Chapter: 76. The Safest Place
“Your Majesty the King… what do you mean by this?”
“Princess Xue Feiya, please do not be offended. Livra is still inexperienced and needs more tempering…”
“……”
If there was anything particularly loud in the quiet air, it was probably the sound of the medal falling from Xiya’s hand.
Just a moment ago, the King had awarded the National Guardian Medal to the members of the Light Family.
This honor, which should have been tightly held, was clumsily dropped by Xiya, crashing to the ground.
Thud.
“I’m sorry.”
She did not feel the slightest distress over it.
Xiya coldly bent down to pick up the medal, not only remaining composed but also ignoring the confused looks from the family members around her.
Her unusual demeanor made everyone hesitant to ask more.
Because Xiya’s current state was quite strange…
That aura seemed to say, don’t provoke her.
Xiya put away the golden medal, took a few deep breaths to adjust her state.
You should know, she wasn’t trying to be angry intentionally, nor did she understand why her hand trembled just now.
She only knew that the medal had dropped when the king mentioned allowing Princess Livra to follow Xue Fei.
And her blood pressure had been rising without pause.
Hah… Your Majesty the King, please do not imitate the decisions of the past kings, becoming old and muddled-minded!
No! Ultimately, where did the King’s suggestion come from?
Xue Feiya wasn’t too clear either.
But seeing the sudden smile of happiness and anticipation on Livra’s face, she could only roll her eyes.
Livra, you’ve been sold by your father.
Why are you smiling like that!
The nobles felt a pang in their hearts, watching Princess Livra’s smile, shaking their heads and sighing, lamenting the cruelty of the wheels of history.
What a talented princess… now she is to be a political sacrifice, given to a witch as a plaything. This is not just lamentable; it is downright tragic!
The royal family members were also in an uproar, desperately trying to persuade the King to retract this decision.
But the monarch of this country is still Celtic, after all, right?
Now that he has spoken, there is no way to take it back.
With a wave of his royal robe, the King looked forward at the brilliant columns, feeling rather relaxed.
“Princess, do you know of the Loxir Bird?”
“Kind of…?”
“The Loxir Bird is a rare beast. If it cannot successfully take flight after its juvenile phase, it will fall off a cliff and die, eternally lost.” The King suddenly introduced this topic, which seemed a bit abrupt, but his words continued without pause, “However, most Loxir Birds cannot pass this critical life-and-death stage; very few survive. This magical beast is extremely rare, and if the princess does not mind… cough… cough… if you do not mind, the kingdom still has a few Loxir Birds left, which we could also send to the princess.”
“Um… thank you? Hmm…?”
Suddenly.
Xue Feiya raised an eyebrow.
A connection was made in her mind that had not been linked just moments ago.
Oh oh… the old King is speaking indirectly.
He seemed to be discussing a different topic, but in reality—this was also about Livra.
Yes…
The King had already decided to choose Livra as his successor, to become the next ruler of the kingdom.
He felt his health deteriorating, so he was eager to nurture Livra, wanting her to stand on her own, and he showed no ability to disguise his bias towards her, almost placing the next successor’s choice out in the open.
As a result, this led to dire consequences.
Livra was born a capable “Loxir Bird,” while he was the strong wind that kept pushing her to take flight early.
The wind was too strong, wishing for her to fly, but nearly caused the bird to fall off a cliff.
At any moment, she could suffer a fatal fall.
Wasn’t the rebellion of the Second Prince clear evidence of this?
Acting too hastily led one of Livra’s siblings to even attempt to take her life…
That matter had calmed down.
But the King could not guarantee that, once Livra had not yet ascended to the throne, or even after she ascended, the seemingly gentle children before him… might not harbor ambitions like the Second Prince and seek to cause harm?
At that time, Livra would likely be in grave danger.
His wish to help her soar to the skies could become the cause that pushed her into a deep abyss.
The Celtic King did not want this.
So, he needed to devise a method to temporarily ensure Livra’s safety.
In his moment of distress, he saw it.
At the gladiatorial arena’s high platform.
During the bombardment from the Magic Crystal Cannon…
A single black feather drifting up.
—This is Livra’s only hope.
Only by staying close to the Demon Princess, your closest kin, will thoughts of harming you not arise.
Only with cooperation between the kingdom and the Demon Race will the Demon Princess not do anything to you.
These two conditions, originally impossible to achieve at the same time, unexpectedly came to fruition today.
Thus, sending Livra to the safest place for her and scheduling her return to govern the kingdom at the right time seemed to be the best opportunity.
The only variable…
Was whether the Demon Princess would treat her well…
She wouldn’t kill you, but suffering would definitely be unavoidable.
At least, in the end, let Father King say some whispers to you.
Because “the most suitable time to welcome you back to the country”—might very well be the day Father departs from this world.
“My daughter… do not blame Father King for being ruthless, but there are some things that Father cannot control…”
“Father… mm, I understand; you must take care of yourself.”
Livra’s eyes glistened with tears, her happy expression resembling that of a daughter who believes she is to be married.
But the King knew… she must only be putting on a brave face! How could she be happy by staying with the witch!
Livra wiped her tears, leaving a smile for her family.
“I promise… I will return to the palace to see you every two days, I will never be late, and I will bring you all local specialties.”
“You foolish child… how could you possibly return after leaving like this…”
“I will come back! I can climb over walls!”
“Ah, you are always so naive… that wall is too high.”
“Mm?”
Yes, that unintentional head tilt of confusion resembled your innocent and carefree childhood.
Father only hopes you will not be injured; as long as you can protect yourself, that is the best outcome.
Livra tightly held her father’s trembling, aged fingers, letting out a sob, then turned around, her ink-black hair creating a resolute starlit river.
At this moment, whether it was those nobles who had once scorned the Third Princess’s incompetence or the royals who had prejudice against their own sisters, they could not help but feel respect.
Their gazes were solemn and filled with reverence.
Princess.
Your sacrifice will be recorded in history.
Your dignity, we shall remember for all eternity!
The King slumped in his chair, gazing blankly at Livra running towards the witch, wanting to reach out and bring her back but unable to say a single word.
She did not look back.
My daughter… at this moment, you hold no grievances, nor do you complain about the kingdom’s injustices.
Remember.
Your father is proud of you.
Livra ran to Xue Fei’s side, quietly laughing as she greeted her.
“Good evening, Teacher Shaya…! I have the chance to become your disciple properly now! Ah, by the way…
Ms. Shaya, why is everyone crying…? ”
“You silly child…” Xue Feiya sighed, really wanting to give Livra a pat on the head.
But she held back.
Because publicly “attacking” Livra’s head in this situation would definitely exacerbate everyone’s sadness, stirring public outrage.
Know when to stop, know when to stop~
For Xue Feiya, having the lord of the territory of big fish ascend to power, with delicious dishes flowing in, and incidentally bringing along a princess, could be considered fruitful gains, right?
Xue Feiya shook her head, signaling Xiya with her eyes, preparing to leave.
Ah, after all, she really did not like this serious and oppressive atmosphere.
Who knew, just as Xue was about to turn and call out to Livra to leave…
A voice from the queuing crowd, tense yet tear-streaked, a passionate noble raised his arm and shouted!
“Please wait…! Your Majesty the King, allow me to say something! And the Demon Princess, please stay! May I ask! Our kingdom has made so many concessions! Even Princess Livra…! Can you guarantee your sincerity in cooperating with the Aulus Kingdom? Can you ensure the support of all the Demon Race for the decisions made at this assembly!”
As soon as the question was posed, similar doubts arose in waves.
The grieving King, feeble yet struggling, made an effort to signal the Light Family to ensure that Princess Xue Fei answered this question before they left—because it was indeed very important.
However, the old King was currently too heartbroken to maintain control over the situation.
Hmm?
Xue Feiya paused, pondering briefly, and instantly understood the meaning behind this last question.
What this noble was saying was quite euphemistic, but the expression was quite clear.
Simply put, it meant this.
—You’ve been away from the Demon Territory for so long, do you still hold real power? Can you still represent the entire Demon Race? You mentioned cooperating with the kingdom while taking so many benefits; if you cannot represent the Demon Race and the Demon King’s Army comes back attacking, what then?
Uh… this question is indeed a bit difficult to answer.
It is certain that Xue Feiya can influence the decision-making of the Demon Race; after all, her father holds real power, and she can scold him, so that’s no problem.
But she can’t exactly say, I’ll go back and have a little chat with my father before giving you a response, can she?!
Ah, if it really comes down to it, she might just have to play it off and say there’s no problem; later, her father can find a way to convey the official agreement to the kingdom.
But this back-and-forth could be a bit troublesome…
As she was rapidly thinking of a countermeasure, Xue Feiya suddenly heard a collective gasp behind her—the terrified voices of the nobles sounded as if they had seen a devil.
At the same time, the heavy doors of the Council Chamber of the palace, weighing several tons, slowly creaked open.
“You cannot enter…! No one can enter without an invitation… damn it… how did she get here so fast! Please stop!! Protect His Majesty the King!”
Even though there were soldiers outside trying to block the entrance, the advancing energy from behind was not hindered in the slightest.
Before she could even turn around.
Xue Feiya felt that familiar magical aura approaching from behind.
Ah…
I told you to stay and watch the house.
And yet you have come along.
Belis.
