☀️ Arselia and Akonia

Early in the morning of July 3rd, Lord Ravenage appeared to pay his respects to Her Highness, Princess Naria. It was an unusual, unplanned meeting, orchestrated by fate. After greeting the patron of his beloved (and, incidentally, the future ruler of the empire) with all due respect, he offered his deepest apologies for the inconvenience caused and presented two items. One was payment for his transgression, and the other was meant to express his hope for maintaining good relations between them. "This, Your Highness, is the only way I know to defeat you, albeit temporarily," he said, presenting a curious-looking sphere. "So, please accept this as a sign that I am laying down my fangs and claws." "What is it?" "It is an artifact capable of trapping anyone within its radius in a separate plane of existence. There is reason to believe that it came to our world from elsewhere." "I won't ask you where you got it," Naria said, barely managing to keep a look of disgust from her face at the sight of the alien object. "And this?" The second item was a dark red gemstone. "How long have you had it?" "For over a year." "How have you managed to prevent it from decaying?" "Its owner sometimes returns to life. From time to time, I have to 'kill' her again. Neither fire, nor water, nor even daylight can inflict a final death upon her." "Well, Lord Ravenage, in accepting these gifts, I most of all want to know what your plans are for my Ayana." "... I want to marry her." "Why her? Are there no other women in the world?" "Your Highness... There are many women in the world, but Ayana is unique. Thanks to her, I have seen how beautiful life can be, even in the most ordinary things. She taught me that striving for the sake of a loved one is an extraordinary blessing. Nothing brings me as much joy as her bright smile, and nothing wounds my heart as deeply as the sadness in her eyes." "Have you told her this?" "I have tried, but I admit that at some point, I began to think that expressing my feelings might be burdensome for her, so I try to restrain myself, although I don't always succeed." "Hmm... If she weren't my daughter, I would advise you to attack her at night and be done with it, but don't even think about it, understand?" "Not in the slightest, Your Highness. I don't believe that violence will be the key to... a mutually beneficial resolution to this situation." "I understand. Then tell me, what will you do if she refuses you?" "... It is pointless to deny that this will inflict an incurable wound on my soul, but I assure you that no revenge will follow, neither against you, nor against her, nor against third parties. If I am convinced that she is well and surrounded by people for whom her fate is not indifferent, I... I suppose I will withdraw from your and her sight, because being near the radiance of her bright soul will no longer be possible for me." "They say that love makes people stronger, but your example seems to demonstrate the opposite... Well, Lord Ravenage, I believe in the sincerity of your words and I give you my blessing. The rest depends on Ayana herself. Go, I declare this incident closed.