Departure
Leah and Veirya tugged me back and forth all night. It felt a little similar to lying in a hammock, swaying side to side. Surprisingly, I actually managed to sleep. When I woke up, Queen Sisi , who was standing at the entrance with the curtain open, looked at me with a smile: "Oh my, Little Doggy, you have a lady on each arm."
I tried to sit up in a bleary state, only to find it impossible to do so, as I had two heavy arms on me. I looked to my sides. On my left, Veirya lied there, hugging my arm in silence. It was the first time I saw Veirya sleeping so soundly with her eyes shut. She didn't have her guard up against me whatsoever as she slept by my side.
"What a rare scene to see Veirya with her guard completely down. Normally, Veirya would be awake by the time I came within her vicinity, yet she's still asleep this time. That proves she has completely let her guard down," stated Queen Sisi.
Queen Sisi completely ignored Leah, who locked me with her arms and legs. Queen Sisi carefully walked up to Veirya and touched the latter's silver hair. Veirya didn't wake up even when Queen Sisi touched her hair. Queen Sisi could, therefore, only smile helplessly, "It feels incredibly nostalgic to see this side of Veirya. In the past, she only slept that deeply when she was around me. When she slept, it meant she was genuinely exhausted and would sleep for a while.
Hardly ever did I see Veirya so deep asleep. She never looked so at peace in front of me. The beauty of her deep asleep expression put the word beauty to shame. Unfortunately, my arm was sort of numb. I wanted to pull it out from her embrace a little. As soon as I moved it just a little, Veirya vigorously raised her head and panicked. She instinctively tightened her hold on my arm as if she was afraid I'd leave.
Queen Sisi softly called, "Veirya."
Veirya jumped to her feet. She bowed to Queen Sisi: "Sorry, Your Majesty. I. Fell asleep."
"It's fine. I just came to bid goodbye. I'm returning to the imperial capital today," stated Queen Sisi, caressing Veirya's head. "I've basically gotten everything that I wanted from here; therefore, I won't stay any longer. Veirya, I have ordered people to buy a number of things that children need. They should be delivered to your place in a few days. Once your child is born, I'm willing to be your child's foster mother."
By the sounds of it, giving a child a foster mother was a custom in this world. It was similar to a godmother. Queen Sisi didn't hesitate to offer herself for the position, which was an indication that she really wanted be the foster mother to Veirya's child. If our child's foster mother was Queen Sisi, she'd have a smooth-sailing ride to the throne in the future.
"Thank you very much."
Veirya wasn't actually pregnant but sincerely saluted Queen Sisi to express her gratitude, nevertheless. Queen Sisi laughed. She looked at me one last time before turning around to leave.
"Oh, right, Little Doggy." Queen Sisi suddenly turned around when she reached the entrance, thereby startling me. I thought she was planning to do something, so I quickly kicked my brain into top gear. However, she just chuckled: "As for him… Little Doggy, I don't like golden fur dogs. They may look a little better, but I still prefer the steady type of hunting dog. Perhaps a golden fur dog might be better as a pet, but I need a soldier. Additionally, I won't concern myself with my two dogs fight for favour. I just need to hold the victor and kiss its face."
"Your point being?"
"I prefer a hunting dog with me."
Queen Sisi didn't explicitly say what she was thinking but merely chuckled. There was a hint of encouragement in her laughter. Veirya had confusion written all over her face. She earnestly thought about Queen Sisi raising a dog. I, on the other hand, had already figured out what Queen Sisi was saying.
Queen Sisi probably knew I was going to get involved with the coal mine and that Edward purchased the rights from me. She definitely knew what I was thinking. What she meant by what she said was that she would turn a blind eye to what happened in the North. She didn't prefer Edward. To put it another way, I could do as I pleased.
I quietly woke Leah up. She rubbed her eyes. She was aghast to see Sisi. She shyly tucked her head into the blanket, but Queen Sisi ignored her and left. The camp was soon packed up. I thought the campsite would make for a nice holiday resort if we renovated the place. I saved it to memory so that I could take Veirya and Leah there in the future.
Queen Sisi didn't drag her feet. After she returned from the hot spring, she immediately took off with her people. The town didn't miss her after she left. The purpose of her visit was to see if Veirya would join the war and to legitimise her excuse to attack the elves through the Elven Queen. She was most likely heading back to prepare for her attack. Queen Sisi didn't plan to give up. The upcoming war between humanity and elves was inevitable.
What I could do was very limited. Additionally, I was more interested in how to take the machine and mine for myself. Queen Sisi needed some more time to prepare for the war. I, accordingly, had time.
We left the house for just one day, but Leah already missed it a lot. Anna was also relieved to see us. She welcomed us and said to me, "Welcome back, Sir. We received lots of things yesterday. We have two hundred gold coins here, a chest from the elves and things that Her Majesty sent us…"
I knew those things would arrive; I didn't expect them to arrive together, though. Next, I needed to arrange study materials for Leah to start her lessons. While I was at it, I also needed to visit the bank in the city to plan things out. I decided not to bring Leah and Veirya along, for I'd be quick, presumably. I was the key player on that battlefield, after all.