I looked at the Queen and told her, “Sorry, I can’t let you return home.”
She looked at me with a smile. “It is fine. You have already done what you promised. I was actually prepared for this, because the Galadriel tribe never changes. That is the nature of the Galadriels. They never make compromises. Of course, if you were the leader of the tribe, chances are things would change.”
“No, that’s not all I want to say. Leave the South. I’m serious. Leave the South. This is no longer about whether you can return home or not. When I told the tribe about you, they rejected you. However, I noticed that a number of Imperial Guards were missing when I left today. Though it’s said that Vyvyan commands the Imperial Guards, in reality, it’s the Galadriel tribe that commands them. Zelal has the authority to command them.”
Evelyn’s expression turned a little grim. I elaborated, “You must leave the South and go North. You can’t go to Troy City, either, despite it being my city, as you won’t be able to fight against the elves representing my mom. You must head North. The North is out of bounds for the elves. They won’t go to the North, so you should head back.”
She looked at me and pleaded, “I… I do not want to go back… The North is a nightmare to me. I never want to recall the things I went through in the North. If I must die, I want to die in the South. I want to die in the sea of flowers in the South. I want to die next to my own kin. I do not want to pass on in the North in the freezing snow all alone.”
“What causes you pain is the former North. The North is now mine, Evelyn, don’t forget that. The North brought you endless suffering in the past. However, you must believe that the fault doesn’t lie with the North, but that winged individual. I will provide you with a peaceful North, and I will turn it into the South. Trust me on it.”
Evelyn revealed a smile. “I believe that you do not feel so strongly about wanting me to return to the North to protect me, right? Grand Commander, I surmise that you must want me to do something in the North, correct? Tell me. As long as it is a reasonable request, I will be sure to help you. Having said that, I no longer have anything but myself, so what can I do?”
“You, alone, are enough,” I answered with a chuckle.
She saw through me. Indeed, I wasn’t simply worried about Evelyn. I hadn’t known her for long. I would be very sad if she died, but I wouldn’t feel guilty about it. In a situation where even Lucia was at risk, I had to prioritise Lucia. As for Evelyn, it was fine as long as she didn’t die. She wouldn’t die if I send her back to the North. Plus, she could be useful and help me.
“Uhm, I hope that you can go to Ling Yue’s home. I really hope you can go there. There’s nobody at her home now and she insists on returning home. Unfortunately, I can’t leave right now. If possible, I’ll definitely go and keep her company, or bring her into the palace, but I can’t do that right now. I need to stay by my wife’s side. Ling Yue can’t look after herself alone at home, so I hope you and Leah can stay with her.”
“Honestly, I am not very good at looking after another.”
“That’s not a problem. Ling Yue won’t require a lot of looking after. Her pride won’t let her accept your help, so you just need to keep her company. You just need to be there so that her house isn’t so cold and empty.
Evelyn nodded. “If that is what you have in mind, I can do that. It seems that I do not have any other choice, anyway.”
“That’s right. If you stay in the South, you may die. I didn’t tell them that you’re at the city entrance. I believe that the Imperial Guards are wary of my guards’ presence and don’t dare to approach this place. Additionally, without my orders, my guards would never let them search this place, so you are safe. I will arrange for people to escort you back to the North. After that, reside at Ling Yue’s house for some time. I will return to the North very soon to handle matters there.”
“Very soon. Roughly how long is that?”
“At least until my Lucia is safe and sound. My sister, Freya, is in the North. She still needs to get a grasp on the situation in the North, but Freya will soon have a general understanding, and then deploy plausible policies.”
“You seem to trust your sister a lot. Since she is your sister, she would only be about sixteen, correct?”
I nodded. “Mm, even younger. However, wisdom is not limited by age, is it? Though it is slightly embarrassing, the reality is I rely on my sister a lot. To me, my sister is my true pillar for ruling the North. The same goes for Troy City. If I didn’t have her, I might as well scorch the North.”
Evelyn smiled. She then sounded somewhat hopeless as she said, “If the people around me were the people around you then my North would not be the way it is now. Why are all of the people around me that sort of people?”
“Probably because I’m a universal lover.”
Evelyn smiled. “Are you talking about sharing your love generously with other women?”
I had no counterargument, so I just smiled helplessly. “I can’t help it. Maybe it isn’t my mistake. After all, it’s not my fault there are always so many perfect girls around me. Besides, I always experience all sorts of tales with those girls.”
“I think that you are the only person who could treat said stories as something to boast about,” remarked Evelyn, with a chuckle. She stood up. “I promise you to go, and keep Ling Yue company. By the way, do you not intend to marry Miss Ling Yue?”
“I have no means of giving her a wedding,” I replied. “But I still love her. I can’t hurt my Lucia for my love, though. Lucia is so weak right now. I can’t take Ling Yue there, and tell Lucia I want to marry Ling Yue. I won’t have an opportunity to, either. I can’t marry another woman after my child is born. As such, Ling Yue has to be resigned to being my mistress.”
“Is Ling Yue all right with that? I do not think that Ling Yue’s dignity and pride will allow her to be your mistress.”
“I know that Ling Yue must be unhappy about it, but I can’t do anything about it. She understands how much of dilemma I am in over this matter, and she’s also very understanding. She hasn’t pestered me or forced me. Instead, she chose to help me. She was willing to return to her home. I’m very grateful to her, but sadly, this is all I can do at the moment.”
“Will you come and visit her?”
“Of course I will. I’ll definitely go visit her, because I love her. I want to stay at her side and watch over her, as well. We will have our own child, as well. We definitely will!!”
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