Tap tap tap tap tap——
“…What is this?”
After much hesitation, Lian finally decided to ask Feiyin, who was sitting beside her, the question that had been on her mind since earlier.
“Are you referring to the vehicle we’re riding in? Lady Sephy and the Duchess call it a ‘Steam Car.'”
Feiyin answered her while skillfully maneuvering the steering wheel, turning the vehicle they were riding along the wide roads of Honglian Palace.
Judging by how at ease she looked, she must have passed some kind of licensing exam for this…
Wait, no. It should have only been sixteen years, right?
Lian felt a bit lost. Did Sephy make this thing too?
In the sixteen years she had been gone, had Sephy pushed Aitixila’s technology tree ahead by several centuries all by herself?
“You’re quite surprised, aren’t you? Who would’ve thought there’d be a means of transportation that doesn’t need horses and is even faster than a carriage?”
“Yeah… I’m really surprised. But why didn’t I see anything like this on the streets when I was in the city before?”
“That’s because this invention hasn’t been widely adopted yet. The one we’re riding in is just a prototype Lady Sephy keeps inside the palace. Listen, don’t you think the boiler is getting louder and louder?”
“It really is.”
“That means the Fire Magic Stone used for heating isn’t very stable. Who knows when it might explode.”
“I’m getting out!”
Fortunately, this was just another of the sharp-tongued head maid’s jokes.
In the end, the crackling car returned safely to Youlin Courtyard.
Feiyin parked the vehicle in a garage-like space beside the Shed Pavilion, then led her to a quiet spot in the garden.
“From here, please go ahead on your own. The Duchess is waiting for you just up ahead… I’ll be here waiting.”
Feiyin stopped at the beginning of a secluded path, clearly not intending to guide her any further.
So, Lian had no choice but to follow her instructions and walk alone down the path, deeper into the garden.
As she walked, she saw a small pavilion. And inside that pavilion, someone was waiting for her.
That was a red hue that, from the first moment she saw it, had left a mark on her heart for a lifetime.
As soon as she saw Lian approaching, her eyes revealed the same gentle, tender smile as always.
Lian was almost dizzy. Why had she run away from her that day?
Even if time had changed her appearance and temperament, some things would never change.
“Hello. This isn’t the first time we’ve met, is it?”
Meliya, Meliya, Meliya——
Just two days apart felt like a lifetime to her. Lian wanted nothing more than to keep calling her name, just to confirm her existence. But given her current identity, she couldn’t do that.
“Greeting, Duchess… I was just too nervous then. I never expected to meet the Duke there.”
“Hehehe, I didn’t take it to heart. Don’t just stand there, come, sit down. You’ve been working all day—you must be hungry. I’ve prepared some refreshments.”
Meliya gently beckoned to her, indicating she should sit at the tea table in the pavilion.
On the table were several tiered stands filled with exquisite pastries, and a fine set of white porcelain tea ware.
“…Thank you, Duchess.”
There was already a cup of steaming hot black tea poured for Lian.
Was the scene before her something to long for or something unfamiliar?
Pondering this, Lian sat down stiffly like a machine, raised the teacup, and brought it to her lips.
“Cough cough cough… It’s so hot!”
“Don’t rush. The tea was just poured. But if you’re thirsty, I have cold drinks too.”
Meliya took out another cup and poured cold brew tea from a different pot for Lian.
Lian hurriedly took it, then downed it all in one gulp in her panic. Seeing this, Meliya couldn’t help but laugh.
“You really are just like him. I remember the first time I had him over to my house, he was just as flustered as you. Hard to believe it’s been nineteen years already…”
Her sigh made Lian tremble all over. Had she been found out?
“May I ask…who is this ‘him’ you’re referring to?”
“You really are a sly one. You should know exactly who I’m talking about, shouldn’t you?”
Meliya suddenly looked at her with plaintive eyes. The speed of her shift from joy to sadness caught Lian off guard.
“I hope this doesn’t offend or trouble you, but there are some things I have to ask you.”
Lian had a feeling—her gaze seemed to become a shackle. Under those eyes, lying or dodging the question was hopeless wishful thinking.
“…As long as it’s something I can answer, I won’t hide it from you.”
“You’re his child, aren’t you?”
“No!”
Lian denied it flatly.
“Then what are you to him?”
“…”
“If you know who I’m talking about, it’s impossible you have nothing to do with him. Silence is useless, you know?”
“I want to tell you…but may I ask you something first?”
“Ask whatever you wish.”
“Could you forgive him? After he’s been gone for so long?”
Lian knew this was an incredibly shameless question. But under Meliya’s gaze, she could no longer suppress her longing for an answer.
She couldn’t keep it up much longer. What was the point of hiding her identity anymore?
The person she loved most was right before her, yet she couldn’t call her name, couldn’t touch her.
What exactly was she afraid of? Was it the duel with Vera, or the fear that her current body wouldn’t be accepted by Meliya?
“I could. As long as he comes back to me, no matter what he’s done, no matter what he’s become, I don’t care.”
Meliya’s answer was resolute. She didn’t even pause to think. In her eyes and words, overflowing with infinite tenderness and sorrow, Lian felt her heart shatter and scatter.
“I—”
Even if Vera cuts me down, it doesn’t matter anymore.
I am Lian. I’ve come to see you. You’ve suffered so much these years. These words were on the tip of her tongue—
“I care!”
Lian’s heart almost stopped. From the bushes surrounding the pavilion came a girl’s loud cry. It was a voice she had only just heard earlier today.
She… why is she here?
“Milin… Why are you here? How long have you been listening?”
Meliya seemed surprised by her daughter’s appearance too. But Milin didn’t explain. She just glared at Lian, pouring out all her pent-up feelings:
“Forgive him? Do you know how many times Mother has cried because of him? Do you know how many times, during my training, Teacher Vera would mumble his name without realizing it? Do you know Teacher Sephy, Sister Iyue, Aunt Linxi, and the others—”
“Milin! That’s enough!”
Meliya’s stern rebuke cut off Milin’s outburst.
The girl looked at her mother’s suddenly cold face with an expression of disbelief, and the tears welling in her eyes finally overflowed—
“Mother, you’re a big idiot!”
After saying this, she left a heavy silence behind for the two still sitting in the pavilion, and ran with all her might down the path that led out of the garden.
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