"Grandfather!" the boy shouted and rushed off to embrace an elderly man.
"Oh, Little Wu, thank goodness you're okay!"
"Looks like everything is resolved," Elizabeth said as she walked over to Shirley and Freon. She had pulled up her hood again, so her appearance was hidden. "It's getting late, and I have a lot to go over before tomorrow, so we should head back."
"Are you feeling better already?" Shirley asked.
Shaking her head, she answered wryly, "Whether I feel better or not is relevant since I have duties to perform. I can't keep everyone behind just because I'm feeling unwell. This is my duty as a princess."
"You shouldn't push yourself too hard. Say something too, Benedict!"
The knight coughed rigidly. "Shirley's right. You need to take better care of your health. Your aunt was worried about you too."
"Everything needs to be done in moderation. Pushing yourself too hard can have the opposite effect, so you need to learn to relax and take things slower," Freon added. "Even the great kingdoms of old weren't carried on the shoulders of one person. The world won't end because you took a day off."
Elizabeth smiled, but eventually shook her head. She knew they were right since she understood herself better than anyone else. She knew she was barely holding on, and what she really wanted to do was to rest. However, she felt the need to push through and trudge on. When did she become like this, she wondered? Because of the time-sensitive inheritance race, Elizabeth was forced into a nightmarish schedule to learn every subject possible for rulership. Every waking moment of her day and night was personally optimized by a group of the finest scholars and educators in the world. There was no time to think about resting, much less actually resting. This drove a sense of urgency into her, to forgo her physical and mental health, for the sake of inheriting the crown! Back then, it was easy to be swept into the monotonous lifestyle and lose sight of herself.
Here though, that pressure vanished. Her royal training schedule opened up, and she was left with more free time than she knew what to do with. For the first time in a long time, Elizabeth could look back at everything she had done and self-reflect. Was this really the path that she wanted? Originally, she was content on being the lynchpin to the kingdom. Lord Korogin had passed away, and no one could fill the void on the throne. With how uncertain the era was, it was imperative for someone to step up and lead the kingdom forward. Everyone's hopes rested on her shoulders, so Elizabeth tried her best to live up to everyone's expectations. She strived to become queen!
Yet, what was the outcome? In the gathering of the Grand Nobility, she humiliated herself in front of the nobility, losing their respect. Later, she was kidnapped and nearly killed by Lord Wenmord, making her fall into a deep coma. Her unexplainable survival from the Lannisail explosion and rise to High Gaseous Fog Core Level made everyone suspicious of her. And although she grew much stronger than before, it meant nothing in the inheritance race. Her faction was undeniably in the worst position, despite being supported by the Royal Family. Now, she came here to the Xingyuu Empire to change things for the better and four thousand four hundred people died… She tried her best, but nothing ever worked out the way she wanted it to. So, what was the point? Why should she bother at all? In her heart, what did she truly want to do?
"…" Elizabeth was silent.
"Excuse me…" the old grandpa interrupted with an awkward smile. "My name is Ren Fan. Thank you for saving my grandson, I don't know how to thank you."
Snapping out of her reverie, Elizabeth replied, "It was no problem at all." Since she was the princess of those soldiers, that sentence could not be truer. If anything, she wanted to apologize on their behalf.
"Please, I invite you to have dinner at our home. This is the only way I can repay you."
"I appreciate the sentiment but I…"
"We would be happy to!" Shirley jumped in and answered. "Isn't that right, you two?" she asked suggestively to Benedict and Freon.
"Well, personally, I would rather not… but that doesn't seem to be the answer you're looking for," Freon groaned. "Sure, why not?"
"I don't have any objections," Benedict said. It was not hard for them to guess her intentions.
Elizabeth was about to reject again when Shirley grabbed the old man and laughed, "Since we all agreed to go, please lead the way. It would be rude of us to refuse when we've already accepted the invitation."
A faint wry smile hung on Elizabeth's face. Perhaps… it was not such a bad idea after all.
They walked for half an hour through the desolate and eerie streets. The street stalls were abandoned, shops were ransacked, carriages were overturned, while random belongings littered the area without a soul in sight. A creepy air swept through, rustling the loose windows and doors to create a chilling melody. It was enough to give Elizabeth and her friends the shivers. It was hard to imagine this was once a city of thirty thousand people, the great and undefeatable Yunyun Stronghold! The people that could have left the Yunyun Stronghold had fled long ago, while the ones that remained were too scared to leave their homes. If it not for the memorial service, it was likely that none would step out their doors, but who could blame them? Over four thousand lives were extinguished, a shining example of the Alzar Kingdom's brutality. They were probably huddled away in hidden rooms, waiting for the fires to settle before coming out.
Until they reached their destination, no one said anything. Ren gently knocked on the wooden door, and after waiting a long time, an elderly woman squeaked open the door to peer out from. Upon seeing the familiar face, she exhaled and fully unlocked the door. She was about to say something when she realized there were five other hooded strangers standing there. Combining that with the subtle aura that Sir Winstin released subconsciously, it was enough to unnerve anyone! As one would expect, the woman's expression instantly paled, and she raised the massive butcher knife in her hand. She was ready to attack them! The moment she stepped forward though, Sir Winstin glared at her. In her mind, his image grew as large as a giant, his very presence bearing down like a mountain! It was enough to render her terrified!
"That's enough," Elizabeth said. The woman was frozen with fear on the ground, causing Elizabeth to feel a case of déjà vu. Why did this feel familiar?
"Grandmother, are you alright? What happened?" The boy helped the woman up. Since Sir Winstin focused his aura to a near-perfect degree, Wu had no idea what happened. In his eyes, his grandmother slipped and fell.
"At your age, what are you swinging around a butcher knife for?" Ren fumed. "Are you trying to kill us?"
"But that… that…" she stuttered, pointing a shaking finger in Sir Winstin's direction. She wanted to say the word 'monster', but the words were lodged in her throat.
"Back in the square, we ran into some trouble with the soldiers. They were about to kill Little Wu when these five saved him," Ren explained.
"Is that so… In that case, I must apologize for my actions. Thank you for saving our grandson." She regained her composure and bowed sharply.
Stepping inside the small, dilapidated house, Elizabeth smiled. It was a humble and cozy interior with neither gold nor silk, only simple and down-to-earth belongings. She was instantly reminded of her home on New Havens, where her parents and siblings laughed together as they toiled the fields. It was a bittersweet memory. Compared to that warm and comforting feeling though, this house was cold and empty. The grandparents and grandson might show smiles, but Elizabeth could tell they were holding themselves back. Something was missing.