In the slightly dim room, a small cake was placed with candles, and the warm glow flickered, illuminating Lily's face, and warm tears slowly slid down.
"Why are you crying again, silly Lily?"
"No, I just miss the past." Lily wiped her tears and said softly.
"Okay, it's okay now."
"Then close your eyes and make a wish. You wanted to be the queen before, and that wish has already come true. Do you have any new wishes now?"
"Yes." Lily closed her eyes.
I don’t want to be a queen anymore, I just want a simple and peaceful life, she chanted silently in her heart.
But this wish is too self-willed. Having already enjoyed the splendor and power of a queen, I now irresponsibly want to escape. So please allow me to bury this wish deep in my heart.
"What wish did you make, Lily?" Ye Ling asked curiously.
"No, nothing, just a very simple and willful wish." Lily shook her head.
"Oh, is it still a secret?" Ye Ling said disappointedly.
"Well, I'm not a child anymore. I can't express my wishes as freely as before." Lily shook her head slightly.
"Why? Why can't I tell you?" Ye Ling put his hands in front of his chin.
"Because I realize that some wishes are bound to disappoint and hurt others." Lily was silent.
"It's so complicated, I don't understand."
"Haha, Ye Ling should just be Ye Ling. There's no need to know everything." Lily burst into laughter.
"Is that so? Never mind, let's eat cake." Ye Ling suddenly stood up again.
"The knives and forks are ready." Loran Hill waved his fingers lightly, and several knives and forks made of magic crystals slowly fell down.
"I'll cut the cake." Lily said.
"Here." Loran Hill handed her a crystal knife.
Holding the slightly cold knife, Lily looked at the cake in the candlelight for a few seconds, then came to her senses, pointed the knife at the part with her name, and cut it open, revealing the soft cake and cream inside.
Then he cut the piece into small pieces and handed them to Roland and Ye Ling.
"Is it time to eat?" Ye Ling was eager to try the cake, then turned around and looked at Loran Hill beside him.
"Let's go together."
"Um."
The three of them sat at the small table, eating cake and talking about the past.
After Loran Hill and Bumansa graduated, Lily stayed in school for a few more years, during which time she sent off Ye Ling, Letis, Alena, and Niya, and finally left school herself.
"It's a pity that I couldn't advance to the fifth grade and get my diploma." Lily said embarrassedly.
"I'm just averagely talented, and I didn't work as hard as Nia, so I only made it to the fourth grade."
"After returning home, I helped clear out a few weak monsters from my family's territory, and then I lived a leisurely life. Since I was the youngest among my siblings, my parents didn't ask much of me, and I also had several older brothers and sisters to take care of me."
"So we had a lot of fun during that time. We even went to the south to visit Aliena, but unfortunately there was a war, so we had to come back." There was a hint of nostalgia in Lily's eyes.
"Then, I met the Emperor during the banquet at the Pascal family's house."
"At first, I thought he was a young man from some minor noble family because he looked really young and didn't look impressive. I even wanted to kick him at that time."
"Who would have thought that he would confess to me later, which scared me. Because in the empire, many people respect and fear the emperor." Lily shook her head slightly, then lowered her head to eat the cake.
"But it's all in the past."
"The past two years have been like a dream, and now there is only cold reality." Her voice became low again.
"Huh, Lily." Ye Ling also came over at this time, hugged Lily's head and comforted her.
The two of them whispered a lot of things to each other before slowly separating.
"Do you have any plans or ideas for the future?" Loran Hill also came over.
"Who can predict what will happen in the future?" Lily gave a wry smile.
"It feels precarious right now. The center of power is like the eye of a storm, full of intrigue and bloodshed."
"In fairy tales, it always says that the prince and princess are together and live happily ever after."
"But few people think about what happens next. Will this prince definitely inherit the throne? And even if he does, will he be able to do a good job?"
"A king who fails to bring prosperity and victory will be abandoned and spurned by the people. But a harsh and cruel king will be forgiven for all his sins as long as he can lead his country to continuous victory."
“Everyone attributes their own weaknesses and shortcomings to the king’s failure, because the king has brought misfortune to the country. But in fact, when a person sits in that position, he is no longer himself, but a more complex existence.”
Lily slowly spoke of her personal experiences over the years. Although she seldom participated in the empire's decision-making, she had come to understand and see the truth behind many things by being around Aimank.
If the Seven Kingdoms of Xuehua were not attacked, the resentment and contradictions accumulated within the empire for many years would have reached a precarious point. It was because of this resentment and dissatisfaction that Aimanke was able to gain the support of the military and launch a coup to ascend to the throne.
If the Ansel brothers were allowed to ascend the throne and the status quo continued, the resentment that had nowhere to vent would erupt, and rebellion and uprising would break out within the empire.
The ideas promoted by Clancy's founding were unknown to the other nobles of the empire, but Aimank was well aware of the allure of such ideas to the lower classes. He even discussed with Lily that if it had been delayed a few years, and such ideas had spread, the empire would have been divided even without external enemies.
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