In the last week of September, the sweltering heat had not yet subsided, and the autumn winds were beginning to blow.
Only the continuous drizzle permeated the changing season, a persistent, gentle patter.
Yun Wei got up very early that day. He tidied himself up and went out with an umbrella.
He wanted to pay homage to Catherine the Great again.
As he walked along the deserted Chenxi Avenue, looking at the newly renovated shop signs on both sides of the street, he felt incredibly peaceful.
This tranquility lasted all the way to the Tower of All Laws.
There, Catherine the Great merely flipped through two pages of the poem before setting it aside.
“I remember, the epic I asked you to write was about the Temu Brown family.” She couldn’t help but look at Yun Wei, emphasizing the family name.
Yun Wei smiled and said nonchalantly, "What I recorded was a piece of history that once happened on the Zhuyuan Continent."
He has completed his dedication to Alch, which was eventually named "The Story of the Morning Star".
The entire collection of poems borrows from Alger's metaphorical techniques and makes extensive use of the elegant allegory from his own culture, which adds a deeper layer of meaning compared to the previous pale praise and lament.
Empress Catherine was not angry. She picked a berry from the fruit bowl, put it in her mouth and chewed it. "There is no point in you doing this, Yunwei. As long as I am alive, it will never be able to circulate openly and become a version approved and recognized by the royal family."
He maintained his smile, because he suddenly realized that it pleased him more than being expressionless. "This is Your Majesty's own choice, and it has little to do with me personally."
The continent of Zhuyuan has no history, so history is an endless cycle.
Yunwei believed that Heaven was just, and that anyone who did not seriously reflect on the events that had happened and learn from them would inevitably continue to learn lessons.
He was merely a traveler passing through this place, moved by the sights and writing them down, not seeking much resonance from the visitors.
After saying what he wanted to say, he was about to get up and take his leave, but Catherine stopped him again.
The other person specially brewed him a cup of tea, saying, "The sun is shining brightly today, so why don't you sit with your wife for a while?"
Yun Wei had no choice but to sit down again.
Time in the prison remains unchanged, forever bathed in the bright sunshine of midsummer.
Empress Catherine did not say much, as if her "sitting" simply meant sitting.
There was always a soft, rhythmic accompaniment in the palace.
The light and melancholic tune that was being played at this moment was probably played on an old orchestra, and Catherine hummed along with the melody.
Yun Wei had never heard this tune before, but just listening to it made him feel deeply moved and he almost shed tears.
It was as if he were sailing on a ship, braving a relentless storm, heading towards an eternally unknown ocean.
Only after the music ended did Yun Wei ask, "Your Majesty, what was the name of the piece you just heard? I apologize if I was being presumptuous, but I feel like I've heard it before."
Yes, he seemed to have heard it countless times before, but he had no memory of it at all.
“Hmph, this is ‘Elegy’.” Catherine chuckled softly, but her face showed a look of reminiscence. “Fado, the word is derived from Fate, so I always call it the Elegy of Fate.”
Seeing that she clearly had more to say, Yun Wei simply nodded silently.
Catherine said, “It’s a unique tune from my hometown. Before I married into the Temu Brownie, I grew up in the most remote territory on the continent—the Icebird Territory, oh, you’ve actually heard of it?”
Yun Wei forced himself to remain calm and agreed.
In fact, he was indeed a bit flustered at that moment.
He was unaware of the feudal inheritance system of the Continent of Elements and always believed that Empress Catherine herself came from the Temu Brown family.
As for the Ice Sparrow Collar... he didn't really think much about it; perhaps there was another story behind it.
But he had already set the wheels of fate in motion, and there was no chance for him to find out the truth.
Catherine didn't seem to care. She continued, "There, the sun never shines, and the dark seawater can't fill your stomach. But people always say that on the other side of the sea lies a paradise that nurtures endless hope."
“For me, the glory of the Temu Browne family is everything I have fought for in my life.” She looked steadily at Yun Wei. “But it is clear that it is not the same for you. I do not want to agree with your idea, because it is a denial of myself.”
“We are all people with dignity, so let’s say goodbye with some dignity, okay?” In the end, she smiled too.
Yun Wei knew that this time, the other party was sincere.
The empress before him was indeed the most mysterious and powerful person he had ever met in the Zhuyuan Continent.
Those smoky gray eyes, hidden behind an arrogant smile, seemed to see through everything; every word and action of the other person always held a deeper meaning.
“Alright.” He readily agreed, but then took out a velvet satin box. “If you see Isaac, please give this to him for me.”
Catherine gestured for Yun Wei to put it aside; she didn't ask what was inside.
The magician's empty neck said it all.
She could tell at a glance that it was made by Isa herself, not just because of the unique material, but also because of the knotting technique used to thread the pendant.
That was her own creation, and she only taught it to Isaac.
Having finished explaining everything, Yun Wei finally took his leave.
As he walked along the garden path, he was blocked by another woman.
The other person smiled gently and gave a graceful bow, saying, "Hello, Yun Wei. We've met many times, but we've never formally greeted each other."
Yun Wei was not deceived by the other party's seemingly weak appearance.
Even the tips of their hair exuded a joyful aura, clearly indicating that they were a powerful expert who had already reached the peak of level seven.
He had to stop and bow respectfully, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."
The other party was Isaac's mother, the wife of Prince Alexander, Grand Duchess Moriti, and Her Highness Princess Sandra.
He usually left the Prison of Time an hour early, but this time he lingered a little longer with Catherine.
The two walked one after the other to the nearby hot spring to talk.
Suddenly the other person said, "Empress Catherine is hard to please, isn't she? Heh, that's just how she is, don't take it to heart."
For a moment, Yun Wei didn't know how to respond.
Sandra winked at him and said, “I understand how you feel. I used to feel the same way. I was just a country girl who grew up at the foot of Mount Moriti. When I first married into the Temu Brown family, I was often harassed by His Majesty.”
This kind of thing...
Logically speaking, there was no need to tell him.
Yun Wei couldn't help but interrupt her, "I'm sorry, Your Highness, why are you telling me all this?"
Clearly, they were not destined to become family.
“Well, there’s nothing to hide from you.” Sandra’s smile faded, and she sighed. “Sasha and I are both very willful and unable to meet His Majesty’s expectations for an heir. So, from the moment Isa was born, His Majesty took me away and raised me personally.”
She continued, "Later, when he got a little older, I wanted to get closer to him again, but I could never. Because of this, Sasha and I always felt indebted to Issa. It was his first time falling in love, and perhaps he didn't do many things quite right—"
Yun Wei had to interrupt her again, "I'm sorry, Your Highness, you've probably misunderstood. Isaac and I are actually not going to be together. In other words, I am not, nor will I be, your daughter-in-law."
He didn't know how to describe the strange feeling he had inside.
The woman in front of him was so gentle that he couldn't help but think of his mother, something he hadn't done in a long time.
"Oh, I see," Sandra murmured, then smiled reservedly. "It's alright, Yunwei. It would be nice if you two could be friends. I won't keep you any longer; I'll treat you to something delicious next time."
She opened her mouth, and her lips clearly formed the words—
Keeping it from His Majesty.
Yun Wei looked at the woman in front of him with a complicated expression, and finally said, "Actually, Isaac has always been very worried about you."
Yes, whenever the other person mentions their parents, their resolute eyes always soften so much.
And he remembered it perfectly.
Yun Wei suddenly stopped speaking, afraid that his voice would reveal the sorrow in his heart.
"Oh, I see... Oh." Sandra paused for a moment, then lifted her skirt and gracefully bid farewell to Yun Wei: "Go back now, child. Today was too rushed. We'll have a proper chat next time."
Yun Wei stood perfectly upright.
He gazed quietly at the woman before him, then finally bowed and said, "Farewell."
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