Chapter 63: The Fortress Called Home (Part 2)
I gazed at her face.
It resembled mine by at least sixty percent—like a glimpse of my own future self post-thirty—slightly gaunt and weary, with dark eyes filled with a twinge of uncertainty, inadvertently revealed.
Did she…
Catch on to my desire to leave?
“Mom…”
I turned my head away, instinctively avoiding her gaze. “What are you talking about? Leaving? Honestly, I’ve worked so hard to make you this noodle. If you don’t eat it now, it’s going to turn into a lump…”
My thoughts were a jumbled mess. I didn’t know what to say to her.
I thought I had been successfully hiding my feelings during these days…
Since leaving Chielis City and returning to the Northern Region, what I wanted my parents to see was me gradually reverting back to the Peilo they remembered after our family reunion.
I didn’t want them to feel that awkward ‘distance’ again. I hoped they could let go of all their worries about me. So, I tried to act like my old self, thinking that I could pull it off. Even if I couldn’t fool my father’s keen eyes, I thought I could at least give my mother a moment of peace.
But now it seems…
Something went wrong somewhere.
I realized I hadn’t truly reassured my mother.
Her heart remained unsettled, because I couldn’t promise her that I would stay put in Shanter Castle, in Winter City, never going anywhere, never leaving.
I didn’t want to lie to her, so I couldn’t promise her anything.
And at this moment, my obvious evasion and awkwardly shifting the topic only solidified her suspicions. Her expression shifted to one of anxiety, just as she was about to say something, suddenly the dining room door swung open, and in walked Skarlij, draped in a black and gold robe, striding in like a whirlwind. He cut off whatever words my mother had yet to say and whisked me out of my confused state.
“Hahaha, you should’ve seen that old coot Watris at the council meeting today! He was squirming in his seat like a cat on a hot tin roof! It was the highlight of my day!”
This man seemed to be in high spirits, probably because the family that previously opposed him had been put in their place. As he entered, he chuckled, chatting with Firebird Annie, who followed closely behind him. A servant rushed over to help him out of his imperial robes, and Skarlij turned to the dining table, eyes gleaming as he remarked, “Look at that! Our dear national princess is already waiting for her food! Huh? Why are you wearing an apron tonight? What surprises do you have in store?”
Seeing them approach the table, I let out a quiet sigh of relief and quickly marched over to my father, hands on hips, tipping my head back proudly, and declared, “I cooked tonight, you better praise me!”
My father ruffled my hair, his expression mixed with surprise and skepticism. “You cooked? It’s not that burnt meat stew again, is it…?”
As he spoke, he glanced at the big bowl of noodles in front of Catherine, his tone unveiling even more confusion. “What’s this? Pepé made this…? Is this meat stew? Doesn’t look like it… Catherine, what’s wrong? You look a bit down; is it our daughter’s cooking that’s truly that bad?”
Skarlij took a seat at the table, joking as Annie settled in beside him, both of their attentions caught by the unknown dish set before them.
“It’s nothing, just give it a try.” Catherine’s smile returned as she spoke to her husband, “It’s probably just a weird recipe she learned in the Royal City, a little tricky to eat, but it actually tastes quite good.”
While they chatted, I darted back to the kitchen to instruct the servants, bringing out two more bowls of noodles for my father and Annie. I then took my seat at the dining table, scrunching my little nose in discontent as I protested to my father, “This was a pain to make! Way harder than soup! You didn’t even try it and you already think my cooking is inedible… I’m going to set up a stall at the market tomorrow; just you wait and see how many people will queue up to eat my noodles!”
“Hahaha.”
At my words, my father laughed heartily, and even Annie struggled to contain her amusement.
“Well, that’s true! Even if the national princess’s cooking turns out to be a pot of burnt meat stew, people will still be scrambling to eat it.”
Dinner was a delightful affair.
Besides my mother finding it a bit unusual, the Pei family dish “Noodle with Sauce” was met with unanimous praise from my father and Annie. My father even devoured two large bowls, leaving the dishes on the table almost untouched. By the end of the meal, he lay back in his chair, groaning about wanting me to make this dish for him again tomorrow. How much weight his words actually held, I wasn’t sure, but an empty pot of noodles was the highest compliment a chef could get.
Later that night, I returned to my room, opened the window for some fresh air, and contemplated the urgent situation before me, my eyes wandering over the vast, snowy landscape of Winter City.
Under the starry sky, this “Steel Edinburgh,” slumbering within the snowstorm and clouds, had its streets intertwining like a giant beast’s veins. Amidst the darkness and fog, numerous flickering lights shone from hidden furnaces scattered throughout the icy terrain, the flames dancing like the beast’s breath, sometimes bright, sometimes dim.
So beautiful…
I watched for a long time, until the door behind me creaked open and footsteps entered the room.
I didn’t turn around, recognizing my father’s footsteps. After he came in, he said nothing and quietly joined me at the window, gazing out at the bitter wind and snow.
“…Are you thinking about the Holy City? My beautiful princess.” After a moment, my father, now dressed in casual attire, spoke to me.
I turned to glance at him, taking in his resolute profile before shaking my head slightly. “No news from the Holy City yet. Any leads from Father?”
“There are some, but not much; might not even be credible.”
I listened as my father continued, “Saint George has secretly arrived at the border between the Holy City and the Empire. The exact location is still being investigated, but what we can ascertain is that their progress seems to have stalled there, for reasons unknown.”
“…Stalled?” I asked, “What do you mean? Was this information brought back by our people?”
“No.”
My father shook his head. “Our people can’t make contact with them, and Saint George is being very careful. He isn’t going to establish connections with the Empire easily until he achieves the next stage of his goals regarding the Holy City. The news has come from the Ethanbel Royal Palace, and it seems that Queen Elizabeth has planted her own spies next to Saint George. I can’t be sure of that, though.”
“What about the Holy City?” I nodded, asking again.
“Totally silent.” My father replied. “There are no signs that anyone inside is aware of Saint George’s movements; our spies haven’t reached there yet. The next update will probably take at least another half month.”
Half a month…
I might hear about the situation here before Father does. If all goes smoothly, the Goat Cheese might be back in the next few days…
“But…”
My father paused, changed the subject. “In the reports from our people, there’s mention of a peculiar matter.”
“A peculiar matter?” I looked at him again.
“This still needs verification, but they reportedly encountered a group of refugees who claim to have escaped from the area around the Holy City. Those refugees saw a massive column of light shining in the sky, never ceasing day or night. If I had to guess, the southern direction they mentioned would be toward the Holy City.”
“……”
A column of light?
I fell deep into thought.
Is it a Sin Barrier for defense?
What exactly are Angel and the others doing…
Regardless of their actions, the situation is becoming increasingly tense, and Winter City must prepare as best as possible.
“We’ll set the unreliable news aside for the moment, have there been any updates on the central workshop’s progress in developing black powder? Father has been keeping an eye on it these last few days. Pasifal had a successful test explosion today and will be there for a while longer tonight.”
“Yep, I’m aware.”
My father smiled. “This is an excellent start; we just need to see if we can catch up in time for the storm that’s about to hit everyone… If we have enough time, that contraption called a hot air balloon will undoubtedly play a decisive role in future battlefields. But for now, our primary task is figuring out how to make that thing resilient enough to withstand the Church army’s Holy Lance miracles.”
“Right.”
My father was spot on.
If we can’t think of a good solution, then for the Church Army, especially in front of the Faith Organization, that hot air balloon would just be a fancy flying target. Unless we can get it high enough, but if it goes too high, the balloon would lose all combat effectiveness.
We talked more about strategies for facing the Church head-on, and out of the blue, my father asked me to play a piece for him. It was only then I remembered there was a piano in my room. It had gathered some dust but was still well-maintained.
My father asked me to play a piece that I had played for him once before, Debussy’s “Moonlight.” I had played it once in Chielis City, but he hadn’t heard it then.
I agreed with a smile, and after playing a piece, my father stood by the window, eyes closed, seemingly savoring something.
After a long while, he suddenly turned to me and said, “When do you plan to leave?”
I set my hands down from the piano keys, paused slightly, turning my back to him.
“…After the Goat Cheese returns,” I replied.
“Of course.”
My father seemed to have anticipated it. “Once everything is settled at the workshop, your little knight’s sword should be ready by tomorrow. It seems like… it’s finally time for you to leave.”
“Yeah.”
I nodded, not turning back to face him.
“So, are you planning to go straight to the Holy City, or will you stop by the Royal City first?” my father asked.
“I’ll stop by the Royal City first, to see Grandma Claire.”
I thought for a moment, “I haven’t seen her in ages, and I have things to discuss with Queen Elizabeth. The Council issues there are pretty complicated, but it should be all sorted by now. If there’s room for me to assist, I can help her out as an imperial princess. Cleaning up the Church and the Rossius family from the Royal City would be great. After that, you can send the people from the central workshop’s coin mint to the palace.”
“Haha.”
My father chuckled.
His laughter was tinged with pride, “The central currency exchange, the free minting system… we have the best alchemical minting technology in the Western Continent, yet we’d never thought about it until now. And in the end, it turns out you’re the one who brought it up first. Pepé, where did you learn all this? You really are… growing up so fast.”
I rose from the piano and stepped in front of my father, saying nothing, just giving him a smile.
“Your mother is still being plagued by nightmares these days.”
My father suddenly spoke, gazing deeply at me before turning his attention back out the window.
“She doesn’t want you to leave; deep down, she just wishes for you to stay in Winter City, leading a comfortable, privileged life as an imperial princess… You know, she fears losing you again. It’s become a nightmare for her. I feel bad watching it unfold, but I can’t do anything about it.”
“……”
Shoulder to shoulder with him again, I continued to gaze silently out the window.
“Honestly, I feel pretty much the same.”
My father continued, “I don’t want you to plunge further into the quagmire. If possible, I would tell you to stay home and not go anywhere unless absolutely necessary… but that isn’t realistic. Sometimes, women think too straightforwardly… Hahaha, I’m not saying you specifically; you know better than I do what lies ahead and the consequences of failure. That’s why you seem so determined…”
“Father—”
I attempted to speak, but he waved his hand, interrupting me.
“You can put on a facade with your mother and brother, but with me, you don’t need to.”
He seemed to understand what I was thinking: “In recent days, I’ve given this serious thought. Just follow your own instincts. Don’t worry too much about your mother. I’ll talk to her.”
“…Okay.”
“Pepé, you are my Skarlij’s daughter. You’re grown up now, and I encourage you to take on responsibilities, to do things that maybe only you can accomplish. But remember, no matter what happens, don’t keep it all to yourself. You have family, and behind you stands a powerful Empire in the Northern Region; always keep that in mind.”
After my father left, I continued to gaze outside.
In the snowy night, the majestic city shimmered, and on the broad circular square between the streets, figures clad in black trench coats and top hats wandered together. These folks, along with their odd yet deadly weapons, stood as the sharpest spear guarding this royal city.
And I…
If I could, I want to become the steadfast shield.
This is my home.
The place where the girl named Peilo grew up, stored in my memories.
I still remember that shop selling Ousimiru cakes. Though I haven’t been there in years, the sweet voice and face of the shop assistant linger in my mind. She stood in the snow, waving goodbye, hopping and skipping; her figure remains clear to this day.
I once vowed in my heart, whether it be the Abyss or war, no matter what happens, I would guard this place, protect the people in this city who love me.
Perhaps sometimes…
Those who love me don’t want me to do these things.
Or maybe…
I truly cannot return to that year when, as a “monster from the Abyss,” I first stepped into this city and marveled at Shanter Castle.
But I believe I haven’t changed.
Because at least, I still remember that promise.
I remember it…
And I intend to fulfill it.
