Chapter 425 Cry for Me (Part 3)

"Evans," Isabel asked seriously, "no offense... but if I remember correctly, you once lived in an orphanage, right?"

"Yeah." Aiwass nodded.

Isabel said softly, feeling somewhat reluctant, "I also visited the orphanage. The children there were eating a brownish paste whose ingredients I couldn't even fathom, and even that wasn't enough for them. They had no cotton clothes, and in winter, there wasn't even hot water for bathing. There were no separate toilets for men and women in the orphanage, let alone separate cubicles. Everyone slept together, with many children sleeping on one bed."

"The orphanage on Glass Island is definitely different from the outside."

Aiwass sighed and explained, "The orphanage I lived in was funded by my adoptive father. Although we rarely had enough to eat, we did have meat every week. We even had roast chicken, barbecue, fried cod fillets, and haggis pudding during festivals. As for not having enough to eat...it was to prevent the children from being too energetic and noisy, just like how prisoners in prison are not allowed to eat enough.

"As for sleeping—although we didn't have separate rooms, we did have separate beds. We had eight to twelve beds in one room, and I would always hold Yulia while we slept together. Because if she woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't see me, she would get very scared and her body temperature would immediately rise."

“…Even if it’s an orphanage, it’s different.”

Isabel murmured: "Why is this happening..."

Aiwass shook his head slightly and said softly, "Because of the port, Isabel. Glass Island has the largest port in Avalon, and it also has the largest number of griffins and knights in Avalon to protect merchants and goods. As a result, wealth will naturally gather here from all directions."

Looking at the shocked Isabel, Aiwass felt a little relieved.

——There has to be such a time.

Now that Isabel has not experienced the wandering life of a country destroyed and her family ruined, it is not bad for her to have such an experience of "visiting incognito".

The blows she is suffering now, the pain and confusion she feels... just show that even if she doesn't endure that kind of pain and doesn't become the iron-blooded and strong "Queen of Flowers", Isabel still has her kind and gentle heart.

Being a monarch might seem a little weak, but Aiwass was more willing to serve Isabel like this.

Aiwass whispered soothingly, "I will help you, Isabel."

After saying that, Aiwass told Grandet the whole deal he had made with him.

Isabel was quite clever. She immediately understood without Aiwass having to explain: "With freight rail, the economies of those remote cities should improve, right?"

"The difference between before and after is just as huge as the difference between heaven and earth."

Aiwass replied very simply, "If a high-speed railway were to be built across the country in a place where even horse-drawn carriages struggle to transport goods... there's no doubt that wealth and happiness would expand at a noticeable rate."

If you want to get rich, build roads first. This saying is definitely correct.

"In that case... I have many options!"

Isabel's eyes widened with excitement. Her emerald green pupils, previously dimmed by fatigue and grief, brightened once again. "Thank you, Aiwass! I'll find a way to allow the goblins and trolls to enter Avalon for construction. As for the port... well, leave the rest to me!"

At this point, she suddenly paused and asked curiously, "But... the money Grandet gave you, is that considered a bribe?"

But soon, Isabel realized that what she said sounded wrong, so she hurriedly explained in a panic: "Ah, I don't mean to ask, that's your money, you helped me a lot. It's just... I'm just a little curious, because this is the first time I see you..."

"--Calculate."

Isabel was still struggling with how to ask the question, but Aiwass answered directly and confidently: "It's not just bribery, it's also incitement."

"Incitement?" Isabel was a little confused.

"Although there's some money at home, liquid funds and fixed assets have different meanings, not to mention this is a massive amount of money completely unregulated by the market. With this substantial amount of liquid funds flowing directly into my hands, I can easily use it as leverage to exert several times the actual influence..."

Aiwass explained.

Seeing Isabel dazed, her exhausted brain seemingly unable to process this information, Aiwass simply skipped the middle steps and stated the conclusion directly: "This is his financial support for my attempt to seize power."

“…Huh?”

Isabel was stunned for a long time.

She hesitated and uttered a weak voice, "Are you trying to usurp power, Aiwass? Why don't I just..."

"That's not what I meant."

Aiwass waved his hand. "What I mean is, he's fostering my ambition by removing the constraints I'm subject to... The saying 'Men become bad when they have money' probably means this."

"...So he is a bad guy?" Isabel paused for a moment and asked.

"He's not a good person. But we may not be unable to cooperate."

Aiwass smiled and said, "After all, he's not a good person, but the money is good money. With his sponsorship, all the worries and pains you have can be solved. You don't have to worry about these things, just leave them all to me..."

Just as he said this, Isabel suddenly stood up from the table and threw herself into Aiwass's arms.

It was more like a bump than a hug.

She buried her head in Aiwas's neck, one leg half-knelt on Aiwas's thigh, and crawled on all fours, burying her head firmly on Aiwas's shoulder. It was as if she was trying to calm her silent sobs, or perhaps it was a sad sigh, or perhaps it was just a yawn after waking from a dream... She took a deep, trembling breath and slowly exhaled a warm breath.

Her body trembled slightly with each breath she took, and with each breath she tightened her grip on Aiwass's elbows and fingers.

Even while hugging Aiwass's neck and taking deep breaths, Isabel tried to keep a distance between her body and Aiwass.

Aiwass initially thought this was Isabel's alienation, but he soon realized that it was just for courtesy.

Because Aiwass never did anything too inappropriate towards her, Isabel did not want to use her power to force or hint at Aiwass.

...What a naive, shy and coward.

She doesn't look like a beautiful girl with unparalleled beauty, but rather like a cautious little boy who has never been in love.

"It's no problem to come over again."

Aiwass sighed and whispered in Isabel's ear.

He reached out and hugged Isabel's back tightly, so that she wouldn't have to tense her back like that, but instead let her relax and lean against him completely. Then he pushed the crown on the table a little further away to prevent it from spilling the tea.

Even with Isabel pressing on him, Aiwass could clearly feel the weight of the heavy dress, not to mention Isabel who had been wearing it all the time.

"Sorry, Aiwass..."

Isabel's voice was very soft. She almost greedily inhaled the damp breath from Aiwas's neck after taking a shower, and her fingers unconsciously grasped his long, platinum hair that was as cold as jade. "I just want to rest for a while..."

As she spoke, her voice gradually became tinged with a faint hint of tears: "I'm so tired... I don't know what to do... Fortunately, I have you..."

"You're making rapid progress, Isabel."

Aiwass whispered comfortingly, "Few people can change everything in such a short time... This can be called a miracle."

He spoke from the heart.

From not daring to speak to strangers in the beginning, to now being able to disguise herself and go on incognito tours alone; from having to consult her teacher and grandmother before doing anything, to now being able to travel the country alone and complete the tour ceremony without any fifth-level confidants to protect her; from the beginning when she opened her box after just three sentences during the promotion ceremony, to now being able to travel alone to unknown cities to investigate civilians without being discovered...

Isabel gradually became stronger and grew up at a speed visible to the naked eye.

From the beginning to now, only two months have passed.

Aiwass closed his eyes slightly and hugged Isabel even tighter, as if he was hugging himself.

How long had it been since he had awakened his past life memories? How long had it been since he realized the world he knew was about to be destroyed, and how long had it been since he had completely resolved it?

It seems like there is only two months left.

Aiwass seemed to be talking to Isabel, but also to himself.

He whispered in Isabel's ear, "So don't cry. I'm with you."

But when Aiwass said this, Isabel couldn't hold it in anymore. Her whole body trembled and she burst into tears.

Aiwass was a little at a loss for a moment - after the first cry, Isabel's sobs became louder and louder.

It feels like grievance, but also like venting; it feels like wailing, but also like peace of mind.

She sobbed and murmured, while apologies were unclear and she said aggrievedly that she shouldn't cry...

This made Aiwass feel helpless as he hugged Her Majesty the Queen, who was only one year older than him, and comforted her like a child, "Oh, it's okay to cry occasionally." He didn't know whether he should cry or laugh.

But for some reason, Aiwass's mood inexplicably improved a lot.

It seemed that the dark clouds that he himself had not noticed were dispelled from his heart by the crying.

——It was as if Isabel cried for the never-crying Aiwass.

Chapter 3, an 8,000-word update!

I took leave a little late yesterday, so I'll add one more chapter and update early as compensation!

(End of this chapter)