Chapter 286 "Things have changed since you came along..."
I sneered, "Who I marry is none of his business. Has he ever given me a single penny? If he messes with me, he can't blame me for messing with him later."
"Alright, let's get back to the point." Hya seemed too lazy to argue with me any longer, and continued, "The Duke of Avanna wants me to be a witness. You two will sign an agreement that if he dares to neglect or humiliate you for his mistress after the marriage, or deprive you of any of your rights as the legal wife, he will give you all his property. Besides me, two other highly respected old nobles will also sign and witness this agreement."
“I won’t agree,” I said.
The Duke of Avana suddenly knelt down in front of me, a full kneel, not just half a knee, which startled Hya. "What are you doing, Your Grace?" she said, looking at me with pity. It was truly unlucky to encounter such a stubborn man.
“I am extremely sincere towards you, and if you don’t agree, I really don’t know what to do,” he said.
I turned my face away and said, "You should live your life the way you did before."
"How can it be the same?" His long, golden eyelashes fluttered slightly. "Things are different now that you're here."
"Just pretend you've never known me," I said coldly.
“I have shown you the utmost sincerity by kneeling before you.” He slowly stood up and said slowly, his tone quite different. “If you still refuse, I will have no choice but to resort to the most traditional methods of this continent.”
"What methods?" I asked in surprise.
"Attack the city directly. If you don't want all the nobles to be killed and your daughter's head to be hung on the city wall after you take this royal city, you must agree to this marriage."
I was furious. "You think I'm afraid of you? I'm someone who has conquered the capital of the Western Frontier. I'm not afraid of you, you stinking man who came from who-knows-where!"
He threw his head back and laughed loudly, the sound piercing the ceiling, and strode away, shouting, "Good!"
My chest heaved with anger, and Hya shook her head with a click of her tongue, "Why are you doing this, you superpowered woman? You're making things worse."
“It’s him…” I pointed to the door, my fingers trembling with anger, barely able to speak, “He’s shameless!”
Half an hour later, Aurora rushed over with Mia and Jacob, saying anxiously, "Mother, what's wrong with you? Why are you abandoning a perfectly good marriage and insisting on fighting with others?"
I was in my study checking the accounts to see how much money I could get. "Say no more, prepare for war."
Aurora was on the verge of tears. "Why are you doing this? The royal city is suffering heavy losses and simply cannot support the war."
"There's always a way." I said without even looking up.
Aurora's tears were almost bursting out. "We finally found a place to settle down, and now you're causing trouble again, making it impossible for us to have a good life."
"Give me back those fifty thousand gold and silver notes." I suddenly looked up. "Since you couldn't persuade Avanna to leave, give the notes back to me."
Aurora sighed heavily and pulled Mia and Jacob, who dared not utter a sound, away.
That evening, the fifty thousand gold and silver notes were returned to me. I sat on the garden steps, lost in thought, gazing at the golden sunset.
It's late spring, and it's already getting warm, but I feel a bit cold.
Three days later, the army besieged the city, with five thousand elite troops attacking the royal capital. I hadn't expected them to come so quickly. Standing atop the city wall, I held a telescope and gazed at the dense, dark shadows on the other side of the moat.
The Duke of Avana must have borrowed some troops from the Western Capital to arrive so quickly. Our capital only has three thousand guards, and even if we temporarily conscript civilians, we can only muster a maximum of four thousand.
The war horns sounded in the distance, and a challenge was delivered to me.
The war will officially begin tomorrow morning.
"The Duke of Avana sent word that he has three thousand elite troops on his way," Aurora said weakly, leaning against the wall.
I silently chanted an incantation, preparing to summon birds to drop gunpowder bombs. I hadn't been idle for the past three days, using the frontline troops to purchase as many gunpowder bombs as possible for a desperate last stand.
Just then, my vision blurred, and a strange scene suddenly appeared—
Corpses littered the ground, blood flowed freely, and countless mournful cries echoed from within the city—the cries of the families of the guards who had perished on the battlefield. At the city gates, Duke Avanna rode atop a tall horse, followed by rows upon rows of guards. They still had strength, but we had suffered heavy losses.
The battle was fierce, the cries of agony heart-wrenching. I closed my eyes and jumped off the high city wall...
"Mother, what's wrong?" Aurora supported me as I swayed. "If you're not feeling well, go back and rest for a while."
I pushed her away and walked step by step to the highest point of the city wall. Aurora exclaimed and tried to pull me down, but I turned around and said, "Don't come any closer!"
She was stunned by my gaze, a resolute look of desperation.
Since I can't avoid death, I'll jump now and avoid a brutal battle.
Suddenly someone called my name from below—a familiar voice, distorted by anxiety; it was Nathan.
I was too far away to hear what he was saying anxiously, but I could vaguely hear him telling me not to jump or to wait for him.
I couldn't help but listen for a moment, and in that instant, Aurora suddenly rushed up and dragged me down with great force. At the same time, several guards rushed up and held me up.
"What are you doing?" Aurora roared. "If you want to die, don't die now. It's very unlucky for people to die before the war."
I was forcibly taken back to the palace and placed under guard.
“Mother, the Duke of Avana wants to speak with you,” Aurora said as she approached me, who was sitting on a feather cushion by the windowsill, at midnight.
"There's nothing to talk about." I waved my hand, as if to tell him to leave.
Before Aurora could say anything more, I grabbed a crystal paperweight and threw it heavily onto the carpet. "Get out!"
Aurora looked terrible, but she still went out.
I leaned against the window, thinking about all the battle tactics and strategies I had learned in history books—summoning birds was no longer possible, it would only lead to tragic consequences. As I thought about it, I fell asleep.
I was awakened by the faint chirping of birds in the early morning. Suddenly remembering that I was going to fight today, I rushed down from the windowsill and quickly opened the door, just in time to run into Aurora who was hurrying over.
"Go to the city gate immediately!" I said, taking the outer robe handed to me by the maid as I walked.
“Mother,” Aurora said, following behind me, “the Duke of Avana has just withdrawn his troops.”
I stopped abruptly, turned around in disbelief, and asked, "What did you say?"
"I just received the news; he has already withdrawn his troops and left."
I never expected things to turn out this way, and I was stunned for a moment.
“He was reportedly deeply shocked when he saw you jump off the city wall, and almost fainted. He didn’t want you to die,” Aurora said slowly.
I remained rooted to the spot.
"King Benot's messenger bird has just arrived, and his three thousand reinforcements are on their way."
“Write a reply to him and tell him to withdraw the troops,” I said.
"good."
Aurora left, and I returned to my room. I collapsed onto the soft bed, momentarily at a loss for what to feel.
I buried my face in the pillow, took a few deep breaths, and buried it even deeper. The world was quiet and pitch black.
I fell asleep again without realizing it, even though I had just woken up.
I dreamt of what happened after I jumped off the highest city wall—
Inside a bustling, upscale tavern, a group of nobles were drinking. One of them, seated at the head of the table, had deep blond hair that fell over his striking features, obscuring his arrogant gaze—it was Avanner.
Six or seven beautiful women in crop tops and hot pants were dancing a sexy dance, their eyes sparkling as they flirted with Avana, but he ignored them and drank his wine in a melancholy mood.
A group of elegantly dressed servants entered, carrying wine. The tallest and most handsome of them respectfully handed a drink to Avana. The instant Avana took it, a sharp dagger appeared in the servant's hand as if by magic, aimed straight at Avana's chest. Everyone was shocked and cried for help. Guards rushed in, and the servant jumped out of the window to escape. In the dim moonlight, his face was faintly visible—it was Nathan—he had been seeking revenge for the woman with superpowers, enduring a year of hardship, finally finding his opportunity to deliver a devastating blow…
The scene shifts again to a deep winter snowfall, thick snow blanketing the majestic earthen castle in the northern part of the Westerlands. Avanner is not dead; he sits by the fireplace drinking, looking quite old, with deep wrinkles on his forehead, around his eyes, and at the corners of his mouth. The maids stand outside the door, ready to be summoned at any moment. That night he is drunk, and the maids whisper among themselves:
"He's not married yet, and nobody can control him. He probably never will."
"It's alright, he has two illegitimate children."
"I heard that the illegitimate child is very unruly. The older one, I heard, has been secretly seeing his mistress for a long time."
"He's drunk every day, what woman could stand that?"
The scene changes again—
The woman's cries were heart-wrenching. Her cousin had died a terrible death, and today was the anniversary of his passing. He had always been the kindest to her, and he had died young, so she was devastated.
I could see her face clearly, and I could also see the portrait in her hand.
She is the woman whose wallet was stolen on the street years ago, and the portrait in her hand is of Nathan.
It turns out that Nathan's assassination attempt failed that day, and he was hacked to death by a hail of swords.
My tears started flowing, flowing and flowing, endlessly.
As the bleeding continued, I woke up.
I don't know when the sun set, but I had already slept for a whole day.
I sat against the headboard, lost in thought for a long time.
The sun was shining brightly; the hot summer had arrived. It was slightly cool in the mornings and evenings, but extremely hot at midday. I sat at a stone table under a dense grapevine trellis, sipping chilled watermelon juice.
"Grandma, Mother says the trade conference is about to start and asks you to come over." Mia peeked out from behind the grape trellis.
“Okay.” I put down the watermelon juice and followed Mia out onto the stone terrace.
"Grandma, we have a special guest today. Aren't you angry with us?" Mia asked cautiously in the empty corridor.
"Oh, who is it?"
"You might not want to see it. Well, you'll see when you do." Mia kept everyone in suspense.
"Who is it?" I laughed. Bernot? Mamboa? The Elf King? Is there anyone I wouldn't want to see? It seems there isn't anyone. If I see them, I see them.
Entering the spacious, cool conference room, I was momentarily stunned—I immediately spotted Avanna in his white brocade robe. His deep blond hair contrasted sharply with his snow-white robe.
It had only been ten days since the last farcical war, and I never expected him to come.
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Author's Note: I'd like to recommend one of my older works. I found it quite engaging and creative, and I hope you'll all check it out: "My Super Boyfriend"
——
The ultimate hunting club for the super-rich
Inside a huge, transparent glass enclosure resembling an aquarium, one person is strapped to a white operating table, while another stands beside them holding a sharp saw. Outside the glass, there are well-dressed spectators.
"Beting begins in fifteen minutes. Bet on the person on the operating table dying, payout is three to one; bet on the person living, payout is one to one thousand. Bet starts at 100,000, with no upper limit." The host shouted into the microphone, "The ropes used to tie up the women are made of special materials; even the strongest man can't break free from them."
The beeping continued as people began to make their choices. A giant screen on the ceiling automatically turned on, broadcasting discussions in various languages, with members worldwide placing bets simultaneously.
The saw-wielding man surged to the top of the bet with an overwhelming advantage.
The game began, and the man with the knife lunged at the woman on the operating table. But with a whoosh, the woman raised her legs, snapped the thick rope, and kicked the chainsaw-wielding man hard to the ground, causing the audience to erupt in cheers.
This is not the movie "The Mask," but a scene similar to it.
Yuan Xingna is an elite special envoy sent to Earth from the planet Glass, specializing in dealing with ghosts and monsters. She came attracted by the scent of vengeful spirits, but was instead captured and put into a goldfish bowl, where she began a desperate counterattack.
——
Yuan Xingna's early life was filled with supernatural and terrifying adventures.
Yuan Xingna's later life was spent on the paradise island of Glass Star.
Women born through the womb are sent to this bloody slaughterhouse.
But Yuan Xingna smiled slightly:
—I will not only destroy this slaughterhouse, but also replace the president of your planet!
***
But before that, she has to deal with her boyfriend who followed her all the way from Earth to Glass.
"Super boyfriend" means: a boyfriend with super good looks and super abilities. Well, you know what I mean by abilities.
My boyfriend is always a simp, a womanizer who never gets involved with anyone.
Even after becoming a super idol from another planet, he's still just a "dog" by Yuan Xingna's side, yes, a pet dog.
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