By the next day, everyone else woke up and the quiet cave soon turned noisy as everyone took in their surroundings. Through this, Elizabeth realized that everyone was treated differently. She was one case, having received the most extensive care. It was clear that whoever treated her gave her the highest importance. Her friends, Imperian Qiang, and the Imperial Princesses could be categorized in the second group, since they received less care than her, but more than the others. As for everyone else, they received the bare minimum that preserved their lives. Her suspicion that the ones behind this stunt was the Featherwind Sect only grew. Why else would they give preferential treatment? Elizabeth then explained what she knew to everyone.
"Tai is dead?" Chang was shocked. Although they had bickered and fought often, they had known each other since they were young. They were more than childhood friends. They were brothers! To a certain extent, Chang thought of Tai as more of a brother than his own blood-related brother, Prime Minister Pon-Wai. The fact that he died made his gut twist. It was a hard truth to swallow!
"Xiuying…" Ming glanced at her sister with concern.
"…It's alright. I'm okay," she sniffled. "He would tease me for crying."
"So, Ten Dawn Krogan didn't make it," Ten Dawn Rosemary sighed. She had some hope that he might have survived, since everyone else made a miraculous recovery, but it seemed that her hopes were misplaced. It was impossible after all.
"I promised to take care of his parents for him," Ten Dawn Iris said listlessly. There were less than ten active Ten Dawns in the Zino Kingdom, so everyone knew each other. Although she would hesitate to call them friends, they were all comrade-in-arms. To have anyone sacrifice themselves like Ten Dawn Krogan did, no one felt it as deeply as the Ten Dawns did.
"His sacrifice will not be forgotten," Ten Dawn Yvonne said. "May he rest in peace."
Meanwhile, Mingyu Loon was mumbling to herself incoherently like a deranged person, successfully warding off everyone. She no longer possessed that strong aura of bloodlust and battle-mania that she showcased in the previous battle. No one would have reckoned that this woman was one of the strongest combatants present, a Perception Realm Master standing alongside Sir Winstin and Cardinal Hui! In fact, she practically made a complete switch in personality. People found it hard to believe, but those that knew her understood that this was how she normally behaved. The leader of the Four Dragons was this odd! If one paid closer attention to her mumblings, then they would hear her faintly repeating the names of the Four Dragons that perished in the battle: Wei, Jinhai, and Liqin Loon. Was this her way of grieving? No one knew.
Sir Winstin was also melancholic. During the battle, he sacrificed his arm to deal a fatal strike on Cardinal Loujin, and a near-fatal strike against Thousand Storms. He was grieved. To waste his sacrifice and fail to kill his enemies, it was unbelievably humiliating! However, should his opponents know what he was thinking, they might choke on their own blood. Both Cardinal Loujin and Thousand Storms were Perception Realm Masters, the same as Sir Winstin, yet one was killed and the other was nearly killed too… It was clear the massive disparity between their skills! Regardless, he sacrificed his arm, and nothing could regrow his limbs. Without it, his battle strength was cut in half, maybe more. Sir Winstin was crippled! He closed his eyes and reflected silently. This might be the sign to retire.
To be honest, Princess Ming could hardly believe that the Featherwind Sect and the Imperial Council could do all this. It went beyond human comprehension… It was something straight out of a fairy tale! She would have passed it off as a joke, had the others not vouched for it. Therefore, she had no choice but to accept it as reality. Taking a deep breath, Princess Ming adjusted her emotions and addressed the key questions. "Princess Elizabeth, do you know who saved us and how? Was it someone from the Alzar Kingdom?"
All eyes pointed to Elizabeth curiously. Considering that she was the first to wake up and that she accomplished all those extraordinary feats before, then it made sense to believe she might have played a role in their rescue. And while she did have some ideas, she could not confirm them. It might also complicate things if she revealed that the Featherwind Sect, which should have been allied with the Imperial Council, decided to help the Alzar Kingdom. She decided it would be best not to say anything unnecessary.
So, she crafted a bitter expression and said, "I told you all that I could. You'll have to trust me."
Ming narrowed her eyes. As a princess who navigated the political circle for years, she could instantly tell that Elizabeth was lying. She said more sternly, "Princess Elizabeth, please be honest with us because we deserve to know the truth. What is going on?"
"I already told you everything. What else do you want from me?"
"So, you have no clues or ideas about who could be responsible?"
Elizabeth drew a tight expression. "It would do you more harm than good if I mentioned it. Like I said, you'll have to trust me." But this left Ming exasperated. How was she supposed to blindly trust Elizabeth without any due reason? The tension in the room grew as they faced off until someone else intervened.
"We can worry about that stuff later, okay?" Xiuying mediated. "We should think about what we should next instead. What do you say, uncle?"
"I agree. Let's continue our conversation from yesterday, Princess Elizabeth."
"Very well."
"I propose a temporary truce until we've gone our separate ways. Neither side is allowed to engage in hostilities unless provoked first." Hearing her agree, he continued, "I would also like a guarantee of our safety."
"…You want me to untie Cardinal Hui and Lady Mingyu," Elizabeth surmised quickly enough.
It did make sense at first glance, since the only unbound combatants on the Li Family were the Imperial Princesses and Protector Chang, all three of which were too injured to do anything. Conversely, on the kingdom's side, they had Sir Winstin, the Ten Dawns, and Elizabeth and her friends. The disparity in combat strength was apparent. The only problem was that… Sir Winstin had lost his arm, the Ten Dawns lost their wands, making Elizabeth and her friends the only able combatants currently. Should Elizabeth untie Cardinal Hui and Lady Mingyu, the two Perception Realm Masters would instantly seize the initiative! Elizabeth could not allow this to happen.
"I know Your Highness would find it disagreeable, so I propose only releasing Lady Mingyu Loon." Although her personality might be questionable, her loyalty was not. He had the utmost respect for Cardinal Hui, but trust was a gradual accumulation. It was best to err on the side of caution. Besides, Lady Mingyu specialized in close-range combat, so she was the ideal choice regardless.
Elizabeth pondered briefly before nodding. "This is acceptable."
"Then everything is settled."
"Wait!" Xiuying shouted.
"What is it?" Imperian Qiang replied unhappily. Her behavior was unbecoming of a princess, and it undoubtedly made the kingdom look down on the empire.
"Don't you think this is the perfect chance to negotiate? We can stop the war right here!"
Despite what she thought though, her uncle shook his head. "This is neither the time nor the place. We are in no position to negotiate." He also required the permission of the elder council and the family heads to continue. The thought made him depressed but promising anything here as the patriarch of the Li Family would not be a good idea.
"If we don't negotiate here, then when will there be another chance?" Xiuying emotionally pointed out. Previously, she and her sister went behind the Li Family's back to negotiate with the Alzar Kingdom. They endangered not only their own lives, but their Protectors too, only to fail miserably. It was clear how risky it was. This latest negotiation was permitted by the elder council, except Xiuying doubted their intentions. They were certainly not pure. Once she lets this chance slip away, then it was likely they would never have another chance! Peace was so close! She could not give up here.
"I agree with my sister," Ming said at the right time. "Although we can't set anything in stone, we can still lay the foundation. That shouldn't be a problem, right? Princess Elizabeth?"
"No, it isn't… I can represent the kingdom, and it's my goal to reach an agreement with the Li Family. This works in my favor too."
"What about you, uncle?"
"I…" He was about to decline, but when he saw his nieces' expressions, his heart softened. "I cannot commit to anything… but I am willing to hear you out."