Chapter 204: Definitely

　　The queen was now teaching the little prince, Shi Yu.

　　Maybe it was because she regretted not spending enough time with her elder son, but no matter how busy she was, she would take some time out to teach her younger son on her own.

　　“Okay, you’ve finished your work today.” The queen caressed him and called out to her personal servant. “Bring the prince to rest.”

　　“Yes.”

　　“Mother, your child asks to be excused.” The little prince said goodbye politely.

　　The queen smiled, looking at him leave. The king of Zhongzhou came in at the same time.

　　“Qing’er”

　　The queen smiled at him.

　　“That young lady has left?”

　　“Yes,” she answered softly.

　　“Xing’er finally agreed to let her off?”

　　The queen nodded.

　　“That’s great,” the king of Zhongzhou said. “What doesn’t come from the heart is only superficial. With him being so stubborn, it was only going to bring harm to himself.”

　　The queen sighed but said nothing in reply.

　　Seeing her exhausted face, the king of Zhongzhou went beside her and gave her a massage.

　　“Please be at ease, this is a good thing for Xing’er.” The king of Zhongzhou soothed her. “These past few years, he has been too depressed, which is why he’s always ill. It’s a good chance for him to vent his emotions, and he will soon be okay.”

　　“I hope so.” The queen furrowed her eyebrows. “As a mother, I feel sorry for him too. He’s willing to let that young lady off because he’s moved, but I couldn’t even get that girl to stay for him.”

　　“Liking her doesn’t mean that you must make her stay. Most important is what the feeling gives him. Even if she stayed, it may not be good for him. But now, he put his feelings for her in his heart, and when he recalls it, he can feel the happiness sincerely.”

　　“That will be good then.” The queen was convinced.

　　“He’s very similar to you.” The king of Zhongzhou looked at her. “Back when you returned from the Yin Mountains to the Seventh Truth Platform, I remember that you looked like you were about to destroy everything around you. I am sure that if you had the ability, you would’ve already flattened all of Zhongzhou.”

　　The queen stared at him blankly upon hearing him talk about that matter.

　　It was her own past, but now, it seemed like something that happened in a previous lifetime.

　　When she was in the duplicated space, the crazy Xie Lianzhen made her feel like it was fate.

　　The queen always thought that he was just plain curious and stubborn. When he was satisfied, he’d get tired of it soon afterwards.

　　The last thing she ever imagined was that he’d be so serious about her.

　　What if Lu Mingshu died? She shook her head. She didn’t want to think about the answer. Back then, she had a loving master, a baby in her, and the determination to take revenge. That’s what allowed her to make it through and gave her a new life.

　　But Xie Lianzhen? He had nothing but sickness.

　　As a mother, she had complicated views toward Lu Mingshu. She didn’t like that Lu Mingshu had affected her son so deeply, yet she was grateful that she pulled him back and allowed him to pull himself back together.

　　The queen had a lingering fear toward the crazy Xie Lianzhen.

　　If Ding Qingqing wasn’t seriously frightened by him and unable to react since he broke through to the Spirit Realm all of a sudden, the results would’ve been disastrous.

　　The Xie Lianzhen that had gone berserk was filled with a murderous aura as if he had climbed out of hell. It was a different Xie Lianzhen that she had never seen before.

　　Fortunately, he recovered quickly. The obsession helped him clear the depressed emotions in himself, and when he woke up, he looked peaceful. He seemed genuine as if he no longer had his mask on.

　　After a moment of silence, the King spoke, “I’m sorry.”

　　The queen opened her eyes. “For what?”

　　“As a king, I did nothing, and you had to carry everything on your shoulders.”

　　The queen smiled. “Isn’t that good? I’d be unhappy if you poked your nose into these matters. No ruler would like to share their power.”

　　The king of Zhongzhou smiled. “Somebody else told me that too.” Before the queen could comment, he continued, “My father, the previous king of Zhongzhou.

　　“My father wanted to carry on a deathbed wish of his ancestors, which was to conquer the huge desolate wasteland and subdue the barbarians. But this mighty dream will always be a dream. Before he could put his hands on it, he died. In an aristocratic family fight, he died of mental and physical exhaustion.

　　“But I’m different from him, I have no interest in controlling Zhongzhou. If younger brother wasn’t so incompetent, I would’ve given him the position long ago. So, when you stood in front of me, it was as if I found a treasure. I saw father’s determination and aggressiveness in you. The first thing that came to my mind was that it was great that I finally found someone who could continue father’s ambition.”

　　“But I never proved myself worthy back then….”

　　“You did in the past.” The king of Zhongzhou smiled. “When you were still a disciple in the Seventh Truth Platform, the fifth clan was almost under your control. Your system was so useful that, even now that Xing’er doesn’t care about it, the fifth clan is still functioning well. I knew that your master set his heart on letting you be the next Alioth Star-Lord, not Xie Zhanghe.

　　“Qing’er, I know that it’s more of a platonic relationship between us. Our marriage is more of an alliance.” The king of Zhongzhou looked at her softly. “But it’s alright. If you want revenge for Xie Zhanghe, do it. If you want to change the world, sure, I’ll give you the authority. I’ll give you whatever I can, and you’ll share my burdens. I’m glad we are a couple in this way.”

　　The queen looked at him.

　　He came here just to tell me this, eh? Because of Ding Qingqing’s words that day?

　　“I’m glad too,” The queen mumbled. That I met you after I lost him.

　　…

　　When Xie Lianzhen entered, they were sitting together talking. “Your majesty, Your highness,” he greeted them calmly.

　　The king of Zhongzhou smiled at him and stood up. “Have a good chat with your mother, I’ll go and take a look at Yu’er.”

　　After he left, it was just the queen and Xie Lianzhen.

　　The queen walked over and caressed his legs. “How are they now?”

　　“Senior Uncle Zhang said that my energy isn’t smooth yet, so I can’t get my True Energy back yet. When it’s back, I’ll be able to stand up,” Xie Lianzhen replied.

　　“That’s great, that’s great,” the queen mumbled, eyes brimming with tears.

　　After ages, she finally heard a piece of good news.

　　“Your highness.” Xie Lianzhen grabbed her hand in his own tightly.

　　The queen trembled, looking at him in tears.

　　This is the first time he ever came to me on his own accord.

　　“For some things, I used to think that I didn’t care, so there was no need to know. Now, I finally realize I didn’t dare to ask because I care too much.” Xie Lianzhen looked up at her in anticipation. “Do you love me?”

　　Tears rolled down the queen’s cheeks. She held out her hand, shaking, and embraced him tightly.

　　“Definitely,” she replied. “Mother definitely loves you.”

　　Xie Lianzhen kept his eyes shut. He teared up in this hug that came so late.