Volume 4, Chapter 80 – The Grudge of Two Fathers

Leaving those words behind, Fia walked straight out of the inn Clark had rented.

Although he had deliberately chosen a hidden location when selecting the inn, one that would have been difficult for even the Imperial Guard to find in a short time, the Eldest Princess had more than just her public identity; she also controlled the parts of Blossom that could not see the light of day. Since he had rented the inn through the black market, all it had taken was for Erin Slate, in her capacity as “Ames,” a subordinate of Thanatos, to make a small inquiry to easily find his address.

In terms of operational efficiency, the people of the black market were actually more effective than the Imperial Guard. When the Guard made a mistake, they were judged by the law. When the people of the black market made a mistake, there were often only two outcomes: being killed quietly, or being killed in public.

As for the reason Fia had sought out Clark, it was naturally as she had told him at the beginning: to resolve the grievances left behind by the previous generation. She wanted to know what had happened in the past and was unwilling to let the mistakes drag on. Whether for Yelido or for Clark, once the matter came to a close, both sides could be liberated.

She walked out the door, and a gust of wind and snow immediately hit her in the face from the open corridor. In order not to let the snowflakes pour down her collar, Fia used [Airflow Control] to change the direction of the wind. Although it was still autumn in Blossom, the streets were already covered in a layer of snow several centimeters thick. Due to the difficulty of travel, the morning streets below were deserted, and the city, which spread out in layers into the distance, was extremely quiet.

Abruptly, Fia felt a warmth on her face. She tilted her head. It was Claire, who had quietly pressed her warm palm to her cheek. A gentle smile hung on her face.

“Your face is frozen red,”

Fia wanted to say something, but didn’t know what was appropriate. She just reached out and gently pressed Claire’s hand, bringing it a little closer to herself. Due to the sub-zero temperature, Claire had also changed from her thin long dress to a winter dress with a white fur hem. It had a good warming effect and did not look bulky at all. In addition, this winter dress was also a gradient of dark color, so at first glance, it looked as if she hadn’t changed clothes.

She didn’t know how many identical dresses Claire had. But with [Cleanse] magic, perhaps people in this world didn’t need to change clothes at all? Although it would be fine in practice, it just felt a little strange somewhere.

As Fia was thinking this, Clark finally came out.

Fia let go of Claire’s hand and turned around. For some reason, the werewolf woman, Chiharu, had not come out with him. The only person standing at the door was the disheveled Clark, dressed in simple, single-layered clothes. His messy blue hair and the melancholy that could not be hidden in his eyes, if not for his straight posture, would have made it impossible to see that he was a mid-Sixth-Rank warrior. At first glance, he looked like a drunkard.

He did not fully trust Fia. His azure eyes, so similar to Anastasia’s, were full of vigilance, and he carefully observed his surroundings from the corner of his eye.

How pathetic.

It would be difficult for anyone to look up to the current Clark. But Fia could vaguely feel that he was not originally like this. At their first meeting, when he did not know her identity, he had been a warm-hearted and capable adventurer, and was even somewhat handsome. The Clark that Veronica and Chiharu liked should have been that version, not the current one.

Clark soon confirmed that there was no one else here. The vigilance in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a touch of hesitation. He couldn’t figure out her true intentions for coming here.

“Are we going to talk here? We can go to the empty room next door. No one is there. I just have to tell the landlord afterwards. It’s better than staying in the snow.” At this, Clark looked away, his voice a little lower. “Thank you for bringing Ana over… I’ve thought a lot these past few days. It was my fault in the carriage last time. I didn’t know you had lost your memory… no, even if you hadn’t, I shouldn’t have shouted like that. You and Yelido are two different people. I’m sorry. I hope you can forgive me.”

“You already apologized in the carriage.”

“This time is different from that time.” To say such words to a little girl—especially the daughter of Yelido—clearly touched his pride. His tone and expression were quite difficult, but he still lowered his head and arms and said with shame, “That time, I was apologizing to you because of Ana. Now, it is because I have realized my own mistake… I didn’t control my emotions then. I made a fool of myself in front of you.”

He actually had such thoughts?

Fia looked at the slumped Clark, who was like a deflated ball. A hint of surprise appeared in her red eyes. She had indeed thought that he was not as bad as he appeared on the surface, but she had not expected that he would apologize to the daughter of the person who had destroyed his family. After all, in the carriage, he had cursed her as Veronica’s stain.

From this point alone, he had surpassed Yelido. Her own father still had not given Anastasia a pleasant look, while Clark had distinguished between her and Yelido as different people.

Of course, this was also because what the princess and Anastasia had done was different. As she had realized long ago, different experiences would lead different people to give different answers to the same choice. The princess had saved Anastasia’s and his life, and had had a huge fight with Yelido because of it. This had planted the seed for his change of heart. If Anastasia had also done something to save Yelido and the princess’s life, he might also have changed his attitude towards her.

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Fia’s opinion of this man had changed a little. There are many people in the world who can understand that they have done something wrong, but there are very few who understand that they have done something wrong and then find the other person to sincerely apologize. Not everyone can swallow their pride like that.

She first glanced at Anastasia, who had a complicated expression, then waved her hand.

“I forgive you. Although what you said at that time was very harsh, it was also within my expectations. Let’s just write it off.”

For his wife to be snatched away, and to have to endure for a hundred years, and then to suddenly see the daughter of his enemy, it was normal to be furious. Of course, it was also very pathetic.

Clark still had his head lowered. He said nothing. Fia sighed and reminded him.

“You’ve finally seen your daughter. Are you planning to go out dressed like this? Don’t let people laugh at you. Tidy yourself up properly. I still have some time. Don’t tell me you were dressed this shabbily when you first met Veronica.”

“Go out? I have a Sinner’s Mark on my face.”

“I’m not going to let you parade through the streets. Just to a clean and safe place.”

“…Alright.”

Knowing that his appearance was not presentable, Clark agreed with a complicated expression. He closed the door, told Chiharu to go back to her own room, and then washed and changed at the fastest speed.

In just a few short minutes, he, now in a clean swordsman’s uniform, opened the door again. Although his expression was still filled with an irresolvable melancholy, the dirt on his face and hair was gone, and his features were much clearer. Coupled with his neat long sleeves and leggings, his complexion was like that of a steady and powerful swordsman in his thirties. He was the type of man that was hard to forget after just one look.

Fia couldn’t help but feel that this was his original appearance.

Without expressing her thoughts, she just put on her hood and walked straight to the stairs.

“Follow me.”

The journey was silent.

This building was a place where the owner hid criminals. In order to be able to escape at a critical moment, there were naturally secret doors and alleys leading to other places. Fia followed the route in her memory and passed through various inconspicuous rooms, soon arriving at a deep alley covered in snow, without a single footprint. After walking for a while longer, she led Clark into a luxurious mansion through a back door.

The cold that felt like it would freeze one’s nose quickly faded, replaced by a faint scent of perfume and a warmth that flowed through the body.

Fia sat down on a sofa that felt like it could swallow half of her body and pointed to the one opposite.

“Sit.”

“…You even know a place like this.”

Clark looked around. No matter how you looked at it, this luxurious mansion was located in the heavily guarded noble district, a place that he, with his Sinner’s Mark, would have difficulty entering.

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This kind of secret mansion was just one of Thanatos’s countless properties. Those merchants and nobles who coveted the huge underground industry of Blossom and thus tried to harm him would eventually become a part of his assets.

Fia had no obligation to tell him this. She asked Anastasia to close the door and prevent anyone from eavesdropping, and then cut straight to the chase.

“I’ll be direct. How do you plan to get Veronica out?”

Clark frowned.

“Why are you asking this?”

“To resolve the grievances of the past.”

I need a more specific answer.

Clark thought this in his heart, but did not ask directly. The current him was not the irrational him from when he had first seen her. He already understood that she meant him no harm. However, the faint sense of distrust in his heart still made him feel resentful. His gaze fell on the silver-haired woman beside her. This woman had always given him a faint sense of danger. He asked, as if casually.

“Who is she?”

“My lover.”

“Lover?”

Clark almost shot up from the sofa. No matter how you looked at it, this silver-haired woman was human. He, of all people, knew how deep the elf discrimination against humans was. In the past, the upper nobles of the Elf Kingdom had supported Yelido in taking Veronica back precisely because they looked down on him. Now, for Yelido’s daughter to marry a human woman as queen consort was undoubtedly a slap in the face to him and the many nobles. He would never agree to it.

Fia raised her fine eyebrows slightly.

“Don’t make that expression. This is the fact. And my father has already agreed.”

Because it was so incredible, Clark let out a sneer.

“Heh. With that man’s stubbornness, it’s impossible for him to allow his own daughter to be with a human. You should find a more believable reason for your joke.”

“Elves look down on humans because they are not strong enough. If one has sufficient strength, they can break this discrimination. My father was indeed, as you said, against me being with Claire at the beginning. But he had a fight with her, and then he agreed.”

Fia glanced at him. As his expression was filled with disbelief, she added another sentence.

“Claire won.”

“Impossible!”

“Believe it or not. Just because you can’t do something doesn’t mean others can’t either. I heard from my mother, Yulisha, that in the past, Yelido gave you a chance to duel him, but you ran away. Is that true?”

Fia was skeptical about him running away from the duel. It had been a hundred years since Yelido had taken Veronica away, yet he still hadn’t forgotten her. Not only that, but he had also risked danger to return to Blossom to try and rescue her. This was enough to show his love for her. He shouldn’t have run away. A normal person would have forgotten the other person in three to five years. He had already done a good enough job. It was just that his ability was not enough and his opponent was too strong, which was why he seemed so pathetic. An ordinary person had no strength to fight a king head-on. To have the courage to oppose a king was already very remarkable.

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At this, hatred appeared in Clark’s azure eyes. He clenched his fists and said hatefully.

“That was his arbitrary decision. At that time, I had gone to the capital of the Cold Moon Alliance to seek shelter. The place where he issued the challenge was a five-day journey away. It was impossible for me to arrive at the time he had set. He was deliberately giving outsiders a pretext!”

“No. I don’t think he is the type to play tricks. This is just a misunderstanding between you two. In his eyes, he was giving you a chance by dueling you with Veronica. And you did not accept it, so you became a coward. It’s that simple.”

“You would think that because you—”

Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly stopped. Fia shrugged and finished his sentence for him.

“Because I am his daughter, so I am protecting him, is that right?”

“…I didn’t say that.”

“But that’s what you were thinking just now.”

“I’m sorry. It was subconscious…”

As if he felt exceptionally ashamed, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his body shrunk slightly.

Although it was good that he knew how to apologize, to always be apologizing was also annoying. If you know it’s wrong, you shouldn’t do it from the beginning. Fia let out a light breath.

“Hah, I’m not here to argue with you. The reason I asked about the past is because only by understanding it can we resolve the grievances. When I brought you back from the Land of Exile, did you not explain these problems to him? If you feel unwilling, then just challenge him to a duel again and prove yourself.”

“He had already become the king by then, with the blessing of the Holy Tree. Who could defeat him? Let alone me at that time, even the current me would be no match for him. I must stay alive to save Veronica.”

It sounded like an excuse for his cowardice, but to know when to advance and when to retreat was also a kind of wisdom. In the situation where he couldn’t be sure that Yelido would spare him if he lost the duel, to stay alive was clearly more important.

“Then how do you plan to save her now?”

“First, I’ll figure out the changing of the guard pattern of the Imperial Guard, and then sneak in when their defense is weak and secretly take her out.”

“There are so many gates in the Royal Castle. How can you just brazenly take her out? Don’t tell me this is your plan, or do you have another trump card? Like creating a commotion and sneaking in during the chaos.”

Being hit right on the mark by Fia, Clark’s expression froze, but he quickly adjusted it.

Fia did not dwell on this question. She continued to ask.

“Can you tell me the full story of what happened in the past?”

“…”

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This question was much easier to answer than the previous sharp ones. He pulled back his upper body, which had been leaning forward due to his emotions, sat up straight, and took a deep breath.

Although the result was extremely twisted, the beginning of the story of Clark, Veronica, and Yelido was as ordinary as a common love story.

Generally, Veronica and Yelido had grown up together, and she held an admiration for him like that for an older brother. And he, in turn, had mistaken this admiration for the feelings between lovers, thinking that she, like him, held a love for him, her older brother. So, imperceptibly, he had come to believe that the two of them were truly in love and would naturally become husband and wife in the future.

If Clark had not appeared, this story would indeed have ended with their marriage. But during a diplomatic mission to the Alfrieg Kingdom, a branch appeared in this story.

In the process of the visit, she had met Clark, who was responsible for her safety. This was the first time she had been in close contact with a human. In addition, Yelido had been overly protective of her in the past, which had led to her rarely interacting with men. So when she had met him, she had naturally held a great curiosity for this male.

And he had also secretly admired the beautiful, gentle, and innocent Veronica. Although their starting points were different, with both of them being interested in each other and interacting frequently, she had gradually realized that the admiration for an older brother and the love for a lover were two different feelings. She had mistakenly taken the former for the latter in the past. In fact, she had not held any feelings for him beyond that of a sibling. So she had secretly brought Clark back to Silvar and had explained the matter to Yelido.

The result was predictable. He did not accept this explanation. He had long seen the two of them as a match made in heaven. He believed that it was Clark who had seduced his younger sister that had made her say those words. After that, he wanted to execute him. To avoid the tragedy of him being executed by her admired older brother, she had secretly released him. And he, in turn, had taken the opportunity to sneak her out of the palace.

After that came an endless life of exile.

It was worth mentioning that although the conditions were harsh, they did not find such a life difficult. When they had fled to the southern continent, which was difficult for the forces of the Elf Kingdom to reach, they had settled down in a village and had Anastasia.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. The spies of the founding king of Silvar had finally found their location, and the two of them had had to start their life of exile again. Then came what Clark had said, that he had gone to the Cold Moon Alliance to seek shelter, and Yelido had happened to find Veronica at this time and had challenged him.

However, he had not been able to make it back to her side. Yelido, who had not waited for him, had had to take her back. Later, in order to get her back, he had secretly snuck into the Elf Kingdom, only to be caught by the Imperial Guard, and he and Anastasia were thus exiled.

It should be said that if not for Veronica’s pleading, he and Anastasia would have been executed by the then-founding king. Exile could be considered a lenient treatment.

On the World Tree Continent, this story could be considered full of ups and downs. But Fia was from the Human Alliance and had seen too many artistic creations, so this story seemed unremarkable. She only cared about the result.

In terms of the result, if one were to set aside the concept of arranged marriages by parents on the World Tree Continent, it was indeed her father Yelido’s fault. Veronica and Clark were truly in love. It was he who had one-sidedly thought she liked him and had forcibly separated them, which had led to all of this.

Although he could not provide her with excellent material conditions, the fact that she was the one she loved was something that Yelido could never reach. No matter how pathetic he was now, it was he, the founding king, and the upper nobility of that time who had caused it. If not for their intervention, he could have lived a happy life. One could not reverse the cause and effect.

It was like a normal person becoming a madman after being hit. Although the mad appearance was disgusting, besides disgust, people often felt pity. What was wrong should be the thing that had caused the change, not the person himself. To demand that a person remain strong and be themselves after being hit was a luxury. It would be remarkable if one in ten thousand could do it. After all, there were people who couldn’t even accept a breakup, let alone fight a king.

To think that such a twisted ending had such an ordinary process. What an ill-fated relationship.

Looking at the silent Clark opposite her, Fia sighed quietly.

“In that case, the suggestion I prepared before I came can be of use. To let you and Veronica go far away would be a release for all three of you. To be honest, if she were to stay with Yelido, I would have to reluctantly call her ‘Mother.’ For you to take her away is also a relief for me.”

“You-you want to help me get her out? If you can, I… I—!”

Before he could finish, Clark emotionally left the sofa and was about to kneel before her, but Fia used [Telekinesis] to support him and keep him steady.

“I won’t get her out so simply. That won’t help solve the problem. I have another solution.”