Warhammer: Empire Reboot

I also know that he won't easily accept any "initiative".

“The chieftain does indeed want me to stay by your side.”

"They put it very politely, saying that I am the most suitable liaison between Saim-Han and the Dark Side Master, that I am familiar with your habits and our clan structure, and that I can avoid many misunderstandings. But what they didn't say is more important: it would be best if you could be more patient with Saim-Han because of me."

Lawson didn't speak, but simply turned the rim of the coffee cup gently with his fingertip.

Ilancia finally looked at him.

"But that was after I had already made the decision."

“When I knelt before you, begging you to send troops to rescue Saim-Han, I said I was willing to do anything. Neither the chieftain nor the prophet council knew this, nor did I tell them.”

"What people say in dire straits often doesn't count," Lawson said calmly.

"That's why I'm sitting here now, to make it count."

After saying this, Ilancia gently tightened her fingers on her knees.

“I have served my people faithfully. When I opened the Web Gate, I knew I might be judged. I knew the prophets would weigh ‘salvation’ and ‘treason’ on the same scale. I also knew that no matter how many people from Saim-Han survived, there would always be people saying behind their backs that it was Ilancia who brought the human army into the Ark.”

She paused for a moment, as if finally letting out a breath.

“But I opened it anyway, because if I didn’t, Saim-Han would die, and if those things really happened, even if I preserved my innocence, I would only be holding a clean tombstone.”

Lawson's gaze toward her finally changed slightly.

Ilancia continued, “Now that the tribe has survived, I have repaid what I owed them. If they need to contact me in the future, I can do so; if they need me to explain, I can do so too. But I am staying by your side not because they permitted it, nor because they arranged it.”

She stopped there, as if even she needed a bit of courage to say those last words.

"It's because I chose you."

There was a moment of silence in the Royal Court.

Lawson looked at her, then suddenly reached out and pinched her cheek with his thumb and forefinger.

Ilancia's skin was more delicate than a human's, supple yet cool to the touch. When he pinched it, her cheek sank in slightly, and the seriousness that had just gathered in her eyes was instantly softened by stiffness.

"Little bean sprouts".

Lawson pinched her twice, his tone carrying a hint of mocking interrogation.

"His emotional intelligence has improved rapidly; he now says things that I want to hear."

As he pinched her cheek, Yilancia mumbled, "I wasn't trying to coax you."

"That's even more troublesome."

Lawson released his grip and leaned back in his chair.

"Truth is usually more expensive than lies."

Ilancia pursed her lips; the warmth still lingered on her cheek where he had pinched her.

She didn't know if her words counted as a response, nor did she know how much he actually believed her.

People like Lawson rarely give their true judgments directly to the other party; he prefers to hide all his emotions in his next action.

Then, as expected, he asked a question that was completely out of place with the atmosphere just now.

"Since the messengers of the Four Arks were able to accurately locate Saim-Han, then conversely, Saim-Han should also be able to find their tracks, right?"

Ilancia was stunned.

She had just cut herself in half and presented herself to him; but Lawson put the coffee cup back on the armrest and casually reached into her chest cavity to pull out a star map.

She looked at him, almost wanting to laugh, yet also feeling a pang of indescribable sorrow.

"Couldn't you have asked this kind of question a little later?"

"No."

Lawson answered frankly.

"Feelings are feelings, and intelligence is intelligence. You just said that you would only live for me from now on, so I need to confirm the practical value of that statement."

Ilancia stared at him for a long time before finally letting out a soft laugh.

If he suddenly becomes gentle and considerate, she might suspect that she has fallen into some deeper trap.

But his untimely intervention in the strategic issue made her clearly realize that she was still facing Lawson, the one who would save her tribe and immediately calculate what value her tribe could still provide.

"can."

Before giving her answer, she had already quickly weighed the consequences in her mind.

Once this word is uttered, Lawson could potentially use Saim-Han to access the locations, routes, and clandestine communication methods of the other four Arks.

That's no small matter; for the Eldar, the Ark's coordinates are more precious than many lives.

“Saim-Han cannot traverse the stars as freely as you can, but there are ancient communication paths between the arks, as well as hidden echoes maintained by the Prophets. Finding them is not easy, but it is possible.”

Lawson smiled.

When Yilancia saw that smile, her heart inexplicably tightened.

"very good."

He put down his coffee cup, reached around her waist with both hands, and lifted her up with almost no effort.

Ilancia let out a short gasp.

As she lifted herself from the high seat, she instinctively grabbed his shoulder, her long silver hair slipping from his arm like a beam of moonlight held aloft by black iron.

Eldar are much lighter than humans, so for Lawson, picking her up would probably be no different than picking up a cat that has just learned to act fierce.

He turned around, carrying her, and walked towards the corridor behind the Royal Court.

At the end of that corridor was his bedroom.

Ilancia's body tensed up instantly, and all her clear judgments about race, loyalty, choices, and intelligence became chaotic after this step.

Where are you taking me?

She actually knew the answer.

But it seems that as long as you ask the question, you can still hide a certain sense of shame in the question at the last moment.

Lawson looked down at her.

Her eyes were wide open, her silver hair was loose in his arms, and the tips of her ears were slowly turning a light red.

The tips of the Eldar's ears change color when they are nervous or embarrassed, a physiological reaction that even they themselves find difficult to completely control.

As Lawson looked at that little red dot, the corners of his mouth curved up.

"Who was it that just said they would live only for me from now on?"

Ilancia's breath hitched.

"That's not asking you to do it now..."

"Ilancia".

He rarely called her by her full name.

Lawson stopped in front of the shadows in the corridor and looked down at her.

"So I'm giving you one more chance. If you regret it, I'll have the Cornerstone Sequence send you to rest, and you can continue being the liaison tomorrow. If you don't regret it, then stop pretending that I'm forcing you."

As Ilancia looked at him, the tension and embarrassment in her heart suddenly seemed to be gently plucked by something.

She finally raised her hand and gently wrapped it around his neck, her ear tips turning even redder. "I don't regret it. So what do you want to do now?"

Lawson carried her across the threshold, and that familiar shrewishness in his tone finally returned.

"Stir-fried bean sprouts."

Ilancia closed her eyes, as if she was angry at those three words, or as if she finally couldn't help but laugh.

"Vulgar humans."

The door closed silently behind them.

The Imperial Court fell silent once more.

The coffee next to the armrest was half full, and the steam was slowly dissipating in the cool light.

The Saim-Han track on the star map moved slowly, with three anchored planets gleaming a gentle green light at the edge.

There is still war, fleets, and countless unpaid debts in the distance, but at this moment, all those things are shut out.

That night, the warning star was neither windy nor rainy.

Able to rule the depths of the court,

There was a storm quieter than the tides of space.

The silvery tide crashed against the black iron throne again and again.

She once thought she belonged to Saim Han.

It belongs to the wind, it belongs to the red battle flag.

It belongs to the undying glow of the soul stones within the Ancestral Spirit Hall.

She later learned that

The ark could carry an entire race.

But it cannot carry away the trembling sound of a person bowing their head.

Lawson's hand was heavier than war.

It was even hotter than the trial.

All the pride she had learned was shattered in his palm.

A static force field can lock the fleet in place.

It can lock down artillery fire.

It can put death a few seconds away.

But it couldn't hold her back as she gradually lost control throughout the long night.

Silver hair wrapped around dark gold wrist guards,