Book 11: Chapter 32
Ling Yue opened her eyes. Her ears twitched as she listened to the person next to her speak. She turned around and said, “I’m not surprised that I’m kept here. After all, this is about his wife, Lucia. It would seem that Lucia really has had a mishap. Otherwise, there’s no way he would not come back for me.”
The Queen giggled. “It’s very normal for me to be kept here, since I am not one of his own. Whether or not I can return to the Galadriel tribe will depend on whether their leader approves or not. It’s different for you, though. He has not come back to take you to see Lucia after all this time. Maybe he doesn’t plan to marry you.”
Ling Yue whipped her tail with a hint of displeasure. “He will. I’m certain something happened to Lucia. Else, he would never leave me here and ignore me. He came for me when I was in the North. We are now but just a city wall apart. He won’t abandon me.”
The Queen smiled and asked, “True. You two must have gone through a lot, right? However, if something happened to Lucia, and he doesn’t want to marry you, what are you going to do?”
“I… will probably be his mistress,” answered Ling Yue. She hugged her own tail and slowly groomed it. However, her gaze was evidently not focused. She looked indifferent on the surface, but she was wrestling with herself inside. She looked overhead. “What else could I be? Lucia is too important to him. I am just a woman who has been around him for a short time. He couldn’t possibly abandon Lucia for me.”
“Do you love him, then?”
Ling Yue nodded without any apparent hesitation. “I love him. I knew he had a wife, but I still fell in love with him; therefore, he having a wife is not a reason for me not to love him… I don’t mind being his mistress, either. I was reluctant to go to the palace and be a noble lady in the first place. I want to return home and revive my tribe!”
“I’m very sorry.”
The Queen snuck her hand into the blanket and grabbed hold of Ling Yue’s hand. Ling Yue smiled, and then held the Queen’s hand. Voice sincere, she said, “It’s all right. It is not your fault, My Queen. It is not your fault. You did your best to end this war.”