"Always stay close to your father. Don't take any unnecessary risks, and keep sending me letters every day," Aestra said, hugging Taranis tightly in her arms. The young prince had already reached his mother's shoulders, having grown astoundingly in just two and a half years.
"I…I will miss you, Mother," Taranis murmured, wrapping his arms around Aestra's waist.
The small yet gentle gesture from Taranis—so fitting for his innocent age—instantly burst Aestra into tears.
"I…I will miss you too, my precious son," Aestra said unsteadily, repeatedly kissing Taranis's head.
Once Taranis parted from his mother, he turned toward his promised bride, the little Snow Goddess, Nymeria, who stood beside Aurelion near Aestra, her eyes reddened with tears.
While crying, she drew a golden chain from her space ring, a beautiful locket embedded with a white gem hanging from it.
Wrapping her arms around Taranis's neck in a hug, she placed the chain around him.
"What is it?" Taranis asked softly.
