Chapter 153 The End of the Tour... Is it only one lifetime?
Time flies, seasons change.
It is unclear when exactly, but King Andra's deeds gradually faded from people's view, while Princess Andrea appeared more and more frequently in various public occasions.
About ten years later, Princess Andrea officially ascended to the throne.
The retired Emperor Andra was not dead; he was still alive and well, traveling around with the sage Eleanor.
They set off alone, but as time went by, some adventure-loving followers or those who were moved by the two gradually joined the group.
This team is loosely organized yet full of energy, active in every corner of this land.
They often acted chivalrously, eliminating bandits and monsters along the way.
They would occasionally search for treasures, and scholars would accompany them on their journeys for research or documentation.
Book after book was published, including travelogues, novels, and books related to professional skills.
Queen Andrea was very different from her mother; she was a kind and steadfast queen.
She disliked war, and under her leadership, Hetuya became increasingly stable, halting its outward expansion.
Advanced planting techniques and continuously improving medical standards have led to a steady increase in the population.
People had warmer clothes, and even the poorer people could look forward to having a chicken in the pot during festivals.
Orphans and elderly people without support will be taken in by special almshouses.
She refused the title of Holy King, claiming that her various policies and ideas were influenced by Eleanor's mentor, the Sage.
They maintained communication, though the correspondence took longer to travel.
Twenty-five years after Andra and Eleanor left, on an ordinary morning.
Andrea got up around six o'clock, ate breakfast, and is now sitting at the table reading the letter her teacher brought her.
Andrea, guess who I met in Great Xia? It turned out to be a graduate of the Royal University of Hertuya.
What a coincidence! It's amazing to meet people from my hometown on such a big planet.
......
Daxia has a lot of excellent porcelain clay, and luckily I told my friends beforehand not to sell porcelain here.
Andra and I killed a dragon at sea. These legendary creatures are very powerful, and ordinary warships should never deviate from their course.
......
I've corrected all your homework from last time. Try to learn more math from Hudora. There are some errors in the physics handbook I compiled, and it needs to be revised.
......
Wang carefully folded the letter and placed it in a gilded wooden box, locking it securely. Then he picked up a sandwich cut into small pieces from his plate and chewed it with a smile.
That's wonderful! The teacher even sent over a new picture book, which depicts the magnificent landscape of the Great Xia Dynasty.
Although they were separated by distance, decades of correspondence made Andrea never feel that she was far away.
As the saying goes, "Though separated by vast distances, we are as close as neighbors."
Andrea carefully accepted the letters and gifts from her teacher, including a plant manual covered with specimens.
She picked up the fountain pen and began her day's work.
She was a diligent queen who personally reviewed the reports submitted by her subjects from all over the country every day and occasionally checked the accounts.
The tax farming system of the Andra era is now a thing of the past.
To replenish the national treasury, Andrea, on her teacher's advice, took over the management of various taxes and established a corresponding oversight system.
Fortunately, the nobles of the old era were all obedient - those who were disobedient were all taken away by Andra.
Although Andrea, the Nioh, encountered some resistance, her seemingly possessed Andrea-like maneuvering caused even the most stubborn newcomers to quickly succumb to her defeat.
Wang's annotation movements were quite light and quick; with each stroke of her pen, she felt as if her teacher was standing beside her, smiling with satisfaction.
Over the years, she has been able to express a great deal in her letters, and no matter what kind of pressure or difficulties she faces, they can all be alleviated or resolved with the other party's sincere advice.
That's great.
Unfortunately... Andrea didn't know what she was regretting, she was just a little disappointed.
Her good mood lasted until the door slammed shut.
Wang closed his eyes, and she knew who it was without even having to guess.
Besides one's own mother, who else could kick down a door without prior notice?
The First Beauty stomped her foot angrily and stretched out her hand to her daughter. "Give me—give me the letter."
Andrea sighed, "Mom—don't worry, they didn't have any children, they didn't! I swear!"
The Empress Dowager bit her lip, her eyes filled with deep suspicion.
She had no way to obtain evidence. The people in the palace belonged to her daughter. Although she herself had some "confidants," those people were no match for Andra and Eleanor, or even their followers.
She stared at her daughter for a few seconds, then softened first.
"I don't mean to ask them if they've had children... I'm just afraid you'll be misled."
The Empress Dowager's eyes were brimming with tears, making her look pitiful.
She cautiously reminded her daughter, "Your mother isn't exactly a kind person, and that Eleanor is incredibly clever. She's probably just putting you in charge of the country temporarily, and then reaping the benefits for your children in a few decades..."
Andrea fell silent.
She knew her mother's guess wasn't far off.
She believed in Eleanor's character, but even a fool could tell that her mother desperately wanted a child of her own.
If the teacher were to actually give birth to a child of their own, King Andra would definitely pave the way for their child.
Wang said softly, "You don't need to worry, I will handle everything."
She doesn't really care about things decades from now.
Power can corrupt anyone, but Andrea has a rational mind and doesn't worry about things that haven't happened yet—mainly because she really can't think of a way to deal with Andra, so she just laughs it off.
A hint of pride appeared on the Empress Dowager's youthful face; she was overjoyed at her daughter's obedience.
Decades have faded her fear and awe of Andra. She believes that only the king can decide everything, but Andra has now abdicated, and her child sits on the throne!
As long as Andrea doesn't let her guard down and isn't fooled by that Eleanor, everything will be fine!
The Empress Dowager stopped asking for letters. She lifted her skirt and said to her daughter in a coquettish tone, "Well, by the way, why are you bothering with the publishing house? They haven't published any bad books."
"......"
Andrea took a deep breath and said hoarsely, "Mom, please stop making up stories... I can forget about everything else, but do you want to change your name to Eleanor?"
The Queen Mother's cheeks flushed red, and she crossed her arms and retorted loudly, "I—I told them to write the story of the King and her lover, I—I didn't lie!"
"Yes, yes, but you're deliberately confusing the Queen and Eleanor; they're not the same person..."
"Ha! Andra herself said her wife's name was Eleanor—hahaha, was I lying? Ah, am I not her wife?!"
After speaking, the Empress Dowager stormed out of the room.
The sound of her hurried footsteps and panting breaths echoed down the corridor, then faded into the distance.
Andrea rubbed her temples and quietly sat back down in her chair.
She couldn't tell her mother the truth.
The only reason the king didn't depose Eleanor was simply that she didn't want to.
Although the explanation given was that "the new king needs a mother of high status," she knew it was only out of pity.
Eleanor returned to the capital several times afterward, and Andra accompanied her each time.
In Andrea's memory, her mother was the most terrifying being in the world, possessing astonishing power and a fickle and cold heart.
But every time she saw them, her mother's eyes were full of smiles when she looked at the teacher.
Their love never changed; what seemed to have changed was the mother who always indifferently sought pleasure in the lives of others.
Is this the charm of wisdom?
At least she used this reason to comfort her mother: it's not shameful for a stunning beauty to be defeated by unparalleled wisdom.
I'm afraid it's not just that...
Through the long passage of time and a series of letters, Andrea glimpsed a moving journey and an interesting soul.
If the vast majority of people in the world are shades of gray, then teachers are probably like stars falling into the sky in a painter's mind, spiraling and radiating brilliant light.
Wang picked up the fountain pen again and began writing.
After finishing grading the letter at hand, she simply spread out the letter paper and began writing a reply to the teacher.
She actually lied about one thing.
The teacher and King Andra have a child, though not his biological child, but if the mother were told, she would be terrified.
[Greetings, teacher...]
......
"...It's been many years since we last met. If you have a little free time, would you please bring your family for drinks at the Emerald Hotel?"
Another thirty years passed. Eleanor put down the letter in her hand and tidied Andra's hair.
Suddenly, pale streaks appeared in my lover's hair; this was the harbinger of his impending death.
Her hand paused for a moment, then covered Andra's eyes and kissed the tip of her nose.
"Hmm?" Andra, whose face still looked like that of a young man but with some wrinkles around his eyes, opened his eyes and embraced his lover as usual.
They lay on the lush green grass, basking in the sun. Andra saw the letter in her lover's hand, glanced at it briefly, and then handed it back.
"Heh." She chuckled coldly, several thoughts flashing through her mind, but she dismissed them indifferently.
"boring."
What a boring little guy, still worrying about this kind of thing at his age?
She and her wife both knew why Andrea was delaying in establishing an heir; she must be afraid that one day her mother and teacher would bring an heir to their door.
As long as she doesn't appoint an heir, she can gracefully abdicate on the day that comes, without any struggle.
"If she were the teacher's child, she would definitely be a very confident and talented person."
This phrase appeared in previous letters.
However, there was no heir... even though she had once thought of using this method to have some fun.
Andra rested her head back on her lover's lap.
Over the years, she and Eleanor raised many orphans together, but those... to be honest, she never considered any of them as Eleanor and her children.
Not to mention the orphans, she didn't even consider the few in the palace, including Andrea, to be her children.
"Of course," Andra said with a wry smile. "Eleanor's ideas are definitely the complete opposite of hers."
They loved each other so much... yet they were so different.
She looked up at the sky, and her vision suddenly blurred.
Um?
Andra understood something and reached out to wipe a handful of grayish-white hair from his temples.
I see. Her time is almost up, and her body is aging rapidly.
She looked at Eleanor the next second. Her lover was still as youthful as ever. She wondered how old Eleanor was when she met him.
However, it's hard to say. Given how much the gods favored Eleanor, she might not grow old until the very end.
Somewhat reluctantly, she reached out to her lover, who was looking at her, and touched Eleanor's moist lips with her fingertips.
"you......"
Don't forget me, don't be with anyone else, at least... But she didn't say these words out loud, she just smiled with relief.
"Are you going to see [that Andra]?"
The increasingly aged man's voice was tinged with bitterness: "Andra, the one you loved most, the one who would have children with her."
Eleanor patiently helped her fix her hair, and then her collar.
Today she wore a snow-white long dress, looking like a goddess from a story.
The calm lake shimmered like a mirror under the sunlight, and you wrapped your arm around your lover's neck in their sight.
"yes."
She nodded solemnly, then embraced her lover tightly.
“We’ll meet again soon, Andra.”
"......"
The old woman greedily felt the warmth of her lover's body; even in the last moments of her life, her lover still shone brightly, making her cherish him.
I can't even bring myself to say, "I don't want you to see me grow old." I just want it to last a little longer, much longer.
In my entire life, you are the only thing I've never grown tired of.
...Is there only one life?
Andra's vision gradually dimmed.
In the second before darkness fell, she seemed to see her lover's long hair turn as white as snow, strands of it covering her face.
Eleanor seemed to want to say something more, but her withered fingers suddenly loosened their grip.
*Slap*
A letter that would never receive a reply fell to the ground and vanished with the world.
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Author's Note: I might take a break tomorrow (depending on my health), and will start updating the perfect ending and extra chapters the day after tomorrow~ [pat on the head]
This chapter is more like another possibility for the original world line.
"Would things be different if we each took a step back?"
It will be different, but it won't be perfect.
With this, the old world comes to an end, and a new journey is about to begin.
The perfect storyline will be short and open-ended, leaving everything to future generations to judge—and then there will be side stories that will bring together all the possibilities.
Aside from the "almost impossible alternate history" in the bonus episodes, the standard extras, apart from the continuation of the perfect route, should be sonatas before the world lines come to a close, that is, the appearance after "evolving as usual".
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