When the plot-skips players into the game world

Chapter 833: Chapter 212: Hope and Love Make People Strong Chapter 833: Chapter 212: Hope and Love Make People Strong After Isabel provided her definitive opinion, the previously insistent Great Justice unexpectedly chose to comply.

Everyone agreed, and the matter was thus settled.

Subsequent challenges with public opinion and various emergency plans were handed over to Great Justice Arios.

He was to return and discuss with Mycroft, proposing several solutions.

But after the Great Guardian and the Great Justice left, Ligeia did not choose to follow them.

She just looked at Isabel with relief—although Ligeia’s appearance as a little girl made this sight somewhat awkward, it was unexpectedly harmonious.

She smiled, drew close, jumped into Isabel’s arms, and gently touched Isabel’s head.

“You’ve grown up, Little Isabel.”

Ligeia, like a little adult, gently stroked Isabel’s soft, light golden hair and gently touched her forehead to Isabel’s: “Now you finally look a bit like a Monarch.”

Isabel slightly bowed her head and hugged Ligeia back around the waist.

Feeling the slight movement of the senior’s dragon tail brushing against her legs, Isabel’s gaze also turned nostalgic: “Yes…”

If this had been a year ago… no, even just six months ago, she couldn’t have imagined herself growing to this extent.

She clearly remembered what she was like before she met Aiwass.

—She hadn’t experienced any unforgettable tragedies nor had she felt any heart-wrenching torment.

Just like that, in a matter of months, she grew to a level her former self wouldn’t even dare to dream of.

“…Perhaps, compared to suffering, love and hope might drive people to progress more.”

Isabel softly spoke.

She was the most entitled to say this—because she was already accustomed to running away and enduring.

If there really had been any painful experiences that forced her to change, she probably would’ve been too tormented and exhausted to act by the time she made up her mind.

“Not everyone is born strong, Little Isabel.

Only steel can be reborn in fire, whereas even the hardest wood will only be burnt by fierce flames.”

Ligeia softly comforted her, like a grandmother fondly turning her head slightly, touching her forehead gently against Isabel’s.

She spoke in a soft voice, as if telling a child a story, mentioning things she had never told Isabel before: “But wood does not necessarily have lesser value than steel.

There are some things that wood can do that metal cannot.”

“You’ve never told me something like this before.”

Isabel said, half-complaining and half-coquettishly.

Yet Ligeia’s voice, as youthful as a child’s, was mature, steady, and kind: “Because you were too confused back then.

Someone who is lost cannot understand or remember these principles.

Grand principles are not for the confused; the confused only want to know how to proceed on the next part of their path.”

“Because you have grown, that’s why I’m telling you this.

I just want to tell you why you have become so formidable…

letting you know that it’s not an accident or a miracle.

I just want to tell you…

you are truly wonderful, Isabel.

You have come out stronger.”

I’m really wonderful…

Hearing this, Isabel’s eyes instinctively welled up with tears.

It wasn’t out of grievance or sadness, but rather, a profound sense of liberating relief.

As if the air was crisp and the sky was clear.

As if she was stretching her arms towards the sky, shouting joyously as sun showers of The Star lightly sprinkled upon her.

Isabel quietly shed a few tears, but did not sob nor cry loudly.

She playfully lowered her head and used Ligeia’s shoulder to wipe her tears, then showed an innocent and naive smile to her elder.

She said somewhat nostalgically, “Actually, I just… experienced a nightmare.

“In another possible development of the world, I saw Avalon fall apart.

An imposter took my place, and I could only flee overseas with Aiwass.

“The ‘Authority’ that people emphasize as indispensable protected nothing amidst such chaos.

Glass Island turned into a sea of fire, and the Knights slaughtered each other.

No one could protect the populace, just as no one could protect Avalon.

“So, I thought…

‘Authority’ is too fragile.

It only has irreplaceable value when everyone believes in it.

“But if someone truly falls into despair one day, on the day when they can only rely on ‘Authority’, it instead fails to protect them.”

Isabel’s eyes were clear and bright, her tearful eyes shone like polished emeralds.

“The only trustworthiness is in empowering Avalon myself, to prevent all kinds of disasters.

And if Avalon is strong enough, then what is the need for the exclusive path of ‘Authority’?

If Avalon could only promote the Path of Authority, how could it ever become strong?”

“…I see.”

Ligeia nodded slightly, remarking, “So that’s what you realized.”

“Of course,” Isabel added with a smile, “mainly it’s Aiwass.”

“That little Fox?”

“Because I don’t want to disappoint him, because I don’t want to become a puppet, to be used to stand against him…”

Isabel spoke softly, looking down at her own fingers.

They were slender and pale, suitable for playing the piano.

Yet these fragile hands held the great power to control an entire Kingdom, even multiple kingdoms—just needing a signature to change the fate of tens of thousands, even millions of people.

“…But this isn’t why I’m so assertive today.”

Isabel began, “It’s just ‘not wanting’; it’s my ‘fear’.

But what truly made me strong is ‘hope’.”

“I hope that one day, Avalon will never have to face the disasters I have seen in my nightmares.

“I hope that one day, Avalonians can proudly say they are from Avalon without being discriminated against, despised, or feared by people from other countries.

“I hope that when people mention Aiwass, they can call him Isabel’s partner, not refer to me as Aiwass’s wife.

“I hope my grandmother can be proud of me, and I hope that Avalon becomes better rather than worse starting from my reign.

“I hope I can also protect Aiwass, share his worries, and become his protector, instead of just being a warm harbor, not a burden or merely a girl who is protected by him.

“I hope I can be a good monarch, a good wife, a good mother, a good artist, and a very good person.”

The young queen’s eyes shimmered with light.

Ligeia could feel Isabel slowly clenching her fists.

Her forearms tensed slightly, and she gradually sat upright.

“As a monarch, I ought to have the capacity to embrace all my subjects.

And as a good monarch, merely ‘following conventions’ and ‘maintaining the status quo’ are far from sufficient—I am here to make decisions, I will take responsibility.

“If the Silver-Crowned Dragon disagrees, I will do my utmost to convince it.

If the people are puzzled by this, I will make them understand me.

If other countries view this as an opportunity to cause difficulty, I will not back down.

“Avalon should welcome change—”

As Isabel spoke, she couldn’t help but sit up straight.

This caused Ligeia to slide off her lap and bump into the desk.

In the corner of the desk, a vase wobbled dangerously close to falling.

With a graceful backflip, Ligeia leapt to the opposite side of the desk, catching the vase before it could hit the ground.

She turned her attention to the desk.

Apparently, the vase had been resting on a book that was not quite flat, which is why it was prone to fall with such an impact.

“‘Elf Diplomatic Terms…'”

Ligeia murmured to herself, picking up the book: “Is there something stuck inside it?”

Isabel didn’t react at first—until she saw the cover of the book Ligeia picked up.

A shining aura momentarily paused around her.

“Ah…

Ah?

Wait, wait…

no, that’s not allowed!

Don’t look!”

But it was slightly late for Isabel to react—by the time she spoke, Ligeia had already pulled out the book.

She looked at Isabel with a curious expression, obeyed Isabel’s command, and didn’t open the book.

Instead, she just placed it back on the desk and gently pushed it away.

Isabel, as if electrocuted, fumbled around but couldn’t find a place for the book, and ended up blushing and tossing it into a drawer.

“Um, Your Majesty, I wouldn’t recommend using books like that to support a vase.”

Ligeia coughed lightly and formally advised: “Your grandmother—the former queen, when in office, would have put the book in a compartment under the desk in such a situation.”

“Eh?”

Isabel paused for a moment, looked down to search but couldn’t find it, and then looked up for help: “Where?”

Ligeia skillfully walked over, twisted a Ruby knob on the side of the desk, and lowered an empty folding shelf under the queen’s desk: “Here, see?

Turn it back, and it will hide under the desk.

Neither feeling under the desk nor opening the drawer will reveal this book, as it’s beside the drawer.

Remember not to place too heavy items, but a few books are fine.”@@novelbin@@

“That’s amazing!”

Isabel exclaimed: “Is this a hidden compartment?”

“This is probably just a more concealed shelf.”

Ligeia casually mentioned.

She gave Isabel a smile and a bow: “If there’s nothing else, I shall take my leave—By the way, Your Majesty.

You might want to have the Ritualist check your adaptation to the Path, I think you might already have the Path of Authority’s adaptability now.”

Naturally, Isabel trusted Ligeia.

She was the person who had walked the furthest in the world on the Path of Authority.

—Oh, the irony.

As a monarch who lacked the Path of Authority’s adaptability, just when she had finally gained the ministers’ approval and was about to abolish the concept of ‘illegal Path’, she suddenly gained the adaptability for Path of Authority…

“Even so, it will never shake my resolve.”

Isabel asserted strongly.

Ligeia nodded in relief: “That’s good.”

As she reached the door, she smilingly greeted the Queen’s Guard at the entrance.

Then, after opening the door, as if something suddenly came to her mind, she turned back and added: “By the way, Your Majesty.

I read that book—it’s quite dense.

“If you like that sort of thing, I have some collector’s editions not available in the market.

I’ll bring them over tonight.”

With that, Ligeia quickly closed the door and left.

Leaving behind the low laughter of the Queen’s Guards and Isabel with her face covered, uttering soft whimpers.