The tears of Queen Zhilan blurred her eyes in an instant. "Nancy, go and spend some time with your brother. I need to talk to your father." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Nancy nodded and followed Xia Rou out of the room.

After the others had walked far away, Queen Zhilan turned to her husband, "Randy, you must promise me one thing."

"Say it, no matter what it is, I will promise you!"

"Now that Nancy has returned, and you’ve proven she’s your biological daughter... in the line of succession to the throne, you must place Nancy ahead of Kai Di’s child."

"...Fine, I promise you." Emperor Randy hesitated for a moment but eventually gave his agreement.

Queen Zhilan pressed her pink lips lightly, "I know asking you to do this puts you in a difficult spot. For generations, the throne of Haotian has always favored boys over girls..."

Emperor Randy shook his head quickly, "It’s not difficult. I’ve owed so much to the children already. This is something I owe her."

Queen Zhilan gripped his hand tightly, "Randy, our Danton won’t leave us. The reason I’m making this request is mainly to mend things for Nancy. I want her to hold a noble status here in Haotian, so that even if one day we leave this world, no one can look down on her."

"I understand what you mean."

Queen Zhilan smiled faintly, "You don’t need to worry about Nancy lacking education. I can teach her—I will ensure she becomes Danton’s most capable assistant. But I will never let her turn into someone like Kai Di!"

"Kai Di becoming what she is today—it’s a responsibility I cannot evade."

"Perhaps it’s for the better. You’ve given me a perfect negative example, so I won’t make the same mistakes again when raising our children."

Emperor Randy gave an embarrassed smile, raising his hand to remove his wife’s veil. "Zhi Lan, our daughter looks so much like you."

Queen Zhilan smiled, "Her eyes resemble yours—haven’t you noticed?"

"More precisely, her eyes are even closer to Kai Di’s. After all, Kai Di is her biological aunt."

Queen Zhilan slowly withdrew her smile. "Why would you bring up Kai Di at a time like this—do you have something else in mind?"

"Nancy’s return is a momentous event, but Kai Di is still in prison..."

"Randy, are you intending to use this opportunity to release her?" Queen Zhilan donned her veil again and turned to leave.

Emperor Randy grabbed her by the arm, "I won’t grant her freedom again—I only wish to move her to a different place."

"Move her? Into the palace, perhaps? Do you remember what you promised to the Xia clan and the Northern Tribes? Have you already forgotten?"

"Zhi Lan, we missed out on twenty-one years of Nancy’s life. I feel terrible thinking that their mother-and-son duo might have to endure the same..."

"Randy, who’s responsible for the years we lost with our daughter? It is Kai Di! The fact I didn’t kill her and her son is mercy enough. Now you want to move her to another location for confinement? This matter is non-negotiable!"

"Please don’t be angry..."

"How can I not be angry! In your heart, who truly matters more—your sister or our family of three? Do you even realize how much I’ve been humiliated by her, just to get information about our daughter? Even locked up in prison, she manages to overpower me—if she were kept in the palace, it would be impossible for me to endure her any further. She would eventually drive me to death.

The biggest mistake of my life was falling in love with you... Because of you, I’ve endured the scorn and condemnation of the world. I’ve become a femme fatale, a sinner blamed for wreaking havoc upon the kingdom. But even so, I cannot bear to leave you. I’ve done so much for you, yet in the end, it still cannot compare to Kai Di..."

Queen Zhilan grew more heartbroken as she spoke. She forcefully shook off Emperor Randy’s hand and ran out of the room.

Emperor Randy hurriedly chased after her, embracing her tightly under the corridor. "Zhi Lan, I was wrong—I take back what I said."

Queen Zhilan pounded on her husband’s chest with her fists. "Why did you come into my life in the first place? If it wasn’t for you, would I have suffered so much injustice?"

"In this world, only I—Randy—am worthy of you, Xia Zhilan!"

Her hands froze mid-air, clutching tightly onto Emperor Randy’s robes.

"Zhi Lan, I promised you once—I would love and cherish you for my entire life. I also promised you I would grant you an empire worthy of dreams. Although there have been obstacles, I have fulfilled those promises."

Queen Zhilan sniffled. Those obstacles were immense, yet she loved the man in front of her so deeply that she would willingly give up her life for him.

Emperor Randy gently wiped away his wife’s tears with his thumb. "Zhi Lan, do you still remember the scene from our first meeting?"

Queen Zhilan nodded firmly.

"When we first met, you were nineteen years old—and still attending school."

"That day was Du Ma’s birthday. He had invited many classmates to the palace, and I was among them."

"Although there were many guests that day, I noticed you at a single glance. You were like a blooming peony, radiant and dazzling."

"I noticed you on that day as well; you stood out among everyone, towering like a crane amidst a flock of chickens. Although Du Ma was supposed to be the protagonist of the event, you stole all his limelight. That day, I experienced for the first time the feeling of my heart racing."

"Du Ma invited you for the first dance. Watching the two of you spin in the ballroom, I wished it was me dancing with you."

"Du Ma had secretly loved me for so long, but he chose that day to confess his feelings."

"I watched from a distance, fearing you might accept his confession... and in the end, you did."

Queen Zhilan smiled bitterly. "But I didn’t say a single word consenting."

"You nodded," Emperor Randy said sourly, his teeth aching as he spoke.

"Du Ma leaned in close and whispered to me that if I didn’t agree to his confession, he would take his own life. I couldn’t bear to see such a tragedy, so I had no choice but to nod."

"You never told me this part."

"Anytime I mentioned Du Ma, you became enraged. How would I dare tell you?"

"Du Ma loved you deeply, but not as deeply as I do. I even bartered the throne with him for you, and without hesitation, he agreed."

Queen Zhilan sighed deeply. "Because of your exchange with Du Ma, I became a vixen. You know how Du Ma is—his promises mean nothing. After taking the throne from you, he turned back and tried to take me away.

For my sake, you had to retake the throne, battling back and forth until two years ago. When he passed away, we finally had a few peaceful days, but then Kai Di started causing trouble again..."

"It’s my fault. I will never bring up Kai Di again in the future."

Queen Zhilan glared at him playfully. "You’re really getting craftier as you age. Clearly, Nancy looks nothing like Kai Di, yet you managed to tie this back to her."

Emperor Randy chuckled awkwardly, "No matter how cunning I am, I still can’t escape the discerning gaze of my little Hunter."

Queen Zhilan tilted her head, gazing at him. "Now that I think about it, Nancy’s eyes don’t resemble yours much."

Emperor Randy touched her curled eyelashes gently with his index finger, chuckling as he said, "At a glance, they look like yours—but upon closer examination, they’re a blend of both of ours."

"Let’s go check on the children," Queen Zhilan proposed with a smile filling her eyes.

"Yes, let’s spend time with the children." The couple, fingers interlocked, headed toward Danton’s quarters.

Xia Rou stood by the window for a long time. Seeing them approaching, she turned her head to Nancy. "Nancy, your parents have reconciled—they’re walking over here now."

Nancy smiled and handed a peeled orange to Danton. "Have a bite."

Danton’s handsome face lit up with a faint smile. "Thank you."

"Danton, let me push you outside to enjoy some sunlight later, alright?" Nancy tilted her head and looked at her brother. "Your complexion is even paler than mine."

Danton smiled helplessly. "I can’t be exposed to the sun. If it touches me, my entire body will break out in rashes."

Nancy pressed her lips tightly together. After a long pause, she finally asked softly, "How do you usually manage then?"