Chapter 489
The Unfeeling
Princess Isabel’s eyelashes quivered slightly.
She let out a soft hum and slowly woke from a gentle sway.
…What just happened?
The memory from the previous moment was still of her conversation with Eivass.
After that, she vaguely felt the entire world shake and wrinkle. It was as if an earthquake had shattered everything, or a fragile, thin cardboard box had been washed away by a flood. In a daze, she heard the howling of a terrifying hurricane, as if she were on a battlefield, listening to the earth-shattering roars.
She shivered and felt immense fear. It was as if the house she lived in was about to be destroyed by a tornado, the sense of crisis making her feel that she would wake up at any moment, but then she heard a sigh.
A dry, hoarse voice, like sand grinding in a throat, sounded, “Sleep on.”
And so, she fell back into slumber.
When she woke again, those lingering remnants seemed like a dream, hazy and elusive.
…But she was already in a dream.
Did a person in a dream dream?
Princess Isabel fell into a brief confusion.
“Princess Isabel.”
As if hearing a voice, Shafiya’s voice came from outside the room.
Princess Isabel immediately sobered up, her expression returning to calm.
She tried to lift the blanket and get out of bed. It was then that she finally realized it wasn’t her feeling dizzy, but the “house” itself that was swaying.
— This is a ship.
Although she had never been on a ship before, she instinctively knew what it was.
Why was she with Eivass just a moment ago, and now she was on a ship?
…Did I lose a period of my memory?
A thought flashed in Princess Isabel’s mind, and she looked up at Shafiya with somewhat melancholic eyes.
“Did you not sleep well, Your Highness?”
Shafiya said softly, “Would you like to go out and get some sea breeze?”
“I just… thought of Eivass.”
Princess Isabel shook her head slightly, on the verge of tears.
This was, of course, an act.
— Compared to waking up groggy and feeling “confused” and “doubtful.”
Suddenly feeling melancholy and sad at night would seem much more reasonable. Not to mention, Princess Isabel could now barely be considered a princess of a fallen kingdom, so it was only natural for her to have trouble sleeping and overthink.
As expected, Shafiya did not suspect anything was wrong with Princess Isabel.
She comforted her, “Eivass will be fine. Isn’t Sherlock with him?”
“But, after being away for so long…”
Princess Isabel’s voice was filled with emotion, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes for an instant, “I want to see him! Right now—”
Seeing this usually reclusive princess display such strong emotions, becoming willful for the rarest of times, Shafiya could only offer a wry smile, yet felt a faint sense of joy in her heart.
It was the first time she had seen Princess Isabel express such clear preferences.
Before this, Princess Isabel had never clearly stated her attitude towards anything. If asked if she liked something, she would simply nod gently, offering no further opinion. She would accept anything she was given and eat whatever she was offered.
She never refused, but she never seemed truly happy either.
Meg was strong-willed and carefree, naturally optimistic, never paying much attention to such minor emotional issues in children, nor could she understand them. George, on the other hand, simply didn’t understand girls; to him, princesses and princes were no different.
But as a half-elf, Shafiya could relate to Princess Isabel. She felt sorry for the most vulnerable little princess.
As a half-elf, Shafiya Morgan’s bloodline purity was quite high.
Generally, a half-elf’s bloodline was at one-half, one-quarter, or even lower… hers was at least eighty percent. This was because almost every generation of her ancestors chose elves as their partners.
They deeply revered their ancestor Morgan, even keeping their surname.
According to Avalon’s tradition, after an ancestor became a Disciple, their descendants would often change their surname. This ritual was meant to signify that they had no intention of clinging to their ancestor’s glory, and would rely on their own strength to survive in the future, never bothering their ancestors or asking for help when in trouble—completely opposite to Star Antinomy’s idea of “forever remembering and inheriting the ancestor’s glory.”
The Morgan family, however, was an exception.
Perhaps it was because she did not become a knight of the Silver Crown Dragon, but instead became a Fairy of the Path of Love, choosing to follow the Shadow Heavenly Envoy. Her descendants also did not abandon the surname Morgan. They proudly inherited the name Morgan. They attempted to purify their bloodline through this means, recovering elves’ long lifespans and powerful innate talents.
Under these circumstances, Shafiya received exceptionally rigorous education from a young age. She not only had to study the language of Avalon but also the language, common sense, and understanding of the Church, as if she herself were not human, but a pure-blooded elf born in Avalon.
Her elders lived long lives; even her great-grandfather was still alive and healthy. They had high expectations for Shafiya… because she was beautiful, elegant, and had very obvious elven features. She also knew complete elven etiquette, and her accent was indistinguishable from that of the elves in the Church.
Even elves from the Church could not discern whether she was human or not. If she were to have children with an elf again, they would be considered close to being elves.
Shafiya was once like a puppet, following her family’s education and obeying the family’s orders.
Exquisite, indifferent, and silent—she spoke not a word, like a bird in a cage.
This was somewhat similar to Princess Isabel, yet different. She was not like Princess Isabel, her heart sealed by the shadow of death; rather, it was because she had seen through everything at a young age, knowing she had no possibility of resistance, so she might as well accept reality.
If she did not resist, she would not feel pain.
If she obeyed orders with all her heart, there would be no unhappiness; if she had any dissatisfaction and tried her best to change reality… by the time everything was settled, the original intention would have been missed. It was like a toy she wanted as a child, but no longer liked when she grew up. Was there any point in buying the toy later with money earned?
Clearly, no.
So Shafiya chose another path.
“I no longer like that thing,” she told herself. If she couldn’t change reality, she would change herself.
She repeated this to herself, constantly rewriting her own heart. It was because of this that she reached the Fourth Tier at a young age and came into contact with the Fifth Tier of the Path of Authority… thereby standing beside Queen Sophia, who had just ascended the throne.
“Livestock are not domesticated because they are stupid, but because they are too intelligent.”
The young queen’s seemingly casual remark deeply pierced her heart.
— In the end, she chose to rebel.
She married an ordinary human.
He was her subordinate, a mediator in his thirties.
The man had no special talents, nor did he possess the bloodline of a founder’s family. He was not an elf, whom she always longed for. He simply loved her with all his heart and soul—not the name “Morgan,” nor the elven blood, but loved her alone.
“—From now on, I am no longer Morgan!”
After blocking assassins hired by her family for the third time, Shafiya angrily severed ties with the Morgan family.
Now, she looked at Princess Isabel. She saw her past self.
The depressed, silent, unfeeling Princess Isabel was like the young Shafiya;
And the now fully awakened Princess Isabel, with her own will and preferences…
Was like Shafiya, who had foreseen her destiny and rebelled against her bloodline’s fate.
The former queen had passed this experience onto her.
And now she was to return it to her granddaughter.
