The wedding was, as expected, postponed, with Holio and the other ministers agreeing with Nero that she would marry Stella a year later, regardless of whether the Science Department succeeded.
Holio accepted this condition, thinking to himself that if it didn't work out, he would persuade His Majesty again a year later; how could His Majesty marry a woman who couldn't bear children?
Holio, muttering to himself, clearly hadn't realized how outrageous his words truly were.
Nero, on the other hand, looked apologetically at Stella, asking her to wait a little longer.
Stella: "..."
To compensate Stella, Nero spent the next few days showing her around Nicuss. "Hmm, speaking of Nicuss, besides my Golden Palace, the most famous attractions are the Four Seasons Islands."
On the luxurious yacht, Nero brought no one else, just her and Stella.
"The flower fields of Spring Island, the amusement park of Summer Island, Autumn Island, which has hundreds of different fruit trees, and the hot springs and aquarium on Winter Island!"
Nero introduced them with great care; she wasn't sure if what she felt for Stella was love, as she was still too young to have experienced such things.
But she definitely liked her. As Nero said, the first time she saw Stella, her whole body stiffened as if from an electric shock.
Her heart pounded violently, and then a wave of possessiveness washed over her.
When that Celestial Dragon and she both reached out their hands at the same time, as far as Nero was concerned, he was already condemned to death.
Their subsequent interactions weren't particularly special; she was just a beautiful, curvaceous, gentle, blonde, blue-eyed beauty who would offer a soft smile whenever she saw you.
Hmm, she's the one!
Nero told herself this in her heart.
In her opinion, although they weren't married, they were already an unspoken couple... uh, girlfriends.
So, this trip together was also defined by Nero as a date.
Stella, however, didn't think as much. She had originally just been a slave, and after Nero rescued her, she decided that she belonged to Nero.
Nevertheless, seeing Nero about to marry her still made her a little flustered, but she wasn't opposed to it.
If she could spend the rest of her life with His Majesty Nero, it would be a happy life.
Turning her head, Stella looked at the energetic Nero. Having seen hell, she was more easily drawn to the sun.
The next period of time should be the happiest. No need to consider the future, no need to be bothered by the past.
They spent a very peaceful time, with Nero and Stella only thinking about how to have fun and see never-before-seen sights every day.
Finally, the two returned to the capital, and Nero took her to her private Rose Garden.
In the Rose Garden at night, Nero and Stella sat facing each other in the pavilion, with the sea sparkling in the distance.
The pale moon cast a silvery light, and Stella could only vaguely make out Nero's figure, surrounded by the pervasive scent of roses.
Resting her head, she listened with great interest as Nero recounted her past adventures, offering exclamations of admiration from time to time.
"Hmm, at that time, that guy Buggy... if it weren't for me! And Shanks, he and Buggy both..."
Nero gestured exaggeratedly, and Stella watched her golden hair flutter, like a dancing golden rose.
"So amazing!"
"Your Majesty, so clever!"
"Eh? How enviable."
Nero became lost in Stella's praises, gradually becoming tamed.
"Hmm, well then, after I marry you, let's go on a honeymoon trip together! I'll take you to see Sky Island then."
"Really? That's truly something to look forward to." Stella's lips curled into a faint smile, her eyes rippling like calm lake water, radiating a gentle glow.
"Hmm... Mwahahaha! Then you just look forward to it!"
The smile of the mature older sister made Nero a little dazed again, her face flushed and her smile a bit silly... It had been some time since she returned to Nicuss. After her trip around the region with Stella, Nero resumed her daily life.
However, besides Hathaway, there was now Stella by her side.
The emperor's daily life was quite simple and unpretentious, and Nero's was even more so. Her strength had reached a new bottleneck, and hard training was no longer effective.
Nero herself didn't place much importance on this, as she never lacked power.
So she simply slacked off, eating the most precious delicacies, buying the most beautiful works of art, petting lions in the zoo behind the mountain, and doting on Stella.
Until this day, a letter from Totto Land broke Nero's routine.
"Hmm, it's Linlin! Let me see what it's about."
Nero sat on the throne, opened the envelope, and out jumped several dessert-shaped Homies, dancing and singing the contents of the letter.
"Oh! What are these? So cute!" Stella leaned forward, looking at these creatures that seemed to have stepped out of a fairy tale.
"Hmm, Linlin is a Soul-Soul Fruit user. These things are called Homies, created by Linlin using her Devil Fruit ability."
Nero casually picked up a Homie and placed it in Stella's palm: "It's inviting me to a tea party."
"A tea party? It sounds like those noble ladies' afternoon tea." Stella thought for a moment and gave what she considered the most fitting example.
"Ah, compared to afternoon tea, it's more like a business banquet, where some business will be discussed at the table."
Hathaway used another, more appropriate analogy to explain to Stella.
"It sounds like a very serious occasion!"
"Hmm, don't worry about it. At my position, if I say it's an ordinary tea party, then it's an ordinary tea party."
"But is this person named Linlin an acquaintance of Nero? Totto Land sounds very far away."
"Hmm, Linlin is Big Mama, the great pirate! Stella, you must have heard of her!"
"Eh? That Big Mama? I heard she's a rare beauty among pirates. Is she also a friend of Nero?"
"Hmm, my relationship with Linlin is quite good. She once even invited me to join her crew! Although I ultimately refused, our private relationship is still very good."
"His Majesty Nero, how amazing!"
Nero and the others chatted and laughed, completely ignoring Perospero below.
He was also tactful enough not to interrupt their conversation, standing respectfully with his head bowed.
Having dealt with Nero before, he had been sent to deliver the invitation to the tea party.
But upon seeing Nero, he dared not acknowledge her. The stronger one's power, the more one can sense the aura of certain individuals.
Nero on the throne looked almost unchanged compared to when he first met her, but her aura was completely different.
She was like a top-tier fierce beast sitting there, and the pressure from her life-level constantly assailed his senses.
'It's like, it's like seeing Mama!' Perospero felt the dimensional gap, and his already lowered head dropped even further.
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