Chapter 680
The First Meeting of Adele and Etheril!
"Speaking of which, Your Majesty, don't you want to know how Cohen lived in this life?"
After speaking, Adael calmly gazed at the woman beside her, whose appearance and temperament were comparable to her own.
Aetherel was taken aback, a torrent of complex emotions surging within her, but she pursed her lips and remained silent.
Adele smiled gently and looked up at the distant palace:
“Not far ahead is where he lives, handles government affairs, and… rests the most. I can take you there to see it.”
As she spoke, Adele continued walking forward, her voice echoing softly in the empty corridor:
"If you're interested, we can chat casually."
Let's talk about his experiences over the years, the things he's done, the people he's met, and... his daily life.
Aetherel paused almost imperceptibly, a surge of intense emotion welling up in the depths of his pale golden eyes, which he then forcibly suppressed.
Go see where Cohen lived in this life and hear about his experiences over the years.
Was Adele's action a form of sharing, or... a silent declaration?
Aetherel paused for a moment, then continued walking forward. The corridor remained deep, and the light became even dimmer as the setting sun sank behind the eaves of the distant palace complex.
At regular intervals, the magic crystals embedded in the walls automatically emit a steady, cool white glow, dispelling the shadows.
Ms. Dawn's footsteps made almost no sound; her gait was as if her feet were not actually touching the ground.
Soon, her gaze fell upon a huge tapestry illuminated by lights in front of her, depicting a series of heroic epic scenes.
The most striking content is the epic scene from the Northwest Regional Conference five years ago, where Cohen single-handedly faced the siege of four major forces.
Aetherel stopped again, staring at the tapestry in a daze. She couldn't lie to herself; she really wanted to understand Cohen.
She wanted to know how the being who once stood shoulder to shoulder with her on the clouds, whose name resounded throughout many planes, had grown from a frail infant into the mortal emperor who now stirred up the winds and clouds of the continent.
The Church of Light's reach among humans did indeed bring her a lot of intelligence; those parchment scrolls recorded Cohen Corleone's public deeds.
But those writings were merely observational accounts, lacking details—the details that only the closest people knew about "Cohen" rather than "His Majesty Corleone."
And the woman beside him, the woman with whom he shared his most private space and time, she knew.
Even though her narrative may be tinged with her own colors and intentions, it still holds an irresistible attraction for Etheril, who is eager to learn about Cohen's life in this life.
Although Adel's self-proclaimed status as "the most important woman in Cohen's life" made Atheriel very uncomfortable.
But she pursed her lips and suppressed that feeling.
Reason told her that what the other person said was true.
At this moment, in this human palace, in Cohen Corleone's current life, Adele Angrain, the Queen of Effie, is the rightful queen, the partner who shares power and bed with him.
A few seconds later, Aetherel raised her eyes, her gaze shifting from the tapestry to Adele's beautifully contoured profile. Her voice seemed calmer than it had been at the crossroads:
"can."
Upon hearing this response, Adael's gentle smile remained unchanged, though the corners of her eyes seemed to curve slightly, or perhaps it was just an illusion created by the light and shadow.
She didn't turn around or say another word. She simply adjusted her direction slightly, leading Aetheril down a more secluded corridor with more luxurious and private decorations on both sides.
The tapestry patterns here have changed from grand historical scenes to landscapes and still lifes, the carpets are thicker and softer, and there are fewer and fewer servants around, until finally you can hardly see anyone.
Only a faint, elegant scent of incense lingered in the air.
This is the road leading to the private living quarters of the emperor and empress.
Aetherel followed beside her, keeping a half-step distance. The last rays of sunlight streaming through the expensive crystal glass from the corridor window cast dappled shadows on her exquisite profile.
The perfect lines of her face appeared somewhat blurred in the dim light, but her pale golden eyes remained fixed on the front, gazing at the end of the corridor and the double doors carved with the imperial eagle and sword and shield emblem.
Two women, both possessing stunningly beautiful faces and figures that leave mortals speechless, one representing earthly nobility and elegance, the other symbolizing celestial holiness and eternity, walk side by side in a corridor leading to a man's most private space.
The scene itself is full of indescribable tension.
Adele's voice rang out at that moment, carrying a tone unique to reminiscing about the past, sounding exceptionally clear in the excessively quiet space:
"Speaking of which, when I first met Cohen, he had just been born."
Aetherel's fingertips curled almost imperceptibly along the side of her plain white dress before relaxing.
"I was very young then."
Adele continued, a faint, yet genuine, smile tinged with a wistful reminiscence:
“I was born into a great noble family in the South. I was chosen by Cohen’s mother, Violet Hughes, when she was on an inspection tour of the South.”
She thought I was very talented and fairly well-behaved, so she took me in as her student.
Aetherel's eyes flickered slightly; clearly, she didn't want to hear any of this.
Adele, however, seemed oblivious to Aetherial's reaction, continuing to speak to herself, her gentle words flowing like a tranquil stream:
"I studied under Ms. Violet for almost six years."
They learned etiquette, history, how to manage the court, and the basics of magic.
The lady was a very strict but also very interesting person. Those days were very fulfilling.
My mother passed away very early, and the lady's appearance aptly filled that role.
She paused, as if organizing her thoughts, then lowered her voice even further:
"Until Cohen was born, it was a very cold winter. The due date arrived, but the process... wasn't going well."
The Queen Mother was having a difficult childbirth, which was very dangerous. The best doctors and priests in the entire palace were waiting outside, and the atmosphere was very heavy.
I waited outside with the other maids and ladies-in-waiting.
I waited for a long time, so long that I felt dawn was approaching. Then, I heard crying. A baby's cry, very loud.
After giving birth to him, his mother was exhausted and fainted. She remained unconscious for a long time before waking up.
And I, because I was nearby, and because of my mother's previous arrangements... I was the first person allowed to go in and see the newborn.
She turned her head, and for the first time, truly turned her gaze to Aetherel, her azure eyes gleaming with an unusual light under the corridor lamp:
"So, Ms. Dawn, in a sense, the first person Cohen saw when he opened his eyes in this world was me."
The first milk he drank was fed by me.
When he cried, I held him and comforted him.
The first few words he learned to say, besides "Mom," were "Sister"—that's what he called me for a long time.
I helped him take his first steps.
He could read, and I held his hand as he wrote the first stroke of the character.
He learned the most basic magical theories, which I explained to him countless nights.
Adele spoke slowly, but each sentence was like a carefully polished pebble, falling into the lake of Aetherel's heart.
Her gaze returned to the front, fixed on the approaching door:
"Everything about him, how he thought, how he acted, what he liked, what he disliked, what kind of tea he drank while reviewing memorials late at night, which finger he would unconsciously tap on the table when he was agitated... all of these things, big and small, important and trivial..."
She stopped, a few steps away from the door.
Then, she turned her head again and looked at Aetherel.
This time, her face showed no smile, only a calm composure.
"You could say that the reason he is who he is today, Cohen Corleone, is because I taught him step by step, accompanied him, and watched him grow up."
That was the end of her story.
In the long corridor, only the steady hum of the magic crystals remained.
Aetherel also stopped in her tracks.
She stood there, her body seemingly stiff. The light and shadow on her face stopped swaying as they stopped, but her flawless face appeared exceptionally white under the cold white light.
She now fully understood why Adele had told her all this; she had already suffered a complete defeat in this first round of confrontation.
What a troublesome woman!
Yardelle's words contained no harsh words, no accusations, no boasting, and not even obvious emotions. She simply stated a fact, a fact about "companionship."
But this fact itself, like the sharpest icicle, easily pierced through the defenses Aetheril had built up during his long wait, and precisely revealed an unavoidable truth.
That is, in Cohen's life as "Cohen Corleone," she, the goddess of light, Aetheril, was completely absent.
The woman before him had almost covered his entire life trajectory from birth to the present.
However, Ms. Chenxi is not a woman who will easily admit defeat!
Aetherel raised her eyes and stared coldly at the flawless face before her:
Enough!
I came here to listen to Cohen, to hear about his life and past.
I'm not here to hear about how you spend time with him; please focus on the important points!
she says.
Aetherel's words, "Get to the point," were spoken with a noticeably higher tone, even carrying a hint of divine authority.
(She got anxious)
The cold white light from the corridor lamps fell on her face, making her near-perfect features seem somewhat unreal.
Her gaze was fixed on Yalder's face, something sank deep into her pale golden pupils, and something harder rose to the surface.
As Adele met her gaze, the rebuke that carried the weight of divine authority seemed to have little effect on her.
She smiled softly and replied gently:
"My life with Cohen has been intertwined from the very beginning."
The first ray of light he saw in this world, the first story he heard, the first word he learned—all bore my shadow.
His joys and sorrows, his fears and courage, every ring of his life that has etched its mark on him as he is today.
She paused, shifting her gaze from Aetherel's face to a small landscape painting hanging on the wall on one side of the corridor.
The painting depicted the most famous Emerald Lake on the outskirts of Florence, showing a beautiful older sister playing with her young brother by the lake. Adele's smile softened further. "Without me," she turned her gaze back to Aetheril, her clear blue eyes reflecting the taut jawline of the Goddess of Light, "there wouldn't be this Cohen you see now."
This has nothing to do with feelings or status.
This is true, Ms. Morning Light.
Just as a tree cannot exist without the soil in which it takes root, no matter how tall it grows or where its branches reach.
For a fleeting moment, Aetherel's breathing faltered, causing a slight undulation in the fabric of her plain white dress at the chest.
She took a deep breath and chose to remain silent, her pale golden eyes looking at Adel as if trying to see through the perfect exterior to see what thoughts were hidden beneath.
Adele didn't wait for her response, or rather, she didn't need it.
She started walking again, this time heading towards a slightly ajar door that led to a small terrace.
The cool evening air rushed in, carrying the scent of soil and withered flowers from the distant garden, and stirred the hair and skirts of the two women.
The terrace was small, paved with smooth stone slabs, and surrounded by carved stone railings. In the distance, the palace's layered rooftops shrouded in twilight and the blurry outline of the city further away were visible.
Adele walked to the stone railing, gently placing her hand on the cool bars, her voice drifting on the wind:
"Later, his parents had an accident, very suddenly."
When the news reached her, it felt like Effie's world had collapsed.
As she spoke, she turned her head to face Aetheril, her gaze fixed on the distant twilight:
"Cohen was just a kid back then... "
It was a huge blow. I changed completely. I became gloomy, silent, and didn't cry. I just stayed by myself.
But the wheels of the kingdom will not stop because of the grief of one child.
Many eyes covet the throne, both openly and secretly, eager to seize it.
The legacy left by the Corleone family, and the situation painstakingly maintained by His Majesty Victor, is on the verge of collapse.
I have to protect him, by every means I can think of!
As the future queen, I will act as regent before Cohen comes of age and assumes full power.
In order to protect this foundation, my methods are sometimes not honorable, and some are even quite ruthless.
Back then, the nobles and officials of Florence called me the wicked queen behind my back, or something even more unpleasant.
"I don't care. The kingdom cannot be in chaos; power must be transferred smoothly into Cohen's hands."
She finally turned her face to look at Aetherel.
The twilight cast a soft, dark gold hue over her stunning face, but her eyes remained clear, carrying a calm, even cold, reflection on the past.
"But I was too focused, my eyes were only on the intrigues in the court, the infighting among nobles, the disturbances on the border, and the balance of the national treasury."
I devoted all my energy to clearing obstacles for him and consolidating his power.
I forgot, he was still a child, a child who had just lost both parents, a child who needed comfort, guidance, and even... an outlet for his emotions.
A gentle evening breeze lifted a stray strand of hair from Ydell's cheek, and she raised her hand, naturally tucking it behind her ear.
This action made her appear less flawless, adding a touch of humanity to her:
“I made all the decisions for him and arranged everything according to what I thought was the best path for him.”
I told him what he should and shouldn't do, who he should trust, and who he should be wary of.
I thought I was protecting him and paving the way for him.
But I forgot to ask him if he wanted it, forgot to look into his eyes, which had grown colder day by day, becoming distant, becoming... full of doubt.
At this point, Adele paused for a long time, long enough for the distant clock tower in the palace to chime, its dull sound echoing through the twilight.
Even Aetherel could sense a deep sense of grievance emanating from Adele.
Adele quickly continued speaking:
"He felt that I was going to take everything that belonged to him. He felt that I was enjoying power and clinging to it."
He felt that my strictness was paving the way for him, and my protection was a shackle binding him.
He began to rebel, in every way he could think of.
He doesn't speak, ignores my arrangements, and even... deliberately opposes me in trivial matters, just to prove that he's in charge.
As Adel spoke, the corners of her mouth seemed to twitch again, but this time it wasn't a smile; it was more like a self-deprecating curve.
"He began to distance himself from me, stopped eating with me, stopped coming to my study to ask me questions, and even moved out of the room near my bedroom."
We live in the same palace, yet it's as if we're separated by an invisible river.
He suspected me, was wary of me, and looked at me with the kind of eyes one would give a stranger, even with hostility. He thought I was going to usurp his... throne.
She spoke her last sentence very softly and evenly, but she enunciated each word very clearly.
The wind on the terrace seemed to stop for a moment.
Aetherel listened quietly.
She stood a few steps away from Yalder, her back ramrod straight, her hands clasped in front of her, a standard yet aloof posture.
But when Adel mentioned that Cohen suspected her of trying to usurp his throne and was giving her the cold shoulder, Atheriel felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
He thought maliciously, "If only things could stay that way."
If only Cohen had continued to doubt her, distance himself from her, and treat her as an enemy.
However, Ms. Chenxi quickly dismissed this useless thought and was quite curious about what would happen next.
Why did things change later? What made the boy who looked at her with hostility turn back into the man who is now willing to give everything for her?
Aetherel subtly expressed his doubts.
However, Adel did not speak immediately, but instead kept looking at the city skyline gradually sinking into darkness in the distance.
Only when the lingering echo of the bell had completely dissipated in the wind did she withdraw her gaze, raise her eyes, and say:
"Black Tomb, Lady Dawn, you should already know about it, right?"
Today, we find the tomb of that demigod who was rescued by Belial, the first Demon King.
He was the founder of the Black Tomb.
Aetherel tapped her chin slightly, indicating that she understood.
The Black Tomb, King Solomon, and the Seventy-Two Demons.
These names can all be linked together now.
However, Atherael was somewhat surprised when Adel brought this up at this moment.
What does this have to do with their "cold war" and Cohen's "change of heart"?
She looked up at Adele, waiting for her reply.
Adele noticed Aetherel's silent question, turned her gaze back to the dark blue night sky outside the terrace, and slowly spoke:
"Speaking of which, I should... thank that Black Tomb."
Aetherel raised his eyebrows slightly.
Adele didn't look at her, continuing to speak, her voice slightly ethereal in the evening breeze:
"At that time, there was a prince in the Eastern Empire named Xia Zuo."
Ambitious, he covets the throne of the Eastern Empire all day long.
He needed a lot of money to arm his legions, bribe nobles, and expand his power, so he set his sights on the Golden Wing family, the wealthiest family on the continent, whose gold coins were rumored to be enough to fill the endless sea.
Yes, it's Princess Isabella's family.
Hearing Adael mention the woman next to Cohen again, Atheriel's mood clearly worsened. She strongly suspected that Adael was deliberately saying this to provoke her.
Adele was completely unconcerned about Aetherel's reaction. After a pause, she continued:
"The Golden Wing family's business focus is on grain, and the Northwest Continent is the largest grain-producing area in the entire main plane."
Therefore, their lifeline lies in the three largest seaports of the Northwest Continent—Pearl Harbor of the Kingdom of Ceylon, Golden Sail Harbor of our Alfie, and Emerald Harbor.
Xia Zuo came up with a 'shortcut'.
First, control the Kingdom of Ceylon, and then use it as a springboard to extend your reach into Efein.
By controlling the port, he held the Golden Wing family by the throat, forcing them to obey him. His path to the throne was paved with gold.
He found a tool. A prince of Ceylon, young, foolish, greedy, and with an unrealistic fantasy about the throne.
Xia Zuo bewitched him, promising him what would happen after the deed was done.
Then, they sent the prince to secretly contact the Black Tomb.
Please send the assassins from the Black Tomb; their target... is Cohen.
They wanted to create chaos in the then relatively weak Efein, inciting a rebellion by the Grand Duke of the Southern Region, supported by the Kingdom of Ceylon. This would make their plan to control Efein and subsequently coerce the Golden Wing family much smoother.
An immeasurable chill instantly rose from Aetherel's body:
"This... damn Black Tomb."
I should never have let him go!
Her gaze suddenly shifted to Adele, her voice rising, filled with undisguised sarcasm:
You say you can protect him?
You were also at that level in your past life. I noticed that when you first came to me, your power had recovered considerably, hadn't it? (See "Chapter 248: The First Meeting of Adele and Aetheril!")
The results of it?
How could those few assassins hiding in the shadows have gotten close to him?
Is this how you protect the man you watched grow up? (End of Chapter)