"Your Majesty, please open the door."
Candice was very clear that Elashia's heart must be in great pain right now.
Human efforts had been exhausted, but heavenly fate was ultimately hard to defy.
Although they had long made complete preparations for the upcoming [Beast Tide] event, no one could have expected this to happen so early.
Even in the intelligence Alexandra had given her before, it was said that the [Beast Tide] event would most likely occur in mid-winter.
No one could have predicted this.
This disaster that became more terrifying the earlier it occurred had advanced by nearly three months!
They had prepared everything for it early on.
However, even though preparations were sufficient, they now seemed pale and powerless.
You must know, in the worst-case scenario, the [Beast Tide] event was supposed to occur at the beginning of winter, but now it was happening in mid-autumn!
The moment she learned the news, Candice's mood was also poor.
However, having lived for over two hundred years, she quickly stabilized her emotions and rapidly implemented the deployment that had long been planned.
Presumably before long, all of Elasia would be able to enter response mode.
But now, if Elashia gave up, all preparations would be in vain.
In the prophecy, Elasia was destined to be destroyed in the [Beast Tide] event.
After Elasia's destruction, the maddened magical beasts would gather again with the demons to attack the Iron Empire, leading to even greater disaster.
Elashia was the only "variable" that could possibly reverse this predetermined outcome.
However, she was also very clear—she could choose not to come find Elashia.
With Elashia's personality, no matter how difficult or desperate she felt after learning about this tonight, she would recover tomorrow.
If not for this, she couldn't have survived that hellish childhood.
Even if Elashia collapsed tonight, she would definitely recover tomorrow.
So for Candice, she should probably rest well now and conserve energy for tomorrow.
Elashia would recover on her own tomorrow anyway.
Comforting the about-to-collapse Elashia wouldn't have any impact on future events.
But—Candice wasn't just the Prime Minister of the Elasian Empire and the Grand Princess of the Iron Empire.
She was also Elashia's aunt.
She couldn't just watch Elashia collapse in this despairing emotion.
Even if Elashia could recover on her own later, she couldn't!
There was no movement from the world behind the door, but Candice was very clear—Elashia was there, and definitely wide awake.
"Your Majesty, please open the door."
Candice repeated her previous words again.
But at this time, Elashia didn't want to open the chamber door.
Because... she could no longer control the tears in her eyes.
She didn't want Aunt to see her collapsed state.
She didn't know why she was crying.
Was it because her efforts ultimately seemed small and laughable before the divine will, or because of the fate she was about to face?
That... unchangeable fate?
Hearing Candice's knocking, Elashia somehow laughed again.
Just as she didn't know why she was crying, she also didn't know why she was laughing.
Was she laughing at herself for doing useless work knowing there couldn't be a good ending?
Or laughing at her heart that had prepared mentally but still couldn't control its emotions?
She said in a voice that carried sobs within laughter:
"Aunt, I know about everything. I'm fine. Please go back first..."
Elashia knew that with Candice's high emotional intelligence, she would definitely leave after she said this.
However, Candice made a completely different reaction than usual!
A firm voice came through the door.
"Your Majesty, no matter what, I will come in today!"
Today, she absolutely wouldn't let Elashia shoulder the inner fear and despair alone again!
The moment she loudly spoke those words, countless things appeared before Candice's eyes...
Elashia, abandoned in that small courtyard in the capital, shouldering the despair in her heart alone.
But after despair, what was born was that angelic gentleness toward strangers from foreign lands.
...
After Ileina left, Elashia shouldered the suffocating loneliness alone.
But after loneliness, what was born was that will to change Elasia.
...
During the coup, Elashia shouldered alone the fear that failure meant death.
But after fear, what was born was unreserved trust in them.
...
Elashia always shouldered negative emotions alone, then returned positive feelings to the world.
But now, she absolutely wouldn't let Elashia shoulder everything alone anymore!
"Bang!"
Standing outside the door, Candice unhesitatingly used a micro Fireball spell to blast open the door lock!
That door, affected by the micro-explosion's aftershock, was violently pushed open!
Candice on the other side of the door saw each other with Elashia.
"Aunt..."
Elashia, her face covered in tears, looked at Candice, who was completely different from usual, with disbelief.
Like her, Candice's expression was also poor—after all, everyone had been awakened by urgent reports in the middle of the night.
The almost signature cold expression on her face was no longer there, replaced by the flush of emotional excitement.
Only the determination when looking at her eyes... remained unchanged...
"Elashia..."
After blasting open the door, seeing Elashia with a face full of tears, staring at her in a daze, Candice murmured her niece's name with heartache...
Wasn't this exactly as she had thought...
Elashia wasn't as strong as she appeared...
She always told others "I'm fine."
But her heart bore pressure that others could hardly imagine...
Just like when they first met...
Candice walked to Elashia without question and hugged her.
At this time, Elashia's body stiffened in Candice's embrace.
She didn't know what she should do now.
But Candice knew.
Rather, she had long wanted to say these words to Elashia.
Candice gently stroked Elashia's back and slowly said:
"Your Majesty... do you know..."
"On the day of your coup... I seemed to see my childhood Imperial Sister..."
"As if able to predict all matters alone, easily solving all difficulties..."
"Shouldering everything all by herself with ease..."
"But I was wrong."
"You are Elashia, not Alexandra's daughter, just yourself, a sixteen-year-old girl."
"You have borne too much alone... far too much..."
"The despair brought by abandonment... the loneliness brought by your best friend's departure... the fear brought by an uncertain future..."
"These things are not what a child should bear..."
"Because of Alexandra's schemes, you have borne too many things that someone your age shouldn't bear..."
Gently stroking the back of the trembling girl in her arms, Candice continued:
"Do you know..."
"Actually... I opposed your birth..."
"Having foreseen in the [Forbidden Book] early on that you would definitely experience a hellish childhood... I was absolutely certain that you would definitely become a heartless witch when you grew up..."
"Because an unfortunate childhood almost certainly brings a twisted psychology..."
"This is something I confirmed over hundreds of years..."
"But... Elashia... you... are different from everyone I've ever met..."
"I've lived for hundreds of years, and this is the first time I've seen... a flower blooming on rotten earth..."