The Amber Sword

The night before winter always arrives extraordinarily early, and Brando and others march three or four hours south of Martaha before the sky darkens.

The winter nights in Tauchik are particularly humid and cold, and although the sea area does not freeze at night during the month of death, the ground becomes cold and hard; there is fog in the marshes, almost no wind, little bug noise, almost weird quiet, and occasional water sounds in the dark.

The bonfire peels off and occasionally jumps out of Mars or two, and the bright yellow light penetrates extremely hard in the fog, illuminating far away, but also causing unnecessary trouble. Beyond the wild animals and the ghosts in the swamp, there are also mosquitoes in groups - even at this time of year, there are still a large number of mosquitoes in the Tauchik region - which, even if already prepared, are of little use.

Brando drives mosquitoes with his hands from time to time with the power of the law. Delphine dried fish and mushrooms by the campfire, and the ingredients were picked up locally. The Prime Minister's craftsmanship was unimaginably good, and many of the people present, more or less, took a little taste of it and praised it. As a queen, Phoenix Fire takes only a symbolic bite, her diet is strictly standard and she maintains the same discipline when she goes out.

She suggested, however, that more should be prepared in case of need. After all, the strange recipe of the sheep's captain in Martaha was thought of, and was well known to all.

Red Moon Moya has risen from the western horizon, and Housch still hasn't shown up, and it looks like it's really not going to show up until the agreed time.

Delphine took a smoked fish from the grill and handed it to Brando, working his jaw in one direction in the dark. Brando understood what she meant, but there were some accidents, and he glanced at her.

“Why, who do you think I'm counting this vicious woman?” The Chancellor smiled and asked in a joke.

“What's that little girl worth counting on?” Brando is not at all welcome to Chancellor Kim. Although the two men have had skin affinity, what happened on the boat that day has kept Brando apart.

To be precise, there was no love but desire between him and Delphine, and since then even this connection between them has diminished considerably because of his deliberate distance. Brando doesn't know how Delphine sees it, maybe she doesn't care at all, but he does, and every time he faces the Prime Minister, he feels really weird.

His bluntness, too, was to cover up embarrassment.

Delphine smiled, seemingly unconcerned, and handed over the wooden stamp: "She hasn't eaten since she got here from town. ”

“Delphine,” Brando said all of a sudden, "we don't even know if your father and grandfather are alive today, and to be honest with you, the war with the Dragon of Dusk, I can't really see what the future is like. All I can do is do everything I can to protect Eluin and those around me, and fulfill that promise to Queen Madara, as you can see, and I can't give you too many promises, to be King of Warnde, to rebuild the Empire, I can't do it. ”

There was a campfire between the two, Mr. Liu was on guard outside the camp, the phoenix fire had long rested in his tent, Magdal needed to practice meditation and communication magic, and there were only two people in conversation in the camp for a while.

“What then, my lord? ”

“I want to say that you don't have to,” Brando sighed: "You know exactly who I am, and if you want anything, you can try to be straight. Despite all the trouble you've put me through, your efforts over the past two months have also been seen by me and Metisa, and the resentment between us, let it be the past, and if you're willing to give up, I can help you like a friend, and I mean, I'll do whatever I can to help you. ”

“My lord means that I don't have to tie myself to you and smile at you every day, I should go the way I want to go, right? ”

“I didn't mean that, Delphine. ”

“No, my lord, that's what you mean. I know you're pitying me,” Delphine replied with a smile. "Don't you think adults are tired of playing cat and mouse games like this with me and don't want to play anymore? ”

“Well, I admit you're right, but Delphine, the grudge between us stems from a misunderstanding - and I said I wouldn't apologize to you for the death of your fiancé, because it wasn't my business. But I can apologize to you for the physical and psychological damage that followed, and maybe at the time of the Cold Cedar Collar, we each took a step back and the situation wouldn't turn out like this. ”

“What about Miss Roman? You don't resent me for what I did to Miss Roman?” Delphine asked softly.

“You don't have to provoke me, because I used to hate to kill you about Roman, and I wanted to teach you an equally caring lesson, but then too many things happened that I couldn't think of," Brando shook his head: “To be honest, I don't know what to do with you. On the one hand, you're my enemy, Miss Delphine, but on the other hand, I hurt you. ”

“Do you really think you hurt me? ”

Brando nodded without concealing.

“You're an honest but naive man," Delphine replied, "but you don't understand. What path do you want me to follow? Leaving you, going back to the old conspiracy tricks and rubbing my life, is that what you think I should live? ”

She shook her head: “Why do you think I'm smiling so hard? In fact, these are the easiest and most realistic days I've ever had. When we get back to the Empire, I don't know what choices I'm going to make, but at least here, I feel real and happy. ”

Brando stunned.

Prime Minister Qianjin suddenly sighed quietly, she put the smoked fish back on the grill, then stood up, picked up her own backpack by the bonfire, took a blanket out of it, walked over and handed it over to Brando.

When Brando saw the blanket, he was slightly stunned. He remembered that in the north of Rosalind, he had covered himself with the blanket on the Chancellor Jinjin. At that time, he thought she was asleep, but he didn't think the Chancellor Jinjin was just sleeping.

He looked at the blanket in his hand and Delphine kept it very well, even in the swamp environment, it was very dry and very neat and folded, with each side carefully aligned.

“I'm sorry, my impractical dreams should have woken up, and in that long dream of the boundaries of the elements, the terrible things I saw made me weak.” Delphine replied in a shadow: “Since these days, I have abandoned myself so much that such absurd things have happened. I am sorry for my fiancé, and I am sorry, my lord. I thought that mistakes would disappear over time, but I am wrong. I am still me. Escaping does not change reality...”

“Miss Delphine. ”

Delphine shook her head: "Adults don't have to persuade me. You're right. When I get back to Eluin, I'll find my way. You and Miss Metisa are honest people, but it doesn't belong to me, and I shouldn't impose my thoughts on others, although I use all sorts of vile means to force you to agree, but if it's not your heart, it doesn't make any sense at all… I, Delphine, Ned's daughter, don't have to rely on the charity of others to succeed. ”

Delphine dropped her bag and picked up the smoked fish again from the grill, answering, "My lord, thank you for not holding me accountable for my mistakes. I will do everything in my power to help you get your natural jewelry. This is the last time I will help you, because this is my sincere apology, and I must make up for my mistakes ——”

“But I know this is far from enough, and I would never mind if an adult still wanted my life," she replied pointing at her snowy neck. "My head is right here, ready for the adult. ”

“Miss Delphine, you know I didn't mean that. ”

Chancellor Qianjin laughed a little bitterly: "Is it true, my lord, that even my last dignity as the eldest daughter of the Nederweyn family is going to be trampled? ”

Brando had to shut up, he looked at the nobleman, he had some emotions in his heart, maybe even if it was true, but he still didn't dare fully believe it, because it could be another attempt to capture him.

Yet even though he knew it might be a disguise, Delphine felt a little lost when he said it.

But Delphine also stopped explaining that she had handed him the roasted fish and said, "A woman with a lot of recklessness and tricks will also have a secret heart. She hasn't dripped water since noon, and her lumbar bag is full of stones. ”

“Stone? ”

Brando was surprised.

“That's a boney little girl, and you won't understand her, but I do, because I saw myself from her," Delphine replied softly, “but I'm much happier than she is, and at least I have family. ”

“You're wrong, Miss Delphine,” Brando whispered, “she has family, and I think she has at least one sister or sister, and their mother should still be alive - perhaps still. ”

“Do you know her?” Delphine suddenly revealed herself: "Related to Miss Methisa? ”

Brando nodded and he had already seen the Prime Minister's thoughts, so he was not surprised by her reaction. Nor did he continue to explain, however, because he was not entirely certain of the speculation as to the identity of the other party.

……