Unspeakable emotions surged in Emilia's heart at that moment.
Intense emotions, indeed.
"Friend..." Emilia's voice trembled as tears pooled in her eyes as if she were talking to herself and seeking confirmation, her tone filled with both uncertainty and trepidation.
"Can I have friends too?"
It was a simple sentence, yet it conveyed a myriad of emotions.
For most people, friendship was something that had accompanied them since birth, constantly repeating and changing, right?
But for Emilia, it was something she had never experienced.
Understanding how impossible it was for her to have such a thing, Emilia was overwhelmed by the word "friend" and the intense emotions it stirred within her.
Quietly enduring Emilia's emotions, Fang Li half-jokingly said such a line. "If you doubt what you're experiencing so much, should you pinch your cheek to see if it's real?"
A playful remark, but it earned Fang Li an incredibly serious expression from Emilia.
"L-let's do it."
With an anxious expression, Emilia actually extended her hand, intending to pinch her own unbelievably beautiful cheek.
"Wait, I was just kidding. Did you really take it seriously?" It was rare for Fang Li to feel at a loss as he hastily reached out to stop Emilia's hand.
However, Emilia suddenly grasped Fang Li's hand in return.
And she did so with great force before the uneasiness on her face began to fade away.
Replacing the unease on Emilia's enchanting face was tranquility.
Then, as if experiencing something profound, Emilia tightly held Fang Li's hand with both of hers, enclosing Fang Li's hand in her palm and closing her eyes.
"So warm..."
With these words, Emilia smiled with deep contentment.
"So warm, it must not be a dream..."
Responding to these satisfied and peaceful words was the radiance pouring down from the sky.
Bathed in sunlight, the figure of the beautiful silver-haired Half-Elf girl was like a saint, shining brightly, with her silver hair slowly starting to gleam, and her exquisite charming face shining even more brilliantly than before.
Even more beautiful than when she smiled at Fang Li in the audience hall.
Watching Emilia like this, Fang Li truly understood why this young girl was the most beautiful character in this world.
If Sylvie's beauty was enchanting, then Emilia's beauty was intoxicating.
The similarity between them lay in the fact that both types of beauty were world-class.
No one could resist being captivated by such beauty.
Including Fang Li.
Fortunately, Fang Li was not a greedy person.
Although he could act as he pleased, Fang Li had never been greedy enough to desire to monopolize such beauty entirely.
Of course, wavering was impossible.
So, with a wry smile, Fang Li spoke up. "How about now? Are you certain? Do you believe it now?"
"Aahhh..." Emilia finally opened her eyes, intending to release Fang Li's hand, but her body betrayed her feelings, causing her to continue holding Fang Li's hand, looking reluctant to let go.
To be honest, Fang Li, who was almost captured by Emilia, was momentarily taken aback by this reluctant expression.
Despite being able to straightforwardly refuse Priscilla, Fang Li couldn't bring himself to do the same when facing Emilia.
"This is quite troublesome..."
Fang Li could only silently apologize to Sylvie in his heart.
And so, this scene continued for a full half-hour.
It wasn't until half an hour later that Emilia seemed to finally collect herself, blushing slightly as she released Fang Li's hand.
Then, the two of them continued on their way.
By the way, during the journey, Emilia clung to Fang Li's sleeve like a scared little girl, leaving the palace square in this manner and arriving at the square where the Dragon Carriage was parked.
Waiting there was Rem.
Seeing Fang Li dressed in the uniform of the Royal Guard, with Emilia tightly holding onto his sleeve, Rem was neither surprised nor puzzled, but rather hesitant and confused.
Then, as if making up her mind, Rem looked at Fang Li and said such a line.
"Fang Li Sama, Roswaal Sama has left a message for you."
With just one sentence, Emilia was stunned on the spot.
And Fang Li, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes slightly.
...
Nighttime, in the noble district of the Royal Capital.
In a luxurious hotel reserved exclusively for royal and aristocratic use, in one of the rooms, Fang Li removed the Royal Guard robe from his body, casually tossing the expensive garment, blessed with magic, onto the bed, and then sat down at the desk in the corner.
In his hand was a letter.
This was what Rem had given to Fang Li.
It was said to be a personal letter from Roswaal.
Fang Li opened the envelope, taking out a piece of high-quality parchment from inside.
The parchment read as follows:
"In three years, the ceremony to renew the covenant with the dragon will take place as scheduled. In light of this, the Royal Selection will be held every three years. Three years from now, a candidate will be elected, witnessed by the Sages, to inherit the throne."
"I'm sure you understand that although there is the Dragon's Will as a guarantee, Lady Emilia's chances of ultimately standing out and ascending to the throne are still very slim. Therefore, it is necessary to form a covenant with the other Royal Selection candidates to consolidate her position and avoid being the first to be eliminated."
"This mission, I would like to entrust to you, Lady Emilia's Knight, and the choice of personnel is also up to you."
—Roswaal L. Mathers
After reading the letter, Fang Li crumpled the envelope directly.
"Well, this is really pushing it..."
This sentence was uttered by Fang Li with a tone of admiration.
Because, even though Roswaal knew he had been spared once before, he still intended to use Fang Li as a pawn.
Just as he had said himself, in order to achieve the ultimate goal, even if it meant becoming a devil and descending into hell, he would not hesitate, let alone risk being killed by Fang Li.
With such determination, how could Fang Li not admire him?
"However, even if you act according to the future recorded in the Gospel Book, what then?"
Fang Li tossed the crumpled paper in his hand into the trash can.
In his eyes, a glint of icy blue shimmered faintly.
"The future can also be ended."
...
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