Elizabeth was sitting in her own spacious room. Although it paled in comparison to the lavish luxury of Castle Reinhard, it was leagues better than her old home on New Havens. Facing her mirror, she was surprised at how she looked now. The accumulated filth from weeks of capture was thoroughly washed away. Her skin now gleamed with a polished and healthy air. Her hair was cleaned and was being straightened out currently by a fleet of handmaidens. Gone were her old prisoner rags, replaced with an elegant red dress that accompanied her crimson hair. Even her injuries from the frostbite were healed in spectacular speed. As royalty, General Illion spared no expense in bringing her back to peak form.
However, her expression was strange. Her heart and mind were tempestuous, swirling with indecisiveness and hesitation. She kept thinking about everything that happened. Princess Xiuying had willingly released her to the Alzar Kingdom, at the expense of being captured. Now, the situation was reversed, and Elizabeth held all the cards. Should she wish for it, she could execute the Imperial Princesses without question! In fact, General Illion was preparing a fleet to bring both Elizabeth and the Imperial Princesses back to the Alzar Kingdom as quickly as possible. Only then would their fates be thoroughly secured.
To forgive or not to forgive… She did not know. On one side, the Xingyuu Empire killed her family and destroyed her home. On the other, the empire saved her and her friends, bringing them back from the brink of death. Both acts stood at ends with one another. However, the mind was a fickle thing. No matter how she thought, she could not forget how her family was tortured. Ever since she was rescued by the Imperial Princesses, she wrestled with her stance. She wanted to bring closure to her tragedy. She wanted to know the right thing to do!
She sighed when a gentle knock came on her door, followed by the voice of Shirley. Elizabeth nodded to her handmaiden who went to open the door. She was surprised to see the faces of Benedict, Shirley, and Freon! By now, their complexions had grown significantly stronger as their injuries had grown faint. Benedict and Shirley were formally treated by professional physicians, who made Benedict's handicraft in the Yunyun Stronghold look like a joke. Freon was a special case, with a drained Core and weakened World Energy, which was why he was previously the last to wake up from the Kuthong Forest battle. Magical wounds were completely different from physical wounds, leaving the Imperial Princesses with no choice but to let him heal naturally. Thankfully, the army here had a few Arcanist specializing in healing magical wounds. However, it would still take longer for them to reach peak condition again!
The handmaidens bowed respectfully to Elizabeth before leaving the room. Once they left, Shirley sprung into action and hugged Elizabeth tightly. She was beaming a face of joy. Off on the side, even Benedict and Freon could not help but crack a smile. The last few weeks were truly hard to endure, both physically and mentally. After their capture in Port Silic, their fates balanced between life and death. Not a day went by without them thinking it was their last. Furthermore, they were involved in two bitter battles! More than once, they felt the touch of death! Therefore, with their lives now firmly back in control, all their anxiety drained out of them. They were finally happy!
"I can't believe we're going back home!" Shirley cried. She thought back to her two brothers and ill mother, who she had left to enlist in the army. She remembered how worried their faces were when she left. Thinking that she could see them again, she shouted, "It's almost like a dream come true!"
"It really does," Freon grinned. Nassandra might have been a Ten Dawn, an unparalleled Arcanist in the known world, but she was still his baby sister! He did not dare imagine how she would have to fend for herself!
"What's wrong, Elizabeth?" Benedict asked, noticing her odd face.
"Are you thinking about what happened?" Shirley realized.
Elizabeth nodded lightly. "Everything from Minister Linshi to the Imperial Princesses… I can hardly believe it's true, yet…"
"We captured them," Freon said bluntly. "And now we're handing them over to be executed." Everyone had their own complex thoughts on the matter.
"Say, should I… help them?" Elizabeth asked nervously, worried that this question might strain the relationship with her friends. After all, each of them suffered in their own way against the Xingyuu Empire.
Shirley was silent before saying, "Although the Xingyuu Empire has done unforgivable things to me, I… I don't feel that the princesses meant any of it. They even saved us multiple times. I believe that you should return good with good, and evil with evil."
"The princesses may have saved us… That is undeniable," Freon said. "But we have to look at the bigger picture. With the Imperial Princesses captured and the Li Family's rebellion, it's only a matter of time before the empire collapses. We could end the war right here and now. Helping them is equivalent to helping the empire…"
Benedict merely muttered, "I… I don't know…"
Elizabeth was disappointed that her friends could not come to a consensus. But perhaps that was asking for too much. The decision could not be made by others. It had to be made by her. Only then, she knew she could reach closure. Her family, her friends, the princesses, the Alzar Kingdom, the Xingyuu Empire, and even herself… There were too many sides to the same argument, and she felt more confused than ever. Although she was safe now, she could not shake off her anxiety.
Their conversation continued for longer, as they talked about what they were going to do once they returned to home. Soon, the day ended, and morning rose. The military camp was busy as soldiers were running around, supplies were being sorted, and food was made for everyone. The ships were busy as commanders were organizing them for an escort fleet back home. Today was a particularly cold day, as Elizabeth could see her cold breath. Clouds overhead blocked out the sky and the sun, making the air moody. She looked up as a tiny white snowflake landed on her nose. Snow began gently falling beautifully across the world. It was now winter… Before long, the spring would come, then summer, then autumn, and then winter again. Elizabeth thought, Time passes in the blink of an eye. It's almost been three months since I left home…