Chapter 127: If Those Years Later (Part 2)
It seemed that no one had expected the young woman to suddenly and openly talk about the church experiment. Elizabeth, who was usually calm and collected, faced with any situation with poise, suddenly found herself at a loss for words.
“Hey, Viki.”
Hearing the girl’s calm voice, she softly asked, “Did you already know? When did you figure it out? I had no clue at all…”
Not that she hadn’t had a hint of it.
After the fierce battle in the Royal City, even though there was assistance in clearing the area from outside Margaret City, signs had already begun to appear. The young woman had once cried like a river in front of Viki; even though she hadn’t shared her reasons at the time, with Victoria’s sharp intellect, she must have sensed many things.
On this point, the girl was actually quite clear.
She just never wanted to think about it.
If Viki had acted like the young woman’s father after the battle in the Royal City, putting on a mask of indifference while secretly sending people to investigate the truth, with information piling up day by day, and considering the young woman’s later “d*ath,” the landslide in Rabeli Valley, and all the wild rumors swirling around, it would indeed be puzzling to think she didn’t understand the connection between the girl and the church experiment.
—Was her choice to cooperate with St. George also related to the actions of Angel’s faction?
Thinking this way, for some reason, the young woman found the corners of her mouth creeping upwards.
“You’re scared of me, aren’t you?”
Half-serious and half-teasing, the girl stared at Her Majesty the Queen and suddenly stuck out her tongue and made a funny face: “Gah—”
The little boat drifted toward the center of the lake, creating ripples on the water’s surface. Under the dark night, the girl suddenly tossed the oar away, which went “plop” into the water, and the boat gradually came to a halt. Opposite her, Her Majesty sat in silence, not speaking for a long time.
“Pfft.”
Seeing her sitting there all prim and proper, with a serious expression, the girl blinked and burst into laughter: “Hehehe, did I scare you?”
“Is it that funny?” Victoria replied, still looking stern.
“Are you angry?”
Tilting her head, the girl stretched her legs out of the boat, her pale feet dipping into the water, splashing around.
“Where did the words of the Ancient Deity go?” Victoria ignored the girl’s question and asked in return.
“Swallowed by the White Branch.”
The girl thought for a moment, not planning to hide it from her: “The White Branch, a relic of the Ancient Deity, the source of power for both it and that original deity.”
“The branch is currently inside me, I can feel it growing, so it seems to need nutrients. The Divine Reliquary can be its nourishment, but it must be the remains of the Ancient Deity, nothing else. If you insist on asking why, I can’t explain it.”
“What if it’s a relic of something other than the Ancient Deity? What would you do with it?” Her Majesty asked again.
Without a second thought, the girl answered, “Of course, I’d just eat it.”
“Eat it, and then what?”
“And then?”
“Have you ever thought that one day, you might not be yourself anymore?”
“…Ah.”
“Looks like you have thought about it.”
Victoria stared at her with a serious tone, her golden eyes unblinking: “Do you know that today, the way you’ve acted has been totally uncharacteristic? Every gesture is a theatrical performance.”
“Eh?”
The girl was momentarily taken aback, pulling her feet out of the water and sitting up straight in the boat, scratching her head: “How did you figure it out? Even Mother didn’t notice.”
“Do you really think the Lady didn’t notice?”
“……”
After a moment of hesitation, the girl pointed at Her Majesty’s nose: “You and Mother have been communicating!”
“Why else do you think I’ve been ignoring you these past few days?”
“Oh! So you admit you’ve been sulking!”
Hearing Her Majesty spill the beans, the girl burst into laughter: “Quick, tell me what’s in the letters from my mother that turned the icy queen of Ethanbel into a childish girl throwing a tantrum…”
Suddenly, she thought of something: “Oh no, she didn’t tell you not to talk to me anymore, did she?!”
“Peilo.”
Victoria called her name softly, surprisingly strict for a tone that was usually so gentle.
Under the twilight, the atmosphere grew quiet for a moment.
“Just act normal.”
After a moment, Her Majesty sighed deeply: “This isn’t entertaining.”
“……”
The girl’s smile vanished.
A night breeze passed by, ruffling their hair.
“So, what do you think I should do?”
After a long silence, the girl spoke again, her tone calm, hiding any feelings behind it.
Victoria looked at her for a moment before responding.
“Perhaps you could try being yourself again.”
She said to the girl: “Don’t think so much. Stay in the Royal City for a while, go out and explore, and continue your classes at the Royal Academy. The rest, leave it all to us, to your father and me—”
“No way.”
Before Her Majesty could finish, she was interrupted by the girl.
“No way.”
Shaking her head gently, the girl repeated “no way” twice, her tone firm. She then turned her gaze towards the bright moon hiding behind the clouds, whispering: “You don’t stand a chance. Not even the slightest bit, not even if I…”
What she said next, Victoria didn’t catch.
And she didn’t really want to hear it too clearly.
“Do you know,” Her Majesty said, looking at her with steady eyes, “that if you d*e, if you’re no longer here, then so many things I’m doing now will become meaningless, at least to me, they will be utterly meaningless.”
Her Majesty’s voice was slightly hoarse as she spoke, turning her head to the side.
The girl vaguely remembered the last time she heard her speak like this was in the church of the Royal City, at the moment when the woman she called “Mother” collapsed from poison.
That time had been a parting fraught with regret.
And this time—
Who knows if it could be viewed as the most heartfelt confession in the eyes of someone who was usually so awkward.
The girl, shocked, turned back to look at Her Majesty, who was deliberately avoiding her gaze, admiring her stunning yet awkward profile, her soft and perfect features, and after a moment, let out a “pfft” laugh.
“Hehehe—”
The tinkling laughter, like silver bells, drifted from the little boat in the center of the lake. For once, even Her Majesty seemed unsure whether that laugh came from the girl’s heart.
“I won’t d*e.”
After laughing, the girl looked at her seriously, still smiling: “Pfft, what’s this about dying? I tell you, Viki, do you have any idea how powerful I am now? Furthermore, you’ve just set up a counter FLAG for me, so now I’m completely invincible!”
“……”
After a brief pause, Her Majesty turned her face back: “I think I want to stop you now.”
“You can’t beat me.”
“Without trying, how would you know?”
“Then come on!” The girl blinked, “It’s spacious enough here.”
Of course, they would never really fight.
After that, they let the boat sway in the center of the lake. The girl lit a candle by the side of the boat, casting flickering shadows, while the night wind swayed the flames. The two finished off a bottle of wine, lying side by side on a blanket, gazing at the moon while singing a song.
“Two wanderers, leaving home to see the world; it’s truly exciting out here… standing at the end of the rainbow, gazing at the other side… Dream weaver, you who are sorrowful…”
“No matter where you go in the future, I will be with you…”
“Moon River…”
As they sang, they grew a bit tired, drowsiness creeping in, yet neither of them had any intention of rowing away.
“Rest easy.”
In the haze, the girl suddenly said, lifting her hand as if trying to grab the moon in the sky.
“I’ve been thinking about this seriously; I won’t be foolish anymore because I know there are people who love me in this world.”
“You say—”
She then heard Viki’s sleepy voice beside her, “Will we still be here in ten years?”
It was rare for this woman to ask such seemingly meaningless questions that never mattered to her.
“As long as you still want to come.”
“Well, what about twenty years later?”
“Of course! What are you talking about? Have you had too much to drink? Next, are you going to ask about in ten years, fifty years? Yes, a hundred years later too.”
Joking, I’m not even tipsy yet.
“I won’t ask a hundred years; fifty years is enough.”
“You need to promise me something: when I’m old and you still look like a kid, you must call me Grandma when you see me. That’s how it should be; I might just be really happy.”
