Rick smiled. "Why don’t you show your favorite places in ridia?"
"The ones that ant sothing to you before everything went wrong, and let’s make new mories in old places."
Nerissa nodded. "Alright."
They spent the morning exploring the rebuilt capital, with Nerissa pointing out places that were important to her during her long reign. Nerissa used to sit in a small square, directly listening to people’s problems, rather than relying on her advisors to do so.
A coral garden she had tended to for decades, watching it grow from tiny plants into a stunning display of color and life.
"This garden was where I ca when the crown felt too heavy," Nerissa said, running her fingers over a bright piece of coral that glowed soft purple. "I planted each piece myself."
"Taking care of things that were growing reminded that there were still beautiful things in the world, even when I was in charge."
Rick looked at her face as she talked and saw hints of the woman she had been before Typhon betrayed her. She looked wise, kind, and connected to her world in ways that went beyond just running it.
"Tell about the good tis," Rick said softly. "Before everything went wrong, what was it like to be an empress and enjoy it?"
For a long ti, Nerissa didn’t say anything, and Rick was afraid he had pushed too hard. But then she spoke, her voice far away with mories.
"There was a ti, maybe a hundred years into my rule with Typhon, when everything felt perfect."
"The empire was doing well, our kids were doing well, and I really thought we were building sothing that would last forever."
"I would wake up excited to face the challenges of the day because I had a partner who shared my vision."
She stopped for a mont, and pain crossed her face. "I was so naive back then..."
"I thought we could never break up because we had worked so hard to build sothing together."
"I never thought he might want sothing different from what we had... and that our partnership wasn’t enough for him."
Rick said, "His failure doesn’t take away from what you built."
"You built this empire, Nerissa. Typhon was part of it, but the core vision, dedication to your people, and wise governance were all you."
"He was just along for the ride, and the fact that he betrayed... I still think he shouldn’t die without any torture." Rick clenched both his fists.
"Hehehe, don’t say that... at least you already gave him a lesson."
Rick’s heart raced when Nerissa looked at him with so much gratitude. "You have a way of making see things differently."
"For fifty years, I thought his betrayal ruined our whole partnership... but you’re right..."
"I did build this... The good parts were real, even though the end was hard."
They kept going on their tour and stopped in a market district where Nerissa insisted on buying Rick different ocean foods from vendors who were happy to serve their new Emperor and Empress.
Rick tried things he couldn’t even na; so tasted good, but so tasted bad. Nerissa laughed at how he reacted.
She teased Rick, "You’re making faces like a kid who has never eaten vegetables before," as he tried to eat sothing that tasted like seaweed mixed with very bitter dicine.
Rick was able to say, "This is... urgh... objectively disgusting," after he swallowed.
"How do you eat stuff like this...? And I didn’t an to insult anything, alright? Just being honest with you."
"Hehehe, I know..." Nerissa giggled. "Well... it’s an acquired taste."
"It’s very good for recovering magical stamina, but ocean dwellers mostly eat it after casting a lot of spells." Nerissa’s face lit up with mischief. "Or after doing many other kinds of physical work."
Rick almost choked on nothing. "D-Did you just make a sexual joke?"
"The Ocean Empress, who was emotionally dead for fifty years, just made... a sexual joke?"
Nerissa smiled a little and said, "I’m relearning how to be alive again with you."
"That ans learning how to be playful and flirt again. You’ve been teaching by example."
"I’m a terrible example. I’m basically a disaster when it cos to social situations."
"But you’ve made Spirit Bonds with six won, saved the world, and beco co-ruler of an empire." Nerissa held his hands. "You’re more capable than you think."
Rick blushed hearing her say that. "Well... uh... thanks..."
After that, they had lunch at a small restaurant that Nerissa said was one of her favorites hundreds of years ago, when she would sotis go out in disguise to see her city as a normal person instead of as its ruler.
The owner, an old ocean dweller who looked to be hundreds of years old, knew Nerissa even though it had been decades since they last saw each other.
"Your Majesty," the woman said as she bowed deeply. "I didn’t think I’d ever see you in my place again... Not after—"
"After I turned into a hollow shell who never left the palace?" Nerissa said softly. "I’m working on getting better right now..."
"Well... it’s all thanks to Rick, my new partner and co-ruler."
The woman recognized him, and her eyes lit up. "Your Majesty, you honor my humble restaurant by being the hero who defeated Cthulhu!"
Rick raised both his hands just to shake them and answered. "A-Ahh... no need to be honored. I’m not the only hero who defeated the Cthulhu."
"Hehehe... alright now... I’m going to make both of you a al that’s worthy only to be eaten by the empress and her emperor."
After waiting for a while, they got their al, and Rick thought the al they were served was much more complicated than the usual nu, and each dish was clearly made with care.
The food was great, and the atmosphere was friendly and warm in a way that formal palace dinners could never be.
Nerissa told Rick stories from long ago while they ate. Adventures she had as a young princess exploring the depths of the ocean.
Political talks that seed too hard to handle at the ti but were worked out with ti and patience. She had real monts of happiness with her kids before she cut herself off from them emotionally.
Rick fell even more in love with this woman. Not just because she was pretty or strong, or because they had a Spirit Bond.
But she was exceptional despite all the years of experience and the mistakes she had made in the past. She was a person who genuinely cared about doing the right thing, even if it ant admitting her mistakes.
Nerissa’s face changed a little after lunch, and she looked nervous. "I want to show you sothing after this..."
"What kind of place is it?" Rick smiled.
"A private place that is part of our royal heritage that not many people outside the family know about."
Rick felt a mix of curiosity and worry in his chest. "Hoohhh... I’m invested right away after you said that."
"Hehehe, co with then."
Nerissa took Rick through so hallways in the palace that he hadn’t seen yet. They ventured further into the building, arriving at a locked room that only royal blood could unlock.
She placed her hand on the barrier, which then disappeared with a soft shimr, revealing a room beyond that Rick had never seen before in ridia.
It resembled a laboratory, but it appeared to be solely for the purpose of creating alchemy. Shelves that covered all the walls were full of vials and containers full of glowing liquids. In the middle of the room, a huge crystal machine worked on so kind of essence, turning it into different colored liquids.
Nerissa said, "This is the Essence Chamber," her voice sounding a little embarrassed.
"We make different alchemical compounds here for our own use."
"This is a secret that has been passed down through royal families for thousands of years."
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