CHAPTER 823: CHAPTER 3: A PHONE CALL

"A poor boy who grew up in an orphanage just buried the nun who raised him and came to the Royal College alone. To be favored by the Imperial Princess acclaimed by the world is both my fortune and misfortune. The misfortune is that, because of your favor and the brilliance of your preference, I really overlooked many obstacles you encountered."

"It was only from Isabella’s mouth that I vaguely guessed that in that spotlighted Golden Palace, your life was shrouded in thick shadows. But back then, I didn’t know what kind of pressure was behind your seemingly easy promises, I didn’t know your brother’s hatred for you, I didn’t know your father’s contempt for our relationship."

"I once had the chance to pull you out of Gedelin’s hell, had the chance to prevent the sins that followed, had the chance to fulfill my promise to you, I simply understood too late, took you too lightly... It’s just a pity, when I truly grasped the meaning of it all, it was too late. I’m truly sorry, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes, her reddened eyes could no longer suppress the sadness she felt at this moment. She lowered her head and covered her face, although obviously their conversation was entirely through this small phone, and although they were very far apart, it was as if this was the closest they had been, taking her back to their sweetest moments.

She leaned against the table’s side, her voice a bit tremulous,

"Fisher, I never blamed you... I... I know many things were self-inflicted, but I really just want you back... really... please, I don’t want you to die..."

The cold wind rose again on the other side, and the sound of whooshing accompanied by the ringing of the church bells confirmed Fisher’s exact location at that moment. He coughed a few times before finally saying,

"I’ll do my best... Okay, saying all this is enough, the most important thing is hearing your voice again. You are now the Empress of Nali, coming to the Northern Realm isn’t realistic, I’ll come to find you then, as long as I can still walk. Of course, if I ultimately can’t make it back to Nali, don’t be saddened by that, you must take care of yourself and Nali in the days to come. I believe, you can certainly do it, you will definitely become a renowned empress in history and won’t repeat the tragedy of the Gedelin family. Isabella is at the Pirate Harbor, you should already know this, that child never blamed you, she deeply understands your struggles, don’t push her away again this time."

"Fisher... don’t you dare die..."

Elizabeth sat down on the ground, burying her head in her knees. Her mind was very uneasy at this moment, her emotions were fluctuating like turbulent tides. In fact, she wished she could cry out loud, to vent her feelings loudly, but she didn’t dare, fearing it would disrupt Fisher’s tranquil conversation with her, fearing her voice would overshadow his frail one.

In reality, before Fisher, Elizabeth was always cautious. If back then, that junior hadn’t threatened Elizabeth with "reporting to the Golden Palace" to break up with Fisher, she wouldn’t have exposed her possessiveness at all, and Fisher wouldn’t have been pushed away from her.

It’s just a pity, that junior truly struck a nerve with her. She was unwilling to let the family take her precious Fisher like that, thus committing a grave error, unexpectedly becoming the catalyst to push Fisher away; but this time, it wasn’t the frightening Gedelin who pushed him away, it was her own self.

Therefore, at this moment, just hearing Fisher’s weak voice made her want to cry with sadness; she seemed to be back to the days of being frightened, back to the time she was blind, lying alone in the military tent, because she feared afterward, Fisher would really leave her forever.

"So... that’s it, Elizabeth, take care of yourself, I’m preparing to depart now."

"Okay, you must be safe... you must be safe..."

Whether it was a plea or a reminder, Fisher on the other side smiled slightly and hung up, but Elizabeth still sat on the ground, not putting down the phone against her ear.

Not until a long time later, when the door of the room opened again, did Elizabeth, dressed in casual clothes, walk out with a normal expression. She turned back to instruct the Outer Court Official to keep an eye on calls from Fisher Benavides, granting him credentials to move within the Golden Palace. Any news could be brought over to her attendants at any time.

Meanwhile, she herself quickly returned to the room where she previously had dined with the two Golden Knights, where a group of Nali’s ministers was waiting for her.

"Your Majesty."

When she entered the room, several ministers dining put down their knives and forks to pay respects to Elizabeth. She nodded, looking at the untouched steak in front of the Finance Minister Rebak.

Rebak turned his head to see Elizabeth approaching with two Golden Knights following behind, his throat moved unnaturally twice, yet mustered the courage to resign, but before that, Elizabeth already waved the knights behind her to exit the room.

It was the first time without Golden Knights beside during an audience with the Empress. Rebak’s intended departure motion paused, and Elizabeth returned to her seat, looked at him and said,

"Rebak, I understand your concerns, worried that my excessive expansion of power might stifle Nali’s economic vitality. I don’t wish to discuss my original intentions with you here. Your previous resignation letter is temporarily held, you have two weeks to go to Newt Street, Snake Head Street to see the residents’ lives there, you will know where the ’invisible hand’ you trust is pushing society’s wealth... After that, you can come and go as you wish."

"Also, ask the head of the Hidden Affairs Bureau to come see me, I have tasks to assign to him."

Saying this, Elizabeth’s voice seemed somewhat weary as well. She gently leaned back on her seat and closed her eyes, then waved at the ministers before her, signaling them to leave."

Rebak looked stunned at the unusually calm Elizabeth today, glanced at the other ministers beside him, all seemed incredulous, not knowing why the Empress suddenly became so patient after answering a call.

But in the end, this was good news for them.

Rebak pondered for a second, then stood up, bowed to Elizabeth, and said,

"I understand. Farewell, Your Majesty."