The door that had been closed in the past opened again, and the dazzling light made it difficult for Irene to open her eyes. Soon she heard a familiar voice, which was her brother's words.
After a little adaptation, Irene slowly walked out of the small house where she had stayed for a long time with the doll in her arms, and came to the outside world.
The corridor was lit with bright lights, and the unique smell of burning whale oil mixed with spices filled the air. It was so familiar, but also slightly disgusting.
Walking behind her brother step by step, Aileen listened to his account of recent events.
"The Tixiu family has replied to the letter. They said they will consider holding a wedding in the near future, but if the scale is large, you shouldn't have high expectations."
"It is estimated that only a small number of guests will be invited to attend this wedding. Your reputation has already been damaged. Besides, Palos is not an important member of the Tixiu family now."
"That's fine." Irene replied in a low voice. She didn't want too many people to come to watch the ceremony.
"Is Palos okay? His illness..." At this time, Irene became worried again.
"When I went to visit the Tixiu family, I visited Palos." The elder brother's voice was slightly low.
"His condition is very bad, and according to family tradition, he will move out after getting married. I guess the Tixiu family also wants to get rid of this burden."
"It is no longer 30 years ago. At that time, the patriarch of the Tixiu family was Lord Lloyd. He liked Palos very much and was also Palos's uncle."
Now the patriarch has long been replaced, and because of illness and stagnant strength, Palos has long been reduced to a marginalized figure in the family.
"If you get married, you will probably have a harder time." After saying that, Irene could still hear a faint sigh coming from the front.
"If it's Palos, I don't regret it." Erin said softly.
"Silly sister, the lifespan of elves is not that of humans. The time you have to face in the future will be much longer than it is now. Some things, even if you don't regret it now, will slowly change in the future."
Then the silence gradually fell between the two of them, and they continued walking in the corridor, passing through the lonely rooms, and then gradually arrived at the hall in the middle.
Because it is the shadow season now, many elves are sleeping, or are concentrating on personal affairs in their own residences, and rarely go out for activities.
"Father."
After arriving at the hall, the brother and sister saw the figure that had been standing still in the hall for a long time, stopped, lowered their heads and shouted.
"You are here." Count Hilleni looked like a human being in his 40s, with short hair like boulders and a golden noble ring on his forehead. He stood quietly with his back to the two of them.
In front of him was a wide light blue wall, with portrait frames of different sizes hanging in it. Among them were elves with ice-blue hair. Some of them were smiling, some were serious, and some were solemn.
Look ahead.
These are the ancestors of the Hilleni family, and several of them even experienced the protracted wars of the First Era.
"How many years has it been since Irene left the family?" After a long silence in the hall, the man suddenly spoke.
"Twenty-eight years, father." Irene lowered her head and responded.
"Even if our elves live three times as long as humans, this is still a very long number." He sighed.
"Do you still remember the faces in your family, such as your sisters Staci, Cornelius, and several younger brothers, Arlan, Lu Ping..."
"Well, there are still some images." Erin's head lowered.
"But they are completely different from what they were more than 20 years ago. Some are even married and have their own families."
"Your family gradually leaves you, familiar people gradually become strangers, and you stand alone. You think you have gained supreme freedom, but you also become extremely lonely."
"Even if we meet again now, the lost time cannot be made up. Maybe they will still respectfully call you sister, but under their eyes, they are no longer as cordial and passionate as before, as if they are looking at distant and irrelevant things.
"
"Perhaps, you would say that I have made many friends outside, and I also have a trustworthy brother."
"But even best friends and brothers will gradually have their own lovers and children in the future. They will love each other even more, and you will always be just a temporary passer-by."
"No matter how happy the conversation is during the day, when you return home at night, you still have to face the lonely candlelight and the bedside. Whenever you are sick at night, when you are fragile and weak, you stretch out your hands and there is nothing to hold you up.
Your arms can only face the sleepiness and powerlessness that drown you like a tide alone."
"Crying and wailing are no longer heard by anyone, tears and sorrow are no longer wiped away by anyone, and finally they fall into the dark and lightless abyss, ushering in death that destroys everything."
"Flowers that leave the garden are more likely to die and wither. They think they have cut off everything, but they no longer have anything to support them, and they can only fall weakly."
"When I was very young, I visited an aunt who lived in isolation with my elders. She was actually not that old, and her past beauty could be vaguely seen on her face. But when she sat on the lonely hospital bed,
He is so haggard and old, with no life left in sight."
"Eileen, I don't want you to be like that. Do you understand what I mean?"
"I understand, Father." Irene took a deep breath and nodded heavily.
"Okay, you go back to your place first. The room has been cleaned these days and is still the same as before you left."
"In the following days, people will come over one after another. They will cut your dress, teach you some etiquette, tell you some things to pay attention to, and prepare for the wedding."
"During this period, you can write letters to Palos. Of course, these letters are likely to be checked by outsiders, but it doesn't matter. You just need to convey the news that you have returned, so that Palos can feel at ease and make him a little stronger.
A little bit to get through this difficult time.”
"I don't know how to cure the withering moon disease, but the reason why Palos became sick must be related to your departure. After you left him, he became more lonely and desolate, and he felt a lot sad."
"If your return can make his condition better, then try your best, not only for him, but also for yourself."
"I think even I can see that you never want to marry anyone else except him, and his passing will probably cut off many of your thoughts and hopes."
"This is the last chance, if it's still too late."
After finishing speaking, Count Hilleni sighed heavily and then waved his hand.
"That's it for today. I'm tired too."
"Yes, Father."
The two walked out of the hall, and the door slowly closed again. The familiar chandelier still exuded an orange halo, illuminating the world of eternal night.
It's just that now, there is no longer the liveliness, laughter and joy of childhood.