Chapter 287 Our Story...
He just smiled at me and then started chatting with the other nobles and wealthy merchants.
Occasionally, I could feel his anxious gaze falling on me, but it would quickly shift away. I could sense that he had come to repair the relationship, but he didn't dare to speak.
The meeting was chaired by Aurora, and it mainly involved exchanging trade prices and newspaper advertising rates. I spent most of the time listening. The main points were what I had discussed with Aurora beforehand, and there weren't any major issues.
After the meeting ended, several nobles and wealthy merchants pulled Aurora aside, wanting to discuss the price with her again. They left quickly, and the others followed suit. I picked up the meeting notebook that Aurora had forgotten, and Avanna, who had just reached the door, suddenly turned back. "I'm sorry, I caused you trouble last time."
"It's okay, it's all in the past." I lowered my head and put away a few meeting notebooks.
Avana stepped out the door again, and I looked up and spoke again: "If you still want to marry me, you can consider agreeing to my conditions."
This is a decision I've made after much consideration. Nathan and I are too far apart in age, and the differences in our mental maturity, appearance, and physical abilities will only widen over the years. Avana is the only one suitable for me. He is truly sincere towards me.
He froze for a few seconds, unable to believe his ears, then slowly turned around. "Are you serious?"
"Really." I smiled at him.
He immediately closed the conference room door, rushed up to me like a big dog wagging its tail, and grinned slyly, "Tell me your terms."
"First, we will only hold a wedding ceremony, but not sign a marriage certificate. If we feel it is appropriate after three years, we will sign it; if not, we will not."
This was to avoid the trouble of divorce. Divorce was not easy here, especially for the nobility; it was almost impossible.
"Second, if we have children, and we separate after three years, the children will stay with me."
"Third, let's sign a prenuptial agreement. What you're willing to give me will be put in my name first, in case you regret it during the divorce."
After I finished speaking, he still looked like he was listening attentively. "Anything else?"
"there is none left."
"That's all? No problem." He suddenly complained, "Why didn't you tell me these conditions sooner? You might be pregnant by now."
I was both amused and exasperated. "What nonsense are you spouting!"
Two days later, witnessed by the high-ranking nobleman he had invited, we signed a marriage agreement. It was a marriage agreement, not a marriage certificate. I also changed the original front-page headline in the newspaper to announce my marriage—in three days, news of my marriage would reach every corner of the land.
It would be difficult for Bernard to stop it—the civil war in the East had just ended, and he still had many things to clean up. His mistress, after his last escape, was keeping a very close eye on him. For the sake of power, status, and money, he couldn't afford to offend her.
Manberia wouldn't stop me—years of separation and my indifference had dampened his passion, and the internal strife in the north was too much for him to handle.
The Elf King would not stop him—our marriage ended long ago, he started a new life a long time ago, and his health is not very good, so he would have difficulty adapting to life outside the Secret Realm and would not come to the West to find me.
Daio was even less likely to stop it—our relationship was merely an impulsive one, fleeting and short-lived. Besides, he was busy with his battles of wits with the Elf King and diplomatic relations with various countries; how could he possibly have time for such a thing? He had long since forgotten about me.
Everyone is busy and has their own things to do; you are not as important as you think.
Strangely enough, I came to this continent because of Bernot, and I also met the black raven prince Manboa who saved me, and I also saved the paralyzed and immobile Elf King, but in the end I couldn't be with any of them.
Perhaps time has stretched the distance between us, diluting our once intense feelings. They are both old now, and we haven't been in touch for years. How can we talk about love again, about passion again?
It's really cruel to talk about these things, but we have no choice but to face them.
My story ends here.
The prince and princess lived happily ever after.
As for married life, it's destined to be a mess, so don't worry about it too much. All I can tell you is that three years later, we successfully signed our marriage certificate. Right then and there, our youngest son was playing and causing trouble under the altar. Our other son was being held in the nanny's arms, crying happily.
Avana stared at me warily, as if afraid I wouldn't sign the marriage certificate.
I was arguing with him then. He had met a young and beautiful noblewoman, and his former mistress, Julia, had long since broken up with him.
Incidentally, Julia and Ares's affair was exposed, and Ares's plot to rebel was also revealed. Both were banished from the North. All of Ares's property and private army were confiscated by his father. Originally, his father wanted to kill him using bloodless and ruthless methods, but I stopped him, persuading him to do some good for his newborn son. Only then did he spare Ares, instead exiling him.
After the Julia incident, I remembered her scolding me for being domineering, forceful, and not understanding men, so I consciously began to change my attitude towards Avana. I stopped losing my temper, stopped being bossy, and stopped saying anything harsh. I considered his thoughts in everything, respected his opinions, and tried my best to maintain his dignity as a father in front of the children.
Strangely enough, Avana was exceptionally well-behaved during that time. She was always mindful of my mood, spoke cautiously, and would immediately take back any harsh words she might have said. She would even playfully ask me not to be angry. She was unusually obedient and compliant, which puzzled me, but I didn't think much of it.
After a while, I returned to normal. Pretending can't last long, but I was still a bit better than before. At least I wasn't as domineering. Suddenly, Avana stopped paying attention to me and became much like before.
On a pleasant afternoon watching the sunset, I asked him why he had been so well-behaved recently. He suddenly looked aggrieved and said, "It's because you were acting so strangely, not getting angry or scolding me. I was afraid you would try to get back at me, run away to the capital, or get back together with your ex. That would kill me. I could only act well-behaved so you wouldn't be angry with me."
"Oh, so you're feeling wronged?" I joked.
“Who told you to change your mind so frequently?” he said, sounding almost crying with grievance, “to scare me on purpose.”
I was both amused and exasperated. "Are you crazy? How could you think like that?!"
“Promise me,” he suddenly wrapped his arms around my waist, “if you’re really angry with me, just tell me. Don’t hide it under your armpits, or you’ll really scare me.”
I laughed even harder and told him about the dream I had about Julia, as well as the things Julia had said to me. He listened and sighed repeatedly, "You really believed what she said?"
"I believe you," I laughed. "She understands men better than I do; otherwise, how could she have held onto you for ten years?"
He was speechless for ten seconds, then said, "She certainly has her strengths, but you have yours too."
"You like her, otherwise you wouldn't have been together for ten years. Why didn't you ever think about marrying her?"
He didn't seem to want to answer the question, because the answer might expose the worst aspects of a man's character.
He could only manage a weak reply: "She has her merits, but they are not the most important to me. Her greatest merit is that she can make men feel relaxed, but there are several other women who can make men feel relaxed."
Therefore, he would not give up other trees for the sake of this one tree.
I stared at him for a long time without saying a word, unsure of what to say.
His face turned embarrassed, and he cautiously observed my expression. "You're not angry, are you?"
"Why should I be angry? I'm not Julia. Who are the other women who help men relax?"
"They're all gone. They were all chased away before you arrived."
"Why don't you leave one or two to relax?"
"I dare not stay."
Why do you insist on marrying me?
“You’re the only woman with superpowers on the entire continent.” He suddenly hugged me again. “I’ve heard your story since I was little, and sometimes I would imagine what you were like, but I never had the chance to meet you. You were either trapped in the East, the North, or sometimes the West, but we always missed each other. When I finally met you, I was almost shocked. You were exactly as I had imagined: young, rational, beautiful, sometimes a bit aggressive, charming and unsmiling towards men, and sometimes very sentimental, secretly hiding away and shedding tears, afraid to let anyone see.”
"You've heard my story since you were little?" I was a little afraid to think about the age gap between us, and I didn't hear a word of what he said after that.
“Yes.” He hugged me tighter. “I’ve heard about it since I was little. There was a woman with superpowers who overturned the land of death, quelled the zombie horde in the East, helped the Elf King ascend to the throne, led another Elf King who failed to seize the throne across the sea, and founded Aqia. What’s even more amazing is that she later escaped from the most stern underground prison in the East and assisted two queens in ascending the throne in the Western Kingdom. She then quelled the complex internal strife in the North and even created a major newspaper for information exchange between countries.”
"I had no idea I'd done so much if you hadn't told me," I exclaimed.
“There are many understanding mistresses, but you are the only woman with superpowers.” He hugged me tightly. “Now I know why I couldn’t find a suitable wife before. My goal has always been you. The moment I saw you, I almost immediately decided to propose. The person I’ve been looking for has always been you.”
He was lucky! I met the most handsome and outstanding prince on this continent, but I didn't marry him, and even in our old age, we weren't destined to be together. That's why Avana was able to meet me and marry me.
I wouldn't dare say it's about meeting the right person at the right time; I can only say that everything is preordained.
Avana married the legendary superhuman woman, fulfilling a childhood dream that had been blossoming in his heart.
So what about me? Have I fulfilled my wish? Having read romance novels since childhood, becoming obsessed with them, what is my wish? Is it still a handsome prince? I don't know.
So what about Avana? After marrying his dream girl, was he truly devoted to her? As it turns out, if men are reliable, pigs will fly.
A year later, Avana met a young and beautiful noblewoman at a noble dinner party. Her adoration and admiration captivated him, leading him to become infatuated and lose his way. They met twice outside of their home. They booked rooms in luxury hotels. The first time, I didn't know; the second time, when I rushed in, I only found the sheets disheveled and the bed empty. The third time, I finally caught them in the act, but not in bed; I only caught them chatting intimately at a private dinner party at a nobleman's house.
He naturally denied it to the death, only saying it was just ordinary interaction. I laughed angrily, "Do you think I'm stupid?" I warned him, "For the sake of our son, I'll let it go this time, but if I catch you again, I will never forgive you."
He became timid. He dared neither write to the young lady nor read the letters she wrote to him.
He knew I was watching him.
He dared not do anything rash. He was afraid I would really leave him.
As the three-year deadline approached, he became somewhat nervous and flustered, fearing that I wouldn't sign the marriage certificate. He spent the whole night sweet-talking me.
I considered not signing, but when the day came, I signed anyway.
Because he demonstrated his efforts to be a good husband over those three years. He respected his wife, loved his children, and worked hard to earn money; he far exceeded the passing grade. I might not be able to find such a good husband in modern times.
I deliberately paused while signing, and he looked at me with pleading eyes. I nonchalantly flicked my pen, and he immediately whispered, "If I've done anything wrong to you, punish me when we get back. I'll accept any punishment."
I ignored him and remained standing there. I sensed that even the high priest presiding over the wedding was somewhat nervous, looking at Avanna with fear. Everyone knew that this Grand Duke of the North had a bad temper; if he really got angry, he would overturn his altar.
Seeing how restless they were, I stopped teasing him and signed my name.
The moment I finished signing, he hugged me tightly. "Thank you for your trust in me."
Are our feelings good? I don't know. I only know that many years later, a saying circulated among the nobles: "If it weren't for the supernatural woman constantly taking contraceptives, they would have had at least one child a year."
Bernard wanted to come north to see me, but Avana firmly refused. I actually really wanted to see Bernard again, but after Avana found out, her refusal became even more resolute.
“Don’t let his age fool you, he still has a huge influence on you,” he said.
Bernard and I were together for many years, but separated for even longer.
Sometimes, in the dead of night, I still dream of him. I dream of that castle in the land of death, of that crimson sky burning like blood, of the sea changing colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, of the sky covered by flocks of crows spreading their wings, of the dead souls trapped in the male and female dolls, and of the chimpanzee princess who was once locked in the iron cage.
I dreamt that a young and handsome prince pointed a glowing sword at me, and his elegant, slightly cool voice drifted into my ear: "I'll take you home now."
Then heaven and earth, and the sea, all poured in, flooding my entire body and all my dreams.
It was both cold and intense, just like everything I had ever experienced.
Coldness is the feeling of death, passion is his gaze.
All of this feels both distant and close at hand.
So distant it seems as if it never happened, yet so close it feels like you could reach the fiery red clouds in a dream.
It's as if I can see that little girl from many years ago, walking in dark corridors, dark rooms, and dark tunnels, always walking with a trembling heart.
Just like me now, and like us.
Our story continues.
Let things continue as they are...
(The End)
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Author's Note: Finally finished! It wasn't easy, I've been updating for so long [laughing and crying emoji]. Thank you all so much for following along!
Please also check out my other older posts, and keep an eye out for my new post, "Animal Farm"! I'll do my best. Thank you!
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