Night always fell early before winter. Brando and the others traveled south of Maltaha for three or four hours before the sky darkened.
Winter nights in Tauqike were particularly damp and cold. Although the inland sea area of the Dead Moon did not freeze at night, the ground would become cold and hard. The swamp was filled with fog, there was almost no wind, and there were very few sounds of insects. It was so quiet that it was almost eerie. Occasionally, there would be the sound of water splashing in the darkness.
The bonfire was burning, and one or two sparks would occasionally jump out. The bright yellow light penetrated the fog and could shine far away, but it would also cause unnecessary trouble. In addition to the beasts and ghouls in the swamp, there were also swarms of mosquitoes. Even at this time of year, there were still a large number of mosquitoes in the Tauqike area. The mosquitoes followed the light, and even if they had already prepared insect repellents, it was not very useful.
Brando drove the mosquitoes away with his hands, and from time to time used the Power of Law. Delphine dried fish and mushrooms by the bonfire. These ingredients were all sourced from the local area. The prime minister's daughter's culinary skills were unexpectedly good. Everyone present more or less tasted a little, and they all expressed their praise. As a princess, Huang Huo only took a symbolic bite. Her diet was strict, and she maintained the same self-discipline when she went out.
However, she suggested that they prepare more in case of emergencies. After all, when they thought of the strange diet of the Sheep-Head Cult in Maltaha, everyone agreed.
The Crimson Moon Moya had risen from the horizon in the west, but Fang Qi still had not appeared. It seemed that he would not show up until the appointed time.
Delfien took a smoked fish from the grill, then handed it to Brando and pointed her chin in a direction in the darkness. Brando understood what she meant, but he was a little surprised and looked at her.
"What, who do you think this vicious woman is scheming against?" The Prime Minister's daughter smiled and asked in a joking tone.
"Is that little girl worth your scheming against?" Brando was not polite at all to the Prime Minister's daughter. Although the two had been intimate, what happened on the ship that day had left a barrier in Brando's heart.
To be exact, there was no love between him and Delfien, only desire. Since then, because he deliberately kept a distance, even the relationship between the two had weakened a lot. Brando did not know what Delfien thought of this matter. Perhaps she did not care at all, but he cared very much. Every time he faced the Prime Minister's daughter, he felt very awkward.
His straightforwardness was also to cover up the awkwardness.
Delfien smiled slightly, as if she did not care. She handed over the wooden skewer in her hand and said, "She hasn't eaten anything since coming here from town."
"Delfien," Brando suddenly said, "the Cruz Empire is currently in an unknown state. We don't even know if your father and grandfather are still alive. I'll tell you the truth, I can't see what the future will be like in the war with the Twilight Dragon. All I can do is protect Erouine and the people around me, and fulfill the promise I made to the Queen of Madara. You should have already seen that I can't give you too much of a guarantee. I can't even become the King of the Wohnde and rebuild the empire."
There was a campfire between the two of them. Mr. Liu was on guard outside the camp, Phoenix Flame had already gone to rest in her tent, and Magadal needed to practice meditation and communicate with her magic. For a moment, there were only the two of them talking in the camp.
"And then, what do you want to say?"
"I want to say that you don't have to be like this," Brando sighed. "You know what kind of person I am. If you want something, you can tell me as much as you can. Although you have caused me a lot of trouble in the past, Metisha and I have seen your efforts in the past two months. Let's leave the grudges between us in the past. If you are willing to let bygones be bygones, I can help you like a friend. What I mean is, I will do my best within the scope of my abilities. "
"What you mean is that I don't have to bind myself to you and force myself to smile in front of you every day. I should pursue the path I want, right?"
"That's not what I mean, Delfien."
"No, my Lord, that's what you mean. I know you're pitying me," Delphine replied with a smile. "Does my Lord think that it's too tiring to play this game of cat and mouse with me, and you don't want to continue?"
"Alright, I admit that you are right. But Delfien, the grudge between us originated from a misunderstanding. I have said before that I will not apologize to you for your fiancé's death because it has nothing to do with me. But I can apologize for the damage that I have caused you. Perhaps if we had both taken a step back in Abies, things would not have turned out this way. "
"What about Miss Roman? You don't hate me for what I did to Miss Roman? "Delfien asked softly.
"You don't have to provoke me. Because of what happened to Miss Roman, I wanted to kill you and give you an unforgettable lesson. But after that, too many things happened that I did not expect." Brando shook his head. "To be honest, I don't know how to face you. On one hand, you are my enemy, Miss Delfien. On the other hand, I have hurt you."
"Do you really think that you have hurt me?"
Brando nodded without hesitation.
"You are a righteous but naive person," Delfien replied. "But you still don't understand what kind of path you want me to pursue? Leaving you and returning to the scheming and deceit of the past, is that the kind of life you think I should live? "
She shook her head. "Why do you think that I am forcing myself to smile? In fact, these days have been the most relaxing and truest days of my life. When we return to the Empire, I don't know what kind of choice I will make. But at least here, I feel real and happy."
Brando was stunned.
The prime minister's daughter suddenly sighed quietly. She put the smoked fish back on the grill and stood up. She took out a blanket from her backpack, walked over, and handed it to Brando.
Brando was slightly stunned when he saw the blanket. He remembered that he had covered the prime minister's daughter with this blanket in the north of Rosaleen. At that time, he thought that she had fallen asleep, but he did not expect that she was only pretending to be asleep.
He looked at the blanket in his hand. Delfien had taken good care of it. Even in the swamp environment, the blanket was very dry and tidy. It was also very neatly folded, and every edge was carefully aligned.
"I am sorry. It is time for me to wake up from my unrealistic dream. In the long dream in the Elemental Frontier, the terrible things I saw made me weak." Delphine replied faintly, "These days, I've given up on myself. That's why such a ridiculous thing happened. I've let my fiancé down, and I've also let my lord down. I thought that mistakes would disappear with time, but I was wrong. I'm still me. Running away can't change reality …"
"Miss Delfien."
Delfien shook her head. "Sir, you do not need to persuade me. You are right. When I return to Erouine, I will find my own path. You and Miss Medissa are both righteous people, but this place doesn't belong to me. I shouldn't impose my own ideas on others. Although I used all kinds of despicable means to force you to agree, it's a pity that if it's not your true intention, it's meaningless in the end … I, Delphine, Nidevan's daughter, don't need to rely on others' charity to succeed. "
Delfien put down her luggage and picked up the smoked fish from the grill. At the same time, she replied, "Sir, thank you for not pursuing my mistakes. I will do my best to help you get the Nature's Pearl. This is the last time I will help you by your side, because this is my apology. I must make up for my mistakes —"
"But I know very well that this is far from enough. If Sir still wants my life, I definitely won't mind." She pointed to her snow-white neck and replied, "My head is right here, ready for Sir at any time."
"Miss Delfien, you know that is not what I mean."
The prime minister's daughter smiled bitterly. "Are you saying that you want to trample on the last bit of dignity I have as the eldest daughter of the Nidevan family?"
Brando could only keep his mouth shut. He looked at the noble's daughter and felt a little emotional. Perhaps she was showing her true feelings, but he still did not dare to fully believe it, because it could also be another one of her tricks.
But even if he knew that this could be an act, when Delfien said those words, he still felt a sense of loss in his heart.
However, Delfien did not explain. She placed the grilled fish in his hand and said, "Even the most willful and scheming woman has a heart of compassion. She has not eaten a drop of water since noon. Her pouch is full of stones."
"Stones?"
Brando was shocked.
"That is a girl with a backbone. You will not understand her, but I do. Because I see my past self in her," Delfien replied softly. "But I am much happier than her. At least I still have family."
"You are wrong about one thing, Miss Delfien," Brando replied in a low voice. "She also has family. I think she has at least one elder sister or younger sister. Their mother should still be alive. Perhaps she is still alive."
"You know her?" Delfien suddenly showed an expression of understanding. "She is related to Miss Metisha?"
Brando nodded. He had already seen this prime minister's daughter's mind, so he was not surprised by her reaction. However, he did not continue to explain because he could not be completely sure of his guess about her identity.
… …
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