Chapter 93 His confession left people somewhat bewildered…
Daio recounted with great interest, "His third marriage was to the youngest daughter of my late mother's cousin. They were ten years apart in age, but a year later, she accidentally fell off her horse, hit her head on a rock, and died on the spot."
I felt this man was somewhat unlucky in marriage, but I didn't dare say it out loud.
“Your uncle’s marriage is really unhappy,” I said.
“But my uncle made a lot of money from it,” Daio laughed. “His three wives had very generous dowries, and with the huge sum he lost in his second marriage, he became incredibly wealthy. My wretched brother wanted to get rid of him first after his rebellion, even I was on the waiting list, but he couldn’t find any fault with my uncle. Why did my uncle agree to go with me? It wasn’t because he completely trusted me, nor because he trusted you, but because he had no choice but to go. If he didn’t go, he would die, and he would be on the guillotine soon.”
No wonder his family was willing to go with him; they really had nowhere else to turn.
Daio kicked a small stone away before continuing, "When I entered Black Wolf's body, I accidentally met you one day. I felt that you weren't the kind of profit-driven person the spy had described to me, so I spoke to you. Seeing how frightened you were, I was very happy."
I frowned, but he laughed heartily and said, "After I got back, I told my uncle about you, saying that you might be able to help me, and that if you didn't leave, Princess Marsie would surely eat you up. I regret not discovering you sooner, letting my brother benefit. I only discovered you after my brother started the internal strife. You seem ordinary, yet you turned the Land of Death upside down and even helped my hateful brother; you're a capable person. But my uncle said you only acted as a catalyst, and that it wouldn't be long before my brother ousted me. I angrily asked why, and he said that a cripple who has been paralyzed for over ten years and still has the ability to secretly plot is far beyond my capabilities. If we weren't from the same clan, he really wouldn't want to assist me, to avoid dying together."
I stood there in shock. How could his uncle speak to him like that?
Daio seemed to read my mind and smiled. "That's just how he is, he speaks without thinking. I was so angry at the time, I wanted to eat him up, but I held back."
"Have you ever thought about finding someone else to assist you?" I asked.
“He may not be the most eloquent person, but his interests align with mine.” Daio shrugged.
"Why...why do you believe me?" I asked again.
Daio laughed loudly, "You can't possibly be on my brother Salga's side. You were never one of his people. You only saved him to protect yourself. His sister even wants to eat your flesh. How could you possibly stay there for long?"
He calculated so precisely that I was speechless.
“My half-brother, Sarga, would never offend his sister for you. His sister possesses our ancestral heirloom gem necklace. With this, he will truly have legitimate status; otherwise, he will forever remain just a stepmother’s son.”
We had reached the vicinity of our residence. Before parting, he said to me, "My uncle wants to marry you, but only because he's interested in your special abilities. Unlike me, I'm actually quite interested in you."
"Really? Thank you." I felt a little embarrassed, but pretended to be nonchalant.
To be honest, I don't believe Daio is really interested in me. He's probably just like his uncle, only interested in my superpowers.
“Do you know?” Daio suddenly said mysteriously, “You are the best fourth marriage prospect my uncle could find. He can’t find a woman who can bring him the greatest benefits, but your special ability has some value.”
Seeing that I didn't believe him, he chuckled and said, "All families want to marry their daughters to the men who have married for the first time, so that they can give birth to the men's eldest sons and daughters and inherit the most property in the future; but men who remarry and have children are much worse off, as most of their money is taken by their children from previous marriages, and they certainly won't get their titles either."
"My uncle had only two daughters in his first three marriages, but the extended family still wouldn't marry his eldest daughter to him. They would only recommend his second daughter, but my uncle wasn't satisfied because his second daughter didn't have any valuable dowry."
"So the reason he's interested in you now, besides trying to stop me from marrying you, is simply because he's interested in your special abilities."
I sighed. "Thank you for telling me the truth."
——
In the middle of the night, I sat in front of the Queen's tomb and touched it several times with my hands, but nothing unusual happened.
How I wished she could give me some hints and teach me how to get out of here.
The gilded key is no longer in my possession, and I cannot leave using the old methods.
The Elf Realm is a trap, and this place is a trap too. I just want to get out of this trap as soon as possible.
“My subordinates told me you’ve been sitting here for a long time,” my uncle’s cold voice suddenly appeared behind me.
I was startled and patted my chest as I turned around. "You showing up like this in the middle of the night is terrifying!"
"I'm sorry." My uncle, dressed in black riding attire, stood in front of me, giving me a rather intimidating feeling.
"Are you here trying to use your powers to find a way to escape?" he asked.
"No." I naturally denied it.
We were silent for a while, then he suddenly said, "What Daio said to you isn't entirely correct."
I was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"I did want to marry you because of my superpowers, but that's not the only reason." The moonlight shifted, landing precisely on his smiling face.
"You bravely parted the sea, ran at the back of the group with all your might, chanted incantations to gather the sea together, and protected everyone. The courage and strength you showed in your struggle for survival also attracted me."
Under the moonlight, his deep gray eyes shone with a dark gold hue, like the light of fireflies at midnight, possessing a unique allure.
I was almost afraid to look closely.
“Before I met you, I heard about your efforts to protect Sarga, which amazed me,” he laughed. “I wanted to capture you, but you and Sarga disappeared without a trace. After Sarga’s successful rebellion, my nephew told me that you were advising him but actually wanted to escape yourself, which I found unbelievable. It doesn’t seem like you were doing it for fame or profit. After Sarga came to power, you didn’t ask for anything in return, which made me think you’re a really strange person.”
Since I didn't plan to stay here for long, I naturally didn't need Thorne. Although I needed money, I couldn't take it with me; a bag of gold coins here is quite heavy and would be a burden on the road.
He smiled and said, "When you asked Daio to gather some loyal families, I guessed your escape plan. You probably wanted to use the power of several major families to escape from here, or at least resist the pursuers, right?"
Even if it were true, I wouldn't admit it.
“It was because you had no desire for Sarga that I believed your escape plan. A person who doesn’t seek ‘improvement’ but only ‘freedom’ and has supernatural abilities can surely lead us to ‘freedom’. But now, I don’t want you to be free, so I’ve refused your requests to leave several times. Or rather, I just want you to be free in my arms.”
My face flushed slightly. His "confession" left me somewhat bewildered. Even if it was fake, it was still embarrassing. I could only stand up and say perfunctorily, "I don't like men with beards. Goodbye."
Then, they ran away.
——
The next day, I saw him with his beard shaved off; his chin was clean and smooth, without a single stubble.
His long, dark gray hair was tied back, revealing his deeply sunken features. Combined with his smooth, sharp chin, he looked even more shrewd and capable.
I felt a little embarrassed.
He smiled slightly at me and walked towards me.
“Stop thinking about leaving,” he smiled. “I won’t force you to marry me. Can you help us use our powers to reclaim Daio’s throne?”
"I'm afraid not," I sighed.
The disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves is too great, how is that possible?
"Why are you so determined to reclaim the throne? Your current strength is far inferior to that of the Elf King," I asked.
"The throne originally belonged to our family," he said with a faint smile.
"You are on the run; how easy is it to take it back?"
"But Daio is the rightful heir. Since ancient times, the Elven race has only recognized the sons born to the rightful queen." This means they still have a chance.
“But the current king is the eldest son,” I said. “Your clan must also follow the primogeniture system, which is why he was able to successfully seize the throne.”
He chuckled again, “The former king was too foolish. He allowed his mistress to have a son with the first father, and even gave her the ancestral jade pendant for the eldest son, and signed a certificate to give her the legal status of the eldest son, which has caused today’s chaos.”
“The situation is beyond our control now,” I sighed. “He controls the army, the high-ranking officials, the nobles—he controls all the country’s vital resources. If you try to rob him now, you’ll only be throwing your lives away.”
He smiled meaningfully, "So what advice do you have for us?"
I was somewhat flattered; this was the first time a man here, or rather, a man from this continent, had asked me for advice. Since I arrived here, every powerful and wealthy man had treated me with disdain, acting superior and looking down on me.
His smile even had a hint of humility.
Seeing his sincerity, I boldly said, "I think that instead of spending a huge amount of money to reclaim the throne, it would be better to establish your own kingdom. Otherwise, with your current manpower and resources, the best outcome will only be a lose-lose situation with the Elf King."
He was somewhat surprised and shocked. "It's not that we haven't considered it, but we are really unwilling to give up the throne that originally belonged to us."
"Survival is the most important thing. Once the Elf King finds you, you will all die. What use is a throne to you? Creating a new kingdom is the best way. When the time is right, we may be able to take back everything we have lost."
The second half was a bit too ambitious, but sometimes you have to be like that, otherwise there's no motivation.
"Moreover," I said when I saw him fall silent again, "you can only make the Elf King wary of you and not dare to act rashly by creating your own kingdom, establishing diplomatic relations with other kingdoms, and forming a powerful alliance."
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Author's Note: There will be one more update today~~ Around 11:00 AM~~
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