Her doubts and regrets!

"Tell me if it hurts."

"Mmm."

Currently, in an elegant and peaceful space which by furnishing looked like a bedroom, inside of it could be seen two figures. 

The room had primarily dyed covers all around with a blue color. From curtains to sheets, everything mostly belonged to a similar shade.

Apart from the reception area, which had several couches and resting sofas arranged properly, there was a separate space for bedding.

A blonde man was currently lying down on the comfortable queen-sized bed as he pressed himself flat with only a piece of short garment on his lower half.

The currently troubled man was none other than Austin, who was presently getting treated by Luna.

The part of his shoulder blades and arm where she bit were now covered with bandages after she washed it and cleansed it using antiseptic. 

After that, she applied balm at the places where Austin received damage in the battle with Charles.

Since he departed for the Northern Empire only some days after the duel, his body couldn't recover from all the internal injury Charles inflicted on him.

After thoroughly inspecting his upper body, Luna went instantly to run the lotion on Austin's feet, which because of the unnatural cold of the place, had become blue and red.

The way she was gently treating him and applying the medicines seemed like she was handling the most significant entity whose life was the most crucial to be saved, made the title of her being a Saint feel worthy.

But there was one essential thing that Austin was contemplating since the time Luna took charge of healing him.

He, without a doubt, was more than happy being treated by such a beautiful woman with such gentle care, but this situation would have suited him more if this world was the same as his previous one.

Lastly, seeing her beads of sweat which she was paying nonexisting attention to and was continuously working hard to cover him in the greenish cream, Austin raised his voice in objection.

"Umm...Luna? Wouldn't it be fine to use your healing spell?"

Knowing what level of Healing spell she had in store, which eventually gave her the title of being the Light of Hope, Austin suggested the most accessible means to get over with the labor.

But when he received the cold glance of his beloved, he realized he spoke something wrong.

"Am I not allowed to see some of your skin?"

Austin, upon hearing the word 'Some of your skin', fell speechless, as he laid his back down on the pillow and let the lady do as she desired.

Luna, taking his silence in the way she wanted, smiled merrily as she continued applying the green gel on her beloved's precious skin gently.

Austin, staring at the ceiling leisurely, seemed to remember something as he called for Luna in a sheepish voice.

"Luna...did you read my memories without me being aware of it?"

Luna's moving hand halted for a mere blink which didn't go unnoticed by Austin, further making his doubt clear.

"Hmm...and why do you think so?"

With her voice still carrying the previous fluency, Luna asked in counter as she continued her treatment.

"The letter you wrote to me made it clear that you want me to change the Northern Kingdom and take it under my influence. But if you haven't been aware of my knowledge of this world, then I don't think you would have written such a letter to me at all."

Luna, after hearing his to-the-point remark, finally concluded her treatment as she turned her head toward the man who still was gawking at the ceiling aloofly.

"And what if I say that I indeed had read your memories even before you told me about your past? Will you regret loving me?"

Austin instantly frowned as he supported his back and got up, startling the other one. 

"Do you really think, Luna, that I confessed my love just because of your sympathy that night? Do you believe my words and emotions are shallow, which makes you doubt my feelings? Please look into my eyes and tell me if you felt any of it, Luna."

Hearing his oppressive tone for the first time, Luna felt her heart shaking as she didn't dare to lift her gaze at all.

She knew Austin wasn't lying when he said that he generally doesn't make any relationships for fear of losing someone dear to him, but when he does build a connection, he does his best to keep things up.

And she was the first person in both his lives with whom he got involved romantically, yet she ended up doubting his confession and made fun of his feelings.

The blunder she made had no compensation even if she apologizes for the whole day, so she only kept her head leaning down in shame.

Suddenly to her utmost surprise, a big hand wrapped around her shoulder and she was pulled on the bed before she could even yelp.

"Now, stop making that face. I know you didn't mean to hurt me."

Without even letting her realize where she was landing, Austin planted her head on his chest as he patted her silky silver hair lovingly.

Luna instinctively brought her hand over Austin's upper body as she widened her eyes by being enveloped in such gentle warmth. 

Austin silently ran his hand across her delicate hair as he also helped to calm her anxious heart along with his caresses. 

After some moments, when finally her state of mind calmed down a bit, she whispered meekly while enjoying the pleasure.

"I am sorry for doubting your feelings. I promise I won't say such a thing ever again."

Austin sighed in relief as he felt slightly bad for scolding Luna, but in the end, what he said was all true, so in a gentle tone, he replied.

"Mm. It's fine."

The pair of two love birds were enjoying each other's warmth with practically significantly less amount of clothing over their bodies.

Austin was nearly naked, lying with Luna in his embrace, who only had a one-piece dress over her sinful body, which reached only up to her thighs.

Not to talk about the deep cleavage that her dress was exposing made it challenging for Austin to look at her properly. The most prominent thing he remembered from the one long glance he had at her partially exposed bust was the small mole on her left breast.

He wasn't a pervert, but with this much exposure, he couldn't just ignore it too.

Thankfully, before his focus could've been diverted strangely, Luna pulled him out of his stupor.

"What have you thought about the empire, Austin?"

The way she asked casually and the things she wrote in her letter were about an entire Nation's future, yet Austin was still calm as he whispered while staring at the white ceiling.

"Well, for now, I want you to do some things for me."

Without any contemplation, Luna hummed in response before she heard him continuing.

"First, help me to deal with the messenger who came to take you, as he is the only person who has seen me in Gram."

Upon hearing his request, Luna felt her admiration for him increasing, as such a detailed plan was no joke to form.

"Don't worry, I will deal with him."

For some reason, Austin didn't want to ask how she would deal with the man, so he continued his requests.

"Second, I want you to keep the record of mine and the hero's crime out of the emperor's knowledge at any cost, or this plan would shatter into pieces."

With a profound expression, Luna pondered upon something before she finally affirmed his words.

"Don't worry. I don't think the central council would ever take an interest in such minor matters as regulation treason, but still, I will lay around my wires to keep everything secluded."

Austin patted her head gently in praise, upon which, the severe expression of Luna instantly melted into a happy grin as she enjoyed the pampering.

"Last but not least, I want you to help me meet your long-lost uncle, who has been living in the shadows for some years now."

Luna, upon hearing the mention of the relative she practically had only seen when she was in the cradle, opened her eyes in concern as she informed Austin of something which he might not be aware of.

"Umm...Austin, I can arrange a meeting with uncle Nordeik, since I know where he is hiding but are you sure about it? That man, even being stronger than my father if it's about physical might, still wasn't able to overtake the throne just because of the absence of mana. Do you think he would be helpful?"

A slight smile formed on Austin's lips as what he had seen in the manga, which Luna also must have seen through his memories, the character of Eldritch's forgotten warrior wasn't appropriately justified.

Even though there was a brief appearance of Norsvolk's brother in the manga, Austin could perceive what potential the man carried, which helped him in forming this plan too.

"Don't worry; I have kept things sorted. If everything goes as I have planned, then within three weeks, the Nation of Aurora will greet their new king, and we will enjoy the show from the shadows."

_______________________ 

A/N:- Sorry for the short chapter, but adding info dumps isn't my thing. I will keep things moving at a decent pace and take at least around a dozen or maybe more chapters to clear this Northern Succession arc.

Drop a comment if you are hyped for the story~

Important note:- Since Austin wasn't multilingual, he used a translating artifact to be able to understand the guard of the jail and respond to them causally. Since this artifact is not visible to the naked eye, it wasn't snatched away from Austin along with his other equipment.

Editor : Zenon