Chapter 31: Lutecia's and Yuehong's Feelings

Since that day, life was good with the foxes for Lutecia. She could have anything she wanted, she was respected by the foxes as an official queen, and she was loved by her fluffy husband with his whole heart. But she still felt she lacked something... One night, when she was lying in the bed alone, as usual, because her husband never slept, she understood what it was she needed:

Whenever he’s gone, I feel so lonely... I guess I need a friend to hang out with.

She never actually had any friends. Once her clan went extinct after her father’s, his army’s, and then her mother’s deaths, no rabbits had any wish to interact with her anymore, as they considered her only a stepdaughter to the new king and only a step-member of the new royal clan – Kaninchen, so they considered her rather bad luck since her whole clan had been wiped out. They preferred to hang out with her stepsister – the new princess, Gretchen von Kaninchen, who was such a mean maiden!

She was always so lonely... Now she did have a husband who truly loved her, but having a friend was totally different – sometimes, a woman needs another woman to be friends with, so she can have her support and talk with her about things she cannot possibly talk about with men. There are certain matters only friends can discuss, and not a husband and wife... Besides, Yuehong didn’t have time that often. He was a busy man – the lord of all spirits, the ruler of the Transformation force and the Balance, and the whole spirit world. It was rather a hard and time-consuming task for him.

A remembrance struck her: back in the Usagi Kingdom, when she was young and her parents were still alive and ruled the land, she once walked in a forest when a nut hit her head from above.

“Ouch!”

She rubbed her head. She looked up at the tree under which she stood. Another nut fell, now on her forehead.

“Ouch!”

She rubbed it again. She noticed a young squirrel spirit about her age on the tree branch right above her, gathering nuts in her bag and throwing away the bad ones. She was cute – with big brown eyes, brown hair, brown squirrel ears, a big fluffy squirrel tail, and a cute furry yellow dress. Lutecia blinked at first, and then playfully called:

“Hello there!”

The squirrel spirit started, looked down, and spotted the lovely bunny girl of her age. She grinned and waved back:

“Hello!”

Lutecia shyly scratched her head:

“Um, those nuts fell on me...”

The squirrel gasped with embarrassment and jumped down:

“Ah, I’m so sorry! Are you hurt?”

“No! Not at all!” She stretched out her hand, “I’m Lutecia De Lapin!”

“Wow, a bunny spirit and De Lapin? You must be of the royal family of bunnies!” the squirrel shook her hand, “I’m so honoured! It is a pleasure to meet you! I’m Sandra Nutts, a squirrel spirit.”

“Hehe, it’s nice to meet you too!”

The bunny and the squirrel talked a lot on that day and quickly formed a friendship. They would often meet at that place afterwards and have a lot of fun, but then, as time passed and calamities befell Lutecia – she lost her father and then her mother – she failed to go to that forest again and meet up with her friend, so, the friendship was forced to an end.

When Lutecia remembered these meetings with her old friend as she lay in her bed in the Huli Palace, she sprang up:

“Sandy! She is the only friend I’ve ever had! I must find her again, at any cost, now, when my life has finally settled!”

In the morning, when she woke up, she saw Yuehong come up to her with a cute smile, holding a tray with a cup of tea and delicious carrot cookies. She widened her eyes with joy and jumped in her bed:

“Aww! Thank you so much, Hong-hong!”

Yuehong waited until she sat up on her bed, and placed the tray on her knees. He took a seat on the edge of her bed and lovingly caressed her on the hair while she grabbed a carrot cookie and bit it with delight, drinking the tea with it.

“How did you sleep, little one?”

“Fine, thanks!” Lutecia grinned with her mouth already full of the carrot cookie. “Such yummy cookies!”

Yuehong chuckled and caressed her some more. He felt his heart fill with warmth as he watched this cute little bunny woman enjoy her breakfast in bed.

“Yuehong, can I ask you for a favour?”

He picked up his ears – his wife only called him “Yuehong” when she was dead serious and concerned about something.

“Ask me anything, my lovely one.”

“I... I wish to visit Spirit Forest. I need to find my old friend...”

“Who is that friend?”

“I... once had a friend in that forest...” Lutecia retold him everything about her and the young squirrel spirit Sandra Nutts’ friendship. “We haven’t seen each other for a long while. I don’t even know if she’ll recognize me, but I wish so badly to meet her again! I miss her… It was because of me we never met again.”

“You can go today and search for her. Do not fear a thing. If anyone scares you, just think of me and I’ll appear.”

“So, you’ll truly permit me?”

Yuehong chuckled:

“Of course! It is, after all, your friend. I’d like you to be happy, my little Lulu...”

Lutecia’s ears jumped with joy:

“Aww! Thank you so much, Hong-hong!”

Yuehong rubbed her head softly:

Such a lovely little child you are, Lulu... In my whole eternal life, I could never imagine I would ever fall in love, but, it seems that even we, the three primal forces, aren’t immune to this divine feeling… Even the ruler of Destruction, Lord Samael, was bent by it. I guess the same has happened to me now.

He wasn’t upset about it, though. It was actually the opposite – now of all times, he felt truly happy within.