Chapter 72: Chapter 72
She turned to Ben. "Help them get settled. Find them rooms, show them where they will be working. I will come speak with them later."
Ben nodded, his face carefully neutral. "Yes, Madam."
The halflings followed him out, the stag glancing back once at Uriel before disappearing down the corridor.
Lin Yue turned back to Uriel, her eyes blazing.
She did not say anything.
She did not need to.
She simply looked at him—and hissed.
A low, sharp sound that cut through the silence like a blade.
Then she turned and walked away, Auriel still strapped to her chest, her footsteps steady on the stone floor.
The men in the hall were frozen. They didn’t believe there was a person on the planet that could speak to the Prince that way.
Well, except for this wife.
Uriel stood there, his hands clenched at his sides, his pride stinging.
No one had ever spoken to him like that.
No one had ever looked at him like that.
And certainly no one had ever hissed at him.
He huffed and followed behind her.
The guards exchanged glances but said nothing.
The door to the nursery closed behind them, and the house settled into an uneasy silence.
Lin Yue huffed and removed Auriel from the carrier, settling him on the changing table. She cooed at him softly, her voice light and warm, completely at odds with the tension in the room.
"Phew, you must have been getting tired, hanging in one place like that. Mummy’s going to massage your feet and give you a little stretch, then you can roll in your crib as you like."
Uriel appeared in the doorway. She did not look at him. Did not acknowledge him. She focused entirely on Auriel, rubbing his tiny feet, stretching his little legs, her hands gentle and sure.
He stood there, watching her ignore him.
She lifted Auriel and carried him to the crib, laying him down with care. "There you go, little one. Roll as much as you want. Mummy will be right here."
Uriel’s jaw tightened. He did not like being ignored. But he was not going to get into that kind of argument. Not now. Not when he was already exhausted.
Instead, he spoke. "Is there anything else on your mind that you’d like to say?"
Lin Yue did not turn around. She adjusted the blanket over Auriel’s legs.
"You are a foreigner on Primus," Uriel continued, his voice measured. "It may look strange to you, but this is normal for us here. This is not Earth. We do not think like humans. We are not as empathetic as humans, and that is why we are better. That is why we have no wars. That is why our technology is advanced."
He paused, watching her back. She still did not turn.
"You cannot get angry just because something is different from what you consider normal. Primus is millions of years older than Earth. The rules are made by the council. Even kings do not go to war against the council. I am no god. I cannot do everything you ask of me."
Lin Yue finally turned.
Her eyes were dry. Her face was calm. But there was something in her expression that made Uriel’s chest tighten.
"I am not asking you to be a god," she said quietly. "I am asking you to be a decent person."
She walked past him and out of the nursery.
The door did not slam. It closed softly, a quiet click that felt louder than any shout.
Uriel stood alone in the room, Auriel cooing softly in his crib.
He ran a hand through his hair and let out a long breath.
He had won the argument. He had explained the logic, the history, the way things worked.
So why did he feel like he had lost something important?
Uriel stood alone in the nursery, the soft click of the door still echoing in his ears. He walked to the crib and looked down at Auriel. The baby was still awake, his gold eyes half-closed, his tiny fists waving lazily. He was drifting, slowly, the way babies did when sleep was finally winning the battle.
Uriel sighed and reached into the crib, stroking Auriel’s head gently. The platinum curls were soft under his fingers.
"Your mother is so fussy," he murmured. "I can see where you got that trait from. Does she not know that some of the principles that work on Earth do not work here?"
Auriel cooed, his eyes fluttering.
"I am so tired," Uriel continued. "Everyone wants me to be a good person and pile responsibilities on top of responsibilities. A king should, a prince should, a husband should, a father should, a commander should. Why do I have to adjust to everyone?"
He looked at his son’s tiny face, so peaceful, so unaware of the weight his father carried.
"You will not ask too much from Daddy, right?" He laughed softly and shook his head. "No, please ask. Daddy will give you the sun if you want, even if it is beyond my capabilities. So you can become an outstanding person."
Auriel’s eyes closed. His breathing evened out.
Uriel pulled his hand back and stood there for a moment, watching his son sleep.
---
Across the hall, Lin Yue sat on the edge of the bed in their room, her arms crossed, her jaw tight. She was still fuming. The argument replayed in her head—his words, his tone, the way he had dismissed her like she was a child who did not understand the ways of the world.
[You are still angry.]
She jumped slightly. She had forgotten MS was there. "Yes, I am still angry."
[Uriel is right, and I believe you should accept some things as they are. You would be putting yourself in danger if you start going against their rules. You are nothing but a foreigner here.]
Lin Yue’s eyes narrowed. "You are taking his side?"
[I am not taking sides. I am stating facts. Shit happens everywhere. You were not sent here to be a hero. It is not part of your program. You can get angry at their situation, but you did not have to berate Uriel. Like he said, this is their normal. Shit happens on Earth too, and you know that.]
She opened her mouth to argue, but MS continued.
[He was born into this. Just like his father, and his father’s father. It is not something you can command him to change. Before being a prince, he is just a man. Someone’s son. Someone’s father. Who are you to judge what makes a good leader? Could you fill his shoes?]
Lin Yue’s anger faltered.
[That is pressure. He is a military commander, a prince, and a father. He is already under a lot of societal pressure. The last thing he needs is his wife adding to it.]
She looked down at her hands. The fire in her chest had dimmed, replaced by something heavier. Guilt, maybe. Or understanding.
"I just..." She trailed off.
[You just wanted to help. I know. But there is a difference between helping and demanding. You demanded he change something that has been in place for generations. That was never going to work.]
Lin Yue leaned back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
"So, what do I do now?"
[Go back to the nursery. Apologize. Not for caring, but for the way you spoke to him. Then find a way to work together. That is what partners do.]
She closed her eyes.
She did not want to apologize.
In her head, she was right but MS was also right, she was only seeing this from her perspective, she also needed to accept Uriel’s side of the story.
Because at the end of the day, she was only a foreigner here.
"Fine." she muttered. "But I am not happy about it."
[You do not have to be happy. But it’s the right thing to do.]
She snorted despite herself and sat up.
Time to face her husband.
Lin Yue found Uriel in the corridor outside the nursery.
He was closing the door softly behind him, his hand still on the handle. When he saw her, he paused. His expression was unreadable—not angry, not cold, just tired. The kind of tired that went beyond sleep.
She braced herself. "Uriel, I—"
"It is okay." His voice was quiet. "You do not have to say it."
She blinked. "You do not even know what I was going to say."
"You were going to apologize." He released the door handle and shoved his hands into his pockets. "You do not have to. I understand why you were angry."
Lin Yue shook her head. "No. I was going to apologize, and I am going to apologize. I should not have spoken to you like that. Not in front of the guards. Not in front of anyone. I was harsh, and I did not listen to your side."
Uriel looked at her. His jaw relaxed slightly.
"I am sorry," she said.
He was quiet for a moment. Then he nodded. "Thank you."
