Livyat leaned against the second-floor balcony of the consulate, gazing down at the gradually brightening lights along Zhaoxia Avenue.
Because of today’s rebellion, there were few pedestrians on the street, and many houses had their doors and windows tightly shut, with only the faint glow of candlelight visible.
What happened during the day would take the residents a long time to process, to discuss, to figure out the truth behind all the rumors.
But no matter what, tonight they could still reunite with their families, still eat bread with hot soup, and tomorrow, they would still need to go to work, open their shops, or set up their stalls.
She just wondered if, for those who were shot, blasted to death by naval artillery, or buried under rubble today, their families would still light candles and have dinner as usual.
Even the elves’ intelligence network still hadn’t figured out who was shot dead in their own carriage.
At least, it wasn’t a member of the Ten-man Committee.
From the distance came the synchronized sound of boots pounding the ground.
Livyat could clearly see a patrol of soldiers marching at the end of the street.
They all carried handguns and shouted loudly as they walked about tonight’s curfew, forbidding anyone to go out.
The soldiers stopped in front of the consulate, noticing an elf watching them from the second-floor balcony.
The leader shouted up to Livyat, “Miss Elf, don’t linger out on the balcony. It’s dangerous. Please go inside.”
Livyat nodded in acknowledgment and turned back into the room.
She unlocked the door and found that Tesvelan was still waiting outside.
“Tes, I told you, you don’t need to worry about me like this…”
Tesvelan didn’t say a word, just took Livyat’s hand and led her downstairs.
After returning to the consulate today, Tesvelan had been acting strangely.
It wasn’t just that she ordered the maids to reinforce the consulate’s defenses—she had stuck to Livyat’s side, never leaving, even standing outside when she went to the restroom, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.
Livyat understood that the danger earlier today had made Tesvelan all the more desperate to keep her safe.
But now, with the most dangerous moment already past, what was there left to fear?
Tesvelan clearly didn’t see it that way.
She pulled Livyat into her own study and showed her a letter she had written.
Her tone was hurried and brooked no refusal.
“Liv, I want Mother to agree to make your identity as Queen public. The Republic needs to take you seriously and increase your personal security. What happened today must never happen again. If you’d gone straight to the Governor’s Mansion with them earlier, you wouldn’t have had to worry at all.”
Livyat didn’t even look at the letter.
She already knew what Tes would write.
“Tes, for now, my identity can’t be revealed. Doing so would go against your mother’s and the Council of Elders’ decisions. It would only cause meaningless chaos and speculation.”
Tesvelan grabbed her hand, eyes flickering with unease and fervor.
“Do you really think being an unnamed Queen won’t stir up chaos and speculation? I’d bet those old fogies in the Republic have already written thousands of pages on contingency plans for a new Queen.”
“The thing King Wadislaw and the Chief Minister discuss the most is definitely the Elf Queen. So what if they know you’re the Queen? Would there really be more gossip? Isn’t your safety what matters most?!”
Tesvelan’s hands trembled.
This was nothing like when she drew her curved blade and killed an enemy in an instant.
“Tes. Think about it carefully. At a time like this, isn’t it too rash to announce the Elf Queen is in the Republic? That would put those who support the elves in an unjust position. If the citizens knew the Elf Queen was right beside them, how would they see the Republic’s major diplomatic shift this year? It would all lead to conspiracy theories. This isn’t good for the Elven Kingdom.”
Tesvelan’s fingertips suddenly clenched tighter, digging into the skin of Livyat’s wrist.
Her light blue eyes pulsed and flickered, like neon lights from a previous life—unpredictable, irregular.
Fervor, resentment, heartache, desire.
Liv had never seen so many emotions in a single pair of eyes.
In a flash, Tes stepped forward, that usual gentleness now as forceful as a raging bull.
Livyat staggered backward, swept off her feet by that brute strength.
Tesvelan pinned her to the carpet.
Tes’s knee pressed firmly between her thighs, hands holding her wrists in a death grip. Livyat realized she couldn’t move at all.
“Explain to me. What do you mean by ‘unjust’? What do you mean by ‘not a good thing’? Do you really think you’re a Queen with the weight of the world on your shoulders?”
She suddenly bent down to Livyat’s slender waist, fingers lovingly gliding from armpit, to chest, to ribs, to waist, to…
Beneath her, Livyat trembled under Tes’s touch, her face turning an impossible shade of pink, head turned to the side, breathing softly.
Suddenly, her palm tightened, gripping Livyat’s waist with all her strength, then used her right hand to pin Livyat’s left above her head.
“Isn’t it funny, Liv? Look at how delicate you are. What can you really do for Hobrick and Erindria? You almost got blown to bits by naval artillery today, didn’t you?”
Tesvelan pressed Livyat’s wrists into the carpet, burying them deep.
“And even now, you’re still thinking of Julia. She has her father’s business to inherit, and her father, well, he supports everything she does, because they’re tied together by fate. But what about you? Is my mother or the Council of Elders bound to you by the same rope? They’ve been agonizing for ages because they can’t divine your surname. Do you know how important a surname is? The Book of Kings chose you, the Ancient Tree acknowledged you. But the tree’s rings have never revealed your surname!”
Pressed to the floor, Livyat’s face was pale, yet her defeated lips sounded bright as she laughed softly.
“My surname is Green. I am not nameless. Let the ancient tree divine as it pleases.”
The next second, Livyat saw Tesvelan’s light blue eyes nearly touching her own.
“You’re still trying to act strong… Why do you keep pushing yourself? If something this dangerous happens again and you’re still like this, I’ll lock you in this study, and you’ll never go out again. Only I will be allowed to see you.”
Tesvelan kissed her deeply.
In the fish tank on the desk, two brightly colored Ornamental Fish were entwined and circling, occasionally bumping nose to tail, sometimes winding together, from time to time spitting out dazzling bubbles, as if stirring the whole tank into a swirl.
Only when they felt oxygen-starved did they reluctantly part.
Livyat’s mind went blank.
She felt like a doll held tightly in someone’s embrace, being taken, possessed, framed within the expression of love from Tes’s perspective.
Then, Tesvelan drew a bracelet from her bosom—three entwined vines, wrapped with several moonstones.
One end came out, twisted halfway, and seemed to “bite” its own root, turning the outside in and the inside out.
The spiraling vine displayed a twisted, elusive beauty.
She gazed affectionately at the bracelet in her hand, her eyes flickering.
Pressing against Livyat’s body, she gently, inch by inch, slipped the bracelet onto Livyat’s left hand.
Completely unable to move, Livyat could only watch as the bracelet slowly slid onto her palm.
Her hand was bound painfully tight, yet Tes’s movements did not slow at all, continuing steadily and forcefully until the bracelet was secured around Livyat’s wrist.
“Liv, wear this. That way, I’ll always know where you are, and I’ll be able to sense your strongest emotions. That way, you’ll always be safe.”
Tesvelan lay atop Livyat’s chest, listening quietly to the sound of her heartbeat.
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