Beside the window in the early morning, when the sunlight shone on the priestess' face, her beautiful and slightly mature face revealed helpless sadness.
"This is a solution that has both sides, and it is also the only solution at present."
Alvis responded in a low voice. He did not dare to look at Lyanna. He was afraid of seeing the grief-stricken eyes of the priestess. That look of despair would keep him awake at night.
"Having it both ways? Who is it being fulfilled? That arrogant northern lord? That irresponsible scumbag?"
Lyanna reprimanded loudly. Her voice was sharp and crying, as if she was venting, but powerless...
"Keep your voice down, ma'am..."
Alves tried his best to comfort her, like an old man comforting a little girl.
But Lyanna clearly responded to this sudden arrangement with anger and despair.
"I'm not Madam!"
"At least it won't be that Inov Slanta's wife!"
"I don't even know him yet!"
…
"Where is Rhodes? Where is he? Why didn't he tell me in person? If this is what he thinks, I want him to tell me clearly in person!"
Lyanna cried, tears oozing out of the corners of her eyes at some point, shining brightly in the morning sun.
"You know, he can't come."
Alves lowered his head and replied in a low voice.
"Why can't he come in person? Is he afraid of other people's eyes?"
"Are you afraid that all the Kisli ladies will know about this?"
"Are you afraid that his bright image will collapse in the eyes of the people?"
Lyanna turned her head and looked at the dwarf steward walking slowly with a look of disdain. At this moment, she really felt that this dwarf was a real dwarf. He was short and narrow, and his thoughts were so dirty. He could be sacrificed to achieve his goal. Everything, no matter what.
It was the first time for Alves to feel such a look from the priestess. He had been despised and reviled by countless people, but when the other person was the little girl he loved, Alves' heart was still the same. It is inevitable to feel the pain.
He could only curse Rhodes in his heart, but silently shouldered everything for him...
"The matter has reached this point. We can only look at everything that will happen in the future rationally. Accusations and abuse cannot solve the problem, madam."
He emphasized "ma'am" again. This time, the priestess calmed down a little and did not curse any more. But she still glared at him.
The disdain in his eyes made Alves' heart feel like a knife.
"You know what the consequences will be if you admit that this child is Rhodes's. Caroline will definitely not let you go. Rhodes' image among the people of Kislev will collapse. Now, Rhodes's image among the people His reputation is close to that of a demigod. As long as he is around, Kislev can be united. But once this spiritual leader loses his prestige, the kingdom that was finally established will become turbulent again."
"You might say, what does this have to do with you?"
"But, Lyanna, how can personal happiness and safety exist independently of the country? Ordinary people may not care. They may remain unknown throughout their lives. Even if they try their best, even if they sacrifice their lives, they cannot change the fate of a kingdom in the slightest. And
Some people are different. Their every move affects the lifeline of the kingdom and even determines the direction of history. And we, the people walking on the blade, cannot be willful, because every move we make may have consequences.
Determining the fate of thousands of people."
"Don't use those big principles to pressure me. The most unreasonable ones are you politicians who are manipulating the situation!"
Lyanna said coldly.
Her eyes didn't even bother to stay on the dwarf for half a second, but looked out the window melancholy. There, the sun was rising slowly, covering the earth with golden light, warming this cold northern city.
"Okay, let's not talk about these reasons. Let's have a heart-to-heart, purely private conversation."
Alves walked to the priestess and looked out the window with her. The rising sun shone on their mature and tired faces.
"You love Rhodes, there is no doubt about it. I have never doubted your feelings, it is so real. When Rhodes was a small northern lord, you followed him and devoted yourself to his career. Instead of being like those
You are an aristocratic politician who only climbed to the top later. That was your original intention."
"However, you appeared at the wrong time. Even if you had appeared earlier, Rod had not met Caroline yet. You might have become Dennis's "mother". But, this is fate.
.You are a step too late. At the same time, you suppress your feelings and dare not reveal them at all. Even in front of the man you love most, you have a serious and business-like expression. This makes you lose the opportunity even more.
"
"You have restrained your love for more than ten years. During this period, you have been suffering from longing. I know, I know...I see it in my eyes..."
Alves sighed and wanted to find a glass of wine to ease his mood, but found that there was no bottle of wine in the priestess' room. It was hard to imagine how she spent those dark years alone.
Sadness, unspeakable thoughts, can only be endured by oneself.
Seeing that the priestess calmed down a little, Alves continued to play his emotional cards——
"I understand this feeling, Lyanna. You know, I am a dwarf. I was born with a disability. Since I was born, I have been discriminated against by the people around me. They despise me, and I have long been numb. I don't care about the people I love.
I dare to express my feelings, but I am afraid of being laughed at and teased. This feeling has been with me from my youth to my middle age. So, I can understand your feelings very well."
Alves' words made Lyanna's heart tremble. She turned her head and looked at the short dwarf beside her, her eyes becoming softer.
"We are all outcasts, but we are rewarded in another way."
"My original lord, who is also my brother, Lord Aubrey of the Iron Ring Castle, is ashamed to have a disabled brother like me. Although I manage the castle for him in name, in fact, all dangerous things require me.
Do it, such as tasting the food for him to make sure the food is not poisoned..."
"That kind of life followed me throughout my youth. Until I met Rod later."
"He promoted me, appreciated me, and promoted me from a despised dwarf to the governor of Elengrad. And unlike my brother, Rhodes really valued and trusted me. What I do is no longer tasting food.
That kind of thing is about managing finances and chairing meetings."
"However, even so, I will never be able to sit on the front desk and become a real steward. The people will not accept a dwarf as their city lord. That will make them feel insulted, and I accept this reality. In fact, being able to go
As of today, I am very satisfied.”
"That's how people are, little girl. We can't have too much at the same time, life can't be perfect, there are always flaws. You have a charming appearance, superb medical skills, and status and power that many people envy. But you can't have a complete life.
love."
"Compared to others, we are actually much better."
"This child, if everything goes well, treat him as the continuation of Rhodes' life. At least, you have one."
Alves comforted softly.
It was quiet inside and outside the house, except for the faint sound of the hourglass falling.
A wisp of cold wind passed along the window sill, drying the tears in the corners of Lyanna's eyes...