The Villainess Wants More

Part 32

Lucienne grunted as her wood sword clashed against Erno's. She panted and wiped the sweat off her forehead. "That was good. Good form. You must work on controlling your breathing." He hadn't even broken a sweat that whole time. He had barely budged from his position at all. Lucienne had been training for the last 2 hours. She flopped down on the ground and rolled to face the sky. She let out a long sigh. Erno soon joined her. He was on his hands and feet as he looked over her. "Had enough for today?" He smiled at her. "More than enough." She closed her eyes. Erno plopped down next to her and put his arm over her. They both dozed off.

Ren appeared at the door. It seemed he was expecting the prince as he had to look down to see his guest. "P-princess Lucienne! What brings you here?" He bowed. "Sorry, are you busy? I just wanted to ask you about something." She flailed her hands in apology. "No I'm not busy. Please." Ren opened the door and closed it behind her. She took a seat and he sat across from her. "Please excuse the mess. I wasn't expecting company... not that I am displeased with the princess's presence!" He sighed at his own shortcomings. "What was it you needed princess?" He clasped his hands in nervousness. He was avoiding eye contact with her at any cost. "Well I remember Erno told me that you sometimes go with him on missions and i wanted to know how you trained! I asked Erno and he told me but his story wasn't very...useful. I was hoping you'd have a better understanding!" She clasped her mouth. "Oh not that I think you're any less stronger than Erno." She wryly smiled. Ren stared at her for a few seconds before he cleared his throat. "I understand Princess. But I am simply just an aide. I'm nothing special, really." He fixed his glasses. He hated to let Lucienne down. He looked up at her, expecting disappointment on her face, but there was no such thing. She was smiling actually. "Well since you won't tell me that. Can you at least make it up to me by calling me by my real name and not 'Princess Lucienne'?" She tilted her head. "I'll tell you." Ren bluntly stated. Disappointing Lucienne was one thing, having the prince overhear how casual they had become and having Ren's head, was another. He saw the fire in her eyes and quickly realized that she had played him. He sighed and nodded. He continued on to tell him stories of his training days. She was listening intently and nodding along. At the end Lucienne checked the clock and gasped. "Oh goodness! It's been an hour already? I should really get going." She stood. Ren quickly stood and followed her to the door. He hadn't meant to but as she was leaving he grabbed her hand. She turned to face him in confusion. He stuttered for a second. "I- um... just wanted to ask if you could perhaps keep our meeting a secret from the prince? You understand right?" He played it off and let go of her. She nodded. "Of course! Bye Ren!" She rushed down the hall, waving behind her. Ren sighed and put his head in his hands.

"What did you do today, my love?" Erno watched as Lucienne bit into a strawberry. She looked up at him. "Well after we sparred I took a shower, then I went to the garden with Clara, then I went to Re- read in my study, and then I came here." She picked up another strawberry from the platter. "And you?" She bit into it. "Well I went to the knight's grounds, trained with a few new men, went to the shops, then came home." He watched her with immense love. "The shops? For what?" She continued picking at the strawberries in front of her. "Well I remember you saying something about how lonely it got here. I thought I'd get you something to quell your loneliness." He beckoned in Eline. Eline walked in with a small box. It was velvet with a gold ribbon on it. Erno gently grabbed it from his hands and placed it on the table. Lucienne eyed the box. It had holes in the sides and on the top. She gasped. "Oh Erno you didn't!" She clasped her hands over her mouth. He nodded and gestured for her to open it. She undid the ribbon and carefully lifted the top off the box. She looked inside. It looked like whatever was in there was asleep as it was curled into a little ball with a blanket snuggled up with it. It laid on a velvet colored pillow. It was pure black with round ears. Lucienne looked closer and realized that it was no ordinary cat but instead a panther. She rushed to hug Erno and quickly kissed him. He stood dazed as she returned to the gift. She very quietly and very gently lifted it out of the box. It was still asleep as she brung it close to herself. "His mother is gone. He's all yours." Erno stood behind her shoulder, looking at both her and the panther. "I shall name him Nenet." She coddled him in her arms. "But... why are you giving him to me now?" Lucienne slowly turned to Erno. It was something he had been avoiding. He sighed. "Luci... I have been called to hold off monsters in the Circe region. They say until the repairs of the barrier are done. Which could take weeks." He watched as despair filled her eyes. It broke his heart into infinite pieces. He kneeled before her and grabbed her hand. "I'm sorry, my love! I would rather those people die than leave your side! I have no choice..." He sounded just as distraught as she felt. She plopped back into her chair, panther still in her arm, and stared in disbelief at the floor. "Is it dangerous?" She finally spoke. Erno looked up at the sound of her voice. "They are common monsters. I'll be perfectly fine. It's you I am worried about." He placed his head in her lap. She stroked his hair. Nenet stirred in her arms before awaking. His blue eyes locked with Lucienne's gaze after a large yawn. He let out a small meow and Lucienne laughed. Erno looked up to realize that she was also crying as she laughed. He got up and wiped her tears quickly. She looked up at him. He looked down at her. They kissed lovingly. She broke away. "I'll be fine." She whispered. He cupped her face in his hands and placed a kiss on her forehead. She laughed and turned to the black fluff in her arm. "After all, I've got Nenet."