Miss Wang Weina, even your cousin won't do!

There shouldn't be anyone with a higher status than them, right?

Vina fell silent.

She considered many explanations: Wayne and Theresa's encounter could be a secret meeting arranged by the King of the North, an exchange between nations before her return, or even a forgotten, ordinary train crossing between two cities where the two stood in the towering castle towers of their respective cities under the night sky, and simultaneously cast a glance at each other from afar.

The first few scenarios were her cold, political perspective as an empress, while the latter was her perspective as a young girl, a romantic, tear-jerking soap opera. But she never imagined that the two of them would meet online.

It's so strange. Although I don't know why, Vina is always skeptical of two things: "Foreign leaders actually surf the internet" and "Beautiful girls actually go to the toilet." She is clearly a leader who surfs the internet frequently and a beautiful girl who goes to the toilet.

"But you've never even met him, you don't even know he's [Bruce], and you're already agreeing to this marriage?...

Vina said she couldn't accept it. If someone forced her into a political marriage with a complete stranger and a man with a terrible reputation, she would rather not be the empress and instead follow the example of Edward VIII, who chose beauty over power, and dragged Wayne back to Glasgow in the slums to be a bandit's wife.

But Theresa agreed...

Didn't she consider that, just as the rumors outside described, Wayne was fickle, incompetent, and uneducated? How could she possibly find happiness with someone like that?

The situation was urgent, and Theresa kept Originium Arts active. But even without it, judging from the disbelief on Vina's face, she could roughly guess what the young empress, who was probably a fraction of her age, was thinking.

She lingered on her hand, which had been stroking Wayne's paws with a hint of reluctance, and said with a serious yet slightly helpless expression:

“Vina, you can be willful, free, and do whatever you want because you were born in Victoria.”

“This land has never been fair, and you are lucky to have drawn the best possible lot. When you were born, the thousand clock towers of Victoria chimed your name at the same time. But I am different; I was born on the ruins of Kazdel.”

Theresa seemed to have used Originium Arts, or perhaps the words themselves triggered a sensitive nerve in Vina's mind. The young empress suddenly recalled that the last time she heard these words was when Wayne walked into the chaotic civilian district, under the watchful eyes of the Glasgow Gang, and read the will to him.

That was her father's last letter.

Theresa continued her story, and a vivid illusion appeared before Vina's eyes. Wayne frowned slightly; he hadn't expected Theresa to go so far as to use this Originium Arts.

The Demon King's magic allows the target to glimpse magnificent high walls and recreate past illusions.

Wayne hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand to stop them, but was interrupted by Vina and Theresa at the same time.

Vina wants to meet her father.

Theresa was determined to complete the spell, even if it meant being hated by Wayne.

Wayne pursed his lips, hesitated for a long time, and then stepped aside.

If Vina showed any reluctance, he would immediately interrupt the spell. Although Theresa had no ill intentions towards Vina, he did not want Theresa to use such "annoying" magic on his own family.

“You grew up carefree under the care of the court and your relatives, and you were the pride of the late emperor. But I was different. I grew up amidst ruins and wandered among the royal territories, with only one brother to rely on.”

Theresa continued speaking, her mind flashing back to the scene of Vina's coronation ceremony. She gasped in surprise, then smiled enviously.

“You ruled this country with wisdom and strength. Even though things changed, you had a loving brother who eventually passed the throne to you. But I am different. I came to Victoria with two choices: either I would marry Prince Bruce, or I would return to Kazdel and face a war with my own family.”

“Vina”.

Theresa abruptly stopped Originium Arts, and the illusions of the past faded from Vina's sight. Theresa's resolute face reappeared before her, this time with a plea.

"This land is unfair, but I have never felt sorry for myself because of it. To achieve my goal, to spare this land and my people from war and allow them to sleep peacefully, I can accept a political marriage that may not bring happiness. This is my responsibility, but..."

“I was surprised and delighted. My marriage partner was not the ignorant and incompetent person that the rumors said. He was gentle, intelligent, capable, and most importantly, he was the person I liked.”

"So, Your Majesty, the esteemed ruler of Victoria, leader of the pride of lions, bell ringer of the clock tower kingdom, benevolent Queen, Theresa, heir from Kazdel, pays you the highest respect. I have woven a dream for you, and I beg you to grant me the treasure that allows me to sleep peacefully, so that I may enjoy a unique happiness that is no less than yours."

Theresa made the request with utmost seriousness.

Vina instinctively wanted to look at Wayne, but stopped herself halfway through turning her head.

She is the true empress.

Making decisions, issuing orders, and leading the thousands of nobles of Victoria to resist threats from within and outside the land of Terra—this was her duty. She could not weakly pass this responsibility on to someone else, which is why Theresa proposed a formal marriage to her, rather than to Wayne standing nearby.

The new lion king remained silent for a long time. Wayne was the only male lion left in his pride, and even if she didn't agree, no one except Theresa would object or disagree.

Selfish desires seemed to have taken over, but Vina hesitated to refuse this willful request.

That's not how it's written in heroic tales. Now, the king should gladly agree to the relationship between the prince (Theresia) and the princess (Wayne), who are in love with each other.

But Vina couldn't bear to part with it.

That was originally hers, and she hadn't even groomed it yet, and she just gave it away like that?

"I will stay in Victoria."

Wayne spoke, without looking at Theresa, who was visibly shaken, and said seriously,

"Of course, Theresa will too!"

Vina and Theresa both looked at Wayne, and the next second, Theresa nodded first:

"Yes, once Kazdel is on the right track, I will bring the mobile city to Victoria!"

Vina blinked blankly, but Wayne gently patted her head:

“What are you thinking? Victoria and Kazdel are far apart, but we are close. Take initiative, Vina, the United Kingdom of Victoria and Kazdel. We will never be separated.”

"Um......"

Miss Lion nodded, took a deep breath, and replied:

"Dear King of Sarkaz, Ruler of Kazdel, I am delighted to accept your offer to serve as Empress Victoria and Chief of the Aslan clan..."

She reached out and took Theresa's hand.

"I agree to this engagement."

Chapter Nineteen: You Protect the Present, I Protect the Future

Victoria, Lentinium, May 16, Sunny, visibility: Excellent.

A gentle breeze blew through Londinium, and the proud sun shone brightly on the most prosperous city of the British Empire, gilding the entire Big Ben tower with a golden hue, making it resemble an exquisite work of art.

At Westminster Royal International Airport, Theresa stood in front of the aircraft, bidding a brief farewell to Wayne and Vina.

Theresa changed back into her jet-black backless dress. The delicate shawl concealed her shoulders, and her well-proportioned figure appeared even taller with the help of high heels. She looked just as serene, elegant, and gentle as when she arrived in Londinium half a month ago, except that she now wore an olive branch badge and a one-star Lion Pack medal on her chest.

The Order of the Olive Branch was a gift from Wayne to Theresa as a token of their meeting, while the One-Star Lion Pack was a farewell gift from Vina to Theresa. Although the Lion Pack, symbolizing an honorary title in Victoria, wasn't particularly valuable within the nobility, it was still a symbol of noble status to outsiders. The One-Star Lion Pack, however, represented a title beyond the lowly "knighthood," signifying a more prestigious first-class noble rank—the "Honorary Earl."

At Wayne's insistence, Vina named the Earldom that was bestowed upon Theresa "Glamorgan." However, Morganshire is actually quite far from Londinium. Wayne only said that the name had special commemorative significance and was quite in line with Theresa's strong claims, so the name was changed from "Honorary Earl of Belfast" to its current name.

In reality, the rank of the title didn't matter to Theresa; what mattered was the symbolic meaning. Just like in the European court of Wayne's previous life, royal families with bloodlines generally held titles from other countries. The main purpose of an honorary title was to show the whole world that Theresa was a Victorian.

In other words, she had gained the approval of Wayne and Vina, becoming a member of the Londinium court's politics. Anyone who wanted to harm Theresa had to consider whether they could withstand the terrifying consequences of retaliation from the leader of Terra's strongest nation. Vina chose to give Theresa this farewell gift primarily out of concern for Theresa's safety.

The marriage alliance will soon be announced to the entire land, and even a newcomer to the political arena like Vina can imagine the uproar and undercurrents it will cause. It's hard to say whether extreme anti-demon sympathizers like some in Laterano might try to sabotage the marriage for Theresa. An honorary title is nothing to Vina and Wayne, but it will help Theresa ward off many conspiracies from the "official" side.

As for truly bringing Kazdel under the protection of the Kingdom of Victoria, that will have to wait until Theresa officially marries into the court of Lentinium. After all, integrating a country is a long and arduous process.

They received gifts and care. Theresa, of course, didn't remain indifferent, and her return gift was something neither Wayne nor Vina had expected.

"The Sarkaz's artifact—[The Hands of the Clock]."

Wayne took the long, sealed gift box from Theresa. The box was nearly a meter long and wrapped with pink ribbons. A cute bow was tied at the top center, clearly Theresa's handiwork.

Before Wayne could ask any questions, Her Highness the Princess explained as if by telepathy:

"The hands of the clock, or as you might call it more commonly—the Black Key and White Spoon—are mysterious artifacts unearthed from ancient Sarkaz ruins. They possess the ability to subjectively slow down time for the user. Although it's subjective, according to the records left by Kazdel, the user can indeed achieve immortality and eternal youth. However, there are some side effects."

For example, emotions may become indifferent over a long life.

But this was no problem for Theresa; as the master of emotional waves, she had plenty of ways to awaken the feelings in people's hearts.

"Such a valuable gift, are you giving it to me?"

Vina said incredulously, "Immortality? In the past, it was an absolute fantasy, a myth. Although after being crowned empress, she learned more about gods, fragments of gods, and immortals from the books in the royal private library and the words of the unicorn [Old Man of the Clock Tower], she never held any hope that she could live forever."

After all, just as it's incredibly difficult for long-lived beings to die, it's equally difficult for short-lived races to achieve immortality. The land of Terra is ruthless in its killings and indiscriminate in its cannibalism, yet there's never been a story of them vomiting up what they can eat. Don't you see, those brilliant and ambitious monarchs of Victorian history, have all become small square monuments in royal mausoleums?

Therefore, although Vina knew that the two Sarkaz artifacts she obtained from Mostima seemed to be related to the concept of "time," she still generously returned them to Theresia, who was now "one of their own." Unexpectedly, after all that, Theresia ended up giving the two artifacts back to them.

Wearing a fine lady's hat she had chosen from a hat shop in Lentinium, Theresa nodded affirmatively.

"Although they look very precious, these two artifacts are not actually that important to the Sarkaz. We are already long-lived beings, so the amplification effect of possessing these is not significant."

This is a lie.

Artifacts are artifacts after all. Just like the Ten Commandments in Theresa's hands and the black crown [The Survival of Civilization] that appears on her head when she breaks through the restrictions to use Originium Arts, the Black Key and White Key must have extraordinary features to be called artifacts, and they can bring incredible abilities to their users.

Mostima herself is not strong in combat, and does not even have the essential weapon of the Sarkaz, such as the Guardian Gun. However, she was able to hold her own against elite Exorcists like Shining for a long time. Although she was at a disadvantage, her life was never in danger. This was all thanks to the special spell of the Black Key and White Key, the [Chains of Time].

Moreover, even if the Black Key and White Key didn't significantly enhance the Sarkaz's abilities, they were still treasures lost by the Sarkaz race, and there was absolutely no reason to give them away just because they were "not that important." Ultimately, it was simply that in Theresa's eyes, there were people more important than treasures like the Black Key and White Key.

She looked at Wayne and gently pushed the gift box into his arms.

Sarkaz have long lifespans, but Aslan is different. Compared to Theresa, Wayne is probably still an infant among the Sarkaz, and even in another hundred years, he might only grow from an infant to a child. But for Aslan, a hundred years is already the end of their life.

Theresa had never considered the question of lifespan before, because her friends like Kal'tsit and Kroos, and her relatives like Theresis, were all from long-lived races or were immortal, so she had no reason to worry. But now, she had to consider this question—when a hundred years had passed, could she bear to witness Wayne's departure?

Sarkaz's feelings are very steadfast, and this is especially true for someone like Theresa. Once she has chosen someone, she will never change her mind. This love has no time limit. If you had to put a time limit on it, it would probably be ten thousand years. No, it would probably be until the ocean dries up, the sun goes out, the earth collapses, and civilization returns to endless darkness.

Now, she can finally put aside her worries from a century later. Compared to Wayne and Vina, the Black Key and White Key are utterly insignificant to Theresa, just as a one-star Lion Pack Medal is utterly insignificant to Wayne and Vina compared to Theresa.

They are all protecting each other. Wayne and Vina protect the beautiful present, while Theresa protects the hopeful future.

"Well then, goodbye!"

Theresa gave a light bow to Wayne and Vina, then boarded the aircraft bound for Kazdel.

A meeting before a marriage alliance is not a real wedding, and Theresa cannot remain in Londinium indefinitely, ignoring the newly rising Kazdel. This nation, existing in a quantum superposition state and appearing and disappearing throughout history, is only now getting on the right track. Although Theresis has made plans for a large-scale reconstruction of the Sarkaz empire, at this moment, Theresa, as the current "Demon King," still needs to return home and take power.

But this separation is destined to be short, because Theresa can't wait, and neither can Wayne.

"Remember to video chat tonight?" Wayne waved to Theresa through the aircraft window, then quickly sent the message on LINE.

"Ok!"

Theresa shook her phone and nodded emphatically.

Meanwhile, Vina, taking advantage of Wayne's inattention, lowered her head and sent a message to her newly added friend, "Goodnight," on her phone.

[Glasgow Boss]: "Don't forget our agreement! This is an additional clause!"

【Goodnight】: "Understood, Your Majesty! (～o￣▽￣)～o...

The breeze in Lentinium remains gentle today.

Chapter Twenty: I Fear Wayne

Victoria, Lentinium, Ernest House.