Chapter 651: 129. Elizabeth’s Feast (5k)
“.”
Looking at the slightly trembling eyes of Renee in front of him, which seemed to shimmer with hints of light, Fisher found himself momentarily unable to respond because subconsciously he felt that running away was not a viable option.
Not to mention the specific circumstances outside the fence, probably no one knew how it really was; no one understood whether the outside was heaven or hell for them.
Just the existence of the six chaotic deities that eyed this world made both Fisher and the others worry. Would they let Renee, who held authority, swagger out freely? Would the gods allow her to escape like that?
However, Fisher couldn’t forcefully argue against Renee’s thoughts either, because at this moment, he only saw worry and fear in her eyes.
What was she afraid of?
Recalling everything she had said after their meeting today, Fisher quickly realized the true emotions she hid beneath her natural demeanor.
She said she was not her mother goddess’ selfless predecessor. She could not give herself to this world and humanity without a care like she did.
She cared about Fisher in front of her, which was why she felt fear; because once her consciousness dissipated, even if infinite authority would give birth to another consciousness like hers, it ultimately would not be her watching over it, but some other existence.
She was afraid that after she could no longer prevent the outbreak of the Apocalypse Prophecy, she herself, along with her memories and Fisher, would vanish into thin air.
So at this moment, the “prince” in fear was actually Renee, and it was she who truly had to make the choice.
“. Let me think about it some more, Renee.”
It was precisely for this reason that Fisher could not give a definite answer.
If he said “yes,” it would betray his own heart, but if he said “no,” how could he make a true godlike being with authority like Renee not feel scared?
Empty promises were of no use; the pie he drew up had no flavor.
He could only hold Renee’s hand and say,
“There is still some time until real annihilation, right? Give me a chance to try and think. If all else fails, I am willing to take you away from here.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I will be with you.”
“.”
Renee squeezed his hand. Since she finished speaking earlier, she had kept her head down as if losing focus until now, when she finally started to relax a bit.
“. I understand. I am just a little afraid, ha. Does fear sound a bit unworthy of the great mother goddess?”
“You are not her, and it is precisely because of the lessons from her that you fear becoming her.”
Upon hearing this, Renee smiled slightly and whispered,
“. Yes, I am Renee, and I am just Renee.”
Emhart blinked, sensing the atmosphere had finally started flowing again, and he sighed softly, floating out slowly from Alicia’s arms.
Renee looked around and found that most of the audience nearby had already left. Her expression gradually returned to normal, retrieving the fear and worry that had emerged before, and said,
“The play is over. Let’s go, Fisher.”
“Okay.”
Renee took the soft Alicia by the hand and stood up, walking out of the theater under the smiling face of a waiter who said something like “Have a safe journey.” It was still not dusk; although the sun tilted in the west, it had not yet reached the level of a setting sun.
Given Elizabeth’s clear intention to have dinner with Fisher, it seemed there would be no other activities afterward. However, Renee did not express anything else, merely holding Alicia’s hand as they walked together in the sunlight, in the bustling street, and in Fisher’s gaze.
Looking around, the people of Saint Nali were still busy with their livelihoods. Perhaps the worst they faced was that a family member had passed away, or they had to go through a lawsuit, or they were to divorce their partner.
But overall, everything was still calm. No one knew that a reaper, who intended to annihilate everyone, was awaiting each of them in the not-so-distant future. Only a few who were aware would feel this pressure and tension, yet they found it hard to dissipate in the surrounding ease, having to bear it all alone.
As if rowing against the current, Renee walked far down this road before she smiled and looked at the still somewhat clueless little Alicia, asking her,
“Alicia, did you have fun today?”
“Huh? Fun?”
Alicia’s drowsy expression even used an interrogative tone for her answer, which made Renee cover her mouth and chuckle.
After hearing her response, Renee turned back to Fisher with a smile, asking him the same question,
“And you, Lord Fisher?”
“Isn’t that what I should be asking you?”
“Ah, in that case, I need to think it through carefully.”
She spread her five fingers, as if showing off, revealing the silver ring on her middle finger, which also provided the corresponding answer,
“Not bad, thank you for the treat.”
“I’m glad you’re happy, Renee.”
Renee smiled slightly and then continued,
“Then, it’s also time to send you back to the Golden Palace. Don’t forget the task I assigned to you. This matter is crucial. If you don’t want to harm little Alicia with that method, you must hurry and not get wrapped up in things with Elizabeth. Also, be careful with her. I have put all my strength into the plan, but I still feel something strange about Elizabeth. You must be extra cautious, Fisher.”
Even Renee would say this.
“Are you going back to the Spirit Realm next?”
“Yes, and I’m afraid I won’t have many opportunities to observe the real world in the coming time.”
“I’ll be careful, you too.”
Renee made a “humph” sound and raised her arm, as if a strongman squeezing his fist, seemingly trying to prove her strength,
“I have no choice but to let the strongest Renee continue to protect this world in the Spirit Realm.”
Who almost cried just now?
He nodded dully in agreement, but the thoughts in his heart seemed to be seen through by Renee, which made her pout and become displeased, nearly giving the bad man a good lesson with her petite but fierce punches.
“Gurgle!”
But in the end, she did not do anything out of line; she just pointed her finger and led Fisher towards a less crowded place. The further they walked in the direction she led, the more larks gathered on the surrounding walls and gaps between buildings.
Seeing the time was ripe, the group of larks that had been waiting for a long time surged forth, surrounding the space around Fisher and them.
Under the cover of the black and purple feathers of the larks, the sunlight falling from the sky grew dimmer, and in a flash, he felt Renee hand over Alicia’s little hand, which she had been holding, to Fisher, while she herself seemed to step back, becoming somewhat distant.
But Fisher still felt her presence beside him; the touches of those larks were like her touches.
“Tap, tap! Tap, tap!”
In the noisy sound of countless bird wings colliding, Fisher heard her gentle voice again,
“Let’s treat today as if it never happened. I hope I am not the cowardly prince, making excuses for my avoidance even after getting this far.”
“.”
Fisher was about to say something when the nearby larks suddenly flapped their wings and flew away from him, as if Renee had released her embrace. When he opened his eyes again, the scene before him had shifted to the courtyard outside Elizabeth’s chamber in the Golden Palace.
“Ugh.”
Renee didn’t like farewell; she always preferred to leave quietly like this, while little Alicia was left dizzy by this sudden transition, leaning against Fisher.
Emhart flew up to Fisher’s shoulder, glanced at the sky’s twilight, and recalling they hadn’t heard the last chime from the Golden Palace yet, he couldn’t help but sigh in relief,
“Perfect landing, perfect landing. Oh dear, I thought I would be chased around the Golden Palace by that madwoman with a sword as soon as I got back. It seems she hasn’t returned yet, thank goodness. Our appointment with that maid is also about time. She should come to fetch us soon, and it shouldn’t expose us. Tonight, you’ll be relying on your charm!”
Fisher shot a glance at the caustic Emhart. If Elizabeth heard him calling her a “madwoman,” he might end up getting a hole opened in his square body.
“You all go ahead. I need to go back and tidy up the chamber. Renee came by, so I’m afraid there will be a scent left behind.”
Emhart looked at Fisher with admiration and muttered,
“It’s all you.”
In fact, the larks had almost dissipated the scent when Renee left. Fisher only said this because he wanted to be alone for a while to reflect on the day’s events.
“Flattering. And be careful with that Diane. Things are turbulent now; Alicia is critical, and you must not leave her side.”
“Leave it to me. By the way—”
Emhart, who was about to fly back onto Alicia’s shoulder, hesitated at the last moment, turned to Fisher and asked,
“That suggestion Renee mentioned earlier may be genuine; she is indeed scared. Although I don’t know how to say this, if it really comes to that, you should prepare early. The girls you know each have their respective responsibilities and ties. It may be unlikely for her to leave without a care. Just take care of yourself!”
“Yeah.”
Indeed, upon reflection, Raphael had her mother, the Dragon Court, Jasmine had her parents, Valentina had the Parasol Tree, Alagina had her sisters from the Kingdom of Sardinia, Eil and Hela were still sealed in the Demon Dynasty, and Elizabeth was also the Empress of Nali.
How could he persuade them to throw everything away and run?
After sending Alicia and Emhart away, Fisher felt his body become quite heavy. He slowly pushed open the dark door of Elizabeth’s chamber and sat down on the sofa where Renee had previously sat, trying to untangle the mess in his mind.
But apart from the things he had to accomplish immediately, he felt somewhat pessimistic about the future, not knowing if Renee thought the same way.
He sighed, trying to calm himself, forcing himself not to think of these pessimistic matters and the escape suggested by Renee.
Sometimes, once an escape excuse is found, that excuse will haunt the will to move forward like a ghost. Leaving a way out for everything is a good habit, but under extreme conditions, one must take the plunge without alternatives.
Leaning back against the soft sofa, a moment later, a pleasant fragrance wafted into his nose.
He froze slightly, quickly realizing something and opening his eyes, but the next moment, a pair of hands like iron clamps seized his arms, forcing him to lean back closely to the sofa, maintaining his previous position.
Fisher swallowed hard, tilting his head to look at Elizabeth, who had been in the dark waiting for who knows how long, her eyes bright like luminous pearls.
She gazed intently at Fisher, her face wearing a dangerous smile, asking in a tone that was mockingly sweet,
“Where have you been, my Fisher?”
“.”
Elizabeth extended her finger, gliding it lightly up his neck like a hair, passing over his Adam’s apple and chin before finally landing on his lips, as if she wanted to gently pry them open,
“Be good, behave, tell me, and there’s a reward~”
“. Elizabeth, when did you come back?”
“Oh, you want to know when I came back to judge if I found evidence of you trying to escape, and then make up a suitable reason to deceive me?”
“How could that be? I was just worried about whether you were tired from working all day.”
The smile on Elizabeth’s face gradually faded until it became expressionless. Her finger gently stroked Fisher’s lips, and her tone shifted from inquiry to certainty,
“Fisher, you, must have left the Golden Palace this afternoon. It couldn’t be, with another woman, right?”
“.”
In such a situation, the usual Fisher would have panicked, but for some reason, after spending time with Renee, perhaps because he had just been intensely thinking about the Apocalypse Prophecy, he was now terrifyingly calm and could easily discern critical information from Elizabeth’s words.
First, she didn’t have any evidence of his departure from the Golden Palace; second, she didn’t have any evidence of him going out with Renee.
Upon thinking, it was quite simple. Due to the secret blessing, only she could detect Fisher, which meant her previously sent monitoring mechanism couldn’t see Fisher himself.
When Renee came, she had disrupted the mechanisms above the Golden Palace. Inside the chamber, Fisher had just arrived, and Elizabeth hadn’t had time to set up the monitoring mechanism, which led to her allowing Fisher to slip away without noticing.
But Elizabeth would definitely suspect, as they usually had an unspoken connection. With just a few words, she had unraveled the real situation.
So how should this situation be handled?
Of course, it called for a compromise.
If Fisher said he hadn’t gone out and had always stayed in the Golden Palace, Elizabeth absolutely wouldn’t believe him and would only become more suspicious; directly admitting he had gone out with another woman, seen a play, and given her a ring, then immediately face repercussions would obviously not work.
Thus, the key was that Fisher had to admit he left the Golden Palace but absolutely did not go out with another woman. Furthermore, he needed a plausible reason for leaving the Golden Palace.
The next second, Fisher sighed and honestly admitted,
“I’m sorry, I did indeed go out of the Golden Palace this afternoon.”
Elizabeth continued to smile, her conjecture becoming reality, causing her inner agitation to increase.
It seemed this wouldn’t do. Then she would have to consider locking Fisher away entirely.
“But I didn’t go out with any woman. If that were the case, shouldn’t I have left Nali with Valentina?”
Elizabeth froze for a moment, her emotions slightly calming, but she still reached out to poke his lips, saying,
“. Don’t mention the names of other women.”
Fisher blinked and had to continue explaining,
“I went out this time just to see how Lady Martha was doing. When I came to Nali before, I was worried about not making it to Heilson’s funeral, so I didn’t get to see if Lady Martha was okay.”
Elizabeth looked at Fisher, her inner emotions calming considerably once again, but her words were still sharp,
“This kind of matter—”
“This kind of matter is just for you, right? But it would have to wait until who knows when, and it’s gotta be with you. I also need to return to the Golden Palace, and she could probably guess I can’t come and go freely from the Golden Palace. Given her age, I didn’t really get to take a good look.”
Hearing this, Elizabeth certainly understood it was her own limitations that restricted his freedom. Although it was unavoidable, how could she keep him completely to herself? What if he decided to leave again?
However, this didn’t prevent her from feeling a little guilty.
Her previously dangerous expression softened even more, transforming the hand that poked Fisher’s lips into one that gently caressed his cheek. After pausing for a moment, she comforted,
“It’s fine, I will let you go free once everything stabilizes, Fisher, truly. But until then, you still sneaked out of the Golden Palace behind my back, and you must be punished.”
“Punished?”
“Yes, punished.”
Elizabeth chuckled, and under her remarkably conspicuous golden eyes in the darkness, her smile seemed to fall into a shadow.
She glanced at the room’s clock, looking somewhat distressed as she said,
“What should we do? Mealtime is coming up soon; it wouldn’t do to skip dinner, but I’m so eager to eat you first, Fisher.”
“Ah, got it!”
She clapped her hands together, suddenly bursting with inspiration, her eyes sparkling as they looked at Fisher as though expecting a delightful feast,
“The punishment is to place food on Fisher’s body, and then both you and dinner become my meal, right?”
“.”
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