“Miss Ling Yue, did you notice anything?”
Tanya put away the letter Ling Yue wrote. Ling Yue wrote a letter and asked Tanya to rush through the night to deliver it to her husband at Hilles city before she could even get in a meal. Tanya didn’t know what the letter was about, but Ling Yue was evidently treating it as an urgent matter. She was so rushed that she didn’t even have time to heat up the stamp and sealed it with her saliva, instead. She didn’t write anything on the envelope either. Tanya didn’t dare to read the contents.
“Yes, I’ve noticed lots of things, and I’m aware of the unrest in the city. I’m worried for my husband. He doesn’t know that there’s no longer anyone loyal to him in this palace; in other words, nobody in the palace has any respect for their King anymore. They touched my husband’s stuff and took one his items.
“What is it?”
“I’m not sure; it’s probably a seal. My husband has one on him, maybe two, but I’ve only seen it once. I saw it when he signed some documents. At the time, he signed the documents at that desk. He then placed the seal in his drawer, but it was missing when I checked yesterday.”
“Is your memory that amazing?”
“It’s not that I have an impressive memory, but because there was a certain part of the drawer that wasn’t covered in dust. Technically, there was a thin layer. We foxes are very sensitive to our environment. We notice even subtle changes. The maids said that nobody touched the drawer, but something was missing. Further, that’s something a King uses to sign documents. It’s worth the dignity of a King. My husband only uses the seal when he comes back to this so-called free city, a city of sin where morals and laws have been dumped. I’ve informed him that his seal was stolen in this letter.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” replied Tanya. “However, it is too dangerous for you to stay here by yourself. My other duty is to protect you.”
“It’s been just one short year. Tanya, have you noticed something different? I remember that you wanted to kill me in the past, yet here you are now doing your utmost to protect me. Tanya, I really want to be friends with you, but it seemed impossible from the very beginning.”
“I need to protect and respect you for you are His Majesty’s wife. Additionally, from my perspective, you are different to the anthropoids that I once met. If anthropoids could be together with you, I would not have suffered those misfortunes.”
“All anthropoids are the same as me. Though there may be strange, bad and schemers among us, we can all converse. Those who attacked you are what we call beasts.” Ling Yue laughed. She gently wagged her tail and then scrubbed Tanya’s head. With a smile, she commanded, “Hurry and go. My husband and your King’s rule rides on this. I’m certain it should be an important manner. I will remain here and find out where the seal is.”
“You must be more careful, then. If something befalls you, I really will have no home to return to.”
Tanya departed. Ling Yue then touched the face of Liu Yue, who was sleeping on the bed.
Ling Yue thought, “My daughter looks so cute and innocent. She’s now my only treasure. The place we’re currently at is far from safe, though. The people in this palace are probably not the people who were present when I came here last. The maids and guards have been switched. In essence, the people in the palace at this current time are no longer those who served Troy. I now know their secret, which means I could be exposed to danger at any given moment. The maids and guards could attack me at any moment as they don’t support me or serve me. They’re loyal to some organisation that I have yet to identify.
This city is the so-called free city. Behind the light on the surface and the freedom in the past has given birth to far too much darkness. I can’t see any freedom, beauty or liberation in this city. All I can see is a city of deceit, violence and manipulation from the shadows.
This city calls itself the free city; nevertheless, there is no supreme power maintaining it, which means somebody is manipulating the so-called freedom. This sort of freedom is nothing but endless torment and slavery to the majority. Everybody pursues freedom. But alas, freedom always belongs to power.
Only with absolute power is there absolute freedom. Freedom can only be achieved by submitting to power. That is the purpose of a system. The fates of the ordinary folks in a nation that’s split are all tragic, whereas Hilles City’s tramps are able to make it through life. Had it not been for the system Elizabeth implemented, how could humanity firmly advance? Had my husband not united the North, it would be desolate now.”
When she looked at the North as it stood, Ling Yue didn’t doubt what she once did as being incorrect. Her husband may have killed lots of defenceless soldiers and beheaded an entire city’s anthropoids, but it was a necessary part of establishing a system. It was a necessary step for her husband to control the North. Ling Yue knew it looked cruel. In saying that, only absolute power could provide absolute security and freedom. Ling Yue understood what sort of lives the anthropoids formerly led, which was why she was satisfied with Troy’s current approach.
Ling Yue had two choices: she could pretend to be oblivious to what happened and live out her days in peace, ignoring everything and taking responsibility for nothing. She, therefore, would remain safe until her husband returned if she chose. Nevertheless, that would give the thieves, who stole the seal, enough time to erase their involvement and settle the matter.
“They might have even returned the seal by the time my husband arrives. Since the city no longer belongs to Troy, they should have him in the palm of their hands by now. If I investigate the matter, though, my daughter might end up in danger. I’m not worried for myself, but Liu Yue still can’t transform into a fox. In addition, I can’t bring Liu Yue along with me when I investigate it. Who can I trust, then? Though these guards served by my husband’s side, could they oppose an entire city? Shall I prioritise my daughter or my husband?” brooded Ling Yue.
Liu Yue rolled over, thereby cutting off Ling Yue’s train of thought. Ling Yue looked at her daughter’s sleeping face and took in a deep breath.
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