Volume 5, Chapter 62 – A Heart of Attachment

The sky gradually changed from a night of beacon fires to the unique indigo blue of dawn. The Fire Cat Tribe’s city, which had been bustling all night, slowly quieted down as the people’s excitement waned. The tense soldiers fell asleep on the spot, and the refugees who had piled up in the streets also returned home. After the warm sun of early spring peeked over the mountain, the city, bathed in light, was already extremely quiet, with only the slight sound of the cold morning wind sweeping sand and gravel through the streets.

Not many people had slept well, but Fia was not one of them. Because it was a long-awaited night with Claire, her mind was as clear as if she had slept for ten hours, and her body was full of abundant vitality.

In contrast, Nola, standing in front of her bedroom door, looked extremely wretched. She had dark circles under her eyes from being busy all night, and even her hair and ear fur were sticking out in all directions. She had come to report the battle results to Fia and discuss future matters, so Ying, who was equally tired but had an excited look on her face, was standing beside her.

Fortunately, Claire’s room was occupied by Tilulu, so she and Claire had randomly found a room last night. In order not to be discovered by the servants who woke up early to clean, they had gotten up early. Otherwise, if Nola had blocked the door now, the scene would have become extremely awkward.

Fia, sitting at the table, secretly stuck out her tongue. She did want to see Nola’s thunderstruck, teeth-grittingly resentful expression, but that would have caused trouble for Claire. Claire’s views on this matter were very traditional, and she believed that doing such things before marriage was a licentious and impure act. From her perspective, it was fine in private, but if her niece, whom she had always taught this to, found out, she would surely be too ashamed to face anyone.

She picked up a white handkerchief and wiped her mouth.

“Anastasia, let Nola and Ying in. Also, help me check on Tilulu. If she’s about to wake up, remind me immediately.”

“Yes.”

Anastasia bowed to Fia. After serving tea and snacks to Nola and Ying, she closed the door with the grace of a maid.

“So this is what the upper-class nobles in the Silvar capital’s circle are like. The maid by her side is not only a good fighter, but also so refined. I’ve seen countless maids, but this is the first time I’ve seen one whose words and actions are flawless. Beastman maids always like to show off their figures, and they don’t feel polite at all.”

Grumbling in annoyance, Nola plopped down opposite Fia. The Hunting Ground was her territory. Of course, she wouldn’t feel constrained in her own home.

Ying, on the other hand, sat beside her with the reserved demeanor of a high-class lady, her quirky, pretty face filled with emotion.

“Silvar is, after all, a kingdom with a four-hundred-year history. It’s too much to compare them to us. Besides, our city has only been established for a few decades. Etiquette and such things take time to accumulate. And as a maid who can serve the elf princess, Miss Anastasia must be a first-class, perfect maid even in Silvar. In a few more decades, we’ll also have someone like her.”

“A few more decades, huh…” As if thinking of something, a shadow of gloom appeared on Nola’s usually serious face. She sighed heavily, her hands on the table. “Maybe. But whether I’ll still be the administrator here then is another matter.”

At the end, Nola’s gaze was fixed on Fia, the meaning in her eyes self-evident.

Chazo had been captured alive, and his family members had also fled in all directions. From now on, the Royalist Faction no longer had the qualifications to challenge the Holy Son Faction. If Fia didn’t interfere, in at most a year or two, the Cold Night would be theirs. But Nola didn’t believe Fia would help her for no reason. She needed to know her attitude and purpose.

So Nola wants to talk to me about the future of the Cold Night.

Putting down her teacup, Fia first glanced at Ying, reading the “go for it” from her face, then turned back to Nola.

“Let’s talk about the situation outside first.”

“Indeed, I should first explain the current situation to you. Although I wasn’t able to witness the battle last night with my own eyes, I heard from my subordinates that your fight with the two Demon Generals was extremely dangerous, with various high-tier spells they had never seen before appearing one after another. But you won. The Demon General of Gluttony left no corpse, and the Demon General of Absolute Death, who was possessing Chazo, is also gone. Whether he’s dead or not, we’ll only know when Chazo wakes up. Also, Chazo has aged several decades and become an old man with white hair. Do you have any clue about that?”

“It’s probably that spell that summoned the Demon Generals. It requires sacrificing the caster’s lifespan.”

“I see. No wonder he instantly became a decrepit old man,” the doubt in Nola’s expression quickly disappeared, and she gave her former rival a cold smile. “To rely on the Darkborn, it’s karma.”

No, normally it would only consume about ten years of life, but he summoned all the Demon Generals at once, which is why he instantly became an old man. Fia answered in her heart. This was the answer she had learned from the Demon General of Knowledge.

Nola continued her explanation.

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“Because they were frightened by your magic, those fifteen thousand soldiers scattered and fled in my territory. Although my soldiers left the city at the first moment to pursue them, we’ve only captured three or four thousand so far. I think the remaining ten thousand are either hiding in the deep mountains or have disguised themselves as refugees. It will be a big project to root them out. In the future, the territory will surely be full of bandits and robbers.”

“You can’t blame me for that.”

“I’m not blaming you.” Nola frowned unhappily. “What kind of person do you take me for? I, Nola, am not one to repay kindness with ingratitude. One thing at a time. If not for you, we wouldn’t even be alive. Now, not only have we survived, but we’re the victors. All the spoils of war are thanks to you.”

“Hmm…”

Fia didn’t answer. She was waiting for Nola to finish.

Nola also realized that now was the time to talk business. Her brows relaxed, and she sat up straight.

“We will deal with the Lionfolk deserters ourselves. Ying and I came to ask… how do you plan to deal with our Cold Night?”

“Deal with?”

The word was too subtle. Fia couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

Nola, with an anxious face, further explained.

“You were the one who defeated Chazo, not me. If you say now that you want to take over the authority of the Royalist Faction, not many people in that faction would dare to say ‘no’ at the risk of losing their heads. I don’t know what you want to do, but after defeating two Demon Generals, you’re still sitting here unharmed, enjoying breakfast. Your strength is definitely not as simple as it seems on paper. If you want to control the Cold Night, I…”

“You won’t sit idly by?”

That’s the logic, but it’s also not the logic.

Nola answered in her heart. In the past, she would have definitely said “that’s right” without hesitation. But now, the fact that Fia was stronger than her was right in front of her. She couldn’t be so foolish. Besides, Fia was the benefactor of the Fire Cat Tribe.

She chose to relay the idea Ying had told her.

“If you want to become the queen of the Cold Night, I will neither support nor oppose it. But I have to say this first. We beastfolk do believe in strength, but we believe in the strength of our own people. You do not have the blessing of our Ancestral Spirit. For such a person to become king will not be tolerated by the world. No one will sincerely believe in your rule. Tradition is not something that can be changed just by saying so. There are thousands of tribes in the Cold Night. Even if you manage one a day, it will take three years to make a round. By then, the first tribes will have already rebelled. The difficulty of ruling the Cold Night is definitely higher than you imagine.”

“Mm, I know.”

Seeing that Fia didn’t seem to mind, Nola’s moderately developed upper body leaned forward slightly, looking very anxious.

“Then—”

Before Nola could speak, Fia held up her palm towards her, signaling her not to be anxious.

“I have two plans. Let’s not talk about the second one for now. The first is, I want to make Tilulu the queen. You and Ying will swear allegiance to her and assist her. Of course, it’s fine if you’re not willing. I know you’ll say she doesn’t have her own foundation and can’t develop her own power, but that’s no big deal. The troops stationed at the border of Silvar are already on their way to the capital. It won’t be long before they rush in. The ones leading them are four Sixth-Tier magic casters. With the current strength of the Royalist Faction, no one can stop this army.”

“At that time, I will announce to all the beastfolk of the Cold Night that I will protect her as she grows and co-rule with her. When she comes of age, I will then transfer all power to her. She is the old royal family, the direct line of the Tiger-kin. No one is more qualified to be queen than her, right?”

As for what to do if those tribes were not loyal to Tilulu, Fia had already thought of a preliminary solution. First, summon the chieftains of those tribes together and let them witness what true power is. Then, weaken the rights of the tribes that were unwilling to submit and did not respond to the summons, and give this part of the rights to the tribes that were willing to submit, giving them boons and support, pulling one faction to fight another. In this way, Tilulu would have her own dogs, and the nobles would be caught in internal strife.

“That’s true, but…”

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What about us?

Nola thought to herself. When it didn’t involve Claire, she could bow her head in front of Fia because she acknowledged her strength. But to have her submit to Tilulu was a difficult thing to swallow. Tilulu could only be a puppet at best.

Taking ten thousand steps back, even if she could see the situation clearly and knew that Fia was behind Tilulu, and that not opposing Fia was the wise choice, she still had many obstacles that would not allow her to do so. First, her god would not allow it. Second, the subordinates who followed her would not allow a little girl who hadn’t even grown all her fur to order them around.

However, Nola couldn’t say these words out loud. Her race had just owed Fia a huge favor last night. To refuse her olive branch today, she couldn’t do it, no matter how thick-skinned she was. She could only remain silent.

Seeing this, Fia had no intention of saying more. She clapped her hands and stood up with a smile.

“That’s all I have to say. Although there is a second plan, before I say it, I have to do something else first.”

As if in response to her words, Anastasia’s knock suddenly came from outside the door.

“Your Highness, Princess Tilulu is awake.”

“Mm, I know. Anastasia, you entertain Nola and Ying. I’ll go find Tilulu.”

“Understood.”

This sentence was both for Anastasia and to inform Nola and Ying. Fia nodded to them with a faint smile in her eyes, then left the room.

…

Before long, she arrived at the door of the room where Tilulu was resting, which had originally belonged to Claire. Hearing the rustling sound of changing clothes from inside, she hesitated for a moment, then, with a look of determination, knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

Compared to the crazy, morbid voice from last night, Tilulu’s voice at this moment was a bit more mature than usual, as if she had forgotten what had happened.

But Fia knew that it was impossible for her to forget. That pendant didn’t change a person’s mind, but only amplified their emotions. This meant that all of her words had come from the heart.

She asked tentatively.

“It’s me.”

“Eek?!”

A small, animal-like cry came from the room, followed by a rustling sound of fumbling for clothes. Fia waited at the door for a long time. Just as she thought she had been shut out, with the pitter-patter of footsteps running to the door, a crack opened. Half of Tilulu’s small face peeked out. Like a child who had done something wrong, her now-white beast ears were pressed tightly against her head, and her eyes did not dare to look directly at Fia, but were lowered.

“Pl… please come in.”

As expected, without the pendant, she reverts to her usual self.

Fia breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. She had been worried that Tilulu would appear naked in front of her, hug her neck as soon as she opened the door, and confess her love like last night.

The fact that she’s blushing means she’s embarrassed, and that means she’s normal.

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She followed Tilulu, who was only wearing a light nightgown, into the room. Tilulu, who had just woken up and whose gray hair was still messy, ran around the room barefoot, busy preparing tea and snacks for Fia. However, her stiff movements and flustered expression all showed that her mind was elsewhere. She was just using the tea as an excuse to cover up her nervousness and embarrassment.

Much cuter than yesterday.

Fia couldn’t help but find it amusing. She lifted the hem of her black formal dress and sat down at the table, then beckoned to Tilulu.

“No need to prepare tea. We’ll have plenty of time in the future. Just sit down first.”

“Uh, o… okay…”

Tilulu, who had been running around, froze. She sat down opposite Fia with cautious steps, as if she were extremely cramped and restrained.

It was awkward to just sit there. Fia took out juice and cake from her spatial backpack and placed them in front of her. Then, she crossed her arms on the table and, with a mother’s majesty, gazed at Tilulu, who was sitting opposite her, her head lowered, fiddling with her fingers, her body almost shrinking into a ball.

“Tilulu, from today on, I am no longer your mother.”

“Eh? Wh-why?”

Tilulu instantly looked up, her purple eyes wide, so anxious that she was about to stand up.

Fia sighed and shook her head.

“You should still remember what happened in this room last night, right?”

“I remember…”

Recalling her crazy actions, Tilulu’s cheeks instantly flushed, and her head was held low. She didn’t know why she had become like that, but it was indeed something she had done. Thanks to that, she had finally realized that she was hopelessly in love with Fia.

Fia bowed her head deeply in apology.

“I’m sorry. It was because of my arbitrary decision. This teardrop pendant will infinitely amplify a person’s emotions. You became like that because of it. If I hadn’t self-righteously thought I knew everything about you and left it on you, none of this would have happened, or at least it wouldn’t have happened so quickly, causing you such a great burden. I’m sorry.”

Fia explained the pendant’s effect and her original plan to her in detail. The shyness on Tilulu’s face gradually disappeared, replaced by a hint of worry. She reached out, wanting to put her hand on Fia’s, which was holding the pendant, to comfort her. But after thinking for a long time, she was afraid Fia would hate her and couldn’t put it on.

She finally put her hands on the table and looked down, comforting her in a small voice.

“It’s not Fia’s fault… even without the pendant, I would sooner or later…”

“I made a decision without your permission. It’s only right that I apologize.”

Fia took back the pendant and regained her composure. The apology was just the beginning. She had more important things to say.

“As for why I said I won’t be your mother anymore, it’s because I think Claire was right. In your eyes, I’m just your peer. To have you call me ‘mother’ is too forced and unrealistic. So it’s better to treat you as my younger sister. Of course, this is just my attitude. You can call me whatever you want in the future. Fia, Dofilia, Sister Fia, it’s all fine.”

Although Fia had said this much, Tilulu still pursed her lips, a look of disappointment on her face.

This was also normal. To lose something one once had, even if she subconsciously didn’t like this relationship, she would still feel disappointed.

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Watching her every move, Fia added.

“I thought about it seriously for a long time last night. I understand that what you really want is not the throne, nor a peaceful life. You want more care, especially… especially from me.”

“But I also said what I had to say yesterday. I have never looked at you with the eyes of a lover. Love is a two-way street. Just because you like me doesn’t mean we can be together. And you are still young. No matter how I word it, I can’t change the fact that I would be an irresponsible adult if I were to accept you. So, I can’t respond to your confession. We can’t be together.”

Because Tilulu’s lips were pressed tighter and tighter, and her body was tense, although Fia couldn’t see her face, she could vaguely feel that she was about to cry. She quickly said the next sentence.

“At least not now.”

“Then that means in the future—!”

Suddenly, Tilulu raised her eyes. As Fia had imagined, the area around her cute and innocent eyes had turned red. But after hearing Fia’s hopeful words, her eyes were filled with hope.

This hope turned into pressure, making Fia’s voice much smaller, and her gaze subconsciously shifted away from her hopeful face.

“No, it’s not certain in the future either…”

“How could that be…”

Like a person whose hopes had been dashed, the joy on Tilulu’s face instantly disappeared. She sat back down with a ‘poof’, her eyes full of tears, as if she would burst into tears at any moment.

I can’t make a child cry.

A trace of panic that she didn’t even have when facing the seven Demon Generals appeared in Fia’s heart. She suppressed the urge to stand up and explain, and tried to maintain a serious expression.

“To be honest, I haven’t reached the elven age of adulthood either. This matter is too early for both you and me. If I had met you before I met Claire, I might have tried to develop something. But that’s not the reality.”

At this, it was Fia who became nervous. Her hands on her legs clenched and unclenched, and she only dared to look at the table.

“I know that humans, beastfolk, and elves all allow polygamy, and even take it as a given for the strong. If a person only has one wife, they will be seen as lacking charm and financial resources. Just like my father, who has sixteen consorts, this is the norm in this world. But I’m a little bit special. At least… At least for now, I find it difficult to accept this norm. So I think, when we both reach the age of adulthood for our respective races, we can think about this matter again. And before that, I will treat you as my younger sister.”

“This is also an opportunity for us to get to know each other. I don’t know how much you know about my strength. It’s true that I can’t stay in one place for a long time because I have to lift Claire’s curse. But the teleportation magic I have can travel back and forth between Silvar and where we are now in a few minutes. This means that no matter where I go, as long as I want to come back to you, I can do so immediately. I can’t promise to be with you three or four days a week, but one day a week is not a problem.”

At this, Fia stopped and carefully observed her expression. However, because Tilulu did not look up and her gray hair covered her face, Fia could not know what she was thinking.

At this point, the arrow was already on the bowstring. She had no choice but to choose her words carefully, muster her courage, and nervously finish what she had been thinking all night.

“If you still haven’t changed your mind after you come of age, and still have romantic feelings for me, then it means that you have seriously thought about the future, and this is a prudent and thorough consideration. At that time, you can be responsible for yourself. Similarly, I will also take your feelings seriously. Five or six years can change many things. Maybe my views will have changed by then, and my attitude towards you will also change from that of a daughter and a younger sister to something else. In that case, your wish will be fulfilled.”

“Also, if you wake up halfway and realize that you were just temporarily bewitched and blinded, I will still treat you as my family. But at that time, I hope you won’t hate me.”

Fia gave a wry smile, then tensed up again, and leaned forward nervously.

“In that case, can you accept it, Tilulu?”