"Thanks..."
Her voice was a little weak as the girl took the fruit and began to eat it in small bites. The sweet and sour juice of the berries split between her teeth, bringing a slight coolness that made her consciousness clearer.
Most fruits in the wild are very small and sour, and few can be eaten directly, but the ones in my hand are a surprise. Although this black and white raccoon dog is not strong, it seems to have a special talent in finding food.
Watching the girl gradually recover, Loran Hill added some dead branches to the fire, and then the two of them began to talk.
"Did you come out alone? It's rare for someone of your age."
Loran Hill looked at the girl through the orange-yellow flames. Judging from her fair and tender skin, she must have been well maintained and did not look like someone who was always traveling. Moreover, she had such superb swordsmanship and strength at such a young age, which meant she must have received a good education and did not seem to come from an ordinary family.
She must be a girl from a noble family. Only children of noble families are taught swordsmanship. This is a tradition of the Green Empire. They are a nation founded on military power, and personal strength is often the face of the nobility. While not necessarily strong, at least some knowledge is required, so she can be a layman.
"...It's a person." The girl answered blankly while looking at the flame, then stopped.
Seeing that she didn't want to talk anymore, Loran Hill didn't say anything more and let her sit for a while and relax.
As the night deepened, Loran Hill took out the package he carried with him, took out a towel, poured some water into it, and handed it to the girl.
"Want to wipe your face? I'll be going to bed soon."
Hearing this, Lottie looked at her hands and touched her cheeks, only to find that she was indeed feeling a little uncomfortable. She said thank you again and took the towel.
Although the sweat from the day has dried completely, there is still some discomfort left. It will feel better after washing. Due to the current conditions, I can only wipe it simply.
When it was time to go to bed, Loran Hill took out the blanket he had prepared behind him, spread it on the cleaned grass, and then invited the girl over.
"Let's sleep here tonight. Fortunately, there are two blankets, just enough for two people." In fact, she brought a lot of things in the storage space, but it was not convenient to take out too much at this time.
The night passed in silence. Loran Hill curled up in the rolled-up blanket like a large spring roll and gradually fell asleep. However, the pink-haired girl had some insomnia.
The evening breeze was a little cold, but the campfire beside me was very warm, and the little black and white animal was lying not far from the fire.
The night sky between the forests is exceptionally clear, and one can see the vast river of stars dotting the night sky. Although these stars appear so tiny and distant, under the starry sky, one always feels insignificant, as if their very existence will be swallowed up by this vast world.
The eyelashes on her pupils blinked, and Lottie's hands, tucked in the blanket, gently pressed on her chest, feeling the beating heart and the pulsation of blood. The feeling of being alive was recognized by her brain and body again.
"I'm still alive." These words are full of hope but also sadness.
Although she was still alive, she was the only one alive, as all her loved ones passed away one by one before her eyes.
Some died in battle, some were murdered, some broke with the royal family, and some died while trying to protect her. The family was once so glorious, so glorious that it could influence the entire empire, making countless people tremble and fear. Beneath the black flag with a red dragon, countless legions were ready to go.
But all that vanished.
Just over a year ago, she was sitting in the quiet courtyard of her home, painting the sky with colorful paints, and then a knight in bloody armor rushed into the house, bringing back bad news.
Her father, the guardian of the southern border of the empire, the Duke of Red Dragon, and the patriarch of the Pascal family, died in Clansya, and the empire's army was also defeated by Clansya's new weapons.
From that day on, everything changed.
One urgent message after another arrived from the front lines. The numbers of the family's elite regiments vanished from the records one by one. The uncles and aunts from the past never returned. My aunts wept all day at home, and my mother became seldom spoken from then on.
She didn't understand the intrigues and profiteering within the empire's upper echelons. But it was indeed a period of immense chaos. The light in her study never seemed to go out. Every day, she met with vassals from all over the land, conversed with nobles in top hats, and messengers constantly shuttled back and forth from the mansion, delivering news from all directions.
However, such efforts did not change the outcome.
With the sudden death of the emperor, the situation in the empire became confusing for a while. His Highness Edren, the regent who holds power, has no good feelings towards the Pascal family and they had been at odds with each other during the past Western Expedition.
Unfortunately, the emperor who had previously been able to suppress the rebellion had passed away, and Grand Duke Pascal and his elite troops had perished on the battlefield. No amount of strategizing could suffice against the regent, who held the empire's last remaining army.
At his suggestion, the Pascal family became a sacrifice in the Empire's war against Cranssia.
A large amount of territory was ceded and wealth was confiscated as war reparations, just to end this failed and painful expansion.
The descendants of the Red Dragon Duke naturally wouldn't sit idly by, and various rebellions arose in the southern border. As the uncrowned king who had ruled this land for hundreds of years, the Pascal family was well-connected, and there were always loyal nobles who brought knights and warriors to join the crusade.
Until they all died under the black iron cavalry and sabers.
Those hussars, wearing short capes, carrying short muskets and holding sharp sabers, had absorbed many of the enemy's tactical essences from the battle of Clancy, entering a brand new era.
The lances and spears of the past no longer had an advantage against the rows of muskets and cannons, and the so-called heroic charge was nothing more than allowing those muskets to fire one more bullet.
Most of the elite legions capable of resisting and harvesting these musket troops had been decimated on the battlefield, leaving the Pascal family weakened after the war. Rebellions followed time and again, only to be crushed by the regent's legions. In this cycle of division, the Pascal family's bloodline was drained dry. Now, no noble dared to accept the descendant of the Red Dragon. Even those who remained loyal advised her to leave this land as soon as possible.
"I'm sorry, Miss Charlotte, we can no longer serve the Red Dragon with a Black Bottom. You will be sent far overseas, where you may live out the rest of your life in an ordinary but peaceful way."
"This is all we can do." The slightly fat butler bent down in repentance, and the dragon-armored knights behind him remained silent, watching the girl being put on the carriage, gradually leaving her familiar home and fleeing to unknown areas.
In the deep night in the forest, the girl in her sleep unknowingly shed warm tears in the corners of her eyes.
Perhaps this was the Pascal family's retribution. Those who set off the fire wave would eventually be consumed by it.
Even though she was young, she could not escape everything that was behind this name. Whether it was glory, brilliance, sadness, pain, or sin, it would all turn into bitter fruits and be slowly swallowed.
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