A/N: Presenting to you the final chapter! :')

~ Chapter 19 Always You ~

"My children."

The woman smiled radiantly. There was nothing but pure love and happiness shining in those eyes of hers as she looked at the siblings. Her sudden appearance took their breath away, and neither one of them moved for a long time. From what they described her before, she sure didn't look frail and sick.

Cathy was the first one to snap out of her shock and tears sprang to her eyes.

"Mother?" her voice cracked.

When the woman acknowledged her call by glancing at her with a smile, Cathy broke down and sobbed like a child. Gone was the mask that she always wore – one that made her appear as a cold, fierce and unapproachable person.

She stood up suddenly, causing the soldiers around her to be on their guard. Livi held up his hand, signaling them to let her be. Cathy staggered her way across the room and threw herself in her mother's arms. The woman hugged her back tightly.

Leo remained stunned and unmoving, unable to wrap his head around what had just happened. "W-what… I don't understand. We thought–" he stammered, "–we thought we lost you, Mother."

His mother gazed back at him and shook her head. "I almost thought I was a goner. I was terribly sick with no medicine. I had no strength in me to eat or drink a drop of water." Her face grew sad as she recalled the past.

"But His Majesty, he was kind-hearted. He rescued me as well as many others – gave us a place to stay and provided proper jobs for a living. We were no longer slaves," she explained. "When we were finally settled, I tried searching for Cathy and you. But I heard that my children escaped and disappeared before the rescue group arrived."

"For three years, I never stopped looking for you both… And here you are, standing right in front of me. Alive and healthy." She closed her eyes as a smile of pure bliss blossomed on her lips.

Slowly, the walls around his heart stripped off layer by layer and his eyes welled up with tears. Unable to contain his joy and relief any longer, Leo stood up and joined his mother and sister. Beads of tears rolled down his cheeks. There was a moment of silence, as the family rejoiced in their reunion and the audience around them watched in respect and contentment.

A while later, they broke apart. Leo gazed at his mother endearingly, before asking in a low voice, "do you believe in His Majesty?"

"Yes," his mother replied without any hesitation. "With all my heart, yes."

Having made up his decision, Leo turned back his attention to the Sun King and the rain princess sitting on the throne. Instead of looking like a wrathful soul, this time he appeared to be remorseful.

"Your Majesty," he started apologising. "I'm sorry for everything that I did–" But Livi cut him off quickly.

"It's not me that you should be apologising to." He gestured his hand towards Nike.

There was a slight pause in the air, and Livi quirked his eyebrows at Leo with a what-are-you-waiting-for expression.

With a sheepish look, Leo looked at Nike. "I'm sorry, Nike-sama. For lying to you and putting you through everything, I was horrible and you didn't deserve that." His head bowed deeply in utmost regret.

From behind, an apologetic Cathy added in, "I'm so sorry too."

"It's alright, Leo-san and Cathy-san. I'm just glad that you both got back your mother." And Nike was relieved that nobody was going to go about killing each other anymore. "I do hope that you and your family would go back to living your lives normally," she added.

With a sorrowful look, he casted his head downwards. "How could I? I committed a sin and should be punished."

This time, it was Livi who answered. "You're absolutely right about that. Which is precisely why I've decided on my punishment for you." He leaned forward in his throne, and stared at the man thoughtfully. He wasn't going to let Leo walked out of here easily.

"Neil," he called.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Neil stepped forward, holding a rolled silk parchment. He began to unroll it and read out the contents loudly.

"On the orders of the Sun King," he said. "I hereby announce that Leo Strauss and Cathy Strauss are to serve their sentence in the castle, carrying out their duties as fellow Marshal and Minstrel. As a Marshal, you're in charge of overseeing the transportation of goods. As for a Minstrel, you're part of the performing crew. At all times, you will be under my surveillance. You will be punished accordingly if you misbehave." Neil rolled the parchment and a questioningly look crossed his face.

Everyone, except Livi, was dumbfounded by the orders. Even Nike wasn't expecting this. She never thought that Livi would be giving them jobs as a punishment.

He has really, really changed for the better.

"Any questions?" Neil asked, his tone was rather intimidating. The siblings could feel the air stifling under his authority and they nodded hurriedly.

"Good." With a clap of his hands, he declared loudly. "Everyone's dismissed. You must be tired from last night's events. I'M TIRED AS WELL."

Scattering out of the Great Hall, everyone fled before he could start lecturing people for his lack of sleep.

~ oOo ~

Livi and Nike escaped off to the roof garden – it was one of their secret hideouts.

At last, they were alone. It felt like ages since they could talk to each other privately. Livi lay down on the grass, plopping his head on her lap and closing his eyes in sweet contentment.

"Livi," Nike started. She grasped his hand in between hers and rubbed circles on the back of his hand soothingly. "Your punishment… It was really kind and generous of you for you to punish them in that way. Was it for my sake?"

His eyes flitted open, and he stared up at her. "Well... Partly, yes." He confessed, knowing that he couldn't lie to her. If they were sentenced to a life in prison, it would upset Nike greatly.

"The man still has his dreams, which was why being a Marshal would be a stepping stone for him. And more importantly, his mother was there," he added, albeit hesitantly. "I couldn't bear to watch someone get separated from his mother. At least his mother is still alive and he still gets to be with her…" His words faltered as his mind swirled in deep thoughts.

"I miss my mother… Every minute, every hour and every day." His usual strong self melted away, revealing his sadness in his large, mournful eyes. It was an unusual sight to see Livi exposing his emotions and vulnerable self.

"Oh, Livi…" Nike released his hand and hugged his face, snuggling her cheek against his. His skin felt warm and pleasant. "Your mother will be so proud of you. I'm proud of you too, and I will always be here for you," she smiled.

He sat up suddenly, which caught Nike off surprise. Dropping a feathery kiss on the bridge of her nose, he whispered, "thank you." His face lit up and his eyes sparkled in gratitude, just like the sunlight kissing the ocean.

Nike didn't realise that she stopped breathing.

OH GOD, NIKE. HE LOOKS SO DELICIOUSLY HANDSOME! DANG!

His lustful eyes, soft lips and burning skin… He was simply irresistible.

OMG NIKE, CALM DOWN. YOU NEED TO BREATHE!

Before she could sort out the chaos happening in her mind, Livi leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. She lost all control and simply gave in to the temptation. He kissed her hardly, as though she was the air and he couldn't breathe without her.

There was something pricking at the back of her head annoyingly. Nagging at her that there was something that they have forgotten about. And it was rather important.

"Livi, stop." She held out a palm to stop him from kissing her. She needed a minute to rack her brains.

A very much annoyed Livi groaned loudly in exasperation. "No more," he complaint. "No more interruptions." He attacked her neck, raining kisses down her throat. She almost lost her mind again...

A light bulb lit up in her head and she finally remembered what they had forgotten. She shoved his shoulders back. "Livi! Hasn't it been more than three days since you've grown!?" she asked.

He paused in his kisses, and frowned at her. "Yeah, slightly over three days…?" he answered.

"But you're...what...still an adult? So the magic hasn't worn off?" She was pretty sure that Mira mentioned that the effects of the Flower of Desires would wear off in three days.

"Who cares? I don't mind staying like this forever. Now, shush and stop interrupting." Grabbing both her arms, he pushed her down onto the ground and pinned them above her head. When she attempted to speak again, he covered her mouth with his. He traced her bottom lip with his tongue and Nike trembled under the caress of his soft lips.

They broke the kiss a couple of times for air, only to lock lips again in no time. A hand slipped inside her shirt and she gasped loudly. She grabbed his hand quickly before it ventured off somewhere...

"Livi!" she scolded. "Not here! What if people were to see us?" For goodness sake, they were in public and it would be extremely embarrassing if they were caught. She wouldn't live for another day if Neil or the chambermaids walked by.

He grumbled once again. "Well, I can't hold back anymore." He stood up and pulled her along with him, before he tossed her body over his shoulder.

"Huh...what!?" Nike shrieked. She has never been carried by Livi before in her entire life and surprisingly, he simply lifted her like a doll even though she weighed like an elephant.

Despite her protests, he never put her down. He broke into a run, sprinting off to their bedchambers to finish their make out session.

This time, he was certainly not stopping until night falls.

~ oOo ~

A beautiful blonde man sat by the window, sipping the fragrant osmanthus tea while admiring the beautiful weather. He threw back his long, silky hair and opened his pocket watch with a light click. After looking at the time, a small smirk tugged at his lips

"By this time, Livi will be back to being a pipsqueak and I'll have the ladies' attention all to myself again. Awesome!" Standing up, he did a short celebratory dance while laughing out loud.

Accompanied by a gorgeous woman sitting on his left, she merely giggled at his words. Mischief trickling from the corners of her long sensuous eyes

"That might not be the case, Bardouin-sama," she warned.

Puzzled by her remark, Bardouin stopped dancing and frowned at her with knitted brows. "Whatever do you mean? Didn't you say it would take three days?"

Shaking her head, her giggle erupted into a spasm of laughter. She threw her head back while she howled with laughing and slapped the table repeatedly. A roguish grin on her face was a hint of her little plot.

"Now, now, where would the fun be in that?" she said.

Jaw dropping, he gaped at her in horror. Fearing that she did what he feared the most. "Mira-chan, you didn't – you mean – you lied...?" Bardouin gasped. When she nodded, he took a glass of water from the table and dumped it on his face. Feeling the coldness of the water, it was a confirmation that this wasn't a dream. Traumatised from the truth, he fainted to the ground.

Mira glanced down at the unconscious, bizarre man with a weird stare. Was there something wrong with his brain? She didn't expect anyone to react this badly.

She only thought that it would be fun to add a little spice to heat things up, if she excluded two days from what she told everyone.