Chapter 96 When a woman's romantic mindset kicks in, it's just...
“I’m not deliberately helping anyone,” I explained. “I have no grudges against anyone.”
Artis smiled slightly, "Just when I was hesitating whether or not to believe you, one of my mistresses, whom I had broken up with, learned from the mistress of the Grand Master of Nathias that you had rescued Prince Bernot from Black Castle and fought off zombies in Bernot's wilderness. After dealing with Rosie, I felt that you still had some ability and that I could give it a shot, since you are willing to."
“Then you really started preparing, maybe without any hope, but you were still preparing,” I said. “Maybe there’s still a glimmer of hope.”
“Yes,” Artis said.
This is why, when I blew my special whistle, Black Wolf was able to gather all his people, bring everything, and wait for me to come and pick him up, so he could immediately take to the sky.
What's remarkable is that this cunning fellow actually believed I was on their side.
He seemed to read my mind and explained with a smile, “We have no better choice, because in two days we will be on the guillotine, and it will be a public execution—it’s not just a matter of heads rolling, but a matter of our family facing immense shame, so we have to escape no matter what.”
“Thank you,” he said. “On behalf of myself and three other families, I thank you, though it is a little late.”
"You're welcome." After a while, I finally said those three words.
The next day, I went to the Queen's tomb again. This time, Artis did not appear.
To be honest, I've been looking for an opportunity for my superpowers to appear, but no matter how I touch them, how I worship them, or even once, I hugged a tombstone, my superpowers still didn't appear.
Even in my dreams, everything is blank.
Could it be that my superpowers have stopped working?
Or is it only effective in the Elf Realm?
I was a little disappointed. Looking at the distant sea view, I unconsciously took two steps forward. But I wasn't careful and slipped. I lost my footing and fell down the hill. I didn't even have time to scream before I tumbled down the hill. I rolled several times before finally being stopped by a tree.
That's strange. Didn't Artis always send people to follow me? Why is no one coming to rescue me now?
My whole body ached, but I managed to stand up by supporting myself with my hands.
But as soon as I stood up, I was stunned. The former Elf Queen was standing three steps away from me, quietly watching me.
She wore a long white dress, her long hair flying in the wind, looking peerless and independent, aloof and cold.
I was stunned and didn't know what to say for a moment.
"Come with me." Her face glowed, her eyes sparkled, and she was indescribably beautiful.
I had a dizzy feeling and unconsciously followed her forward.
"Do you see that icy green sea ahead?" She led me to a high point on the mountain and pointed to the sea, which seemed so close. "We started from here and left from here."
“I know, it’s because of that gilded key,” I said.
“You can leave or come in without that key.” She then pointed in another direction, towards a mountain.
“Do you see that?” she said. “That place used to be an underwater volcano. Many years ago, it erupted, shaking the earth and sending lava flowing everywhere. Volcanic ash covered almost the entire island, it was terrifying, and it nearly wiped out all the marine life in the surrounding area. Later, due to tectonic shifts, the island rose above the sea, and the volcano became an extinct volcano, no longer spewing flames. But the volcanic ash that covered the island was extremely nutritious, nourishing the island's land and making the plants here incredibly vibrant. Flocks of birds flying overhead nested here and scattered many tree seeds, forming a forest. With the forest, there were animals.”
She laughed. "Oh, right, look, it's over there, behind the extinct volcano. It used to be connected to another landmass. All sorts of animals lived on that land, and they loved the forests here, so they made their homes there. Later, the landmass shifted again, and this landmass and the island separated, but the animals on the land remained on the island forever. By some twist of fate, this island also entered a hidden barrier, and from then on, it was isolated from the world."
I stood on tiptoe, trying to see what lay behind the volcano. She laughed again and said, "That extinct volcano is the true entrance to the barrier. The one with the gilded key only opens a small entrance to the barrier, like a side door."
"At the bottom of that extinct volcano, there is a loose rock. Push it aside and you will enter a long tunnel. After passing through the tunnel, you will see a large beach and an endless icy green sea. But it is difficult to cross the beach and reach the sea because there is a barrier in front of the sea."
I asked, "Is there a way to break the barrier?"
The Queen smiled slightly, "I have never been outside, so I do not know. I am now a wisp of my soul, wandering for a long time, and I have long wanted to go to the underworld. Seeing you today, I suddenly felt that this might be the last time we meet."
I was stunned. "You won't come to see me again?"
"Our fate has run its course." The Queen still smiled. "A fate that should never have existed suddenly appeared many years ago. You came because of me, and I don't know if it's a good or bad omen. The power I bestowed upon you will also slowly disappear."
"Does that mean my connection with this world is getting weaker and weaker?" I asked.
“No, it’s getting deeper and deeper,” she said. “It’s precisely because it’s so deep that you can’t have superpowers. Superpowers cannot be inherited, not even by your own kind. Only people from distant lands can obtain them by chance. But as the aura of this world within you grows stronger and stronger, and you’re no longer a ‘person from distant lands,’ your superpowers will slowly drift away from you until they disappear.”
I felt a sense of panic. "Without my powers, how will I survive here?"
She looked at me calmly and said, "Rely on your intelligence, courage, and strength."
I was on the verge of tears, thinking, "I don't have any of these."
I admit I'm sometimes incompetent.
She raised her hand, intending to touch my face, but it passed through empty air. Her hand was transparent; it couldn't touch me.
I suddenly burst into tears, and cried so hard that it felt like the sky was falling and the earth was splitting apart...
"Wake up, wake up, Lana." A gentle voice called out.
But I was still crying, unwilling to wake up, perhaps subconsciously believing that as long as I cried, the Queen would not leave.
"Wake up, stop crying."
Suddenly, hot, passionate lips pressed against mine, kissing the tears that had dripped from my lips.
I woke up instantly, the passionate kiss still going on.
My lips were sealed tightly by another pair of lips, the kiss making it hard for me to breathe, the kiss making me faint again.
When I woke up again, I could hear the fire crackling in the fireplace and see the firelight illuminating the carpet around me, as well as the shadows of people in the rocking chair.
I sat up halfway. "What time is it now?"
"It's almost midnight," came Artis's gentle voice.
He walked over quickly, handed me a glass of warm water, and smiled, "Sorry, I accidentally kissed you unconscious."
But then he immediately added, "But at the time, you were crying so hard that I was worried. I couldn't wake you up, so I tried to kiss you to wake you up, but I didn't expect," he said somewhat embarrassedly, "that I got addicted to kissing you and made you faint."
I was quiet for a moment, then asked, "How long was I unconscious before you kissed me unconscious? And where did you faint?"
“You were unconscious for about an hour,” he replied. “I brought you back from the hillside near the Queen’s Tomb. You probably wanted to take a walk up the mountain, but you accidentally fell. The guards immediately rescued you and called a doctor. The doctor said you were fine, but you were still unconscious for an hour. Later, you had nightmares and kept crying, which worried me a lot.”
I remained silent.
"Did you have a terrible dream?" he asked gently.
I pulled the blanket over my head, shrank into the bed, and ignored them completely.
I woke up very early that morning, and opened my eyes as he got up to leave.
"Wait, I'll go out with you." I put on my coat and got out of bed.
"Do you know where I'm going?" he asked me with a smile, already dressed in his outer robe.
"I don't know," I answered truthfully, "but wherever you go, I'll go."
"Why?"
I smiled brightly, "It will enhance the relationship between husband and wife."
Of course, I lied; I was going to find the volcano the Queen had mentioned.
The sun hadn't risen when we set out, and he led me on a tour of the area around our settlement. We saw rows of guards training, tribespeople busy in the fields and orchards early in the morning, and we walked over several hills guarded by patrolling soldiers. Finally, we rode together on colorful long-tailed birds to the seaside for a patrol.
I didn't want to ride the same bird with him, but he insisted, saying the wind was too strong and he was afraid I would be blown away.
“If we don’t ride together, then we won’t go,” he said.
I had no choice but to ride with him. Sure enough, a strong wind was blowing all the way, the sun only peeked out, the temperature was still very low, and the wind felt bone-chillingly cold against my skin.
He straddled me, like a wall of flesh. If it weren't for this wall of flesh blocking the wind, I probably would have been blown off.
Upon arriving at the seaside, I was surprised to see Daio among the troops training early in the morning. There were two groups of troops training, one on the hilltop and the other on the seashore.
Artis led me to Daio to pay my respects. Daio's gaze was intense, and the look in his eyes almost burned me through.
Young, seventeen-year-old boys are just that unrestrained.
He looked at me without any regard for my feelings, completely forgetting that I was married and he was also married.
Artis, however, smiled faintly, seemingly unconcerned, and made no attempt to block my way.
After a brief greeting, Artis led me away.
“I’m not worried about him,” Artis told me. “I’m more worried about your old flames, Bernard and Mamboa.”
"Why?" I asked.
“One is the prince you rescued from the tower, and the other is the prince who led you away from the dangerous tower.” Artis draped his hooded coat over me. “If you hadn’t been so determined not to be a mistress, you probably would have had several children with them.”
I chuckled to myself, “They won’t really be interested in me.”
"Oh?" he asked, intrigued.
"How could a man who has gone through many twists and turns and finally regained his high position possibly be interested in a woman who is penniless, powerless, and not particularly beautiful? What they need are women with real money and status."
When it comes to choosing a spouse, men usually act based on self-interest, choosing the person who maximizes their benefits. Women, while also pragmatic, become blinded by love and disregard all else. Thus, it is not uncommon for princesses to marry poor men, but it is relatively rare for princes to marry poor women.
If a prince can marry the daughter of a fallen noble family, it's already like marrying Cinderella; the prince might even regret it later.
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