To Love, Once Again

Chapter 95

""Your majesty!?""

The maids all gasp when they see Sera and Lucien returning together, Sera in a princess carry. With the bucket of honey cradled atop her stomach, Sera hides her smile at the small question mark at the end.

"Why are you all surprised? The King already said he was coming to have dinner with us tonight."

""Yes, Your Majesties.""

The maids curtsey, standing in a neat row on either side of the cottage door.

Sera excuses their curtseys with a small wave, patting at Lucien's hard chest. She'd learned the hard way before that the maids would be forced to bow forever if they weren't dismissed.

"Lucien, you can let me down now."

"A little longer, Sera? Let me carry you inside the cottage at least."

Lucien's quiet voice was firm, casually stroking her hair with his eyes faced forward.

Sera doesn't miss the small quiver that goes through Lucien's arms. Instead of letting her go, he walks faster, boots clicking against the cobblestone path.

"Mama! Mama hwurt!?"

Seeing that his parents were back, Leo hops off the tree stump, dragging his soft velveteen rabbit behind him.

"She's not hurt."

Lucien responds, his serious tone making him sound as if he were reminding himself at time same time. He jumps up with both hands reached upward. The young boy was fully ready to receive his mother from his father's arms.

He stomps on the ground when his father continues to walk right by him, motioning for him to follow behind with his chin.

"Sleepy? Hungry?" Trotting alongside them, Leo hops along, jumping on the path from one inlaid stone to another. If his mother was not hurt, than the only other reasons she would be carried this way must be one of the two.

"Maybe a little hungry? How about you Leo?" Reaching out her hand to grasp Leo's much smaller one, Sera gives it a reassuring squeeze. It was quite an awkward position, holding hands with her much shorter son while being held in Lucien's thick arms.

"Your Majesty, we will collect the goods."

Two maids naturally step in to take the wheelbarrow that Lucien had been dragging behind him. This allowed Lucien to readjust his cradle of Sera's body, holding her oh so carefully as to not accidentally hurt her.

"Leo a wittle hungwy too!"

And he wanted a welcome-back hug from Sera. That was hard to do when Lucien continued to carry his mother. Inquisitive round eyes glance at their position, trying to figure out how he could fit himself into position.

Using the pause in Lucien's pace, smart Leo was quick to come up with a solution.

"Fwather! Up!"

This time, he reaches up both arms to Lucien, waiting for him to pick him up.

"Up?"

Lucien hesitates. He glances between Leo and the door of the cottage a few steps in front of him. To him it didn't appear logical to go out of his way to pick up a child, when he was going to put them back down the moment they got inside.

But he still allows Leo to pull at his trousers, lowering his body so that their eyes were at the same level.

"Up!" Leo cries again, jumping up and down. Leo shows Lucien how it's done. With the soft rabbit toy, he hugs it close to his body like a baby, rubbing his face in it's soft pink ears.