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

"Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding? There's no misunderstanding! Besides saying 'Miss, please don't be anxious,' can't you say anything else?"

Chen interrupted him angrily after hearing his first sentence.

“You all, like Wei Yanwu, always like to brush me off like this.”

"First, you claimed from the beginning that it was all a misunderstanding and nothing happened. Then when something actually happened, you said that maybe something happened, but we shouldn't take any action. Now that Bruce is really in mortal danger, you're starting to say things like, 'Maybe we should take action, but for this or that weird reason, we can't do anything.'"

Chen Huijie took a deep breath, and taking advantage of Ying Weizi's momentary daze, suddenly broke free from his grasp and ran towards the stairs, saying as she ran:

"Going to *Longmen* won't do you anything! So what if the other side is the Victorian royal family? I don't want to end up like back then, only able to listen to you spout nonsense like, 'Maybe if we had tried a little harder, been a little more resolute, we could have saved her,' while I'm crying alone under the covers! What I'm going to do, no matter who the other side is, is to do it right now!"

Before she finished speaking, she had already disappeared around the corner of the stairs.

In reality, although Chen was fast, she was still slow compared to Ying Weizi, who specialized in swordsmanship and martial arts. In the instant she broke free, Ying Weizi was fully capable of reacting and catching Chen. In the time between Chen running up the stairs and reaching the ground, Ying Weizi had countless opportunities to catch up with her and regain control.

But he didn't do that.

The aged shadow guard gently stroked the dragon-patterned Tang sword at his waist and sighed softly. He was reflecting and reminiscing.

Once upon a time, when he followed Wei Gong in battles on the streets and alleys of Longmen, fighting against the serpent scales of Kosichie in one bloody and relentless battle after another, all for the sake of reclaiming Longmen, a city that belonged only to the Great Yan and only to them, Zi Jin, like Chen, was straightforward and impetuous, eager to use his sword to cut down all injustices.

But ever since he lost Edward Atrias' only orphan, Talulah, because of Kosiché's conspiracy, he has become timid and hesitant, constantly worrying that he might fall into the enemy's trap again due to rashness and carelessness, and that he might lose someone important again because he didn't think things through carefully enough.

Not only him, but all the Shadow Guards, and even their benefactor, Lord Wei Yanwu, began to gradually transform from former soldiers, warriors, and iron-blooded men into politicians, assassins, schemers, and their henchmen who were always plotting.

Was this his original intention?

Yingwei Zijin had never thought about these things before, because after that incident, he subconsciously handed over the initiative of thinking to Wei Yanwu, whom he considered "smart enough". He was no longer passionate, no longer prone to anger, and donned a black cloak to fight head-on. The upright and honorable Imperial Guard became a "Shadow Guard" lurking in the shadows, ready to strike and kill. But today, Chen's words awakened him.

Some things, like love, can never be suppressed and lurked like a shadow guard. You must either live openly and honestly or die uprightly. There is no compromise or retreat! A shadow guard might retreat, but Chen will not.

Chen is definitely not like him now, a weak person who would never do something just because it might be wrong or result in losses! She will not back down!

He had no reason to discourage Chen's pure heart; on the contrary, he should wish them well and wish Chen success.

"Let her go and save Prince Wayne."

The shadow guard silently lowered his head.

A moment later, he raised his head again, his face filled with horror.

*A five-word curse from Longmen*, wait a minute! He almost got led astray by Chen's words.

This is the northern border of Victoria, heavily guarded and monitored from both inside and outside. His Highness Wayne has not been in any danger at all! Who is Chen going there to save?

Rescue Vayne from the unicorn guarding Prince Vayne.

Oh my god, this is terrible! This could lead to a major disaster.

Ying Weizi came to the Northern Territory to protect Chen, not to help her create a big news story. He didn't want the Terra Daily's front page headline tomorrow morning to change from "Victoria's internal strife" to "Shocking! Yan Kingdom's princess punches a unicorn, all for a man...".

He had no doubt that unscrupulous media outlets could write such headlines, and this time it wasn't an exaggeration, it was the real story.

Between being scolded by Princess Chen again and being beaten up by Wei Yanwu's Crimson Sky Sword Technique after returning to Longmen, Yingwei Zijin quickly made his choice.

He rushed up the stairs, taking three steps at a time, and quickly ran after Chen.

"Princess... no, Miss, please don't panic, please don't panic!"

Chapter Sixty-Five Notes – Reed

Victoria, Earl Vincent's House, bedroom.

Wayne closed the door, locked it, turned on the wall lamp, walked to the bedside, and sat down, pulling back the covers. He took out his notebook from his pocket.

Stroking the exquisite, thick cover, Wayne felt a sudden tremor within him. This wasn't Wayne's will, but rather a primal urge—he wanted to immediately open the notebook and piece together the image of the King of the North from the barely perceptible handwriting.

How can a child not even know his own father?

Infected, Wayne sighed with a touch of sadness. With that thought, he decided to grant "himself" this small wish and opened the book.

The first entry I saw was the first diary entry I'd only glanced at in the basement:

[May 8th, 1085 (Terra calendar), sunny.]

It is now early June of Terran year 1092, which means that a full seven years have passed since this diary entry was written.

The story begins with the King of the North's campaign against a barbaric creature, a true enemy of humanity. Not only Victoria, but other powerful nations on the land, such as Ursus, Great Flame, Letania, and Sargon, are all resisting these monsters to varying degrees.

Judging from the notes, the expedition was a great success. The Wasteland Beasts were killed, the crisis was averted, the King of the North returned in triumph, and even received an unexpected surprise—an amnesiac "Vaivan girl".

“I plan to bring her home so that Wayne will not be alone when I leave home to fight.”

"She agreed, and then fainted."

For some reason, Wayne felt a slight pang of pain in his heart as he read this. But he quickly composed himself and turned the page of his notebook.

[10th of May, 1085 in the Terran calendar]

The diary entries are not continuous, suggesting that the King of the North only jotted down memorable moments in his spare time.

Wayne continued reading.

[Warhorses are really unsuitable for an injured little girl. Every time I see her sweating profusely from the jostling, which aggravates her wounds, I feel extremely worried. When the army passed through Dorronshire, I specifically borrowed a camel wagon from the local townspeople. Her condition has improved a lot these past two days; she seems to have regained consciousness and can respond to my words subtly. She should wake up in another two days.]

Wayne smiled helplessly.

How should we evaluate this "father"? He was completely unsuspecting of a girl he rescued from a monster's lair, even showing her extra care; his vigilance was appalling. In Wayne's previous life, let alone an amnesiac girl in a beast's lair, even a baby in a trash can or an old man lying on the street would have required considerable thought before offering help.

But it must be said that just by reading this page of the diary, Wayne was able to sketch out a rough image of the King of the North in his mind—a strong but gentle father.

Next page.

[14th of May, 1085 in the Terran calendar]

It took much longer than I expected, but thank God, she woke up. I can hardly describe how I felt when she opened her eyes and looked at me. She had deep blue eyes, like the pristine surface of the Thames, clearer and more beautiful than any jewel I owned. She looked at me, opening her mouth to utter incomprehensible syllables. She had amnesia; she looked like a blank sheet of paper, looking at me with the eyes of a baby, as if she mistook me for her father.

【Father......】

Wayne noticed that below the end of the writing, there was a small area of ​​ink that had spread out, like a piece of paper that had been dried, with a unique dry texture.

He shed tears?

Curiosity drove Wayne to turn to the next page. Unexpectedly, the next entry was a diary entry from the same date.

[14th of May, 1085 in the Terran calendar]

I am not a good father. I missed Wayne's birth, his birthday, his mother's serious illness and passing. Apart from giving him life, I have always been absent from his life, never have. I often convince myself that it's because I have things I have to do. But Wayne clearly doesn't understand this. In fact, when I stood outside the palace gates before this expedition, turning around to say goodbye to Wayne, all I saw in his eyes was the indifference of a stranger.

I don't expect him to understand.

But through this poor girl, I truly understood that feeling, the feeling of truly becoming a "father." Her recovery ability was astonishing; although only half a day had passed since she woke up, she was already running around outside the camel cart.

She would greet me, albeit in the most primitive way—by stretching out her arms for a hug. She would get hungry and try to sneakily rummage through my weapon crate for food; thankfully, there weren't any trigger bombs or anything like that. After only half a day, she was already able to stammer out some words.

【"dad"】

I'm so excited.

Wayne tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

He suddenly felt a surge of anger rising within him. Naturally, to Wayne, an observer, this notebook was merely a first-person film; while it touched him, it could not possibly evoke anger or sadness. This emotion stemmed from his body, from his "obsession."

The predecessor that has completely disappeared is now filled with rage.

Wayne could probably understand his feelings. His own child was left alone in the palace, while the father was busy enjoying family time with his adopted "daughter." He even planned to take her home.

This is tantamount to telling Wayne, who is left alone in the palace and is known as "having the eyes of a stranger," that not only is he not being cared for, but he is even being stripped of the title "Son of the King of the North."

He suppressed the anger rising within him and turned to the next page.

[15th of May, 1085 in the Terran calendar]

I feel I should give her a name, just like a real father would.

I considered consulting with Normandy, but ultimately decided against it, as I've decided to come up with my own name. I couldn't give Wayne a good name, but at least I can give the child one. Let me think... Catherine? Marissa? Jane?

No, forget it. Such a name isn't suitable for this special child, especially since I only adopted her; she once had her own family. In that case, let's give her a code name.

I found her in the wilderness of Dublin, a place known in ancient times as "the city of shallows surrounded by reeds." She was small and thin, and had lost her memory. Compared to the soldiers walking beside her, she looked like a swaying reed, as if she might be broken by the wind at any moment. But she was incredibly resilient. Even after encountering a monster in the wilderness and suffering such severe injuries, she persevered, like a blade of grass.

[It's decided, until this child finds her biological parents, we'll call her that.]

Wayne quietly looked at the beautiful name written in Victorian cursive at the end of the notebook.

【Reed】

Chapter Sixty-Six: Father and Son (A long chapter of 5000 words!)

【Reed】

Wayne never expected to see this name here, in the King of the North's notes.

He eagerly turned to the next page. On this page, the King of the North's handwriting was somewhat unsteady, as if he were very happy.

[16th of May, 1085 in the Terran calendar]

[I'm home! The warm Yorkshire breeze is invigorating. Where the army has passed, large crowds of citizens line the roads, cheering and celebrating. Victoria has once again defeated the enemy from the wilderness, and the Empire has once again restored peace and tranquility.]

[But I saw some annoying figures. I don't know what Lentinium was thinking; is Andrew so sick he's stopped caring? These Lateran missionaries are everywhere, they're like locusts, and now they've spread to the North. Next time I go back to Lentinium, I must give Andrew a good talking-to; Lateran religion is acceptable, but only a little bit.]

"Alright, let's not talk about official business... Reed seemed quite surprised too. Unexpectedly, she didn't show the fear I expected from the crowd's cheers. That's a good thing; she might experience many more things like this in the future, along with Wayne. Speaking of Wayne, I haven't seen him all day. That kid is always like that; every time I leave the palace, he runs off everywhere, hanging out with his bunch of good-for-nothing friends. Wouldn't it be better if he stayed home and studied peacefully? He's going to be managing such a vast territory in the future."

Fortunately, this time I brought him back a family member and a playmate. Hopefully, with Wei Cao's company, he can break off his ties with those spoiled brats.

Wayne's lips curled into a smile, but it was neither warm nor forgiving; rather, it was a laughable disdain. He had no doubt that his predecessor had worn the same smile when he learned of this news.

Lord King of the North is a man of great talent and ambition, who has fought countless battles throughout his life and even completed the almost impossible-to-replicate conquest of Londinium. How could such a remarkable person fail when it comes to emotional intelligence?

He did this seemingly to gain Wayne's forgiveness, but he was far too presumptuous. He knew almost nothing about his son, yet he naively assumed Wayne would understand his good intentions?

It's both speechless and laughable.

Wayne could almost guess what was going to happen next. He quickly scanned the notebook, skipping over the descriptions of the reeds' growth, and fast-forwarded directly to the day Wayne returned to the Northern Royal Palace. The handwriting on that day was exceptionally messy, yet the force was penetrating, revealing the resentment in the diary's author's heart.

[20th of May, 1085 in the Terran calendar]

Wayne returned, reeking of alcohol, grinning widely, and disturbing the entire palace in the middle of the night. He seemed completely unaware that I was home, and went straight to his bedroom, utterly ignoring me who had been waiting for him until late. Reed looked a little scared, but I comforted her. Wayne wasn't a bad person at heart; I know my child. He had simply gone astray for a time.

I told Reed to go back to sleep first, and then went to Wayne's bedroom alone.

We had a fight.

Wayne closed his eyes, revealing an expression that said, "I knew it."