It seems that the villain is targeting me.

Everyone knows this: Gwyneth Tudor, the politically savvy and ruthless Rose Queen, with hair of gold and a heart of stone.

The nobles were whispering at banquets and in their homes. Her Majesty the Queen only cared about power. At the beginning of her reign, she forcefully placed the Emperor's husband under house arrest, causing the Shrike to fall silently to death in her arms.

Gwyneth never commented on such comments, but you could tell from her cold violet eyes that she didn't care.

For her, the opinions of outsiders have long been unimportant.

This day was not much different from the countless days in the past for Gwyneth.

She was immersed in government affairs and when she came to her senses, it was already late at night.

Gwyneth stopped writing, looked up, and found fresh purple irises in a vase not far away.

She was slightly stunned, then asked the inner court steward waiting beside her: "Is today the Spiritual Prayer Festival?"

The chief steward nodded and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

The Altar of the Dead is a festival to commemorate the dead. On this day, people pick irises and place them on the roadsides or in their homes, hoping that their deceased relatives will follow these flowers back to them.

Such festivals are quite important. Generally speaking, members of the royal family always have to do something to show their support, such as leading the nobles to the church to pray, or providing some free benefits to the people.

For the royal family, this is a good opportunity to win over the people and stabilize the class.

But this year, Gwyneth did not participate in this matter.

Rather, she has not been involved in such diplomatic propaganda affairs in the past few years.

These kinds of matters have gradually been taken over and handled solely by the heir chosen by Gwyneth.

Her Majesty the Queen is determined to train her successor. Handling such work is not only about cultivating abilities, but also a process of slowly rallying the people's hearts.

And on this point, the other party did not disappoint Gwen's expectations.

The heirs of the empire have gradually grown to the point where they can stand on their own.

The child has a calm temperament and is sensible. With the assistance of his younger brother Lucas, he is capable of becoming a king who can maintain the status quo in the future.

The irises in the vase must have been sent to her study.

Her Majesty the Queen stared at the bouquets of flowers that were the same color as her eyes for a while without saying much.

The chief steward stepped forward and asked Gwen softly if she was also resting in the side hall today.

Gwyneth gently waved her hand towards the steward, "Return to the chambers."

The chief steward of the inner court was knowledgeable and tactful. He did not say anything extra and quietly left to make arrangements.

Gwyneth did not get up and leave immediately. She leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and silently brushed the feather ornament hanging from her earlobe with her fingertips.

The feather made into an earring was a slightly dull black-gray color. It was hanging quietly on the side of the neck, occasionally scratching the skin and causing a slight itch.

This thing has been well maintained, and I think it must be the owner's favorite.

But time has passed, no matter how much she cherishes it, the original feather

The color will inevitably become dull.

After so much time had passed, Gwen had calmed down a lot. That emotion no longer burned her soul like it did when she was young, making her toss and turn at night or shed tears.

Her thoughts became warm and soft, like a docile cat lying on one's shoulder, making one feel its presence and weight.

This longing accompanied Gwen through those long and lonely nights, as if the little bird was still by her side.

…Just thinking about this, the night didn’t seem so hard to endure.

Gwyneth does not believe in the existence of God and has never been a religious person.

She also doesn't believe that people have souls.

But God always loves people. Your sincere prayers may not be fulfilled, but your casual words will always come true.

Gwyneth left the room, walked down the corridor, and returned to the bedroom.

She lay down in the quilt with tiredness all over her body, her body surrounded by the soft touch.

The maid also placed a small bunch of irises at the head of the bed. Gwen gently touched the petals of the forget-me-nots with her fingers, and the feather earrings were tightly pressed against her neck.

Gwyneth felt unusually tired today. After a while, her eyelids became so heavy that she could hardly lift them.

Gwyneth

She seemed to hear someone talking.

...It was not just one person's voice, but one, two, many people talking to her, calling her name in familiar voices.

It was as if all her lost family members had returned to her.

Gwyneth

They were calling out to her, but she couldn't respond.

The surrounding environment suddenly became dark.

My body has become so heavy...

It was as if she had briefly sunk into water. She had difficulty breathing, her lungs were collapsing, contracting, and twitching, and it hurt as if they were about to burst.

Her consciousness was falling uncontrollably.

Those familiar voices were saying something anxiously, but Gwyneth found that she could no longer hear them.

Their voices were growing fainter... they were moving away from her.

and many more.

Etc., etc!

She wanted to shout, wanted to speak, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't open her mouth to utter even a word.

Don't go, wait for me, wait a moment, I will soon -

"Gwen."

Soft and intimate, as if gently held up by a feather.

Gwyneth remembered the voice.

She would not be mistaken, for she had heard it a thousand times at close range and dreamt of it ten thousand times.

Gwen couldn't help but choke on a sob.

...Are you back to see me too?

That familiar voice protected her in the dark and pulled her out of the sticky darkness.

Gwyneth struggled to breathe, her eyes opening a tiny slit.

In a daze, she seemed to see a strange painting.

The scene in the painting was something Her Majesty had never seen before: snow-white walls and ceiling, and a strange bed with wheels and rails.

There seemed to be someone lying on that strange bed.

The painting style is also very strange. It doesn't look like it was painted, but more like she is currently there, seeing everything with her own eyes.

Not only that, the painting is constantly moving, and the people in it are walking back and forth.

...What are all these things?

Gwen blinked blankly.

Her Majesty the Queen stared at the "painting" in great confusion for a long time, not understanding what kind of trick this constantly moving painting was.

Suddenly, her eyes widened.

The face that she hadn't seen for who knows how long suddenly appeared before her.

Perhaps because she was wearing an oxygen mask, Gwen didn't recognize the bird at first.

"...Levi?"

She murmured, her eyes involuntarily filled with sourness, and her brain became as confused as paste.

But before Gwyneth could be confused for long, a new picture appeared before her.

Another strange room.

It seems like I've changed to a bigger bed... Levi opened her eyes... Ah, she's lost a lot of weight...

A woman in white comes over... What are they talking about?

No, where are Levi's wings? I think I saw her left hand...

Is he injured? Levi looks like he is in pain.

Huh? Why did that woman close the curtain?

Wait, why are you touching her head?

Why are you lifting the quilt?

You wait a moment.

Ok?

Um?!?!!??!?!?!?!!?!?!!!

--------

-

"Hmm?!"

Suddenly, Xiao Niao felt a chill on his back.

She shuddered violently, rubbed the goose bumps on her arms somewhat confusedly, and glanced around curiously.

"What's going on?" Xiao Niao muttered softly, "I just had a bad feeling..."

"It's your illusion, man."

System 71604, who was still trapped in the cat box, said so.

Xiao Niao ignored what the fat cat said.

I feel a little nervous.

She had followed Dr. Chen into the apartment and was now in the living room, sitting on the sofa rather awkwardly.

The apartment was indeed as big as the doctor had described to her, and it was more than enough to accommodate one more person and one cat.

It was Xiao Niao's first time coming to a stranger's apartment, and he felt a little cramped.

She originally wanted to clean up the house herself, but she didn't expect that Chen Xiaoyue had already tidied up the second bedroom in advance.

And because Xiaoniao didn't bring any luggage, all she had to do was lie down on the bed and everything was in place, so there was nothing to pack.

At this moment, Chen Xiaoyue had already gone into the kitchen and started cooking.

Because she was afraid that the bird would be bored, she turned on the TV and told the bird to just watch whatever it wanted.

Xiao Niao nodded silently and watched Dr. Chen walk into the kitchen.

Xiaoniao looked towards the kitchen for a while. Seeing what Chen Xiaoyue was doing on the table, she felt that the meal would not be ready in a short time.

Xiao Niao then opened the cat box very quickly and poured out the long-haired cat inside.

"Mmm?"

The poor fat cat was unable to react for a moment and fell head over heels on the sofa, making a dizzy cry.

Xiao Niao put his hands through the cat's arms and picked up the long-haired cat with a serious expression.

"Okay, I've decided. I want to sign a contract with you and become your host," Xiao Niao said. "I want to redeem Tongzi from the master controller."

The long-haired cat was originally dizzy, but he immediately became excited after hearing what the bird said.

"Really, really!" Its eyes flashed with brilliance, "Meow - are you willing to be my host?"

"Yes, I promise you."

Xiao Niao nodded at the cat in his hand: "I am willing to do that task, but there are also prerequisites."

"First, the ownership of Tongzi must be completely transferred to me permanently. I will not accept a second split transaction."

"Besides that, regardless of whether this mission is completed or not, I can return to reality anytime I want."

Xiao Niao's tone was very firm: "If the master controller agrees to my conditions, I will take this mission... otherwise, forget it."