Chapter 101 The Farewell Letter Turns Time Back, and What's Gone Will Return...
If we could turn back time, what has passed would return.
As fingertips traced the petals, the fifth bloodstain quietly disappeared.
Before falling into the river, Eleanor wiped away the last trace of blood, and in a daze, she was once again enveloped by a strange touch.
She succeeded.
Looking at the pure petals in her hand, Eleanor felt even her anxiety lessen slightly.
She quickly called her secretary to confirm the time, and sure enough, it had been rewound twelve days at once.
Eleanor felt a little relieved: Great, the Bloodstain can be used continuously, so... what's the point?
A sense of exhaustion suddenly enveloped her, and a voice whispered in her ear: "Don't even mention twelve days, even if you went back a month, you couldn't do anything."
Andra has proven her strength with the blood of the Belai and Nolana; she can easily trample your land and, with the help of those shortsighted people, crush all your efforts.
The nobles are "born noble," and they look down on the people you cherish. You have betrayed your class, and no amount of subsequent amends will change that.
You've used up your last chance; this little bit of time is only enough for you to catch your breath a little longer.
Even if you arrange everything, so what? This is a world line destined to be erased, a time that only you can know.
Hurry up and begin the next life, this story has already ended.
"...No."
Eleanor closed her eyes and muttered to herself, "I still have things to do."
Even though the story is about to end, she wants to try one more time before the final outcome.
Is Andra truly invincible? If she is unmatched in this timeline, she should at least be able to see the limits of her opponent.
The conflict between nobles and commoners may be irreconcilable, and many are destined to be crushed in the turmoil.
Even so, she wanted to use every last bit of her time to continue searching for a powerful genius who could break the deadlock and a kindred spirit willing to embrace everything.
Besides—I still owe her an apology.
The mark on my chest throbbed faintly, but the pain was no longer as pronounced.
Because ever since the day she "killed" her innocent lover, the wound has been hurting, only it has gone from being vivid to numb.
Andra had hurt and killed Eleanor in the past, and Eleanor had never forgotten.
But Eleanor of the past has come to the present and will travel to the future, something Andra never knew.
What were Andra thinking as she spent those years, and in the very end, as she continued to press forward, wanting to question that ruthless, unreasonable lover who only cared about her?
She could sigh and pluck this petal, burying the answer along with their lives, turning Andra's and others' experiences into nothingness.
But guilt will only haunt you.
"Andra".
Eleanor called out her lover's name with her eyes closed.
She once thought that decades of time and constant trials would wash away the entanglement and affection between the two, but obsession and ill-fated relationship only bound them deeper and tighter, causing them more and more pain.
"If you can come to me, I... will come to see you." She was unwilling to run away, whether it was the war she hated the most or the person she loved and hated the most.
Eleanor opened her eyes and strode towards the study.
She again ordered the scholars to evacuate quickly with their apprentices and research records, but also declared: "If anyone is willing to fight to the death with me, please stay. I want to take one more gamble."
She met Myrcella again and still refused her sister's offer to help her escape, but she changed her final answer.
"Do me a favor."
She said in a tone that suggested, "Let's offer each other an apple," "Lead a small team and assassinate Andra."
Since my sister is so confident, let her try again. She won't let go of a single opportunity.
Mysella was taken aback for a moment, then broke into a bright smile.
She pointed her thumb up at herself and said loudly, "Okay, watch me!"
......
Assassination attempts will most likely fail.
Andra is not a game AI, but a living genius who will respond differently depending on the situation.
Eleanor set aside Myrcella, this minor variable, and began to select a new group of more trustworthy people according to the previous plan.
This time, instead of relying on cities for troop movements, she suddenly ordered the guards in the fortress to abandon their geographical advantage and take up positions on the road Andra was most likely to pass through.
Since Eleanor was always stationed at the rear, specific military operations had to be entirely delegated to her generals. She had no choice but to trust in their wisdom and loyalty.
These adjustments could deal a greater blow to Andra, but they are not enough.
She thought for a moment, then placed her last chip on the chessboard.
......
"Your Highness, are you serious?!"
All the nobles who remain in the capital and are not under house arrest are Eleanor's staunch supporters.
Manju had already gone to the front lines, and Thorn had been assigned to the assassination squad. Only Coral remained by Eleanor's side.
She pleaded, "Your Highness Eleanor... how could you issue such a proclamation? What if His Highness Andra uses this to force you to die for your country!"
Eleanor pushed the quill away, refusing to add or delete a single word from the already written scroll.
The document, written in elegant handwriting, condemned Andra's shameless invasion of Belai and Norlana, and called on the nobles to abandon any hope of escape and fight together.
But you don't need to read all those platitudes; the most important thing is only the last sentence.
Andra, please meet me before the next full moon. Otherwise, it will be the last day of my life.
Eleanor prepared the announcement and the letter.
The letter will only be effective once it is sent out, and by the time Andra receives it, there will be at most twenty days left until the final day.
How long does it take to conquer a country? The answers vary.
But Norlana is clearly not a small country; it has a vast territory.
The first Andra left it for last, and the second Andra spent several months conquering only a small part of it, planning to take a break and come back next time.
Therefore, the option of "conquering the capital within a month" simply does not exist.
The letter was a trap disguised as an invitation: it demanded that Andra abandon the main force from the day he received it, traveling light with only his elite troops, and not getting entangled in anything, especially battles, along the way.
How could this be? Any commander with a sound mind would laugh out loud upon seeing this letter: You die, what does it have to do with me?
Abandon your main force and march hastily to the enemy's designated location? Are you courting death?
There would definitely be assassins and ambushes along the way, and you would have to face tens of thousands of troops at the end. Only a fool would do that.
But Andra is different.
Coral's face turned deathly pale; she believed that anyone who knew even a little about this relationship would shudder.
Eleanor is the root of all Andra's actions.
Whether it's meeting Eleanor, marrying Eleanor, or harboring more complex and terrifying feelings... all of these have to be meaningful if Eleanor survives.
In Coral's opinion, too many of Eleanor's schemes this time were designed around the premise that "Eleanor will die."
Eleanor can only survive if Andra arrives safely.
Andra will definitely agree.
Regardless of the situation, she would abandon the main force and head straight for the capital, but—what if she failed to make it?
"Your Highness, regardless of whether she comes or not, or when she comes... you... you can't do this!"
Coral's voice trembled with tension as she hugged Eleanor and shook her violently. "No, we have to abandon this plan. Whether she comes or not, you can't die. In the future... in the future, she might use this as leverage against you!"
This letter is a calculated move, and calculated moves are always a double-edged sword.
One end of it pierced Andra, questioning her whether she dared to take such a desperate gamble.
The other end is aimed at Eleanor; if Eleanor refuses to die willingly when the time limit is up, the victor can use this letter to obliterate her honor and future.
"Don't worry, Coral."
Eleanor gently reassured her uneasy followers. "It's just a risky move."
She leaned on Coral's shoulder without reminding her: "Even after all this time, you still call Andra 'Your Highness Andra'."
......
Andra received the letter while drinking alone under the moon.
Today is a good day; she had a great time killing.
The raider at dawn was a familiar face... Mysella's swordsmanship wasn't as bad as it used to be.
The wine in the glass sloshed slightly.
Andra smiled.
Ah, she didn't actually want to praise any of the Norlana people, but the guy had left such a deep impression on her.
Memories kept surging back, and I remembered how I had once angrily shouted, "Are your hands pig's trotters?! Even a pig could use a sword better than you!" and I had almost been slashed by this guy.
Thankfully, no.
Andra downed the drink in his glass in one gulp.
Perhaps in a couple of days I'll see Thorn, and maybe even run into Manju? It's a shame Coral won't come, otherwise we could relive that day on the beach...
Eleanor is still the same as before, willing to do anything to stop her, as if something terrible would happen if she didn't.
"Your Majesty... has an urgent letter."
A relatively unfamiliar strategist approached. She was neither a pirate nor a Belial, but the eldest daughter of a noble family who had recently surrendered to Norlana.
The nobles of Norlana made Andra feel ridiculous.
This group seemed to have some preconceived expectations of her, believing that "Princess Hetuya was a rare commodity," and they couldn't wait to take this opportunity to climb onto her warship.
Did Eleanor bully them? Why the rush?
However, she still quite liked this group of people; they could understand human speech and... at least they had once been Eleanor's people.
Andra took the letter from her hand.
The letter was sealed tightly, of course, because it bore the mark exclusive to the Norlana royal family.
This is a letter Eleanor sent to Andra; no one would dare to open it halfway.
Andra stared at the letter, as if waiting for the marigolds on it to bloom in the dead of night.
She watched quietly for a few minutes before pinching the edge with her fingers and tearing it open with a snap.
A thin sheet of white paper fell onto her lap, and she picked it up and read it silently, word by word.
"......"
As Andra read, his fingers tightened.
She frowned and crumpled the paper tightly, the crumpled paper making a crisp cracking sound, and finally it crumbled on the grass.
"...Send out a thousand elite troops, one person and three horses, lightly equipped and traveling quickly."
In the moonlight, Andra's expression was obscured, but the king grabbed his cloak and headed towards the stables. Clearly, he wasn't planning on sleeping and intended to ride with all his might from that night onward!
"Your Majesty, why are you in such a hurry?"
The Norlan nobleman, pale-faced, chased after him.
In despair, she shouted at Andra's retreating figure, "Your Highness has amassed a full 60,000 troops near the capital! Your chances of victory are slim if you go like this! And the Belai—the Belai might just desert on the spot!"
Without turning his head, Andra said, "Then let them escape. I still have Hetuya's cavalry."
The nobleman from Norlana thought for a moment, and his expression improved slightly.
That's right. The Hetuya cavalry are currently stationed near Enlin to graze their livestock. The princess is gathering them here, so they can come over from Enlin.
She stopped trying to stop Andra, mainly because she couldn't stop her anyway, so she simply walked back and quietly picked up the scraps of paper on the ground and carefully pieced them together.
Ha! Princess Eleanor's letter is so well written. She makes the scheme sound like a lovers' quarrel, which weakens the impact of not keeping the promise.
She didn't think the princess would really go to her death; she only saw the letter as a psychological tactic.
The strategist wasn't too worried about Andra: with the princess's strength, even if she suffered a defeat in the battle of the capital, she would surely be able to retreat unscathed, then join forces with Hetuya's cavalry and launch a counterattack...
What if Her Highness is telling the truth?
A cold flash of inspiration struck her, making her shudder and scattering scraps of paper all over the floor.
For some reason, when she realized from between the lines that Eleanor was heading toward death, a chill gripped her neck.
-----------------------
Author's note: I'll try my best to make the political intrigue vivid and easy to understand~ The young couple is meeting tomorrow, and this petal will officially end here!
Everyone's actions reveal a bit of their true nature, so Eleanor understood Coral, Coral understood the young couple, and even the unassuming strategist (a nobleman who wasn't chosen by Eleanor but also chose to betray her) saw the "flaws" in Eleanor's plan.
(Noble: Sister, you're not really going to die, are you? I think we'd die a terrible death if that happened...)
P.S.: If this timeline continues and Eleanor dies because of this scheme, Andra will directly blame the Nolana nobles: "You're the ones who forced Eleanor to her death; I had no choice but to kill you." (Nobles: [scratching])
Incidentally, some slaves were also among those who helped kill Andra back then. (Whether it was on the cliff edge where the timeline has been erased, or on the shore that Andra still remembers.) But it's obvious that Andra doesn't have these people in his mind.
Oh, actually it has nothing to do with "slaves" or "nobles". Andra distinguishes people based on "how close they are to Eleanor", so even though she looks down on Myrcella, she really tries to remember Myrcella.
(Even in the first life, from Eleanor's perspective, Andra didn't care about Myrcella at all, which actually meant that Andra cared a lot - after all, she was Eleanor's sister.)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
