“Mom, I’m sorry…”
Nina sobbed as she hugged the elf girl, whose familiar and reassuring scent enveloped her. She trembled at first, then her tears gushed forth like water from a faucet suddenly turned on, filling the entire room with even more choked sobs. This was in a foreign land—or rather, her “new home.”
“Isn’t life just a series of choices and losses, Nina? You’re acting like such a child—hmph, well, you really are just a child.”
“I should have trusted you from the start. I should have listened to you… I… waaah, I should have realized that was your power. In this world, after losing your strength… you must have suffered so much. I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
“So you’ve figured it out.”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“Mm.”
Isabella nodded.
Nina was slightly larger in build than Isabella, allowing her to hold her mother tightly—this warm, familiar body she hadn’t seen in years.
Sensing the trembling against her, Isabella’s voice took on a serious tone.
This was a maturity she never displayed in front of Xuefei:
“From the moment I was born, my power was never as great as that of past queens. The privileges they enjoyed—Father never granted me any: education, care, status, social connections… I was restricted at every turn. The only time I could sit as an equal with my siblings was that pitiful, fleeting moment at the dinner table.”
“I once believed I was a complete failure. I trained harder than anyone, grew stronger than anyone, became more suited to the throne than anyone. Yet even then, my power couldn’t match the rulers of other races on the Camiran Continent. After my defeat in the war against the Heavenly Wing Clan, I plunged into profound self-doubt.”
“Until you arrived.”
“You were such a beautiful child. From the first moment I saw you, I knew you would grow into a pure and noble young lady. I wanted to shield you from those sanctimonious, cunning old fogeys and their schemes, but then I realized… a portion of your power resided within you.”
“In that instant, I saw everything—everything I had done before the time reset. I saw you gradually recovering your memories, becoming an even more powerful Winter Queen. I knew it was all you.”
“It must have been so hard, though I have no right to say so. I know I’m not a qualified mother, nor a qualified queen.”
“So whatever you do, Nina, I can accept it. Even if you leave me again someday, I’ll always be your mom—your most beloved daughter.”
Isabella rested her chin atop Nina’s head.
Her words acted like a key, turning in the fragile lock of Nina’s heart.
Even as Nina wept uncontrollably, soaking Isabella’s chest through and through, Isabella showed not the slightest distaste.
She was even more pitiable than the little squirrel Isabella had once raised.
“Mom, I’ll never hurt you again. Never… I could never harm you. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
“I’m not some queen. I’m just the happiest girl, spoiled by your love. I… I don’t deserve to be a queen.”
Nina’s arms tightened even further.
“Mom, I won’t make that mistake again. Even if you forgive me—even though you’re too kind to punish me—I never will.”
“I just want us never to be apart again. Never…”
Isabella rose to her feet while cradling Nina, stroking her daughter’s hair with the same delicate tenderness as in days gone by. In the instant Nina lifted her head from Isabella’s chest, Isabella clearly saw her teary eyes, her aggrieved pout, and her utterly endearing face. If any Northern Border Elf had chanced upon this scene, they would have flatly denied that this sniffling, tear-streaked girl was the Winter Queen who ruled the Northern Border.
Then Isabella carried Nina to the bed nearby.
The two lay facing each other on their sides, each feeling the other’s heartbeat and breath.
“I understand it all, Nina…”
“In truth, I visited the Northern Border every year to see you. Sometimes I’d catch sight of your busy figure, the exhaustion etched on your face, and I’d know.”
“These years must have been so hard on you. After all, you carry memories from ages that even Mom doesn’t know.”
“We can return to how things were, just like this, can’t we?”
Isabella’s hands slid onto Nina’s slender, delicate back, patting it gently and rhythmically.
Sometimes, the most primal form of comfort—simple physical touch—proved the most effective.
In a haze, Nina felt herself transported back to childhood: the days when Mom sang off-key lullabies and patted her back to sleep. The memories were slightly blurred, but they remained the most precious treasure of her life.
Nina’s memories cascaded through her mind like a waterfall, her sobs rising and falling—from helpless, childlike whimpers through the stormy tempests of her ordeals to the ache of parting and the warmth of reunion.
Snapping out of her daze amid the cries and enveloping warmth, the ice in her heart melted completely, soaking Isabella’s clothes.
Five minutes later, Nina said, trembling,
“I won’t leave you again.”
“Mom knows.”
“Shall we… find someplace to live in seclusion?”
“Where to?”
“You pick. I… I don’t have any ideas yet,” Nina said, her body twitching.
“…”
Isabella fell silent for a long time.
“Would you go back to the Elf Kingdom?”
“No.”
“Oh? Didn’t you say you had no ideas?”
“That doesn’t mean there aren’t places I don’t want to go.”
“Alright~”
Isabella flashed a playful smile, knowing it was a bit untimely, then reached out to stroke Nina’s hair as if petting a pitiful little kitten.
“Nina, do you still have any [Obsession] for the elves?”
“None. I just want to stay with you—with Mom.”
“You know, people always have to leave their parents and live independently someday~,” Isabella said with a smile.
“I know that, of course. That’s exactly why I… made such an irrational choice. Waa, but now I’m back, and I’ll never leave again. Besides, your daughter isn’t just any ordinary elf.”
Isabella understood.
Nina had left to prove herself.
And now, she seemed to have grasped something profound.
“Nina.”
“Hm?”
“If that’s how you feel, then we can’t go anywhere. After all, those villainous gods… and the elves—it’s partly my fault too. So from my perspective, our best bet is to follow the Dragon King’s suggestion.”
She intended to take over the Elf Kingdom.
For the two Elf Kings, it hardly seemed like a bad deal.
“So, I don’t have the face to confront those elves anymore. After all, I’m the real culprit who controlled them.”
“Your mother’s decision was wise. There’s no—”
But before the flush could fade from Nina’s cheeks, Isabella said it anyway:
“Nina, if you have nowhere else to go… how about joining the Demon Race?”
