Endless Silver Machine

The next day, Aika explained his intentions to Ling and Wei Xi in advance, and gained their understanding.

Then inquire about Lan Ming from Charlotte, who you "encountered by chance".

"Your Highness Princess... It may be that she is too tired from running around for a long time, and her face does not look very good."

"That's true."

Aika nodded to herself after listening to Charlotte's explanation.

On the way carrying the laundry basket, Charlotte was stopped by Aika who suddenly appeared. Then he asked him straight to the point about Lan Ming's situation. Charlotte stared at Aika with suspicion and vigilance.

"As promised in advance, Her Highness the Princess needs a quiet environment to rest well, so please do not disturb Her Highness during this period."

"Did you see through it?"

"It's not that I saw through it, Anjie should also have noticed it. The number of times you secretly glanced at Her Royal Highness the Princess during the meeting today was too suspicious. You must be thinking about something, right?"

"I'm not secretly admiring your beauty, Princess. Well, now that you all know what I'm planning, it's easy to talk."

"Who can talk to you nicely..."

"Anyway, leave Lan Ming to me for one day. I guarantee that when I return it to you, Your Highness the Princess will still be intact."

"Isn't this nonsense! What on earth are you going to do to make Her Royal Highness incomplete?"

"That's it, I'll go to Lan Ming's side first."

"When did I promise you...Hey, Aika!"

Seeing Aika leaving triumphantly, Charlotte stamped her feet in anger.

But when she wanted to catch up and stop him, Charlotte stopped again.

…………

Lan Ming's room is next to Ling and Wei Xi, and she should be alone in the room now.

Aika originally wanted to knock on the door, but after hesitating for a moment, he directly held the doorknob with his hand.

I tried to turn it slightly, but it turned easily. The door to Lan Ming's room was not locked.

Then Aika opened the door unceremoniously and made a loud noise.

"Did you get your change of clothes back so quickly, Charlotte...eh, Ai, Aika?"

Lan Ming, who was standing in front of the window and looking at the scenery in the distance, had already tidied up his appearance and was wearing his daily private clothes. When he saw that the person behind him was not Charlotte but Aika, he immediately showed a surprised expression.

If Lan Ming was still wearing pajamas, without dressing up, and still looking the same as when he got up, the reaction might be much greater than it is now.

Even Lan Ming, who had just woken up, must still be as charming as he is now. Although she had never witnessed Lan Ming's sleeping face, Aika still thought so.

She probably never thought that Aika would rush into her room without knocking on the door. Even her thoughts of scolding were attracted. She just called Aika's name and stood there at a loss.

In fact, Aika was also sweating in her heart. Breaking into a girl's room rashly is likely to arouse their resentment, and it will become even more troublesome if you encounter something they shouldn't see.

Aika, who at first just hoped to make a big noise to attract Lan Ming's attention, realized how reckless he was.

Lan Ming put his hands in front of him and stood in front of the window blown by the early summer wind, with his sideburns fluttering.

Even though she is burdened with heavy responsibilities, Her Royal Highness is still beautiful at this moment.

In this shady room at the moment, her figure is still so dazzling, as if the gloomy mood revealed yesterday is like an illusion.

"Lan Ming, can you see the streets of the God Clan's territory from the window position?"

"The street..." Lan Ming turned his head and looked out the window again, "I can't see it..."

This is the true answer that Aika already knows, because from the window of his room, he can see the same scenery that Lan Ming is seeing at the moment.

This is the royal palace of the gods, suspended under the cloudless colorful sunshine.

This place is too far away from the floating urban clusters in the territory of the Gods. Although there are dream-like natural beauty wherever you look, you cannot see the vitality that can be called a race or a country.

"Teacher Letika said that this week is a very meaningful festival for the Gods."

"Children's Day? Aika, do you know the significance of this festival to the gods?"

"I first learned about the existence of such a festival from Teacher Letika, and today I learned the name of this festival for the first time from you."

Lan Ming was not dissatisfied with Aika's answer. Instead, he smiled and patiently explained the origin of this festival to Aika.

"It is said that like our human saints, one of the heroes who led the cross-border war to the end came from the Gods. At that time, she was just a child, and the Gods called her a child, which means an innocent girl. After that, The gods regarded young girls as a symbol of faith, and now it has been extended to use celebrations to celebrate all children and celebrate the hope that their birth brings."

"So that's it." Aika then realized that different races were surprisingly similar in some aspects. "Lan Ming, you are really knowledgeable. Standing next to you has made me fully aware of my own shortcomings." ”

"That's not the case..."

Lan Ming was not happy when Aika praised his knowledge, but just gave him a questioning look in confusion.

"Since you know so much about this festival, it seems that my position as the inviter is about to change."

"Eh...the inviter?"

"Yes, I am the inviter now," Aika extended his hand to Lan Ming, "Let's go to the floating city group that is currently preparing for the festival celebration. Originally, I wanted to guide you, but now look You are more suitable as a tour guide."

"..."

It is too easy for Lan Ming to understand what Aika is saying and what he wants to do.

Compared to Aika who was trying to disguise and deliberately create surprises, Lan Ming had already seen his intentions from his words and deeds.

However, there was no expression of surprise on her face, but she lowered her head in disappointment.

He neither answered Aika's invitation nor held Aika's hand.

"I'm sorry, I can't...Thank you, Aika, but I really want to take a break right now."

After trying hard to convey this meaning, Lan Ming's face showed a slightly cowardly bitter smile that was completely inconsistent with hers.

"In this case, I can only hold you and watch the celebration. Let's hold hands and walk down the street, or I can hold you and walk down the street. Choose one of the two. Which one do you choose?"

"What are you talking about!" Forgetting his weak physical condition for a moment, Lan Ming suddenly showed full energy, "Go back quickly, Charlotte will be back soon. If I see you here... "

"Don't worry, no one will come here."

When he said this, Aika suddenly felt as if he was a tyrant who was about to do something abnormal. But the thoughts he wanted to convey to Lan Ming were true.

Lan Ming showed a shaken expression for a moment. Although her disguise was slightly inferior to that in the political circles before, she still quickly hid her wavering.

Aika has not put down her outstretched hand until now.

"Whether you are in the Bisi Empire or a foreign country, you are always just a girl named Lan Ming. You will not change your identity just because you are in a different place, and you will not change just because you are in a different location. own value.”

"Do you mean to ask me not to put myself in the position of the country and just think about my own survival?"

Aika really feels great that she can understand her intentions so quickly. It's just that Lan Ming's understanding is slightly different from what he thinks.

Although Lan Ming's tit-for-tat questions were difficult to answer, everything Aika did was to make her understand this.

"All this time, all you can see is your own country, so I also hope you can look at other countries."

"Even now, the war between the Bis Empire and the Tebiri Kingdom is still going on. The people of the Tebiri Kingdom have become scapegoats because of me, and the people of the Bis Empire have become heinous invaders because of me. As long as The war is still going on, and people are dying every second. No matter how far we escape, the next person may be us at any time..."

Probably knowing that no one would come here again, Lan Ming suddenly fell silent after his emotional outburst.

She realized that she had told the most cruel truth that she should not have said.

Such words even trample on all those who have helped him.

Through these words, Aika finally understood what Lan Ming was most uneasy about.

Ever since he rescued her from the dank stone prison beneath Luxembourg, Aika had been deceived by her, and everyone else.

Even Her Royal Highness, who is inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people, cannot give birth to self-confidence out of thin air.

Using one's own power to reverse the situation between multiple countries may seem like a fantasy, but it is actually a fairy tale.

Her strength was just like a placebo to support herself from giving up this unreasonable self-confidence in this "escape journey".

This kind of defense wall is so fragile that even I can easily break it, like a bubble that bursts at the touch of a button.

If you simply don't hold on to hope for the future in your heart, it may be easier and easier to accept reality.

But if she does this, she will feel sorry for everyone involved because of herself, so she is still struggling to support this fragile defense wall.

Aika put down his outstretched hand because he knew Lan Ming would not hold his hand easily.

The weight of the country and the weight of oneself are not simple things that can be simply measured on a scale.

"Lan Ming, what do you really want to do? Take back your identity as the Princess of the Bis Empire?"

"What nonsense are you talking about! What's the use of that kind of thing even if you get it back?" Lan Ming took a step forward, her eyes flashing with anger, and the anger covered the wavering behind her, "What I really want to do... …”

She couldn't go on.

What does she really want... More than one idea appeared in her mind at this moment, including saving thousands of citizens of the Bis Empire.

Saving the tens of thousands of citizens of the Bis Empire was "included" in these thoughts.

If you just say this kind of justice as a matter of course, it is not difficult to do it.

But for Lan Ming, who thought about this issue seriously and put himself in the same position as the citizens every time, it was like an enlightenment.

"What I really want to do..."

There is no doubt that this is still one of the things Lan Ming wants to do most, and she can say it frankly without any guilt.

What confused her was another fact, an idea she had never realized before.

After the boy in front of me pointed it out, I finally realized its existence.

——What’s the use of that kind of thing even if you get it back?

Even if he can't get it back, as long as he can put an end to his sins, he can still live even if he is the only one left by his side in the end...

This is the voice of the girl "Lan Ming". As Her Royal Highness, it is naturally impossible for her to say such words.

Such selfish thoughts are not allowed by self-respect even if they are just spoken.

But not saying it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. At this moment, what does Lan Ming Yiela want most...

"Lan Ming, I hope you can live as yourself. I know this must be very difficult for you. After all, I am not a noble and cannot think from the perspective of all people, so my approach will definitely be consistent with your ideas. Conflict arises. Even so..."

Aika approached Lan Ming as he spoke, and the distance between the two became smaller and smaller.

There is an open window behind Lan Ming. If she continues to retreat, she will fall out of the tall building.

Finally, Aika came to Lan Ming, who was leaning against the window sill.

Her sapphire eyes were filled with confusion, panic and more complex emotions.

Not sure if it was a natural movement of her body, she slightly stretched out her hand. But that was definitely not an answer to accept Aika's invitation, perhaps it was just a last-ditch effort to push his body away.

However, Aika knew this in his heart, but instead of following Lan Ming's wishes, he took advantage of this opportunity.

He grabbed the outstretched wrist with a force that would not cause her any pain, and picked her up easily.

"Wait...wait, Aika, let me go!"

This time the resistance was much weaker. After being gently picked up by Aika, perhaps because of her royal cultivation, she was unable to put up any physical resistance to Aika. She just showed silent protest to Aika with aggrieved eyes.

This was the second time that Lan Ming was picked up by Aika in a princess hug.

The first time was to rescue her from the dark underground stone prison, and the second time was to try to break through the barrier of the heart and take her out of the invisible cage.

Lan Ming's resistance gradually weakened. The breath that was close at hand disappeared, and she buried her head in Aika's arms.

They can't see each other's expressions. Just cuddling together like this, it seems that you can already feel each other's mood.

"I'm sorry, my princess. Please forgive me for such rude behavior. I will willingly accept your punishment afterwards."

Holding Lan Ming tightly in the ring, Aika took a step forward and jumped down from the open window of the room.

The colorful early summer light instantly shone on them, and the two seemed to be riding on the wind.

Although Lan Ming closed her eyes tightly, she still grabbed Aika's shirt in fear.

The silver-white mechanical wings unfolded behind Aika, and the feeling of weightlessness when falling disappeared instantly.

In this way, the knight took back his princess from the unhappy haze and gave her the freedom to fly in the sky.

The moment he headed towards the floating cities, Aika seemed to hear Lan Ming in his arms replying to the knight's declaration he made before setting off.

"...Absolutely...I will never forgive you..."

With a crying voice that couldn't stop shaking.