The Space Empress He Craved

Chapter 47

POV: Lyra

Ellia was a little embarrassed that her mate called her name so intimately before the Empress, and she blushed, her Lyrokan pathways shifting to soft pink. "That's very kind of you to say, my Empress. I didn't expect to meet you this soon either. I've heard about you, from Ben, but I never expected you to be this... different, in a good way, that is."

I looked at the younglings who were by Ben's side, clinging onto his legs. "And these must be Rita and Russell." Ellia was shocked that the future Empress knew her younglings' names, her pathways flashing white, but Ben was moved that I remembered. He brought his younglings closer to me, and I bent down to meet the dark-haired girl with sparkling eyes. "Hello, Rita."

"H-hello, pwetty lady," she muttered nervously.

"Oh, darling. It's just Aunt Lyra, okay?" I said encouragingly, my skin shifting to warm gold.

I then looked at the boy, whose hair and eyes matched his sister's, and I smiled. "Hello, Russell. Is your knee better?" Ben and Ellia were surprised and touched that their Empress remembered their son's injury and asked about it—their pathways glowing with emotion.

"Y-yes. A-Aunt Lyra," Russell stuttered shyly.

"Can you show Aunt Lyra?" I smiled and asked the little boy.

He looked up at his father who muttered with a nod, "Go on, Russell. It's okay." The little boy let go of his father's leg and bent down to pull up his suit fabric, showing me a slightly scratched knee. I looked at it for a moment before lifting the little boy's chin up gently with my hand as I whispered, "You're such a brave and strong little boy. You're healing so quickly." He smiled, showing his dimples and small teeth.

I then said, "Russell, your dad says you like to build toys." He nodded with a smile and, to my surprise, took me by my hand and walked me with his adorable little legs to the lounger where Christian sat at the other end. Like Orion, Christian was silently observing me mingle with the child, his pathways curious blue.

Russell patted on a seat twice to motion me to sit. After I sat down, he tried to climb onto the high cushion himself. But he only made it when I lifted him up by his armpits and placed him right next to me. He unstrapped his small pack and pulled it to his side before unsealing it and taking out a slightly deformed toy hover-car. He then sat cross-legged and put the car in front of him, pressed a button on top before the car started floating and moving slowly above the lounger surface.

Christian's eyes widened in shock, his pathways flashing bright yellow. I could see him initiating a mind-touch with Orion—their eyes glazing over as they communicated telepathically.

I gasped at the little boy. "You made this at school?"

Russell shook his little head and said, "I—I make it at playtime... at home."

I gaped in shock, my skin shifting to impressed silver. "You built this all by yourself?"

Russell nodded proudly and smiled. I said excitedly, "You're such a smart boy! Did you show this to your friends at school?"

Russell's smile faltered and he looked at his hover-car sadly. "My friends say it's stupid. They laughed at me. They threw my car when I showed them. My teacher told me to stop making it. She said studying was more important."

My heart broke—skin shifting to sympathetic blue. I took Russell and placed him on my lap facing me. I looked at the sad little boy and said with a soothing voice, "Russell, don't listen to your teacher. You have to be very special to know how to make this. Your teacher is just jealous. Hm?"

The little boy looked up at me and sadness was disappearing from his eyes. I continued, "And you can always make new friends. A lot of little boys and girls will love to play with your car. Okay?" His dimples showed and the sadness was gone. He threw his arms around my chest, taking me by surprise. I noticed Orion stiffening as he stood next to where I sat, his pathways darkening slightly.

Christian chuckled to himself, his pathways dancing with amusement—clearly they were having an interesting mind-touch conversation.

The little boy released me from our embrace when his fingers felt my scar on my arm. He looked at it with furrowed eyebrows and asked innocently, "What is this, Aunt Lyra?"

I said, "Oh, this. Aunt Lyra was fighting bad guys one day. And one bad guy gave Aunt Lyra this scar." The little boy's eyes were glistening, which made me panic, so I cooed, "There there, Russell. Shh... No bad guys are going to come for you. Aunt Lyra killed them, okay? You're safe. You're safe."

He then hugged me again before he said, "I want to kill bad guys for Aunt Lyra." My heart melted, skin shifting to warm pink. I'd thought the little boy was about to cry earlier because he was afraid he would be hurt the same way I was. But he was crying because I got hurt.

I smiled. "That's very sweet of you, Russell. You're a brave little boy." I then pecked a kiss on his forehead, making him smile again.

Christian burst into laughter, his pathways bright with mirth, garnering everyone's attention. My voice turned back into the way I normally spoke to him. "Christian, what's the joke?"

He lifted up a finger, asking for a minute while he continued laughing. When he was done, he said, "Apologies, my Empress. I uh... just thought of something funny and couldn't help myself."

"Do share."

"Uh, no. Maybe later." He chuckled again.

I was still confused, oblivious about how Orion was reacting by my side when I interacted with the child in my hands. "Okay, if you say so."

It was when I was about to turn back to Russell that I noticed Ellia and Ben initiating a mind-touch with each other—their eyes glazed over with worried and fearful looks, their pathways flickering with anxiety. I assumed it was family affairs so I didn't intrude. When I opened my mouth and was about to speak to Russell again, I heard the sound of viewport shields being activated. My head lifted, and I saw that it was Ben doing it. When it was done, Ben went to Ellia's side and nodded once in encouragement before Ellia lifted her head up to the three of us.

Ellia swallowed a lump in her throat, her pathways pulsing with nervous yellow, before saying, "Your Eminences, Your Grace. There's something you should know."

The atmosphere just shifted, I thought, feeling my skin automatically respond by shifting to alert silver. Whatever they're about to tell us, it's important.