In the office, Sol barely had the time to answer before another series of knocks sounded.
A serious expression immediately settled as he said, “Enter.”
“Your highness!”
The one who entered was surprisingly Ketia in her maid attire.
He had barely talked to her since the big fight. After all, he was too busy while the Crown’s shadow was in a need to reshuffle their orders.
“What is happening?”
Even though he was surprised, he still acted calmly. As the future King, he had to be able to keep calm at any mome–
“The princess and Setsuna are awake!”
“Really!?”
Calm facade could go fuck itself for all he cared currently.
Standing up abruptly, Sol roughly took his coat still on the chair and put it over his shoulder before striding out with large steps.
Watching his back, Ketia could only let out a chuckle as she immediately began to run after him.
Currently, the medical ward was full of activities, as the staff moved there and here.
After all, the princess was now awake after more than a week of coma. As for Setsuna, even though she wasn’t a princess, they still treated her with great care, since they knew that Setsuna had a chance of becoming a royal concubine.
That’s why they were extremely careful and every day was full of stress for them. After all, if anything happened to those two, even if they weren’t fully responsible, it was hard to say what would happen.
Standing on the corner and observing all this was a rather tall green-haired woman, Persephone.
This time, she was wearing a green corset, a short black skirt that did not even reach her knee, as well as a green coat.
Her long and beautiful legs were encased in black transparent stockings that reached just a little above her thighs.
She did not really like wearing black since it was Medea’s color, but she had to admit that her own color wasn’t really the kind to go beautifully with any kind of clothes.
On her hand was the chart of Lilin and Setsuna.
“They are doing better than I thought.”
Even though she was saying so, she did not seem particularly happy or disappointed.
Persephone was a woman who was in essence uncaring toward life and death.
For her, those two were nothing but a cycle.
From the information she had and because of her Avatar, she knew that even the very world in which they stood on had a lifespan.
The same went for all the stars in the sky and the very universe in which they lived.
If even stars could die, then what was a mortal’s life in front of this?
Everything died, and it was because of this reality that life itself was something so beautiful.
That’s why she loved watching people. She loved watching the story they wrote as they struggled in their short and ephemeral life.
The story of a farmer struggling to stop his family from starving.
The story of a treacherous woman manipulating men as she liked.
The story of a man reaching his dreams and dying of old age surrounded by his family.
Be it a story full of sadness or one of happiness. A comedy or a tragedy.
She loved them all.
But the story she loved the most was that of mortals fighting to surpass all obstacles in their ways.
Villains or Heroes, she did not care. She could only watch as their stories unfold in awe and happiness.
That’s why she had followed Mars all those years ago.
Contrary to what many seemed to think she was not in love with him. Though she admits that he was attractive.
She was simply attracted by the beauty of his story.
Even though it changed from a comedy to a tragedy, the unexpected change made it even more entertaining.
“Fufufu~! I wonder, should I also try to participate in the prince's story?”
She murmured to herself as she watched the blonde-haired boy enter the wards in great hurry.
It was rare for her to see such an entertaining Sequel.
“Hello, Miss Persephone. How are they? I was told they woke up.”
After seeing Persephone, Sol calmed down considerably.
After all, he had no healing skills, so his presence wouldn’t change anything. But it was different for Persephone.
“You do not have to worry. They are perfectly alright. I just put them back to sleep but this time they will wake up tomorrow. Follow me, we shouldn’t disturb them.”
Sol inwardly let out a sigh of relief and threw one last look at them before following Persephone as she left the ward.
Their direction was an office that was given to Persephone long ago before Sol was born.
After all, she had served as a doctor while Mars was the King.
The office was rather large, but at the same time devoid of nearly all furniture aside from a table full of documents, three chairs around it, and a large bed on the corner.
Once they took place, Persephone proceeded to explain the situation.
Now that both Lilin and Setsuna awoke on their own, she was able to heal them now without fear of them losing the progress they made.
Still, to avoid any complications, she had made a week-long program to be as thorough as possible.
Normally, by tomorrow they should be able to move around and after two or three days, they would be able to train without much difficulty.
“Thank you. I do not know how to repay you, but I will do anything that is in my power to show my gratitude.”
Looking at Persephone, Sol said sincerely.
Sol did not think that just because Persephone was Lilith’s friend or Medea’s sister, she owed him anything and was obligated to heal those he cared about.
She had absolutely no such obligations and thought the opposite would be looking down on all the efforts she had made.
The gratitude in his voice was so clear that Persephone was taken aback for a few seconds.
“You really care about those two.”
“I care about all of them. I don’t know what I would do without them.”
“Hum...But aren’t you saddened by the fact that they are all more powerful than you? I don’t think men like being inferior to women, right?”
This time it was the turn of Sol to be startled. He then let out a bitter chuckle,
“If I have to be honest. I truly do not care about being superior and inferior to them.”
Sol felt no complex about his women being stronger than him. In fact, this made him kind of happy. After all, this means he didn’t have to worry about them.
None of his girls were damsels in distress who needed to wait for some hero to swoop in and save them.
Still,
“What really hurts my pride is being unable to provide any form of assistance to them.”
He didn’t wish to become some hero on a white horse and shining armor, always saving them every time.
What he wished to become was their rock. He wanted them to believe in him in the same way he believed in them.
“Sadly, I still have a long way to go.”
The last fight allowed him to understand where he stood in the world.
He wasn’t weak by any means and in fact, since he was close to the Duke level, he could even say that he stood near the top.
But this wasn’t enough. The difference between a Duke and a King was like an immense gulf, and the difference between a King and a demi-god even more so.
Sol didn’t care that he was stronger than most people in his generation.
His enemies weren’t people in his generation, but a bunch of old monsters who had lived for centuries.
“This is pretty admirable. Strenght is definitely necessary if you want to write the story of your choice, without it, you can only become a side character.”
This was a profound truth she had observed many times.
Though there was nothing wrong with being a side character. After all, Persephone fancied herself as such.
She did not want to stand in the front. Observing and sometimes, helping the main character write his own story was more than enough for her.
Giving a charming chuckle, she abruptly changed topics,
“Sol, from what Medea told me, your resistance towards curse is off the chart. Isn’t it?”
‘Don’t tell me…’
“This indeed so. Why is that?”
Licking her lips, she continued, “You said that you were ready to do anything, right?”
“Anything in my power.”
Sol wasn’t dense enough to not recognize when a woman was making advances toward him.
Looking at Persephone in her stocking, short shirt, and top showing her cleavage, he had to admit that she was a sight to behold.
“Give me a second.”
Still, he would never want to do something that would hurt those he cared about. That’s why he stood up and walked toward a wall before tapping rhythmically on it without shying away from Persephone’s gaze.
This was the secret code he had established with Medea.
Sol knew she did not care about him having relationships with other women. He was also sure that she wouldn’t care about him doing anything with Persephone.
But, this wasn’t a matter of permission, but one of respect.
If she said no, then that would be it. He would never upset her for just a few moments of pleasure.
Once he finished, he asked, “What do you think?”
A few words began to form on the wall.
“I absolutely do not mind. Just take care of her.”
That was all Sol needed to see.
(AN: Sorry to destroy the enthusiasm. But the after this isn't smut. Back then I basically had no inspiration for a smut chapter so I decided to write Persephone and Sol in one or two special CH. Currently on pat reon Sol vol ended. There won't be any interlude for Sol. Only some special chapters for smut.)
