Volume 6, Chapter 80 – The Parents’ Answer

A faint blue glow flashed in the empty void, and within the silent, book-laden library, a black-haired elf gradually appeared.

The unique fragrance of paper books drifted past her nose. Fia couldn’t help but take a deep breath; perhaps influenced by the Eldest Princess of the past, she felt exceptionally peaceful and relaxed whenever she came to the library, as if all the troubles in her heart were cast aside.

Presumably, the Eldest Princess of the past loved books. With all kinds of books in the library, she had frequently stayed here alone, causing the body to form a conditioned reflex—whenever she smelled ink and paper, her mood would brighten, much like how Nola would think of her whenever she encountered a problem she couldn’t solve herself.

I was thinking of Nola again.

Fia’s sigh echoed in the unlit library. She was completely ignorant when it came to matters of the heart; if she had to choose between slaying a god and handling emotional problems, she would choose the former.

This was likely something else left behind by the Eldest Princess.

From everyone’s descriptions, it could be inferred that the Eldest Princess of the past was not good at talking and didn’t express her feelings; perhaps she, too, was a natural romantic idiot.

Forget it, seeking advice from the elders was more important.

Though it was impolite to disturb them in the middle of the night, time was pressing and she couldn’t care about that much. She only hoped her father wouldn’t be the type to go to sleep at nine in the evening.

With a prayer in her heart, Fia walked out of the library and headed straight for the King’s bedchamber through the night. The servants and guards along the way were naturally baffled by Fia’s sudden return. Fia had no intention of explaining, brushed them off with a few words, and continued her way. In just a few minutes, she arrived inside the Yelido Palace. The corridor with its high dome was exceptionally quiet, save for the thud-thud sound of Fia’s feet on the carpet. She thought as she walked, her brow furrowing slightly.

Although she had come to seek her father’s help because she didn’t know what to do, she couldn’t help but hesitate when she actually reached the door. How was she supposed to say it? “Father, someone likes me, and now I don’t know what to do.” Honestly, Fia only felt embarrassed. Perhaps it was because of the motherly gentleness Anastasia had given her when she first arrived in this world; in contrast, Yelido was incredibly serious. Thus, Fia felt a greater sense of closeness to the role of a mother. She could say those words shyly to Yulisha, but facing Yelido only brought tension and awkwardness, worrying that she would leave a bad impression of being irresponsible on her father.

No, Fia, you’ve already made it to the door. How can you shrink back?

Gathering her courage, Fia took a deep breath.

Although the guards below seemed to have said something to her with a troubled look before she entered the palace, since they let her in, it probably wasn’t anything vital.

While the courage in her chest hadn’t vanished, Fia stiffened her expression and knocked gently on the door.

“Father, are you asleep?”

“Do… Dofi?!”

Yelido’s startled cry rang out from behind the door. His voice contained not just surprise, but something like panic.

Immediately following, Fia heard a clamor from inside the room, as if furniture were being moved. She couldn’t help but feel suspicious and subconsciously used her [Mana Vision].

There were two people in the room, a man and a woman. They were hurriedly tidying their clothes, setting things that looked like tea and snacks onto a side table, all while whispering to each other in urgent movements.

Hey, hey…

Fia instantly understood why there was panic in Yelido’s voice. It was because she had come at the wrong time and ruined Yelido’s “good business”—just like when Liti would come knocking on the door to ask her math questions while she was sleeping with Claire. ¹ pffft xD

It seemed her father had indeed let go of the past and begun to pursue a new life.

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Just, which woman was in the room?

As a daughter, Fia knew she shouldn’t interfere in her father’s life, just as Yelido shouldn’t interfere in her marriage. It was his business whom her father wanted to marry. But as a supporter of Yulisha, Fia couldn’t help but feel unhappy, to the point that her cheeks puffed out uncontrollably and she crossed her arms over her chest.

A minute later, the door was finally opened, and Yelido’s face—dignified yet much younger—appeared before Fia. Yelido smiled sheepishly; though he was three or four hundred years old, his appearance was as radiant and successful as a young man in his late twenties.

He was a completely different person from the haggard man who had been trapped by Veronica.

Hmph.

For the sake of letting her father be so high-spirited, she would give that woman in the room a slightly better look.

Under Fia’s icy gaze, Yelido felt uncomfortable all over. The Eldest Princess already had a naturally indifferent face, and Fia was staring straight at him, which made his already guilty heart even guiltier. He even spoke with a forced smile.

“Do… Dofi… Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?”

“Aren’t you going to invite me in to sit for a while?”

“Of course, come in quickly.”

Only after Fia’s reminder did Yelido step aside. Fia was then able to see the woman in the room clearly. She was an elegant woman with flowing water-blue hair and a figure so full it was startling. Fia recognized her identity at a glance.

It was her Mother Yulisha.

Yelido added with a smile.

“It just so happens Yulisha is here as well.”

“Uh…”

This time, it was Fia’s turn to be embarrassed.

She had entered the room with the intention of scrutinizing a stranger, only to find it was the Mother Yulisha she liked. Fia couldn’t help but feel as if needles were pricking her back. Looking at this momentum, and thinking back to the hesitant expressions of the guards earlier, if she hadn’t appeared, her parents would surely have spent a wonderful night together. Unfortunately, she, the daughter, had ruined the process of deepening their relationship…

Doesn’t this make me Liti?

Embarrassment instantly appeared on Fia’s face. She couldn’t very well make an obviously motivated remark like “I won’t disturb you anymore.” She tensed every muscle in her body and walked toward the round table as stiffly as a rusty machine.

Like Yelido, Yulisha was also looking at Fia with a smile—though there was a hint of guilt in that smile. She pointed to the steaming teacup across the table, signaling Fia to sit opposite her, and said gently.

“Did Dofi come back using teleportation magic? Is the matter with Cold Night finished? Where are Claire and the others? And my White Tiger daughter.”

“Eh?” Fia, who had just sat down, almost bounced out of her chair. “Who does Mother Yulisha mean by her White Tiger daughter?”

“It’s that child named Tilulu. I heard about you and Tilulu from Claire. Age isn’t an issue; you just have to wait a few years. It’s not too early to call her ‘daughter’ now. Originally, I thought ‘daughter-in-law’ was more appropriate, but His Majesty insisted that since she’s a daughter, we shouldn’t call her daughter-in-law—calling her daughter sounds better.”

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“No, no, no. Claire should have told Mother Yulisha as well. I rejected Tilulu.”

“Isn’t it meant to be decided in a few years? When you returned to the Royal Capital a while ago, I also saw that child Tilulu. She is very devoted to you. I don’t think a few years can change her mind. There is no one more outstanding in this world than you, Dofi. If I weren’t so old, I might have fallen for you myself.”

As she finished speaking, Yulisha covered her mouth with the back of her hand and chuckled. Her amber eyes were full of praise as she looked at Fia.

Not knowing what to say, Fia could only lower her head, squeezing her hands between her legs as she whispered.

“This is too strange…”

Only when facing Yulisha could Fia show such a childish side.

Yelido, having closed the door, sat down smiling beside Yulisha.

“Yulisha is right. Tilulu may be a beastman, but she is royalty. Marrying into our family would be a match of equal status. Cold Night is our neighbor, and while a marriage between our royal families has never happened, that doesn’t mean it can’t. As King, I also support this marriage.”

Why are you joining in the fun too, and analyzing it so seriously?

Looking at the smiling Yulisha and Yelido across from her, Fia’s head was filled with black lines. If the room weren’t a luxuriously decorated and brightly lit royal bedroom, Fia would have thought the people sitting opposite her were just an ordinary couple trying to matchmake their daughter, with no royal aura to be seen.

Especially the way the two of them were making eyes at each other; they were no different from parents-in-law looking at a prospective daughter-in-law they approved of.

Wait, making eyes at each other?

Fia’s brow arched slightly, and she stole another glance at Yelido. She suddenly realized that the reason Mother Yulisha and Yelido brought up her marriage the moment she arrived was definitely not because they really wanted to talk about it, but to distract her so she wouldn’t realize they had been trysting just now.

Fia reacted quickly. She cupped her teacup in both hands and said faintly.

“Compared to my business, I’ve only been gone a few days and Father’s relationship with Mother Yulisha is already this good. Should I come back another day?”

“Uh, no such thing, no such thing,” Yelido’s face flashed with embarrassment, and he waved his hands repeatedly in denial. “In the past, I was obsessed with my own fantasies and neglected my surroundings, failing Yulisha and the others. Now I only want to make amends. Fortunately, Yulisha and everyone else are willing to give me a chance to do so; otherwise, I really wouldn’t know how to face you all.”

“And everyone else…?”

Fia asked hesitantly. She felt Yelido meant exactly what she thought, but she didn’t dare be certain. How could her father dare to mention other women right in front of Mother Yulisha?

However, Yelido explained loudly without hesitation.

“I mean the other queens. Though not all of them. I’ve lived for so many years; I can distinguish between those who are after status and money and those who truly care for me.”

A drop of sweat appeared on Fia’s forehead. She hurriedly scanned Yulisha, worried she would flip the table and leave. However, Yulisha was only gently blowing on her tea, without the slightest sign of anger.

The bizarre scene baffled Fia. She carefully weighed her words.

“To say these things in front of Mother Yulisha, Father, you are too careless…”

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“There’s nothing careless about it.”

Interjecting before Yelido could explain, Yulisha set down her teacup and looked at Fia seriously.

“Dofi, I know what you want to say, but don’t forget that both I and the other queens have the title ‘Queen’ in our names—meaning both I and they are His Majesty’s wives. Setting aside that a King needs multiple wives to pass on the lineage, we were already psychologically prepared from the moment we married into the royal family. Monopolizing affection is an excessive and extravagant demand. Moreover, the other queens and I are like sisters. Aside from the First, Second, and Third Queens, we have all looked after you. Combined with the matter of Veronica… things are already very good this way.”

Yulisha didn’t say that because Yelido had been obsessed with Veronica in the past and neglected them, most of the queens—excluding a few particularly selfish ones—shared a similar fate that led them to have good private relationships. Yelido’s willingness to change and “bestow” love upon them, who had already become disheartened, was enough to satisfy them. Craving more would only result in losing everything.

Even so, Fia still felt something was strange. Mother Yulisha should at least get a little angry, instead of letting her father talk about other women to her face.

She couldn’t help but think of Claire. Claire was the same way; not only did she have no desire for monopoly, but she even went behind Fia’s back to find Anastasia and try to matchmake them. Though Mother Yulisha and Claire had different motivations, they shared a common point: they didn’t think sharing their beloved with others was a wrong concept—they even felt it was the normal state of affairs.

Fia realized once again that her values were completely at odds with the values of the World Tree Continent.

Following this trend, even if she spoke about her situation with Nola, the answer she received would probably not be much different from Claire’s…

She should have expected it.

One must remember, her father had a total of sixteen wives, and had almost even had a seventeenth.

As if noticing the flicker of dejection in Fia’s expression, Yelido’s countenance changed. He sat up straight and spoke seriously.

“That said, Dofi came over so late without Claire by her side. Could it be you have something to say to us?”

“Yes,” Fia nodded gently. “Actually, I’ve encountered a problem I can’t solve…”

Due to her shame in expressing it, even Fia’s toes curled nervously. She stared down at the table, pondering for quite a while before explaining slowly.

“It seems… I’ve been fallen for by the Holy Son of the Fire Cat Tribe…”

“…”

Simultaneously, Yelido and Yulisha shared a look. Finally, Yelido spoke.

“It’s only been half a month since you left Blossom. Wasn’t that Fire Cat devoted to Claire before? I’ve been keeping an eye on her; how did she suddenly change? Dofi, although you’re my daughter and it’s natural for you to be charming, this speed is…”

Yelido almost blurted out that she was surpassing her father.

Fia bit her lip, her expression full of distress.

“That’s true, but all sorts of things happened in between…”

Fia recounted the events that had occurred between her and Nola. Yulisha and Yelido listened intently until Fia finished speaking.

“So, my Dofi feels she has no feelings for the Holy Son of the Fire Cat Tribe, but can’t bear to reject her, worrying she’ll give up on herself again, and thus finds herself in a dilemma?”

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“Roughly… that’s it.”

It was truly embarrassing to admit, but since she was seeking an answer, it would be difficult to get the desired result without saying everything, including the shameful parts.

Yulisha first looked at the complex-faced Yelido, then chuckled bitterly.

“Dofi, don’t you feel you’re very much like His Majesty was in the past?”

“Why do you say that?”

Fia frowned. Yelido was her father, true, but that didn’t mean she approved of his past actions. She didn’t feel she and Yelido were the same type of person.

“I don’t mean His Majesty’s business with Veronica. I mean having only one person in your eyes—like Veronica or Claire—and ignoring everyone else’s thoughts. You really are father and daughter; you’re exactly the same.”

“No… I don’t think it’s the same thing. Mother Yulisha was already a queen, while Nola and I are just friends. If Mother Yulisha wants me to accept Nola, wouldn’t that be asking me to agree without any emotional foundation? That’s too irresponsible, and unfair to Claire.”

“Feelings can be cultivated slowly. Yelido didn’t like me in the past either, but what about now? Any relationship has to start with slow contact. In the final analysis, if Dofi completely disliked Nola, she wouldn’t be struggling with this problem. Even Claire says it’s fine, so what are you still hesitating for? If you like someone, go after them. From my standpoint, I don’t understand why Dofi is being so indecisive.”

Yulisha stared into Fia’s eyes. Her aggressive gaze made Fia look away.

Seeing Fia avoid her, Yulisha’s lips curved slightly into a smile as she added further.

“If you really can’t accept it no matter what, then start by giving it a try. You can make an agreement with Nola—tell her you don’t have much romantic feelings for her right now. If she still hasn’t changed her mind even then, try being lovers with her for a period. If it’s not a fit, then separate and end the relationship. That way, it’s still a memory for her. As long as you didn’t use her and were sincere in your time together, there’s no debt to speak of. From a certain perspective, Nola and I are the same kind of person. I have some idea of how she thinks. If His Majesty had treated me like that back then, even if we hadn’t ended up together, I would have been satisfied. Even if there were regrets, they wouldn’t be bitter ones.”

“Ugh…”

On the surface, Mother Yulisha’s words were very correct, and she had provided a solution that wouldn’t leave either side with regrets. However, just like her father Yelido talking about other women in front of Mother Yulisha, Fia felt something was strange and felt a lingering unease.

This feeling of being so close to touching the truth but having a layer of window paper in between made Fia exceptionally uncomfortable.

The room fell into a bizarre silence.

Seemingly seeing through Fia’s hesitation, Yulisha sighed softly and gently took Fia’s right hand in her own, which were a size larger.

“I’m just suggesting. If Dofi thinks it’s not good, you don’t have to force yourself. You haven’t reached the point of opening the sunroof yet, right? There’s still time to think; no need to be in such a hurry. Since your father is here as well, tell us about that undead. An eighth-rank undead, and possibly the Princess of the Kingdom of Death… if she falls into our Dofi’s hands, you must capture her and bring her here as a hostage. That way, we won’t have to send soldiers to fight the undead of the Netherworld every winter, which would save a massive amount in military expenses and remove the worry of neighboring countries taking advantage of us.”

Mother Yulisha is obviously changing the subject.

Though she knew this, Fia didn’t refuse. Mother Yulisha had already given her a solution; whether to adopt it was her own business. Continuing to dwell on it would make her seem ungrateful.

She would think about it carefully once she got back. For now, she wouldn’t bring gloom to her parents who were still in the heat of a new romance.

With a mix of a bitter smile and a light one, Fia followed Yulisha’s lead and began to explain the undead named Ruth.