"I don't understand why she didn't even leave me a real suicide note, but only those cold legal documents and the inheritance."
"But now I think I can understand her a little bit."
"She felt she was ashamed of me."
"And, perhaps she wanted to remind me in this way that this war is not over yet."
Xia Yibing turned to look at her.
It seemed that they were talking about unrelated things, but she understood that the girl was comparing Lilith Guglielmo with Batty Villefort.
"I feel better."
She stared at Hitzfeld.
"Thank you, Aisun."
"I know...what to do next."
"Just one word of thanks?"
However, what she didn't expect was that the girl actually came closer and then slapped the cigarette out of her hand with an extremely arrogant, even rude, action.
"Since you are running for director, a brain corrupted by tobacco is definitely not a good idea."
"And I don't want... you to always smell like cigarettes when you kiss me in the future."
Xia Yibing was stunned.
She widened her eyes, then narrowed them slightly, and opened and closed her lips: "…What did you say?"
"Fool……"
Hitzfeld was pretending to be calm, and he was a little annoyed when he saw her reaction.
"What?" But Xia Yibing still didn't hear clearly.
"I said you're stupid!"
At this point, Hitzfeld couldn't stand it anymore.
She didn't care where this place was, how much had happened, or how many troubles were waiting to be solved. She just pounced on him - stood on tiptoe - tilted her head - and let her lips overlap with the other's.
"Ai——"
Xia Yibing's exclamation was blocked in her throat.
She was stunned for a long time.
It was not until Hitzfeld's feet were sore from holding the weight and hesitating whether to fall back that the woman finally reacted and hugged the girl tightly in her arms.
She hugged me too tight.
He hugged her, rubbed her, and even smelled the fragrance of her hair.
It was as if she was hugging not a person, but a bubble, an illusory silhouette.
She had to confirm it a hundred times.
This is not a dream.
Chapter 137 Epilogue
At the end of January, three more earthquakes were reported in Port Wayne.
The first was that King Charuni Asfin Sara announced that he would withdraw the previous appointment of Prince Litnitse as the crown prince and instead appoint his youngest daughter, Shiru Asfin Sara, as the crown prince. After his death, Shiru would take over the throne.
This news alone caused an uproar across the country.
From nobles to commoners, countless people argued endlessly about this. They couldn't understand - even if their Majesty felt that "the time had finally come", why would he choose Princess Xilu, who had the least sense of existence?
"Princess Xilu must be the heir he has been secretly training!"
Some people say that they believe the rumors about the little princess being weak and sickly are false, and that they are actually just trying to hide her excellence so that she can grow up safely.
"I think His Majesty may be getting old and confused. He is really not afraid of the opinions of other princes..."
But more people expressed concerns about this appointment. They really had no impression of the little princess, and compared with the rumors about several other princes, this approach of handing over the fate of the country to an unknown heir made them more uneasy.
However, they did not worry about this matter for too long, because soon the second and third pieces of news came one after another.
They are... arrest/wanted notices issued jointly by the Palace of White Shadows and the Grand Cathedral of the Central Diocese for a series of prominent figures including Prince Berentin, Princess Vona, Baron Skye, Marquis Charcons, etc.
And the announcement that a wedding ceremony will be held for Shilu Asfen Sara on February 2th.
As soon as these two pieces of news came out, public opinion exploded.
From the northern parish of Amiren to the southern parish of Xinze, all the bars and restaurants in Sarah were frantically discussing the secrets behind it.
The announcement of the little princess as the crown prince was ridiculous enough, but now they were actually going to give up the throne to her? They also announced that they were going to issue a wanted warrant for the two princes and princesses? The list of wanted people even included a great noble like Baron Skye?
The recent public opinion can only be described as a series of earthquakes, but many people have calmed down and started to connect all the information, combining it with the evil riot that occurred in Wayne Port and the White Shadow Palace, and guessing whether the people on the list have any connection with the outbreak of the Eternal Night.
They watched helplessly—
All of Skye Air's industries were seized and incorporated.
All the estates, lands, plantations and farms of the Charcons family were sealed off, and all assets were confiscated and put into storage. Anyone who dared to resist law enforcement would be shot on the spot without exception.
A faint panic began to rise and spread across Sara, and many small nobles and small chambers of commerce that were involved in the list quietly moved away and disbanded. Within ten days, countless people brought their families and all the assets that could be transferred to Nanxinze for temporary residence.
They are waiting and watching.
If this crackdown has nothing to do with them, they certainly don't want to give up Sara, a country as livable as this, and move away. They will go back to live after a while.
But if the situation is not right, and there is even the slightest sign that they are going to be arrested and cleared out, they will immediately contact the agreed fishing boat and leave the harbor with their families and property.
In such a tense and solemn atmosphere, February 2th arrived.
At daybreak, in the newly renovated White Shadow Palace, a girl with white hair and green eyes sat in front of a dressing table. She picked up a crown with a look of half trepidation and half curiosity, and fiddled with it over and over again.
One after another, black cars stopped at the square opposite the palace. Countless dignitaries dressed in formal attire and long gowns had gathered outside the palace early in the morning and were waiting.
Behind the crowd, a gray-haired girl in a pure black dress and a small hat walked briskly across the road.
She was holding a small notebook, followed by a big white dog. She walked and stopped, and from time to time she would stand on tiptoe to check among the crowd, then lower her head to make notes in the notebook.
The nobles looked at her with fear and curiosity.
The fact that a young private detective with no official identity was allowed to appear on this occasion without being harassed by any man in black already speaks volumes.
The girl ignored the stares and took notes seriously, recording every person and every position one by one, until she saw a familiar figure in the crowd and stopped.
She walked over quickly, raised her head slightly and stared at the person who came, with a smile on her lips.
"Nice to see you, Chief Xia Sha."
"I would rather you call me Xia directly." The man also smiled slightly and hugged her very reservedly.
"Where are Ethan and the others?" the woman asked her.
"It's all arranged."
"Are you sure there's no mistake?"
"Half a month ago, I was 90 percent sure. Today... I am 100 percent sure."
"Then I'll look forward to it."
The two of them talked and laughed as they entered the palace gate under the gaze of others.
At the same time, in a small hotel in Nanxinze, a man wearing a scarf, a felt hat, and a thick brown coat walked into the lobby, booked a room in a muffled voice, and carried a suitcase to the third floor.
"boom!"
He threw the box to the floor with force and looked at the other man waiting in the room with dissatisfaction.
"Third floor?"
"You guys just enjoy watching me climb the stairs so much... Do you want to laugh at me at a time like this?"
"Don't get excited, Berentin."
The man had a weathered face. "After all, it is you who need us now, not us who need you."
Wien Harbour, pier.
In the bottom floor of a ship loaded with cargo, a middle-aged man wearing a mask and with a slightly bald head was arguing with a sailor.
"I would like to ask when the ship can sail?"
"I don't know. You'll have to ask the captain."
"Nice has charged me a large sum of money! We agreed to sail before today! He is already 24 hours late, and now every minute of delay will cause huge losses!"
"Oh... Don't worry, Mr. Schalk, I'll go ask him, maybe he was delayed by something."
"Make him hurry up!"
The man shouted at the sailor's back. He looked very angry, but he seemed to lack confidence.
It was as if he didn't dare to make a big deal out of it.
"Dear..." A woman who was also wearing a mask came out of the cabin and wanted to get closer to him uneasily.
"Don't be afraid, dear." The man reached out and held her in his arms.
"The fate of our family will not end here. I swear, I will get you out safely."
It's getting daylight.
The city began to return to its bustle.
And the momentum is much greater than usual, because today is the inauguration ceremony of their new king.
An airship floated past over the street.
An old man sitting by the window looked toward the horizon and vaguely saw the tower of the palace. He half-squinted his eyes and pursed his lips.
"That's a good deal for them," he said softly.
"Of course." The man sitting opposite him lowered the brim of his hat. "Don't worry, we will be back."
"Oh, by the way, I brought some Goli's tea this time. It's very rare... Would you like to try it?"
"Goli?" The old man narrowed his eyes.
"Most of the plantations there have been destroyed... You are still kind-hearted."
The time pointed to 9:10, and the ** ceremony officially began.
According to custom, the new king rode around the city in a carriage, returned to the square outside the palace to give a speech, and finally, at the top of the palace's outer wall, in the presence of many nobles, as well as the Mechanical Yang Pope Senar and the treeman leader Nian Lun, he took over the scepter and crown from the old king.
It all went very smoothly.
Next comes the changes and appointments to some positions.
"Shasha-Imael."
Upper Court Hall.
Under the platform, Senar stepped forward on behalf of the new king.
Below the stage, Xia Yibing stepped out, walked onto the bright red carpet, and half-knelt toward the throne at the top.
This is already an extremely private occasion, and only a few noble ministers can gather here.
"Are you willing to inherit Batti Villefort's will, to watch from the next eternal night, not to marry, not to have children, not to have land, and to spend the rest of your life fighting against evil?"
"I am willing."
……
At Nan Xinze's hotel, a group of black-clad policemen broke into the room, raised their guns and aimed under the stunned gaze of the two people inside, then emptied their magazines with a bang.
……
"Are you willing to serve faithfully, live and die here, become the shadow of the kingship, its sharpest sword in the darkness, and shed your last drop of blood to defend it, without complaint."
"I am willing."
……
The man and woman in the cabin were about to go back when they suddenly heard footsteps again. Turning back, they found that it was the sailor from before, holding a shiny black rifle in his hand.
"boom!"
