I, the final BOSS of the beta test server!

The chestnut-haired female knight didn't respond to Aaron's hoarse words.

However, the movement of her walking towards the dark griffin with her back turned said it all silently.

"What if I knock you out now and then forcibly bring you back to the imperial capital?"

Aaron's voice rang out again.

But for some reason, even though he was speaking such threatening words, for the first time, a hint of pleading appeared in the eyes of this dignified and steady middle-aged man.

"You know what I would do in that case."

In the distance, Cecilia paused slightly.

She turned sideways and looked at the man in the station: "I understand that as the heir to the empire, you have responsibilities that you must bear."

"But I also have my responsibilities."

"The Ingulite family is only a minor noble family in the border region, and my subjects consist of only a few tens of thousands of people in Qiuye Territory... I don't have the same awareness as you do, shouldering the interests and fate of the entire empire."

"All I know is the family motto of the Ranger—"

"As a noble, you must protect your subjects at all costs, even if it means sacrificing your life. As a knight, as long as you have breath left, you must never let your companions die in front of you."

"This is my justice, the justice of Cecilia Ingullet, a different justice from yours, Aaron."

She looked at Aaron in the distance, who was wearing a military cloak but had a somewhat hunched figure for some reason, and her eyes softened a little.

"Thank you, Aaron."

"No matter what, I have never regretted knowing and meeting you."

"Being your wife is the luckiest thing in my life."

The moment the words fell, the female knight turned around without a trace of hesitation.

She leaped lightly and landed on the back of the huge black griffin.

On the other side, Aaron subconsciously stretched out his hand, as if trying to catch the departing figure.

But his movement finally stopped in mid-air.

"and many more."

Cecilia paused, but did not turn around.

"I will bring Hiltina from Qiuye County to the Imperial Capital and will not allow her to stay in the Forest Ranger Family any longer."

There was no longer any hesitation or struggle in Aaron's words. All that remained was an unquestionable authority like steel.

"Once the royal selection is complete and I succeed to the throne... I will need an heir, and the empire will need a successor to the 'Dragon Heart.'"

"The conditions and resources of Qiuye Territory and the Forest Ranger Family are not suitable for raising an imperial crown prince."

no respond.

A huge, pitch-black griffin soared into the sky, its wings flapping, creating a huge storm.

Soon, the griffin, along with the slender figure of the female knight on it, disappeared at the end of the distant sky, in the direction of Qiuye Territory.

boom--

A few minutes later, a train came rushing in and stopped at the platform.

The car door opened, and someone walked up to Aaron and asked softly, "Do you need me to go to Qiuye Territory and help Cecilia defeat the Fire Elemental Demon King?"

"Need not."

The silver-haired middle-aged man's voice became as cold as steel and without any emotion.

"It's not just Qiuye Territory... Winter Fortress is also in dire need of combat power. If your absence leads to the fall of the North, it would be a loss the Empire cannot accept."

He walked into the train and the door closed the next moment.

The train rushed along the tracks, heading north, completely opposite to Cecilia's previous direction.

Suddenly, the silver-haired middle-aged man paused.

"Tucker, use your Night Blade to show Hiltina a projection of Akiba Territory, a real-time projection of Cecilia defeating the Fire Elemental Demon King."

"To Xiltina? But she just turned five this year."

The man named Tucker showed some hesitation in his eyes, and he glanced at the corner of the car with some hesitation.

It was not until this moment that Rast, who had been watching from a third-person perspective, suddenly discovered.

There was a little girl with chestnut hair and a dress who had been hiding timidly in the corner, watching the argument between Aaron and Cecilia.

She was holding a teddy bear in her arms, her eyes full of confusion and fear... She had no idea why her parents, who had always been in love, would have such a fierce quarrel today and even go their separate ways.

"Don't worry about her age."

"To become a qualified crown prince of the empire, to become my heir, to shoulder the future of the entire empire..."

"Sacrifice is the first lesson that Hiltina must face."

The silver-haired middle-aged man turned and left after leaving these words.

Only the middle-aged man named Tucker was left. After hesitating for a long time, he sighed and waved his hand gently.

In front of the timid little girl, a real-time image like water waves appeared.

……

"That was quite a miscalculation."

"I actually let you see me as a child, the most innocent and naive side of me, ignorant of the world."

A clear sound, like the sound of the evening breeze, rang in Rast's ears.

Rast turned around and saw that Hiltina had appeared behind him at some point, and was watching everything that happened in the memory fragment with him.

Last's mind moved slightly. He thought that Hiltina was also trapped in the illusion of the past and could not break free by her own strength.

But now it seems that Shiltina had actually already noticed the existence of the illusion and regained her self-awareness... but for some reason, she was not able to break out of the cocoon directly.

"Some memories, avoiding them all the time is not a solution. You have to face them eventually..."

"Besides, this is also an opportunity for me."

"Examine your inner self once more, and let your mind become flawless, leaving no room for such flaws."

As if she had sensed what Rast was thinking, Hiltina smiled and walked to Rast's side.

She stood shoulder to shoulder with Last, looking into the carriage together. Her younger self, who looked only five or six years old, had eyes full of confusion and anxiety.

"Ms. Cecilia Ingurlett is your mother? That's understandable."

Luster thought for a moment and then asked.

"But judging from the memory fragment just now, His Majesty Aaron is your father?"

"So, should I address you, Hiltina, as Your Highness?"

"But I remember from the records I found online that His Majesty Aaron had his own wife, not from the Ingulite family... and it seems His Majesty Aaron also has a daughter named Ophelia."

Hiltina stretched out her slender white fingers, playing with a strand of chestnut hair that fell from her forehead. "That's because after my father ascended the throne, in order to divide the nobles in the imperial capital, winning over some and suppressing others... he chose to marry the daughter of a Grand Duke, who is now my stepmother."

"And Ophelia von Fresberg is my half-sister."

"I see. Miss Hiltina's life was truly difficult. Even her royal surname was stripped away."

Luster nodded sympathetically.

Based on the legend of "Cinderella and the Glass Slippers", he had already imagined in his mind a few thousand words of inspirational story about how Hiltina was suppressed by her stepmother and had her position as heir taken away by her stepsister, but she became self-reliant and rose to prominence at Star University alone.

puff-

On the side, Xiltina couldn't help but chuckle with her hands covering her mouth.

"It's not what you imagined."

"Although even Dean Yin is a little afraid of Ophelia, Ophelia is still very well-behaved and cute in front of me. She is the image of a good sister."

"And my stepmother is very good to me. I respect her as much as my own biological mother."

"only……"

Hiltina's gaze paused on the ever-changing water curtain in front of the two of them, which was materialized by Tucker.

"When I was very young, very ignorant, and my worldview was still unformed... I saw some things."

"Then, it became a belief that has haunted me my entire life, a belief I will never forget and a belief I am willing to uphold for the rest of my life."

"Or rather, it's what's called paranoia."

"The reason I refused to use the royal family's surname, refused to accept the so-called "First Princess" status... and even rejected all royal resources and support, and came to Star University alone, was all for this reason."

"A reason that seems rather rigid, old-fashioned, and inflexible to outsiders."

Having said this, Hiltina's originally cheerful words now became a little more serious.

She turned and looked directly into Luster's eyes with her light brown eyes.

"Last."

"Will you accompany me and see this silly dream?"

Luster chuckled and nodded.

"That would be my greatest honor."

He felt like he was in the "Fool's Library", and that Chariot Card that had been stuck at "Bond Level: 2" for a long time.

At this moment, it seems that the opportunity for upgrading is finally here.

..............................

PS: The 7,000-word update has been completed, and the number of words updated on the first day will be more than 10,000 words.

In addition, Happy New Year to all readers, please give me some monthly tickets QWQ

Chapter 65: Xiltina, You Don’t Understand People’s Hearts

The scenery outside the car window was changing rapidly.

Hiltina and Rast's spiritual incarnation stood side by side, staring at the chestnut-haired girl with a confused and uneasy face in the memory fragment before them.

And, the light curtain that spread out before her eyes was like water waves.

Until a certain moment, the scene emerging from the hazy water curtain gradually became clear.

It was a mountain shrouded in flames, seemingly burning forever.

The forest covering the entire mountain range was engulfed by the red flames, and the black smoke rising into the sky obscured the azure sky, leaving only a gloomy and depressing sky.

All the grass and trees were burned by the high temperature, leaving only white ash after being burned to ashes.

This is a dead world, even the light in the air is distorted by the high temperature.

boom--

At a certain moment, a pitch-black griffin descended from the sky accompanied by a roaring storm, blowing up countless smoke and fine ashes.

pat.

A pair of long knight boots stepped on the dry and cracked ground.

Cecilia landed on the ground. She turned back and stroked the giant griffin's head. "Go back! That's a fire elemental demon of at least the sixth rank. You can't help me here, and you'll only be a burden."

Woohoo~

The huge griffin whimpered a few times and rubbed against Cecilia, with a hint of reluctance evident in its bright yellow eyes.

"Stop being so childish."

"Go back and guard Hiltina for me."

"Aaron said he wanted to bring Hiltina from Qiuye County to the Imperial Capital for training. I don't object."

"But she's so small, and usually needs me to accompany her to sleep at night..."

Cecilia's stern words softened slightly. "I have no doubt that Aaron will win the royal election and succeed the throne. He was born to be king. However, once he takes office, he will have to consolidate power and check and balance the other nobles. He will inevitably be concerned about everything and won't have much time to care for Hiltina."

"And we've protected Hiltina so well since she was young. She's never suffered much, and she's even less aware of the treacherous nature of the people in the imperial capital."

"She's still too young, and new to this unfamiliar environment. She'll have to deal with a lot of outsiders, both with good intentions and ill will... I'd be worried if you weren't there to stay by her side."