that.

“Kanari… Marry me!!!” Closing his eyes, Shin declared his intent from the bottom of his heart. His entire being was shaking, and his mind blanked out. There was a fear that Kanari would flat out reject the young man due to her commitments, but Shin didn’t care. After losing so many of his loved ones, Shin realised that time was fleeting. If he didn’t seize the moment now, perhaps it would never come in the future. Therefore, Shin threw all caution into the wind and cried out his heart’s innermost desire.

“...”

But he was greeted with silence. Since Shin had his eyes closed, he couldn’t tell what reaction Kanari had. Was she angry that the young man tried to tie her down with marriage? Or was she annoyed by the gesture? Even Shin, with all his heightened senses, couldn’t tell without looking at Kanari’s face. Thus, slowly… light returned to Shin’s eyes as he cautiously looked up at the woman.

“Hic!”

And there it was… The most radiant smile that Shin had ever seen in his life.

Kanari’s eyes were moist as both the corners of her lips bloomed like a flower. How long had she waited for Shin to say those words? How much time had she wasted staying by Shin’s side as he couldn’t forget Ariel? People called her a fool… A moron for sticking by Shin even though his heart was with another woman. However, on this day, Kanari had proved everyone wrong. The immovable object had finally been shaken by the unstoppable force. She was now… Shin’s number one.

“Kanari?” Shin held back his gasp and tenderly caressed the cheeks of the untouchable beauty. Shin had never seen Kanari this moved in his eight years of knowing her.

“You stupid man… No, my stupid man...” Kanari slapped Shin’s hands away and grabbed both his cheeks with her claws. Not waiting for any consent, the beauty instantly flew her lips right into Shin’s and greedily sucked on her man’s face. The past two weeks had been rife with uncertainties. From hearing the news about Shizen’s passing to battling it out at the Uncharted Wilderness. All of those events had kept Shin and Kanari preoccupied, and they virtually had zero private time together.

However, being a responsible adult, Kanari had kept her desires in check. She knew that Shin needed time to heal and mend back his broken soul. Not to mention, Kanari had troubles of her own. Alas, the moment Shin had proposed to her… All of those bottled up feelings erupted like an active volcano and her love poured out all over her man.

“Is that a...” From Kanari’s actions, Shin could already guess the answer. Still, the young man wanted verbal confirmation. No, he needed Kanari’s word...

“Yes! Of course I’ll marry you!” Kanari didn’t bother to wipe the snot and tears off her face and gave the man a brilliant laugh. “From the start, there was no number two choice! You’re my man, and I’m not letting you get away!”

“Thank god!” The young Prince brought Kanari’s body closer to his as he went in for yet another deep kiss. This warmth… This soothing fragrance… Shin didn’t want to imagine a world without it. He gave numerous small pecks on Kanari’s cheeks, showering her with an affection he’d never openly given before. “Thank you, Kanari… Also… I’m sorry for my selfishness. I know that you need to return to Highgarden, but just stay for a month… No, two months more. By that time, I promise that I’ll visit your parents and get their blessings.”

Kanari’s eyes sparkled as she broke into a smile. “That’s why you’re my silly fool… You didn’t allow me to finish my sentence!”

“Huh?” It was now Shin’s turn to be confused.

The gorgeous beauty shook her head. “Since when did I say I was leaving you for good? I just wanted to return to the Duchy to annul my succession rights.”

“You what?!” Shin’s eyes were bulged out, and his entire soul was shaken. Kanari wanted to give up her claim to the Duchy?! That was the first that he’d ever heard about it! “What do you mean you want to annul your rights? Why would you do that?”

“Calm down, Shin...” The young lady giggled at Shin’s animated response. “To be honest, it’s something that I’ve been thinking about quite a bit during my stay in the Lantis Republic. On paper, I was stationed by the Himmel Empire as your overseer and as your link back to the empire. However, after being by your side for the past three years, I realised that my mission wasn’t that simple.”

Kanari lifted Shin’s hands and tenderly placed them onto her ample bosom. Badum… Badum… Shin could feel the rapid heartbeat of his woman and slowly… He could feel that it was amplifying. In shock, he stared right into Kanari’s ruby pupils only to be greeted with the most passionate gaze.

“I thought my mission, my duty as a noblewoman was to lead my Duchy into a brighter tomorrow. However, I quickly found that my thinking was totally wrong.” Kanari shook her head with a bitter smile. “The commoners of Highgarden, the commoners of the Himmel Empire, the commoners of the Lantis Republic… What differences do they have? After staying in the Lantis Republic for the past three years… I realised... there was none.

Shin remained silent as Kanari began her reflection. From the day she was born, Kanari had been drilled on the principles of Noblesse Oblige. Since Kanari was fortunate enough to be born as a Duchy’s heir, she was expected to give back to her community. However, as she expanded her scope beyond the Highgarden Duchy and the Himmel Empire, Kanari noticed one thing.

“Whether it was Highgarden or Longyu Island, the commoners that live in those areas are all the same. They all share the same struggle to survive, the same desire to become stronger. And… They all need support from the powerful.” Kanari pointed at Shin and herself, perhaps the two most privileged people alive. “It doesn’t matter if we’re from the Himmel Empire or the Lantis Republic. We have a duty to protect the public order. So, I believe that your intention to create Guardian Sword is the right one.”

“You think?”

“I know,” the beauty beamed. “However, I can’t help you if I’m bound by the chains of Highgarden. That’s why I wanted to relinquish my rights for the succession so that I can formally join Guardian Sword and stay by your side without hindrances from my Duchy.”

“That’s why you wanted to return to Highgarden? To stay with me forever?” Shin shot Kanari an incredulous look.

“Yeah...” Having her intentions being so spelt out brought a crimson blush to Kanari’s hot face. “Who would have guessed that you would misunderstand? Oh well, at least through that misunderstanding, I’ve gotten the thing I wanted to most.”

“A-ah… Right...” Shin scratched the back of his head and let out a dry laugh. Kanari was right, Shin did form his own ideas before the woman could give an explanation. “W-wait! Are you sure that your parents would allow you to relinquish your rights?! You’re an only child, right?”

“I’m sure that they’ll moan about it for a while, but they’ll get over it.” Kanari shook her head. “There are plenty of capable people in Highgarden, particularly in my extended family. Some of my cousins would kill to get my position. Not to mention, my mother is still young. She still has chances to give me a sibling, but…”

Kanari was unable to hold back her naughty thoughts anymore, and her entire face turned redder than a tomato. She twiddled her thumbs and spun her fragrant, long hair around like a smitten teenage girl. “B-but if you really feel bad for them… Why don’t we give birth to a c-c-child? I’m sure my mother would be more than willing to hand over Highgarden to her grandchild...”

“Ah...” Shin’s jaw dropped and his blinked rapidly. Having grandchildren succeed a territory was not uncommon, particularly if the child had formidable parents backing them on both sides. If Kanari were to bear Shin’s child and train him or her to Highgarden, there was no way that the Duchess could complain. In fact, she would be more than happy to accept the child as her formal heir.

A playful grin crept up Shin’s lips as he slithered his hands down onto Kanari’s waist. Bringing her in, he whispered: “Wifey, how many do you want?”

“W-who’s your wife?! We’re far from being engaged yet!”

“I personally think that eight should be enough… You know, to repeat the Lady of Water’s feat of eight children?”

“E-e-eight?! What do you think I am? A sow?”

The two continued to banter lovingly all the way back to the Capital, flirting so much that a sickening, pink atmosphere developed.

Many might think that Kanari was a fool to give up the succession rights in pursuit of protecting the entire world. Some might call her a lunatic, others might even think that she was corrupted by love. However, history would remember this day. History would remember the day that Duchess Kanari had morphed into...

An Empress.