(MC POV)
I teleported myself back to the theatre where I had been on my 'date' with Luna.
"Ara? Welcome back husband. It was nothing serious I presume?" Luna asked with a smile.
The two of us had ended up going to watch the play that Luna recommended. But while waiting for it to start, I felt one of Cai Hong's defensive inscriptions set off so I immediately excused myself and teleported to her location.
Once I saw the big dragon looming over my cute Cai Hong, of course I would step in to defend her!
It wasn't that hard anyway, a single punch from me easily knocked it out so I gave Cai Hong and Diao Chan some words of caution before returning back to where Luna was.
I shook my head at Luna's question, "No, just some idiot monster that thought it could disturb my cute Cai Hong. I taught it a good lesson."
"Ufufufu~ As expected of husband. I wish I could be there to watch husband's gallant figure too. Next time please take me along, won't you, husband? I'll be sure to get artists to paint your greatest exploits, minstrels to sing of your heroics and authors to pen your epic saga! Let the entire world know that husband is the greatest husband to have ever lived. Would that not be perfect? That would be perfect wouldn't it? Am I not the perfect wife for husband? How about we get married today? I don't mind if we just have a private wedding affair, you know? Then we can have our honeymoon where we shall affirm our affections for each other!"
I gave her a wry smile, "I will have to refuse."
"That's a shame, I shall have to try again after I win husband over. Ara? It seems like the show is starting now."
I looked down at the stage just as the emcee walked in to announce the start of the show.
As the Matriarch of the entire country, it goes without saying that the theatre had a special box reserved just for her at the best spot in the theatre, giving us the best view of the stage and also complete privacy.
You might have also expected there to at least be a team of servants waiting on Luna and I but only Rina was here to take care of us, meaning Luna and I were basically left alone.
Alone with Shiori, Akari and Xun Guan of course.
The foxes had leapt onto my lap after I returned, snuggling close to me while making purring noises.
My girls would have loved this place. Although I can foresee us missing half the show with what we would be doing in this box, knowing them.
Soon, the lights in the theatre dimmed and the curtains were raised, starting the play.
They first introduced the character playing as the Queen, establishing her as a hero who united the entire country filled with chaos and strife to create a utopia of peace.
I turned to look at the actual Queen the story was depicting with a questioning glance.
She held her face in between her palms and smiled coquettishly, "If husband looks at me like that, I will get embarrassed too~ But it's fine to look a little more you know? There's no one that can see us up here except us. We can act more like lovers if you want to? If husband wishes for it, I wouldn't mind if you wanted to sit on my lap, you know? How about I sit on husband's lap? Or maybe husband would like me to give you a lap pillow instead? Would it be too much if I ask husband to give me one? I'm fine with embracing each other here as well, you know? There's no one to disturb us here after all~"
I shook my head, "I was just wondering how much of the play is true?"
Luna blinked, "Oh that part? Unn… I suppose most of it is accurate. This place was indeed quite lawless and chaotic before I ruled over it. There were just small countries here and there, each of them fighting with each other for the most boring of reasons. The Sects were also acting independently, not even putting the country or its people in their minds. In the end, I cultivated myself until I was the strongest, then conquered every country that I could to unify the entire Plane."
Despite her troublesome personality, I have to admit that she was one of the best monarchs I know of.
Guiying comes a close second but she had only just taken the throne, so maybe she would be better than her in the future?
Now that I think about it, why are all the kings and queens I know so problematic?
Guiying's entire family got murdered and she's really attached to me as the disciple of my disciple. Like… Really attached.
Then the king of Dong was supposedly a puppet for the Dark Sect before we managed to release him from their control, which then ended up with him surrendering the entire country to Beiyang.
Don't even get me started on the rulers of those other three countries who don't know how to take a rejection, especially that queen of Mei. I don't even know what Mother did to her either.
Then there's Luna here who… Well… I suppose there's no nice way to put it… She's just extremely desperate in finding a love interest to the point of trying to groom one.
Yep, all the rulers I know are weird.
While I was thinking about that, Luna had moved herself closer to me and wrapped her arm around mine, leaning her head on my shoulder.
The play was now depicting the scene of the Queen meeting the otherworlder and realising her romantic interest in him, but he had rejected her when she tried to confess.
"Two centuries… Even with my power, I still needed two centuries to unite the entire Plane. Then I spent the next century rebuilding and consolidating my power. Even then, there are still parts of the Plane that I am unable to conquer… Before I knew it, four centuries had passed and I was still a single woman who did not know love…"
I chuckled, "I'm sure you had your trysts with other women, no?"
She sighed, "Those were merely flings to satisfy the desire of the flesh, nothing more. My heart remains empty even then and no women or men that I found had made my heart beat."
"And I did?"
Luna lifted her head and smiled at me, "Yes."
I was slightly surprised by her earnest reply.
She giggled and leaned her head back on my shoulder, "That day I saw you in the archives, I could tell even from that distance husband's aura was different from everyone else. Seeing your eyes… Your fathomless depths behind those irises… Your perfect frame, your dignity… Everything about you... It made my heart skip. I knew then… I knew I found the one I had been waiting for my entire life, the one I would want to stay beside no matter what."
Luna cuddled even closer to me, her fingers entwined with mine"
"It's fine even if husband does not feel the same for me as I do for you. I know I have much to learn to be a proper wife. All I ask is for husband to look my way sometimes, that is already enough for me. Of course I still find your disciples vexing, but if putting up with them is the price to pay for staying with husband, I would not mind doing so."
I gave her a wry smile, "Am I really that perfect in your eyes? I do not believe myself to be perfect at all. Sometimes I don't even think I am worthy of my disciples' affections."
"Those imperfections of yours also accentuates your perfection. No one is perfect after all, not even Gods. You should be more confident of yourself, husband. For so many people to love husband unconditionally, is that not a testament to your greatness?"
As though to prove her words, Akari and Shiori wrapped her tails around my other arm while Xun Guan also tightened up to show her agreement.
We watched the rest of the play in silence, until the scene where the actress playing the Queen confesses her love for the young man once more after saving his life, the two of them sharing a kiss while his other lovers celebrate their union.
A really sappy romance story if you ask me but it definitely tells me the Queen really is that pure in love.
It was the right mood for us as well, prompting Luna and I to share a secret kiss within the darkness of the theatre as the lights dimmed around us.