CHAPTER 678: CHAPTER 4 MAPLE FOREST AND CORNFLOWER

Heloise had a large handful of her beautiful hair pulled out, yet her face remained expressionless. "He chose his own death, and you know this very well."

The words completely shattered the noblewoman opposite her, who burst into heart-wrenching sobs.

Heloise passed her a handkerchief, but it was slapped away, and the noblewoman pointed at her, screaming.

"Even if you didn’t kill him with your own hands, he died because of you, you traitor! You were already in league with those Wing Tribe people, and the fall of Lion Heart Castle was because of you!"

Heloise shook her head. "Even if you don’t believe me, you should have trusted your husband. If he had been suspecting me for some time, how could he possibly have allowed me to remain in contact with those Wing Tribe people outside?"

"Then why were you able to lead us out of the city?!"

"Hadn’t you guessed the reason earlier?"

The noblewoman was stunned. "You... You really murdered your own husband, how can there be someone as... as vicious as you in this world?!"

She racked her brains, trying to find a more aggressive word, but her background and upbringing allowed her to utter only the word ’vicious’ in the end.

Heloise didn’t argue; her cheeks had a sickly pallor, as if devoid of any blood.

Then something else dawned on the noblewoman, and her face suddenly turned pale. She clung to her daughter in terror and said, "You... where are you taking us? Are we headed for the Elf Kingdom?"

Heloise shook her head again, seemingly weary, but she spoke.

"The Elf Kingdom has already declared war on the Red Lion Empire; you’d best not head south anymore.

"Hmm, east won’t do either, as the new continent will sooner or later belong to those Wing Tribe people. You’d better go west, cross Elk Valley, don’t stop at Golden Valley, just keep heading westward, to the Western Border. Those Wing Tribe people shouldn’t get that far for a while.

"Their chief commander is a very cold but also very rational fellow. Such a person will surely prioritize the bigger picture. You can go to the Western Border and look for Ireya; I’ve seen her, she’s quite a good person.

"Moreover, she has killed a dragon and defeated more than one Wing Tribe member. She might have a way to stop... those Wing Tribe people."

Heloise’s voice grew fainter as she spoke, becoming intermittent towards the end.

"What about you..." the noblewoman asked. "Aren’t you coming with us?"

"No, if I went with you, you’d surely not feel at ease with me. I will get off in the forest up ahead."

The Elf Queen had her maid hand over all the gold, silver, and jewelry she had brought to the noblewoman.

"Why risk leading us out of the city?" asked the noblewoman.

Heloise leaned on the carriage and rested her eyes for a while, regaining a little of her energy.

When she opened her eyes again, she seemed refreshed.

She spoke deliberately, "I am Heloise, born of the Elf Royal Family, the princess of the forest. The moment I was born, I bore the eternal duty of the Royal Family.

"— To protect my people. I wouldn’t allow anyone to disturb the peace of that forest, not even if that person was my husband. I couldn’t control his ambitions... I had to kill him.

"But I’m also the Empress of the Empire. I underestimated my father’s hatred for the Empire. His hatred will not only destroy the Red Lion Empire but also annihilate my kin.

"I can no longer return to my homeland, and there is no place for me on this land anymore."

After saying this, the carriage came to a stop.

The little girl hid in her mother’s arms like a frightened deer and looked up at the Elf Queen in front of her. "Queen Heloise, your... your lips, why are they bleeding?"

"Don’t worry, I’ll be fine," Heloise wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, managing a forced smile.

"This is where we part. Take care on the rest of your journey; this is the only thing I can do for you now."

After she spoke, she pushed open the carriage door and staggered down from the carriage.

This morning, before leaving, Heloise had applied a poison called The Final Kiss to her lips, hoping to use the opportunity to eliminate the chief commander of the Wing Tribe army.

However, Solomon was more alert and cautious than she had anticipated, showing no desire to possess her.

This was a difficult man to deal with.

As for the young man named Shajia who came later, Queen Heloise saw that he didn’t quite respect Solomon, and considering his distinguished background, she decided to spare his life.

Who knows, he might become the spark of internal conflict among those of the Wing Tribe someday.

As for other matters, there was nothing more Heloise could do.

She dragged her weary body into the Maple Forest ahead.

Back when Edward II had taken her, considering her status as an Elf Princess, a wedding was held for them in these woods.

At that time, Edward II hadn’t yet developed his sizeable belly, nor had he become as dedicated to his wine or as engrossed in discussing the meaning of life with Priest Cornelia as he did later on.

The two had also shared a relatively sweet time shortly after their marriage.

Edward II even swore to her that he would never invade the Elf Kingdom.

But time... it changes many things.

Lovers truly mean every word of their mountainous promises and oceanic vows, but sadly no one can predict the future.

Heloise wished to find the very tree under which they had made their vows, but now that winter had come and the leaves had all fallen, each tree looked bare, much the same as the next.

After searching for a while and feeling her strength ebbing, Heloise leaned against a maple tree and sat down.

She looked up to the south as if she could once again see the hills covered in cornflowers that she had roamed in her youth.

The Elf Queen contentedly closed her eyes.

......

The next morning, two giant dragons, one white and one blue, appeared in the sky above White River City.

Their immense bodies seemed to nearly obscure the faint light of dawn, and the city’s guards, never having seen such a spectacle, stood frozen in place.

Before they could react, the two giant dragons plunged downward! Opening their jaws bristling with sharp teeth, they spewed forth raging flames!

In an instant, a whole stretch of city wall was ignited, and the archers on top, screaming in horror, soon turned into firemen.

The two giant dragons repeated their assault, sweeping Dragon Breath across several other walls, taking down the guards upon them, then one dived into the city itself. Taking advantage of the disorganized warriors below, they began to charge and break through the troops.

At the same time, more tiny black dots appeared in the sky.

Shajia took the lead, firing off a dozen arrows from his quiver in just a few breaths, then drawing the short knife from his waist, he lunged at a man below who looked like a noble.

The latter, seeing this, also drew his own sword and joined battle with Shajia. His swordsmanship was not fancy but was very practical, indicating that he was also an expert.

Engaged with Shajia, he was also commandeering his men to regroup and form a battle array to face the enemy, which made Shajia feel belittled.

So, he roared in anger, quickened his offensive, and started to flap his wings more frequently, changing his position in the air.

His opponent’s response became increasingly strained, and Shajia, noticing a flaw in the noble’s moves, closed in half a step without hesitation.

It seemed as though he was offering his chest to the opposing sword, but in fact, his short knife had already slit the noble’s throat.

Faced with the splatter of fresh blood, Shajia didn’t dodge; instead, he stood there and opened his arms, bathing in it.

The aura he displayed made the surrounding enemies shiver with fear.

However, after killing a few more men, Shajia felt a bit bored because he had yet to find an opponent who could excite him.

So, Shajia couldn’t help but think of a certain Lady far away in the western frontiers.

Ireya, who had defeated Moen, right?

Shajia dodged an arrow shot from the shadows and turned to stab the ambush with his knife into the assailant’s belly, stirring it around twice before pulling it out.

Hopefully, he could find some amusement from her.