Evening arrived, painting the sky in beautiful shades of orange, and red. Outside of Lortell's royal palace, everyone gathered around, a small crowd of mixed emotions. Even Brenna and Ravenna were there.
There were actually two carriages waiting to depart, both looking sturdy and well-made, with polished wood and the royal crest painted on the sides. One was for Esdeath and Maruti, while the other one was for Kailith, since she was also going to the kingdom of the church to train under Igret.
First, Kailith would travel to the government teleportation facility, which was in the capital city. But now, the capital city was under the rule of the republic, so it would take some time and go through a lot of procedures to use it. After that, she would teleport directly to the church kingdom, where she would meet Cassandra's mother and then Igret.
Although the route was quite similar to Esdeath and Maruti's, where they would also use the government teleportation facility to teleport to Colac village, but only if their destination was the demon realm.
First, their destination was the kingdom of awakeneds and the disputed part of the dwarf kingdom's territory under M.A.L.I.C.E.'s control. They needed to meet Maddie and M.A.L.I.C.E and inform them to be ready to depart to hell anytime soon.
After that, they would enter the demon realm for their own agendas. Of course, just getting stronger was not the main reason to go to the demon realm. Esdeath actually wanted to be familiar with the lands of the demon realm and see if things were there just like how she had seen them in the game she played, FLF.
Another reason was to make Maruti familiar with it as well, so in the future, it would only make things easier for them.
"Well then, I'll be back after a few weeks," Maruti said softly, waving her hand, trying to sound casual, but there was a slight tremble in her voice.
Seeing it was finally her time to go, Alice, Brenna, and Ravenna were already in tears, their eyes red and puffy. Small, sad hiccups were coming from their throats, and they were trying to wipe away their tears with the back of their hands.
"What are you crying for? It's just a few weeks," Maruti scolded, her tone a little harsh, but it was clear she was uncomfortable with all the emotion. It was genuinely beyond her understanding. It's not like they were being apart for eternity.
"I'll miss you so much," Kailith added, her voice soft and full of emotion. She leaned closer and kissed Maruti lightly on the lips, a gentle, loving touch.
"We as well," Alice, Brenna, and Ravenna said in unison, their voices thick with tears. They each stepped forward and kissed her one by one, their lips soft and warm against her cheek.
"I'll miss you four as well," Maruti replied softly, as if giving them the emotional validation they needed, her voice a little gentler than before.
"Really?" Kailith asked, her eyes wide with genuine surprise and hope.
Maruti looked at her red eyes and sighed. "Okay, I was just joking. I'm not stupid enough to miss someone in just a few weeks," she said, her usual blunt self returning.
"Pftt... That's so much like you," Kailith chuckled, a warm, genuine laugh. She was not a bit hurt by what Maruti said; she knew her too well.
"Make sure to train properly while I'm away," Maruti said as she turned back and entered the carriage, taking her seat quietly. She then peeked out from the window, her face a mask of indifference.
"I should go as well," Kailith said, hugging each of them one by one. Her hugs were warm and strong, and she whispered something in each of their ears, making them smile through their tears.
It wouldn't be weird or a surprise if she had also kissed Brenna, Alice, and Ravenna, since their relationship was more of a polygamy, friends with benefits, with Maruti as the center. Still, she decided to not show off and keep some boundaries in public.
They also hugged her back and bid her goodbye for her journey to the church kingdom, their voices full of good wishes.
Then she gracefully turned around and walked towards the other carriage, her steps light and confident. She had her seat, and with a final wave, the carriage began to move, slowly rolling away from the palace.
Meanwhile, Esdeath also bid farewell to Lortell and Selene.
"Every moment without you will feel like years to me," Esdeath said, her voice thick with emotion as she hugged Lortell. Her height barely reached up to Lortell's chest, making her look small and vulnerable, a stark contrast to her usual powerful presence.
"Yes, I may not be crying, but my heart will cry every moment till we are apart," Lortell replied, her voice just as emotional. She hugged Esdeath back tightly, as if trying to merge their bodies together, afraid to let go.
Their over-the-top dramatic farewell felt like as if they were being apart for life. Even Selene was more mature than them right now. She stood there quietly, holding onto Lortell's hand, not being all dramatic, knowing it was just a matter of time until Esdeath would be back.
Still, they both were maidens in love after all. Lortell may have lived apart from Esdeath for most of her life, but now that she had finally obtained Esdeath, her goal of life, and had grown used to living with her, it was hard to be apart.
It was like an internet addiction. Once it's gone for even one day, one can't help but feel like they've gone back to the stone ages.
Esdeath then pulled back from the hug, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She knelt down and kissed Selene gently on the forehead.
"Make sure to train well", she says.
"Yes mother",Selene replies softly.
Then, with one last look at Lortell, she finally entered the carriage.
Maruti shifted from her seat, giving the left window seat to Esdeath. She peeked out from the windows, waving them goodbye with a small, almost unnoticeable movement of her hand.
As the carriage started moving, Esdeath's eyes were already becoming heavy and watery. She watched Lortell and Selene's faces, trying to memorize every detail, as if she wouldn't see them again for a long, long time.
Soon enough, the carriage took its speed and drifted off. The figures of Lortell and others grew smaller and smaller as distance passed, until they were just tiny specks in the distance.
Soon enough, Esdeath finally pulled back her head inside the window and properly sat on the seat, a deep sigh escaping her lips.
"I feel like dying everytime I see you like this. What a downgrade," Maruti sighed in disappointment, shaking her head slightly. Compared to that cold and evil fable of the past with no relation to love or romance, seeing her current self was definitely quite heavy for Maruti to watch. Sure, she was still evil, but the fable of the past never had any soft spot for anyone.
"Hmph, you can be jealous all you want," Esdeath replies indifferently, wiping a stray tear from her cheek with the back of her hand.
"No way in hell. I just feel pity and cringe seeing you like this," Maruti replies back immediately, her tone a bit high pitched.
"Who asked for your opinion?" Esdeath replies back coldly, her voice sharp as ice, returning to her usual self.
"Urgh... fuck it, it's still hard to win an argument against you," Maruti sighed, slumping back in her seat. She realized there was no point in having this argument with her. Esdeath would always have the last word, one way or another.
Instead, she closed her eyes and decided to fall asleep. She was already having mental exhaustion from her earlier battle of wills, and she couldn't sleep really well today.
Especially when it was going to be a three-day journey in the carriage with only small breaks. So, she could just sleep throughout these boring days and recover her mental strength. The gentle rocking of the carriage soon lulled her into a deep, much-needed sleep.