Chapter 226 "Let your wife be my mistress..."
Upon returning to the palace, he unexpectedly heard that the Elf King had sent a letter inviting Daio to discuss trade agreements in the Elf Sea following the events in the Eastern Territory.
“Daio wouldn’t do this himself; I usually go in his place,” Artis said. “Would you like to come with me?”
I laughed, "Aren't you afraid I'll be snatched away by the Elf King?"
“That’s international waters,” Artis laughed. “It’s near the western border, and many eyes are watching us closely. He wouldn’t dare to rob anyone.”
Seeing that I didn't speak, he continued, "Snatching people won't do him any good. No one will trust him anymore, his reputation will plummet, and he won't be able to do business again."
And so, the trip to the high seas for negotiations was finalized. When Daio learned that I was willing to go, he actually insisted on going too.
Artis firmly refused, and Daio was very unwilling, causing a scene for several more days, even on the day we set off.
Attis vehemently refused, stating that for the king's safety, he absolutely could not leave the island.
Standing on the high deck, the cold sea breeze whipped my face. My long hair was wrapped in a thick scarf, and my long skirt billowed wildly. Artis was still negotiating with Daio, who looked defiant and clearly disagreed. But in the end, he gave up, looking up at me with a helpless and dejected expression.
I laughed. Did he think that by following me, I would rekindle our "old flame"? How could that be? Artis wouldn't give him any chance to get close to me.
The ship set sail, and Artis stood beside me, waving to Daio. Daio stared at us coldly, motionless.
“Daio listens to you a lot,” I said.
"Do you really think so?" Artis asked with a smile.
"Isn't that right?" I countered. "He always treated you like a father, obeying your every command."
Artis laughed, “You’re so naive!”
I looked at him with displeasure, feeling that he was underestimating my intelligence.
His fingers traced my face. "Wouldn't it be great if you just stayed like this? The more you know, the more troubled you'll become."
I turned my face away and ignored him. I couldn't understand what he was saying, but I was too lazy to ask.
Two or three days later, the ship arrived at international waters. The Elf King's sturdy black ship was already waiting. Stepping into the spacious and magnificent ship's hall, the Elf King, dressed in a snow-white robe embroidered with gold thread, was adorned with sparkling jewels on his forehead, neck, elbows, wrists, fingers, and even ankles: diamond forehead ornaments, ruby necklaces, gold and diamond armbands, crystal bracelets, and gold anklets—all gleaming and shining, making him appear like a radiant deity, noble, mysterious, and unapproachable.
Compared to him, Artis and I were merely dressed as high-ranking nobles, with elegant robes and beautiful jewelry, nothing particularly special.
But Artis smiled slightly, showing no sign of unease. He led me in a slight bow and gracefully sat down in the seat below him.
"It's been a long time, Your Majesty is even more radiant than before," Artis said with a smile.
"Not at all, I think Your Excellency looks even more energetic. Is it because you've just gotten married?" the Elf King replied with a smile.
Artis simply smiled and said, "You flatter me!"
The two chatted about the sea weather for a while, and Artis was about to get down to business when the Elf King laughed and said, "You've only just arrived and haven't even had a sip of water yet. Why don't you have dinner together first, and then we can talk?"
We then went into the dining room, where a table was already laden with fine food and wine. As soon as we sat down, the Elven King toasted Artis, saying, "Try our finest wine from the Secret Realm, a twenty-year-old vintage. You rarely drank it in the Secret Realm before."
Artis smiled faintly, took a small sip, and said, "Indeed, fine wine."
The Elf King looked at me again and raised his cup as well. "Would you like to have a sip?"
"Sorry, I never drink alcohol." I simply picked up a glass of water and clinked glasses with him.
He laughed, "It's good to not drink. I hate it when women are drunk and smell of alcohol."
The three of us sat down. He sat at the head of the table, and Artis and I sat close to him below. He suddenly looked at me and said, "If I had known you would come, I would have brought our daughter with me."
“It’s alright,” I said. “We’ll have a chance to meet again in the future.”
He smiled gently, "There will definitely be opportunities, and there will be many more."
Artis frowned, seemingly disliking that I was talking too much. I talked to him about the impact of the internal strife in the East on our two countries. He listened, but his eyes were unfocused, and he seemed somewhat absent-minded.
Just as I was wondering what was going on, he suddenly stood up, came to my side, and swung his wine glass, seemingly a little drunk, even though he had only drunk one glass. "Actually, I miss you quite a bit. I think you're very special," he said, then looked at Artis. "How about you make your wife my mistress? I won't let you down."
Artis smiled faintly, stood up, and shielded me behind him. "You're drunk. Why don't we talk later?"
I was considering whether I should say something to ease the tension when suddenly my vision blurred and a gleaming dagger slashed across Attis's neck, leaving a cold, blood-red circle. A slender hand wearing a shimmering ring swiftly withdrew, and the next second, blood spurted from Attis's neck, spraying all over my face. Her head fell, landing from front to back, right on my skirt.
I screamed, a scream of disbelief, my mind blank and bewildered, the fear emanating from deep in my throat making me refuse to acknowledge what had happened.
Artis's guards rushed in, and after a moment of shock, they engaged in a fierce battle with the Elven King's guards who appeared out of nowhere. The air was thick with the stench of blood and the terrifying aura of death.
I clutched Artis's head, still screaming in disbelief, and slid to the ground. It wasn't until a guard quickly lifted me up—Artis's head guard—that I regained some composure and followed him out of the dining hall.
The deck was in complete chaos. Artis had taken ample precautions and brought plenty of guards, but they were no match for the Elf King's guards. Artis's guards were lying everywhere, being thrown into the sea, and being chased by wild swords. We were clearly at a disadvantage.
In the blink of an eye, the head of the guard who led me to escape was chopped off, and I was sprayed with blood again. I screamed and ran away. The head of Artis, which had been in my skirt pocket, fell to the ground, but I didn't have time to pick it up. Several Elven King guards rushed towards me, and I screamed and ran away.
In a panic, I climbed onto the sill, braced myself with my hands, and jumped directly into the sea.
The icy seawater immediately surrounded me, and the deathly cold filled my ears, nose, and throat, almost causing me to lose consciousness.
A dozen guards jumped into the sea at the same time and swam toward me. Just as one of them grabbed my arm, another group of guards appeared and started fighting fiercely with the guards who had grabbed me.
A cloud of blood rose from the seabed, the stench of blood mingling with the salty seawater, filling my ears, nose, and throat once more. I was suffocating; if I didn't surface soon, I might suffocate to death.
In that critical moment, a guard, who was probably the leader (I didn't know which side he was on), grabbed me. He swam me in another direction and quickly swam upwards. Almost as soon as I surfaced, I took a deep breath and then passed out...
——
I slept for a very, very long time, so long that I thought I was dead, before I slowly woke up.
A cold laugh rang out, "I thought you would just die like that. It's better if you die, so you won't have to live such a troublesome life."
I reluctantly turned my head to look, and to my surprise, I saw Beatrice.
I almost didn't recognize her. She was much more mature and thinner than before. She was already thin, with a thin face and a thin chin, but now she was even thinner, her face was the size of a palm, and her chin was sharp as a knife. Coupled with her thin, hooked nose, it added to her cruel appearance.
Her eyes were unusually sharp, even more piercing, mature, and profound than the witch's, like those of a shrewd politician rather than a young girl.
"If it weren't for the fact that you once helped my mother and me, and I had to repay that favor, I wouldn't have saved you," she said coldly.
"Thank you!" I said softly, unusually modestly.
"No need to thank me. We don't know if we can escape the Elf King's pursuit, but we're almost at the western border."
I then realized that I was on a slightly swaying boat, and the bed beneath me was moving gently with the boat's swaying.
“I received a secret report that the Elf King intends to take the lives of your husband and you. It just so happens that the high seas where you had your secret talks are not far from the western border, so I came here.”
"Thank you!" I truly thank you.
“The Elf King was actually hesitant about whether to kill you,” Beatrice said, her voice growing colder. “That’s why you had a brief chance to escape.”
"He ultimately decided to kill, didn't he?" I asked in a low voice.
"I don't know, but I managed to rescue you in the end."
Beatrice looked me in the eyes and said coldly, "He's wanted to kill you for a long time. He once mentioned at a secret meeting of leaders from several countries that if you can't have something, you should kill it. He was referring to you."
I burst out laughing, tears streaming down my face. "I once saved his life, and this is how he repays his savior?"
Beatrice threw her head back and laughed, "You don't want to be with him, and your abilities might even help other men, so of course he'll kill you. Do you think men are saints or something?"
She laughed as she said, "An ordinary man might remember a life-saving favor, but don't even think about a man at the top of power."
"Why did he kill Artis?" Tears streamed down my face, large drops falling onto my pillow.
She laughed until she could hardly breathe. "They were mortal enemies to begin with. By the way, without King Daio's help, Attis might not have been able to kill him. I heard that Attis originally didn't want to come because he felt that the new ruler of the East had not yet been chosen, but he was persuaded by King Daio."
I burst into tears and buried my face in the pillow to quiet my sobs.
A piece of paper was suddenly handed to me, her voice devoid of any emotion, “Sign this and transfer the royal city that Bernot gave you to my name.”
My crying stopped, and I stared at her in astonishment. "You saved me, not because you owe me a life-saving favor?"
She was getting impatient and moved the glass closer to me. "Hurry up, saying I saved your life was just a way to appease you."
Could it be that she was saved for the sake of the royal city? Then the Elf King would definitely come and take half of the royal city away as well.
As for benefits, everyone who sees them gets a share.
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