Finding Stardust

Ahh .. could she make new friends?

"Don't worry too much about it," said Therius, as if he could understand what was on Emma's mind. "Let it happen naturally."

Emma opened one eye and smiled. Then, she nodded and closed her eyes again. Therius smiled back and stroked the girl's hair affectionately.

Ahh .. he would really miss Emma.

"You'd better rest so that tomorrow you will be fresh when we arrive at the destination," he added while stroking her hair. "There are several places I want to show you while we are there."

"What about you? Don't you sleep too?" Emma opened her eyes and stared at Therius with a questioning look. She was ready to sit up and move to the bed provided for passengers so she could sleep. However, Therius held her shoulder and shook his head.

"It's okay. I still have several documents to read. You can sleep on my lap. Later, after I feel sleepy, I will move you to bed and sleep with you," Therius replied.

"Fine, then. I will sleep now," Emma smiled and closed her eyes again. She snuck her head on Therius lap to find comfort there. Not long afterward, she fell asleep.

Therius was reading his documents in one hand while the other hand was stroking Emma's hair. Sometimes, he would steal glances at her sleeping face. She looked even more stunning when she looked calm and at peace like she was now.

Ahh.... Therius couldn't have enough of her. The man felt sad because Emma would soon leave him to go to school. That's why he just wanted to spend all his remaining time with her.

Two hours later, drowsiness finally came to him. He decided to carry Emma to bed provided in the compartment for the passengers to rest. Then, he climbed the bed and sleep next to her, hugging his wife. Ahh... he would miss her sleeping in his embrace like this.

*** 

The train arrived at its destination when the Akkadian sun rose, just as Therius said. 

Emma fluttered her lashes and slowly opened her eyes. She felt very refreshed. She didn't know that Therius used his power as a sanomancer to make her body fresher and healthier than usual.

She only knew that when she woke up this morning, everything felt nice and pleasant. 

"Good morning," Therius said when he saw Emma stretch out her arms. The young king was sitting elegantly in the corner of the compartment, sipping hot tea. In his hand were several documents he had been reading since he woke up a few hours ago.

"Jeez ... you're really a workaholic, huh," Emma commented when she saw Therius busy himself. She stretched again and got out of bed, walked over to her husband.

Therius put down all the documents and pulled Emma's hand closer to him, so that the girl's body swayed and ended up on his lap.

Therius' words made Emma feel a little sad. She could always feel how much this man loved her. Ahh ... too bad the Mage Academy and the capital were quite far away.

The academy was built in Sochin province, which was located near the border with Terren. Students were expected to be more independent if they live far away from their parents. This was where they learn to become adults with various responsibilities. Emma may be young, but she was very independent, so she actually wished the academy was closer to the capital.

If she wanted though, she could get a private plane to take her from Sochin to the capital. It would be so easy for her if she would return to the palace every weekend. However, both she and Therius agreed that using private planes continuously would only raise other people's suspicions when she was trying to be low profile.

In the end, they decided that Emma would only return to the palace once a month by train and occasionally by plane so people would not be suspicious.

"I'll come home often, and we can communicate every day too," said Emma, ​​hugging Therius' neck. She then landed a kiss on Therius' lips.

They made out for a few minutes and finally let go. Even though they weren't apart yet, it seemed Therius wanted to show Emma that he already missed her.

After a few minutes, the two of them finally broke free. Therius poured tea for Emma, and the two then drank tea together.

"We'll be there in a moment. We better have breakfast at the hotel," said Therius after finishing his tea. He then patted Emma's butt to stand up, and got up too, to tidy their bags.

Emma finished her tea, looking out the window. Ahh ... this town they are passing by looked very pretty, Emma thought. She noticed that there were many well-preserved old buildings in the city, making the atmosphere very distinctive.

"This is called Innstad, one of the most important cities in Sochi province because it is closest to the academy. We will stay here overnight. Tomorrow I will take you to the academy and meet the principal. Today we can rest and sightsee," said Therius.

Emma nodded happily. She had not traveled much after she arrived in Akkadia. During this time, she spent much of her time in the capital or the village where Therius' parents' holiday home located.

It felt good to travel with Therius like this as ordinary people. They could walk around freely and enjoy the beauty of the city. 

A bodyguard knocked on the compartment door when the train stopped moving. He was in charge of carrying Therius and Emma's belongings so that the king and queen could walk freely.

At first glance, those around them would only think of Therius and Emma as a wealthy couple because they could bring their own servant to travel. They did not know that the 'servant' was actually one of the six king's guards who followed Therius and Emma in order to keep them safe. 

Therius and Emma stepped out of the train hand in hand. They walked casually following Lora, who was carrying Emma's bag to the hotel which was located not far from the station.

The city of Innstad was not big, but it was quite busy. After a leisurely ten-minute walk, Therius and Emma arrived at their hotel. It was the largest hotel in Innstad and had a very grand building.

After checking in using the identity of Therius Moira, the husband and wife immediately went up to the highest floor and entered their suite. Lora had put their bags in the suite and excused himself to rest in his own room.

Therius and Emma decide to wash up and change outfits before the had breakfast. After finishing breakfast and resting for a while, Therius took Emma for a walk to explore the city.

"In Innstad, we have the biggest botanical garden filled with plants from all over the planet. I'm sure you will like it," Therius said as he and Emma walked across the hotel lobby toward the exit. "It's called the Merridell Botanical Garden."

Out of the corner of her eye, Emma could see that four of the six bodyguards were watching over them and following them discreetly. Ahh .. she felt very safe.

"Sounds good. Let's go there," said Emma. "Since I will use an identity as a herbomancer, I need to know more about plants on this planet."

Just like her father, Emma loved plants. She knew that Kaoshin actually wanted to be a botanist and this botanical garden in Innstad was her father's favorite place to visit when he was young.

"It's only ten minutes by train from here," explained Therius. He could see Emma's face beaming. She seemed to enjoy their walk like commoners in the crowd like this. "Later, from the Merridell Botanical Garden, we can have lunch at a nearby restaurant, then head back to the hotel."

"I'd like that," Emma smiled. She was excited about spending her last day with Therius doing sightseeing and things regular couples do.