Book 15: Chapter 17
Elizabeth couldn’t receive the news. Although she planned to wait there for her son, that didn’t mean that she would be staring at the street all day to see if a white deer passed by. She had things to do. Because she had to eat, the roast bread and diluted grape wine she brought with her had begun to run out, Elizabeth went grocery shopping inside the city during the day.
Elizabeth saw Castell’s steed. That was enough to remind her she couldn’t escape in the end. She did everything she could come up with to hide, but she couldn’t escape her fate in the end. The so-called Phoenix’s Nest was her prison. She tried to escape it when she was young, but she went back in the end. Not only did she go back, but she also lost what she considered her happiness. History repeated itself again. It was excruciatingly hard to escape from it, but she had to return. Her son, Daisy, who she liked, and even she, herself, wanted to stay in the North; alas, she was destined to return to Hilles City alone on her steed.
It was the exact same as eighteen years ago. That was just how fate worked. That was Elizabeth’s fate; struggle as she may, it was impossible for her to break free. She was born in Hilles City, grew up there and it was also where she’d eventually be buried. She was tired and unwilling to try escaping anymore. Others viewed her as the ruler of the world, the ruler of the nation, a fearless Empress. In the end, though, she was just a pawn of fate. She had already failed. She was torn and tattered. Despair had overwhelmed her. Nobody could save her, and nobody could help her. In the past, she thought Inard could take her away and give her a different life. In the end, she couldn’t even take her son back with her.
Elizabeth was in the same position once again. She couldn’t defeat fate in the end. When she closed her eyes, she was still that teenage girl, hugging her son in despair and praying there’d be somebody who could save her, but there was no such person. Even Inard was relegated to helplessly watching her. She never truly grew up. She was always a powerless young girl waiting for somebody to save her and protect her desires that she still clung to. For some reason, when she looked at her son and Daisy, the despair and desire gradually increased day by day. She desperately hoped for the day where her son could hold her hand and run toward the sun. When she woke up, however, even her dream mocked her.
The dream belonged to Inard, but at some point, her son took over. Well, that wasn’t quite correct, since her son became more and more similar to his father, Inard. Inard had been gone for eighteen years at this point. Her memories of him had started to become a little fuzzy, so it was only normal for her son to have replaced him.
Her son said he’d help her destroy the cage. It was impossible to begin with; or rather, she perceived it to be impossible. Nevertheless, for some reason, she was glad when she saw her son. It was there just in a corner of her heart; that little spark of hope was there. She was glad, and she looked forward to her son destroying the huge stone palace to take her away.
It was impossible. The Rosvenor Empire was far too powerful. Elizabeth reinforced that cage to be indestructible. She, personally, saw the painful cage slowly reinforced. Not even wind could penetrate it. Her child would only spill his blood trying to break it. There’s no mother out there willing to see her child get hurt; Elizabeth was no different. Therefore, she submitted to her fate. She was already satisfied after hearing her son say he’d save her. As long as she could hear him call her “Mom,” she was happy.
Elizabeth was ready to return to Hilles City. She had even thought of how to deal with all that could happen. The blissful life in the North was forever a meaningless dream. It was time for her to wake from her dream. She was accustomed to it and no longer felt any pain. She calmly packed her things and prepared herself to head back at any moment. However, she still didn’t want to return. She was comparable to a kid who liked to laze in bed and would cling to his blanket, refusing to let go. She didn’t want to wake up yet; or rather, there was still something missing from her dream, and that was her son she wanted to see most.
Her son was on the verge of death, but she was sure he’d come back. She was absolutely certain he’d be back. If she had to leave, she wanted to ensure he was safe and sound before leaving. Though she knew she had to return when she saw Castell, she didn’t plan to meet up with him. Instead, she hid up. She resolved to hide from him until she could see her son.