"You're here," said Elizabeth.

"My son's child will soon be born, so it's natural for me to witness his birth. To the contrary, I'm very surprised to see you here. What, have you humans forsaken your selfish desires, allowing you, the ruler of the empire, to leave?" asked Vyvyan.

Elizabeth smiled. She placed the bottle of wine and two gla.s.ses onto the table. Vyvyan picked up the bottle of wine and examined it. She frowned: "Are you trying to get me drunk, and then kill me?"

"I'd need to be able to get you drunk, first. Vyvyan, I know how well you hold your liquor. We once drank underneath the tree, and then we fought in the end."

Elizabeth opened the bottle of wine and handed Vyvyan a full gla.s.ses of wine. Vyvyan took it, and then looked at the wine inside. She revealed a faint smile and said, "Answer the question I initially asked you before we drink. How did you manage to come here? I thought you couldn't come."

"My son's child will soon be born, so it's natural for me to witness his child's birth."

Elizabeth repeated Vyvyan's response, and then sat down next to her. They gently clinked gla.s.ses then exchanged a smile before finis.h.i.+ng their drinks in one go. Without Troy, the two of them were very, very good friends. They almost killed each other on the battlefield in the past. Still, they were able to sit together and share a drink. The two of them weren't fighting for Troy at the moment. The two of them wanted to raise the new to-be-born children.

Vyvyan said, "Be honest, how long can you stay for? It'd be a miracle for you to be able to stay until his child is born, right? I feel a bit sorry for you. You didn't get to see my son grow up in the past, and now you still won't get to watch your grandchild grow up. I honestly feel you're a little pitiable."

"I don't need your sympathy for this." Elizabeth placed her gla.s.s of wine down. She picked up the bottle of wine again and refilled their gla.s.ses without any expression: "I want to stay by Nier's side, as well. I'd like to take her away from here if possible. I want to take her back to Hilles City. The North has just settled. I can provide the chid with the best things at Hilles City whether it's food or education. I can provide my grandchild with everything."

Vyvyan covered her long elven ears and shook her head: "Don't tell me about this. If you were Troy, I would have countless things to respond to you with, but Nier's child has nothing to do with me. Her child may be one of my grandkids, but I have no feelings of intimacy for a human to speak of. I only consider Lucia's child and my child to be my children."

Vyvyan had a drink and went on: "You don't need to tell me if you want to take the child away. I won't say anything. You need to tell my son. It's his child. You need to ask him and Nier for their permission. What can you do if they refuse? Could you s.n.a.t.c.h their child? You're right in that this place isn't as nice as Hilles City with all those resources; however, this is their home. This is where they live. This place is the same as Troy City. Do you think they'd let their child leave them for so-called food and resources?"

Elizabeth tightened her grip on her cla.s.s of wine. She fell into a long silence. Vyvyan sighed before going on: "Elizabeth, when you chose your nation, you chose to forsake your life. You left Onii-sama, which meant that you married yourself to your nation. Therefore, you have to prioritise the nation over yourself in every facet. While it was a shame you didn't get to see your son grow up, it's your life. It's the life you chose."

Elizabeth finished the strong wine in her gla.s.s in one shot. Perhaps the wine caused her to cough. She wiped the tears at the corners of her eyes. She looked at Vyvyan as she coughed as though she wanted to say something but at the same time didn't. Vyvyan watched her with a hint of sympathy in her gaze, but more so calmness.

As Vyvyan said, Elizabeth chose that life. She chose to return to her nation. She chose to establish a nation with power wielded by a single individual. She collected all the hope and power of the nation onto her shoulder. That resulted in a nation that developed rapidly, bringing her infinite glory and respect. Nevertheless, that locked up her entire life, at the same time. She wore the crown for too long that it became a part of her.

After a long silence and after lots of coughing, Elizabeth raised her head up: "Vyvyan."

Vyvyan asked, "What's wrong?"

"I want to know how your child with my son is doing."

"The child is doing very well. More precisely, the child is developing normally inside Lucia's stomach. Our child will be the next ruler of the Galadriel tribe once he or she born. Our child's mana is also superb. Our child certainly is an imperial family member with pure blood. There'll be no problem controlling the elves."

Vyvyan glanced at Elizabeth. She then cut her off before the latter could speak: "Give up. It's impossible for you. I'm an elf; therefore, I can do it. The main reason it's plausible for us is because we're combining our mana. You, on the other hand, are a human. You're already over thirty, aren't you? You want to copy me? Forget it, Elizabeth. You can't use that method."

Elizabeth lingered for a moment then revealed a tinge of disappoint. She responded in a soft voice: "Can't I…? I feel that you are very blissful right now. I want to feel blissful, too… Why can't I…? Even at my age…"

"You can't. You can't ruin my son's reputation. I can do so, as I can avoid letting others know, but you can't. What would it be considered? What would you humans consider it? You want to ruin your child and my child's reputation? Give up."

Vyvyan raised her gla.s.s up and peered at the wine inside. She continued on in a soft voice: "I believe that there are some things you want to do, but you're fated to not be able to act on them. Elizabeth, how about entrusting my son with your hope? Troy is a very persistent child, and he's very smart now. How about you tell him? If you want to stay and look after my son, tell him."

"He told me that he'd destroy my bird cage for me, but he probably won't be able to. I hope he can, but my cage… isn't that easy to destroy."

"You have to believe in him despite that. You must know that while a cage is st.u.r.dy, it's bound to eventually break. The key is whether the person who wants to destroy it possesses the determination to see it through or not."

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