"My lord."
Jason turned to the side, and he saw the widowed Queen, Phina, standing there. Phina had her hands joined in front of her respectfully, and her head was bowed so she stared at the floor. Jason glanced at Stragga and gestured for him to leave them alone, and once Stragga was gone, Jason turned to fully face Phina, and he spoke.
"What can I do for you, Queen Phina?"
"I-I am not a Queen anymore, my lord. Just my given name is enough."
Phina shook her head as she said this, but Jason could sense a bit of happiness in her tone, and he knew that she was very happy about the fact that her husband was dead! But Jason was surprised by something.
"Isn’t it customary for the new king to marry the previous Queen on this world? I was under the impression that you and Makin would get married now since you loved each other before everything that happened."
Jason could still remember hearing about the love story between Makin and Phina. If Vanix hadn’t interrupted the story when he did, then there was no doubt that the two of them would have gotten married! Jason really thought that the two ex-lovers would be jumping at the opportunity to get back together again! But Jason saw an aura of despair suddenly coming over Phina’s body at that moment! Phine gripped her gown with one hand, and Phina put her other hand over her mouth as she let out a miserable sob! Jason narrowed his eyes curiously and listened as Phina did her best to speak through her sobs!
"I... I cannot do that, my lord. I do not... I do not think I can face him as I am now. How can I ask him to choose me as his Queen? I might love him, but I do not have anything of worth to give to him. Everything has been taken by the evil king! Everything! My youth! My innocence! Even my womb that I would’ve used to carry his children! It’s gone! What worth do I have to give to the current King of the kingdom!? I cannot give him anything!"
Jason’s face soured slightly, and he did not know what to say to this. Jason honestly did not like the fact that Phina saw herself in this way. Even with the way she was now, she was still a very beautiful woman, and she deserved to have a happy life. But at the same time, Jason knew that she was right. The King would need children and heirs to carry on his name, and there was no way she could give that to Makin! The lovers couldn’t allow their blind love to prevent them from seeing what the truth was!
Jason spoke up again:
"You’re here to ask me to help you start a new life somewhere else, aren’t you?"
Phina finally looked up at Jason in shock, and just from the look in her eyes, Jason could see that he was right. Phina knew that Jason was one of the most influential men in this domain, so it wouldn’t be hard for him to take her to another world and give her enough coins to start a new life there! Phina was trying to run away from her past since she couldn’t face Makin in her current state!
There were tears falling from Phina’s eyes, and she cleaned them with the back of her hand as she nodded.
"Y-Yes, my lord. I want to leave and start anew. I do not have anything tying me to this world anymore. My family is dead to me, and I cannot face the only man I love with confidence. It is better this way."
Jason hummed as he thought about it for a moment. In truth, Jason knew that Phina was only trying to run away from her problems. By abandoning her world and everyone in it, Phina was trying to avoid the difficult decisions she would have to make, and she was also making sure she wouldn’t have to face rejection from the man she loved. It was obvious that Phina didn’t intend to tell Makin or anyone else about what she was doing! But Jason immediately realised that all of this was only going to cause more drama in the long run! Jason hated drama, and he hated the idea of having to deal with a depressed Makin who would be constantly searching for Phina because she left without telling him!
So Jason said:
"I understand where you’re coming from, Phina. And I know you’re scared. But I cannot participate in your cowardice. That man, Makin. Everything he did until this moment was because he loved you, and he never once backed away from the truth of his actions. If you wish to leave, I have no problem with that, but I will only help you after you’ve spoken to Makin about your decision. Tell him about your troubles and hear what he has to say without assuming he will hate you. You’ve both been through a lot, Phina, and you’ll only be hurting him even more if you run away now. There are other ways for Makin to have children, but you need to face these problems together so you do not regret it in the future."
By the time Jason was done with his speech, Phina was staring at him with wide eyes! Phina was absolutely shocked, and she could feel tears gathering in her eyes as she realised how much of a coward she was being at that moment! How could someone who had only known her for a few days be more aware of her actions than she was!? Phina had only been thinking about herself and the amount of pain she did not want to bear, but she never stopped to think about what would happen to Makin if he learned that she left this world!
Phina knew that Jason was right about there being other ways for Makin to get children! Makin could get multiple concubines who would bear him children, and there would be no issues, but Phina just didn’t know if she would be okay with that sort of life! Would Makin still love her if she never gave him any children!?
Jason reached out and patted Phina on the shoulder before smiling at her.
"If you’re done talking to him, and things don’t work out in a way you can both be happy, then call out to me anytime. I’ll take you to another world so you can live the life you asked for. But you have to be sure that this is the best choice for both of you."
Phina bit her lip tightly as she considered Jason’s words, and for a moment, Jason thought her fear would get the better of her. But Phina eventually let out a long breath, and she bowed to Jason thankfully!
"Now I am certain that the rumors of your wisdom were not at all exaggerated. Thank you for the advice, my lord. I will heed your words."
Jason patted Phina on the shoulder with a small smile, and he put his hands in his coat pocket before turning to leave the castle.
....
A few days after his talk with Phina, Jason was finally ready to get back home to Earth. The higher executives of L’horm all gathered in the Northern Alliance Academy, where Jason would be leaving from, to say goodbye to him, and at their front were Makin and Phina! Jason looked over the gathered crowd, and he spoke to them calmly.
"I’ll be leaving back to my world now with the hopes that the peace we’ve built here will last for many centuries. I hope you don’t give me a reason to come back anytime soon."
Some of the nobles laughed, and Makin smiled at Jason thankfully.