Chapter 330
I didn’t cry. The wind was biting, and Richard and I had more than one battle ahead
of
us.
“Richard, I’m so glad you’re okay,” I said, linking my arm with his and resting my head on his shoulder.
“How did Lily escape?” Knowing Richard’s personality, he valued family deeply. It was possible he couldn’t bring himself to hurt Lily.
“You’ve probably already guessed, haven’t you?” he said with a sense of helplessness.
Lily was older than both of us.
“Back then, our parents left her alone here in Bravenland. She endured so much torment before she was finally brought back by our people to inherit our father’s position. Then she went through a series of inhumane training regimens that forged her into the iron-willed person she is today. I just… I couldn’t bring myself to be ruthless with her. Claire, if it were you, could you do it?” Richard’s question left me without a clear answer in my own heart.
But the eyes of those commoners, desperate and clouded, stared back at me in my mind.
Did they deserve to die?
“Richard, the consequences of our parents’ actions have fallen on both you and me this time. I suppose that makes us even. After all, she tried to kill you, and she tried to kill me. She just didn’t succeed. But she’ll have to answer for the consequences of her own actions against those people p>
My words only made Richard’s smile more bitter.
“Seeing you like this hurts me. It’s my fault I didn’t protect you and give you a life without worries p>
“You protected me too well. You never told me anything, and that’s what made me so weak. I should have been fighting alongside you all along, protecting our home and our people p>
I looked at Richard with determination, and he nodded firmly. “Alright p>
When we returned to the palace in Bravenland, we were met with the sight of some of Lily’s former subordinates, forced to kneel before us.
“Your Majesty, we really don’t know where Lily is p>
“That’s right! If she’s threatening the commoners, she must be in the civilian district. You can conduct a thorough search. You’ll definitely find her p>
I scoffed. “Lily would never stay there. There’s no water, no electricity, no food. She wouldn’t live there p>
I knew Lily too well. For some reason, I felt that after all the suffering she’d endured, she would never subject herself to such hardships again.
“Lily must be hiding out and enjoying herself in one of the wealthy
districts,l said, a sudderealzation
striking me. I immediately asked for a map of the affluent areas
But then I heard one of Lily’s former subordinates laugh coldly. “Who is this little upstart? You think you can so easily figure out our Empress p>
The moment he finished speaking, Richard gave a silent look, and a guard struck the man across the face.
“Open your eyes and look closely. This is the Emperor’s own sister, Claire Floyd p>
The guard’s words made the two men, whose mouths were now bleeding, look up at
me.
“You mean the jinx that Lenore gave birth to p>
“Bah! If it wasn’t for that homewrecker Lenore, our two majesties wouldn’t have grown up without parents one abandoned from birth, the other thrown into an orphanage p>
An icy chill ran down my spine. I turned stiffly to look at Richard.
We didn’t have the same mother? We only shared a father?
“Are you surprised? The appearance of Lenore stole the heir to the throne, Clayton! To give birth to you, he abandoned Empress Lily, and to make sure someone could take care of you he sent Emperor Richard to an orphanage. Claire Floyd, you’re the jinx that tore your family apart and plunged all of Bravenland into its current state of chaos p>
“Drag them out,” Richard commanded, but only after they had finished speaking.
It was obvious. He had wanted me to learn the truth about my origins from someone else’s lips.