Chapter 187: Sincerity

The night had grown deep, and the bedchamber she was in was no different.

After closing the windows, drawing the curtains, and refilling the magic power in the room’s magic stone lamp stand, the maids withdrew.

The night lights gave off an exceptionally soft glow.

If Lian wanted to extinguish them and sleep, all she had to do was recite the spell the maids had taught her—but she wasn’t ready to sleep yet.

The communication pearl still showed no response, and she kept her ears pricked for any movement outside the door.

She did not lie down. She sat on the bed, stroking the pearl on her wrist.

Outside the door, only the sound of regular footsteps… clearly the guard knights.

It seemed they would be on duty all night long.

Just as Lian was listening to the sound drawing nearer and thinking of a countermeasure, the regular footsteps were suddenly disrupted.

Someone ran urgently down the corridor toward this bedchamber.

‘I thought it was about time… if what that guy said was true,’ Lian thought. She lifted her head and looked toward the door.

The door was opened by the maids waiting quietly at the palace entrance—the person who appeared was Sainiyong.

“Leave us.”

She casually ordered the maid who had opened the door.

The maids who had been waiting all night at the bedchamber door quickly retreated.

Before leaving, they closed the palace door, leaving the queen and her honored guest alone in the room.

Sainiyong stepped inside. She casually slipped off her magnificent outer robe, then removed the thorn crown from her head, the symbol of sovereignty.

She undid her hair clasp, letting her long hair, shimmering in the soft light, fall naturally onto her shoulders.

Then she approached the bed. Her expression as she looked at Lian carried a hint of emotion that had not yet settled.

“Did I disturb your rest?” she asked.

“No. Judging by your look… were you just finishing up official business? You must be tired. Sit down and rest for a while.”

Lian looked at her directly, then patted the edge of her bed.

Sainiyong’s heart leaped with joy at Lian’s attitude.

She tried to calm her violently pounding heart and sat down on the bed.

“Ever since we started cooperating with humans, there really have been many matters I need to handle personally… Though it is tiring, it is certainly much better than that time.”

Lian knew what “that time” meant—the days when Fenglin City was besieged by the Spirit Demon Duke’s army.

The Spirit Demon Duke, seizing the Fairy King’s death, planned to take the capital of the Sea of Trees in one fell swoop.

During those days, she and Vera had remained in the city, leading the troops inside Fenglin City to fight against the attacking demon army.

And Sainiyong, as a member of the royal family, mobilized mages among the commoners and nobles, patching up the barriers and defenses shattered by high-level spells.

During the barrier repairs, Sainiyong had fainted several times from mana depletion… Even with more government affairs, it couldn’t be more stressful than that time.

And now she was the queen… She must have countless ministers and officers to assist her.

Yet even then, she was still handling affairs late into the night—that could only mean one thing.

“You are a diligent king, Sainiyong.”

It was an admiring exclamation. Hearing the praise, Sainiyong’s face brightened even more.

She took one of Lian’s hands and said, “Actually, I usually finish even later. The reason I could make time today is that I couldn’t stand not seeing you…”

Lian did not pull her hand away… but she did not return the grip.

She looked quietly at Sainiyong, as if trying to confirm whether the joy in her eyes was real.

“Sainiyong… Do you like me?”

Her sudden, direct question made Sainiyong pause for a moment… but she quickly responded.

She held Lian’s hand tightly and said, “Yes. I like you very much… I think even ‘love’ would not be an exaggeration.”

“Do you like me to the point of defying moral principles to be with me? Do you love me enough to even try to confine me here, wanting me to stay by your side?”

“…Are you angry?”

The sudden shift in atmosphere changed Sainiyong’s expression.

“I am being confined by you,” Lian emphasized. “Can anyone in the world be happy being treated like this? If I were truly your husband… if we had children, and another woman suddenly wanted me to abandon you and our child for her, what would you think?”

Sainiyong lowered her head. But Lian did not let her off, continuing earnestly, “I did this for you. I did it so you wouldn’t have to suffer anymore.”

“The Sainiyong I know is that intelligent, strong woman who can stabilize a situation even in despair and sorrow, making clear judgments and decisions… She never places personal emotions above the safety of the nation, nor does she avoid the pain she must face.”

Lian saw Sainiyong’s eyelashes tremble lightly.

“Sainiyong… Think carefully. Why are you so fixated to this extent? Could it be that you’ve come into contact with something, and it has controlled your thoughts?”

Hearing her words, Sainiyong indeed felt a moment of hesitation.

She recalled the elders’ hushed discussions in her childhood about the relationship between her great-grandmother and the Second Hero, and remembered the inexplicable, restless anxiety she felt in front of the Giant Tree Watching the Continent.

But that brief hesitation was soon drowned by a stronger emotional tide.

“…You doubt that my feelings are genuine?”

“Sainiyong…”

“That’s enough.”

This time, she lifted her head and looked into Lian’s eyes with a firm gaze.

“Do you think I can’t distinguish my own feelings? On the wedding day, I personally ordered the recall of all elven guests, including Iyue. I once thought it was just a rumor—until your letter reached my hands.”

The sorrow in her eyes was now fully visible. “During the days we fought side by side, you never told me about that woman… about that duchess.”

“I sent you and Iyue away and waited for you to return from the battlefield. And the moment you came back, you married in a hurry… Then I heard that you abandoned that woman and vanished to some unknown place.”

“I know that while your wounds heal quickly, the pain still makes your eyes well up and your face twist in agony.”

She looked directly at Lian, her voice firm and clear. “But I know you are not that kind of person. When you make a promise, you see it through to the very end, even unto death. You proved that when you fulfilled your promise to my father. Some say you loved your free life and that was why you set out traveling again… But I know better.”

“You risked your life to protect me—a perfect stranger. How could I not love you? How could this love not be my own?”

Lian did not avoid this outpouring of emotion… because it was so sincere.

It was then that Lian realized that neither the short days of their escape nor the weeks fighting the demon army attack in Fenglin City had truly allowed him to understand the woman before him.

Passion and fragility intertwined in her golden eyes.

“I am sorry.”

Sainiyong’s eyes suddenly lit up.

“I apologize for not coming to the Sea of Trees myself to explain everything. Refusing a royal engagement should not be conveyed through a letter alone.”

But Lian’s next words left no room for fantasy. “That is why I cannot accept your love… precisely because the person you love is someone like me, I have no choice but to refuse you.”

She raised a hand to press against her chest, returning Sainiyong’s gaze with equal firmness.

“I love my wife, and I love my child. That love is my vow, my promise. As you said… I will guard it until the end of my life.”

A long silence fell over the bedchamber.

Sainiyong closed her eyes. Only after a long while did she speak again. “I will no longer force you to respond to my feelings.”

Her voice carried evident exhaustion, “But I will still protect you… I cannot let you, without mana as you are now, do dangerous things.”

Then she let go of Lian’s hand, rose, and walked toward the door.

“I will investigate the demon race for you. I will also try to obtain the relic held by the Nelf Family to break the seal on you. When everything is over, I will let you leave.”

“So please stay a little longer, my hero… by my side.”

She gently closed the door, and the room fell silent again.

Lian then flopped onto the bed, burying her face in the soft pillow.

Seated on the bed, torn with conflicting emotions, Lian rubbed her head and muttered, “I’m such a scumbag…!”

A moment later, the door was pushed open gently again.

A maid entered carrying a tray. But her steps were too steady, her bearing unlike a true servant’s.

Once the door closed, the person lifted their head and removed the veiled headdress.

“So the queen sister came…?” The one speaking in a low voice was Alvin, disguised as a maid.

He placed the tray on the side table and inquired through the bed curtains.

“I’ll tell you the conclusion directly.”

Lian pulled her face out of the pillow.

She lifted the bed curtains and said to Alvin, “I don’t think your sister is affected by whatever curse you mentioned… In my eyes, her feelings, everything she is, is real.”