Chapter 384: 1. A Phone Call (5k)
“Whooo~”
The cold wind from the distant Northern Region finally reached Saint Nali, a human city with a strong industrial atmosphere, one week after the New Year. The first snow of winter fell here, but compared to the Northern Region, the light snow had a rather tentative feel, with flakes scattered lightly, falling from the branches and disappearing from sight, assembling winter’s color only in some street corners and on lawns.
At this moment, Elizabeth in the Golden Palace felt somewhat restless.
In the dining room she frequented at the Golden Palace, there was a very long table. Elizabeth, dressed in white formal attire, sat at the head of the table, with ministers of various expressions seated on both sides. Compared to the fireplaces used by the general populace, the better option here for warmth was magic, and thanks to the magic, the temperature was relatively comfortable.
“Your Majesty, the rules of the free market devised by Griff Hughes were established during the pioneering period and have played a crucial role in stimulating the economic vitality of Nali for a century. We only need to maintain a small portion of the infrastructure; the market will adjust itself. Over the years, the effectiveness of Griffism has been quite good, wouldn’t changing it be inappropriate?”
The lunch in front of the minister below was sumptuous, featuring high-quality steak, olives, and black truffles, paired with the Nali people’s favorite red wine from Black Mamba Palace, which looked extremely appetizing. However, none of them touched their knives and forks, all looking seriously and warily at the Empress sitting at the end of the table, cutting meat with her knife and fork.
The one who spoke was Ruibak, the finance minister appointed by Elizabeth, and a well-known cadre of the New Party. After Griff’s economic liberalism emerged from classical liberalism, he began to discuss applying Griff’s theories in practice, guiding Nali’s economic society over the past several decades.
Elizabeth didn’t even glance at him; she steadily cut the steak on her plate while saying,
“I do not intend to undermine Griff’s emphasis on the market, but increasing some intervention and regulation is necessary. Also, Ruibak, I am not discussing this with you; I am conveying an order. Although you did not intend it, your adherence to non-interventionist ideology has already allowed too much avoidable suffering to occur, and yet you attribute it all to the normal operation of the market, the ‘clean energy’ outside Nali, addictive drugs imported from the Southern Continent, low wages for the lower classes, and filthy living conditions. Don’t tell me you know nothing about these.”
Unlike the other ministers, who were observing with their noses to their hearts, Ruibak, although having graduated from the Royal Academy, was always a diligent man. He wouldn’t easily give up on a principle he had adhered to all his life, even at this moment, while being pressured by the decisive Empress.
Upon hearing Elizabeth’s words, he snorted coldly, put down his knife and fork, and said with his eyes closed,
“If Your Majesty insists on this, please forgive me for being unable to comply. If you need it, I will submit my resignation today.”
Unlike others in the New Party, Ruibak was capable and honest, which was why Elizabeth, aware of their differences, still chose to employ him. However, it was intolerable for Elizabeth to publicly defy her.
Upon hearing this, she paused her cutting of the beef for a moment, then gently put down her knife and fork, raising her hollow golden eyes to sweep around the ministers. They all lowered their heads, except for Ruibak, who remained sitting up straight, looking at the beef in front of him. He showed no desire to enjoy the meal but turned his head to look at Elizabeth and said,
“Your Majesty, if there is nothing else, may I take my leave? I still have other matters to attend to.”
Elizabeth did not respond, seemingly contemplating his words. But only one or two ministers, who had lowered their heads, saw a number of gold-armored knights who had been standing by quietly come out and grip their swords at their waists, waiting for the Empress’s orders, causing them to bow their heads even deeper.
Just at that moment, sudden hurried footsteps were heard outside the room. The next moment, the door to the room was slammed open, revealing a very anxious maid outside.
“Your Majesty, there’s… ah!”
Before she could finish her sentence, two knights waiting in the room had drawn their greatswords and placed them against her neck, halting her steps. With the flash of the sharp cold light, the maid was so frightened that she went limp and sat on the ground, her maid outfit getting wet.
“Intruder, die.”
The two tall knights instilled palpable fear in all present, even causing Ruibak, who was about to leave, to tremble and sit back down in his seat.
“Your Majesty… there is a phone call… the head maid insisted on notifying you.”
Hearing that the maid was about to cry, Elizabeth held her fork and took a piece of beef, saying,
“Phone call?”
“Yes, it’s from the Northern Region. It’s Fisher Benavides.”
Elizabeth’s pupils shrank slightly, and the fork in her hand suddenly fell onto the table, shattering the exquisite plate beneath the steak. The crisp sound of the tableware clashing did not dissipate her shock. She suddenly stood up, her tone trembling,
“You said… who?”
“It’s Fisher Benavides.”
Elizabeth bit her lip, quickly glancing over the maid who had collapsed on the ground, and ran out with two golden knights towards the exit, leaving the ministers at the dining table glancing at each other, but no one dared to rise.
“Get out! All of you!”
The vast corridors of the Golden Palace twisted and turned. Elizabeth quickly arrived at the reception area of the Golden Palace’s front hall, which served as the palace’s outlet — here lay gifts, letters, and the Golden Palace’s contact number received from the public. It was managed by external court officials appointed by the emperor, and usually, very few people directly dialed the Golden Palace’s phone, so their main duty was to receive feedback letters and gifts from the public, which Elizabeth occasionally reviewed.
At this time, all the external court officials stood to the sides, and on one of the desks, the receiver was still laying on the table next to the telephone, left off the hook. Elizabeth caught her breath for a moment and shouted at the court officials around her to bow their heads and retreat completely.
As the doors of this place closed, Elizabeth adjusted her breathing and approached the desk, holding the phone to her ear.
A slight “rustling” sound came from the other end, seemingly the sound of wind and snow, a unique resonance of the Northern Region that Elizabeth’s ears caught, quickly overtaking the somewhat weak breathing of the person calling. After a pause, Elizabeth tentatively spoke,
“Fisher?”
“Hmm, I’m here.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end, and Fisher’s somewhat tired voice slowly came through, causing Elizabeth’s heart to beat faster.
She opened her mouth, knowing Fisher well; she quickly sensed that there was something off about his voice. All those things she wanted to ask were temporarily suppressed in her heart. The first words that came out of her mouth were,
“What’s wrong with your voice? Are you sick? Where are you right now?”
“Indeed, I can’t hide it from you, Elizabeth. I’m at the southernmost part of the Northern Region, in a fief called Sardinia. I’m currently in the Healing Rot Church of Furnace Town.”
Hearing Fisher specify such an exact and real location, Elizabeth realized he was telling the truth, but she felt none of the previous joy at finding him; instead, an increasing sense of unease and urgency filled her heart as Fisher’s voice continued.
“My current condition is indeed not good, but it’s not illness. I am dying, Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth’s hollow pupils shrank; her body weakened, nearly collapsing to the ground. Fortunately, her hand instinctively steadied herself against the nearby table, preventing her from falling right down but still producing an obvious sound of collision.
“… Elizabeth?”
“What kind of joke is this? What’s going on, Fisher Benavides?! Are you risking your life to avoid me? What happened to you? Tell me!”
Fisher chuckled lightly and said,
“It’s nothing; it’s not because of you, just a small accident while handling things here. I have never felt so close to death. I have tried my best to shake it off, but to no avail. I’m somewhat resigned to it, and for some reason, I suddenly wanted to make this phone call to you, maybe because of everything that happened before, or perhaps I just simply wanted to hear your voice again?”
Elizabeth’s hand gripping the receiver began to show blue veins, and before her eyes turned red, she closed them.
“I… I won’t look for you anymore. Without my permission, you cannot die. I do not want to lose you again. Fisher, I will come to Sardinia to find you; wait for me there.”
“… Okay, I’ll wait for you here. However, the journey from Nali is long, and I’m not sure if I can last until you arrive. Besides, you are the owner of the Golden Palace now; traveling to the Northern Region is not that free.”
“If they dare to stop me, I have a say in where I go!”
Fisher smiled slightly on the other end as the sound of wind and snow gradually ceased, his voice becoming somewhat regretful,
“You’re always so overbearing. I don’t intend to stop you; I’m saying that I fear even if you can come here, I might not be able to wait until then. So, don’t hang up now. After you leave Nali, such opportunities to talk will not be many, and I don’t want to waste this one.”
“… Okay, I won’t hang up. You speak.”
“I’ve dealt with Erwind. What I planned to handle before leaving Nali is almost finished. According to my original plan, I should have returned to Nali to make up for the debts I owe you, but now it seems hopeless. At that time, my determination to take responsibility for you throughout my life was not strong enough; I indeed felt hesitant because of your overbearingness and possessiveness.”
Fisher’s voice was unhurried as he explained what he had done in the Northern Region, including falling out with the Turan Family and working with Valentina.
He remembered many dreams cherished in his memories during the battle with Erwind, many of which were about Elizabeth. So, at this point, his tone slowed considerably, as if reminiscing,
“A poor kid who grew up in an orphanage had just buried the nun who raised him, and came to the Royal Academy all alone. How could he have been favored by the world-renowned princess? This was both my fortune and misfortune. Unfortunately, because of the attention and favor you bestowed, I truly overlooked many obstacles you faced.”
“I only vaguely guessed about the prominent shadows in your life within the Golden Palace from Isabel’s words. But at that time, I didn’t know what kind of pressure lay behind the promises you seemed to make so easily. I didn’t know your brothers’ hatred for you, and I didn’t know your father’s disdain for our relationship.”
“I once had the opportunity to pull you out of the hell of Godlin, to avoid the sins that followed, to fulfill my promise to you. I only understood it too late, taking your situation too lightly. It’s a pity that when I really realized this, it was all too late. I’m truly sorry, Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes; the redness around her eyes could no longer suppress the sadness she felt at that moment. She lowered her head, covering her face. Although their conversation was realized through this small phone, and they were far apart, it felt as if they were so close, bringing her back to their sweetest times.
She leaned against the table, her voice trembling,
“Fisher, I’ve never blamed you. I… I know that many things are my own doing, but I really just want you back. I beg you; I don’t want you to die.”
At that moment, the cold wind picked up again, the howling wind accompanying the sound of the church bell confirming Fisher’s exact location at that time. He coughed a few times before saying,
“I will do my best. After saying all this, it’s enough. The most important thing is to hear your voice again. You are now the Empress of Nali; coming to the Northern Region isn’t practical. Let me go find you while I am still able to walk. Of course, if I can’t manage to return to Nali in the end, don’t be sad about it. In the future, you must take good care of yourself and Nali. I believe you can do it; you will certainly become a historically renowned Empress and will not repeat the tragedy of the Godlin family. Isabel is at Pirate’s Bay; you should already know that. That child has never blamed you; she understands your difficulties, so don’t push her away this time.”
“Fisher, you cannot die!”
Elizabeth sat on the ground, burying her head in her knees. At this moment, her heart was extremely uneasy, and her feelings surged like tidal waves. In fact, she wished she could cry out loud to let her emotions flow, but she still didn’t dare, fearing she would disrupt the quiet conversation with Fisher and worried that her voice would overpower his weak words.
In reality, Elizabeth was always cautious around Fisher. If it weren’t for that junior sister threatening her to “report to the Golden Palace” to make her break up with Fisher, she wouldn’t have exposed her possessiveness, which led to Fisher distancing himself from her.
Regrettably, that junior sister had truly touched her sore spot. She was unwilling to let her family take away her precious Fisher, thus committing a grave mistake, which unexpectedly became the catalyst that pushed Fisher away; however, this time, it was not Godlin that made her fearful, but herself.
Thus, at this moment, just hearing Fisher’s weak voice made her feel so sad she wanted to cry. It was as if she had returned to those frightened days, lying alone in a military tent with her eyes blind, fearing that afterward, Fisher would truly leave her forever.
“Then it’s decided, Elizabeth. Take care of yourself; I am now preparing to set off.”
“Good, you must be safe. You must be safe!”
Whether it was pleading or advising, Fisher on the other end smiled slightly and hung up the phone, but Elizabeth continued to sit on the ground, not putting down the phone next to her ear.
It wasn’t until a long time later, when the door of the room opened again that Elizabeth, dressed in formal attire, walked out with her composure. She turned back to instruct the external court officials to keep a close watch on any calls coming from Fisher Benavides, granting him privileges to move within the Golden Palace, and that any news could be relayed to her attendant at any time.
She then went back quickly to the room where she had dined before, where several Nali ministers were still waiting for her.
“Your Majesty.”
When she entered the room, the ministers who had been dining set down their knives and forks and bowed to Elizabeth. She nodded, looking at finance minister Ruibak, noticing that his plate of steak remained untouched.
Ruibak turned to look at Elizabeth, who was followed by two golden knights, and his throat instinctively bobbed twice, yet he still mustered the courage to prepare to take his leave. However, before he could do so, Elizabeth had already waved her hand at the knights behind her, urging them to leave the room.
This was the first time he was meeting the Empress without golden knights by her side, and slightly paused in his movement. At this moment, Elizabeth returned to her seat, looking at him and saying,
“Ruibak, I understand your concerns about my concern for overextending my power, suppressing Nali’s economic vitality. I do not wish to discuss my intentions here with you. As for your previous resignation letter, I will temporarily keep it. I’ll give you two weeks; go check on the living conditions of the residents in Newt Street and Snakehead Street, and you will understand where the ‘invisible hand’ you believe in is directing the wealth of society. After this, you can come and go as you please.”
“Also, summon the head of the Intelligence Office to see me; I have tasks to assign to him.”
By the end, Elizabeth’s voice seemed somewhat weary as she gently leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes, and then waved her hand at all the ministers present, signaling them to leave.
Ruibak gazed blankly at the unusually calm Elizabeth today, casting a glance at the other ministers, who all seemed in disbelief, not understanding why the Empress suddenly became so patient after going out to answer a phone call.
But in any case, this was a good thing for them.
After a second of contemplation, Ruibak stood up, bowing to Elizabeth as he said,
“I understand. Farewell, Your Majesty.”
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(End of Chapter)
