The trek back to Atosa’s camp was short, and once Atosa gave Deneve the spear, they took their leave. But his words echoed in Lord Red’s head. Atosa had told Deneve to claim the artifact. That is was for her alone.

It was apparent that Deneve had her memories back, but she still had work to complete. Lord Red trudged beside her in silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

Of course, Lord Red should have been eager to go home now that Deneve had her memories back but go home to what exactly. For the first time in ages, Lord Red was at a loss of what to do. He was basically, for lack of a better word, exiled from his world. The Godr-Eyed Tier had no idea what the consumption energy would do. If they did find out, what would they do with the information?

It concerned him but not as much as it would have in the past. Should he ever return? He wasn’t sure it would be the most prudent idea. Lord Red would like to see his world again but to stay permanently wasn’t appealing.

He was also curious about what Deneve wished to do. She was a free spirit, and Lord Red couldn’t see her staying anywhere except this world because she was such a large part of it.

As they stepped into the Villa, both Deneve and Lord Red breathed a sigh of relief. They had agreed to take two days to rest before heading to the Cokro Chamber.

“How about we clean up and go to the tavern for dinner?” Lord Red suggested.

Deneve smiled, “That sounds like an excellent idea. I can’t wait to get the sand out of unmentionable places.”

He chuckled at her enthusiasm and agreed with her assessment about the sand. A short time later, Deneve stepped out into the common living area where Lord Red patiently waited. He was surprised as she wasn’t in her usual type of outfit. He could say it was fitting as the heatwave that had been plaguing the area hadn’t receded.

“Atosa gave it to me when he gave me the spear,” Deneve explained.
“What do you think?”

Frankly, the dress was quite distracting if you wanted to call it a dress ( that was being generous, really). Despite this, Lord Red smiled at the normalcy of the question. The headpiece was dainty and well-made, as were the other metal pieces on the outfit. “You look wonderful,” He answered honestly.

“Not something I would wear every day,” She admitted, but “it’s just so damn hot. I’m glad the Villa is nice and cool.”

“The tavern should be too,” He replied. “Shall we go?” He offered his arm, which she took with a giggle.

As soon as they entered the tavern, it was mass chaos. Purajin announced that the Princess of Mediah had arrived, and this caused everyone to either introduce themselves or ask questions about her and Barhan.

Deneve did an excellent job of navigating the barrage. Lord Red, citing that Princess Deneve needed some peace to eat, ended up getting the tavern pack up their order. Before they left, Deneve saw Lord Red whisper something in Purajin’s ear. The man went pale before nodding in agreement.

A few people even went so far as to follow them. Teleporting through town seemed to shake the most persistent people. “I’m going to have to have a talk with Barhan about this,” Deneve sighed. “What did you say to Purajin anyway?”

“I merely reminded him to remember that you could freeze his blood in his veins if you were so inclined and that I had the same ability,” He said, smiling wickedly. “And if he pulled another stunt like that, I wouldn’t hesitate to do so.”

Deneve raised an eyebrow at him. “I see. Thank you.” She moved the food to the terrace so they could enjoy the cooling air as the sun was almost set.

“I think this idea is better anyway,” Lord Red said, looking at her thoughtfully as they enjoyed their meal.

Deneve smiled and nodded. “I agree we have been traveling for some time. Having the Villa to come back to is nice.”

“Well, according to the masses,” He teased, “you were supposed to be staying at your fiancé’s house.”

“I’m not going back there, and he knows exactly why,” Deneve stated. “He keeps trying to give me an allocation, but I keep sending it back to him. As Princess of Mediah, I have my own funds. Although instead of renting a Villa, I might like to buy one.”

“You plan on settling down here?” He asked curiously. Part of him wanted to ask her reasons for not going back to Barhan’s house, but he decided to table the question for the time being.

“I don’t know about settling down, but I do like this world. It could be a good place to recharge.” She admitted. “Besides, our world might not be safe for you.”

“I’ve had some of the same thoughts,” Lord Red sighed. “I didn’t know what to do honestly, and I wanted to hear your thoughts on the matter.”

“Well, I was researching and hopping worlds before I ran into you,” Deneve explained, “I enjoy it and wish to continue. I would stop back now and then to update the school on my research, but other than that, I have no reason to stay there.”

“I see,” He said tactfully. “Would you mind having a companion?”

Deneve gave him a dazzling smile. “I was hoping that you would ask.” Leaning over, she brushed a kiss onto his lips.