UCT Ch 4
by toujoursGilda caught Diana as she staggered and asked with concern in her voice:
“Diana, are you okay?”
“It’s because you scared the girl with your spooky stories.”
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
Uncle Ben grumbled from behind, though he too seemed quite worried.
“I’m fine.”
Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish
A faint smile appeared on Diana’s pale face.
“I guess stopping that fight earlier was too exhausting.”
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
“Diana, I’m sorry. I didn’t know there was such a commotion while I was busy bringing supplies from the storage. Did you note their names in the ledger? I’ll get them permanently banned.”
“It’s not that serious.”
Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com
Diana shrugged, quickly dispelling their worries.
Gilda patted Diana’s shoulder gently, speaking softly.
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
“Diana, you’re not worried because of what I said earlier, are you? Your uncle is right. Do you think Arke would dare to do anything again? Even if they did, they’re across the sea, aren’t they?”
“I’m really okay.”
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
“That’s right. Your aunt’s right. And the Bringerton army will protect us. Look at how spirited those soldiers were fighting in the tavern earlier.”
“…I guess so.”
Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com
Diana nodded in agreement with her uncle’s words.
Bringerton isn’t the same Bringerton as before. Not even Yalten or Juom. Now, with the lessons learned, the borders should be more fortified than ever. So, there was no rational reason to worry.
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
But why was she feeling so anxious? Her heart had been racing, and her hands were sweaty since earlier.
Gilda added in a cheerful voice:
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
“And Bringerton has the world’s best pilot, too!”
“What?”
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
“Lieutenant Ashwood-”
“Gilda, you’ve been talking about that young man all day.”
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
“Why? He’s quite the looker.”
“Ha. To be precise, he’s quite the ‘handsome’ looker.”
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
Following behind the bickering couple, Diana pondered the phrase ‘the world’s best pilot.’
The conversation she heard at [The Dancing Mermaid] replayed in her mind.
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
[Richard Ashwood! The world’s strongest pilot is right here in our Bringerton Air Force!]
‘Just how good can he be…’
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
A faint curiosity sparked in Diana’s mind before quickly fading away.
🌷🌷🌷
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
Was it a coincidence? The next day, Diana came across news about Richard Ashwood.
Just before opening the shop, while she was idly flipping through a newspaper, a photo caught her eye. She immediately recognized it as a picture of the much-talked-about ‘Richard Ashwood.’
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
The man in the photo was staring straight ahead with a cigarette hanging crookedly from his mouth. He was leaning against an airplane wing, wearing not a military uniform but a pilot’s jacket.
His dark black hair and seemingly black eyes were unusual for Bringerton. Even in the low-quality photo, his strikingly handsome features were evident. She could see why Aunt Gilda liked him.
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
He was handsome, but his looks were different from the pretty-boy nobles. His jawline was rebellious and masculine, with sharp eyes like those of a feline predator. Richard Ashwood exuded an unrefined raw masculinity.
Beneath the photo was a small caption: ‘Reserve Lieutenant Ashwood posing in front of Cronin Inc.’s new fighter, the Exton 4.’
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
“So he’s a reservist. He must have been discharged.”
‘Why did he get discharged?’
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
‘I heard he shot down ten Yalten fighters in a battle that lasted three days. Wasn’t everyone going crazy back then?’
‘He was supposed to be the best in Bringerton.’
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
But her confusion was quickly resolved when she read the article below:
[The second son of the Ashwood Count family, set to inherit considerable wealth at a young age, Lieutenant...]
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
‘…He was a count’s son. So, after fulfilling his noble obligation, he returned to the upper class, huh.’
A sigh of disappointment escaped her involuntarily. With his good looks, even through a poor-quality photo, combined with the prestige of the count’s family and vast wealth, along with military merits, it wouldn’t be strange if he had throngs of followers. He was living a life far removed from Diana’s current daily routine, even if in her past life they might have crossed paths.
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
‘…’
As Diana continued reading the article, her eyes gradually clouded over. She remembered a parade where she, as Fernan, wore a garland that the Arke princess had placed around her neck.
Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish
‘All of it is vanity.’
Diana shook off the thoughts, trying to clear her mind. She didn’t want to think about her past life.
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
She quickly turned the page, but it only made her more uneasy.
There was a headline article about the expulsion of the Juom Republic’s ambassador from Arke.
Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com
The anxiety she felt listening to Aunt Gilda’s stories the day before rose again.
‘An ambassador expelled?’
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
The article explained that Arke took this action due to the serious espionage activities conducted by the diplomat from the Juom Republic.
Tensions between the two countries were at an all-time high, and no one knew what might happen next, according to the report.
Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish
She hoped that Emperor Dietrich’s madness would not cross the borders of Arke. With her mood slightly dampened, she turned to the next page where she saw a familiar face.
Under the headline ‘Royal Visit to Orphanage Charity Event,’ there was a photo of Bringerton’s Queen Marianne and Duke Carrington, the royal consort, smiling brightly.
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
Marianne I. She was Fernan’s fiancée thirty years ago.
A faint smile curved Diana’s lips.
Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com
There are people you feel sick just thinking about, and those you miss dearly. Dietrich and Parnassus were the former, Marianne distinctly the latter.
The only true friend Fernan Lowell ever had. Thinking of her always filled Diana’s heart with gratitude and guilt.
Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com
Diana reached out with her slender finger, brushing Marianne’s face in the photo with her fingertip, leaving black ink from the newspaper on her finger.
‘I wish I could see you, even from afar, just once, Marianne.’
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
And if possible, there was something she wanted to ask her.
🌷🌷🌷
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
Marianne Tarantilia, Queen of Bringerton, sat down in her office chair, feeling a slight dizziness.
Since receiving reports about Arke’s suspicious activities, her health had continued to decline.
Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish
Arke Empire. Though some said it was now a toothless tiger, it was still the strongest nation on the northern continent.
It was famous for its centralized political system led by the emperor, mind-melding, and its ornate noble culture.
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
Whenever she thought of that country, Marianne felt a peculiar sensation. It was inevitable since she had once been engaged to a duke from there, Fernan.
‘It’s all ancient history now.’
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
Fernan Lowell and Marianne Tarantilia.
Their engagement, arranged before they were even born, was completely annulled with the outbreak of the Old Continent War.
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
Arke became an enemy nation to Bringerton, and Fernan Lowell was one of the best soldiers in that enemy nation. Even after the war ended and relations between Bringerton and Arke were restored, Marianne did not contact Fernan. It was not for the sake of the country but for her own protection.
She had loved Fernan for far too long. That one-sided love over such an extended period was painful enough.
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
With their engagement dissolved, even though the war was over, she didn’t want to cling to futile hopes anymore.
Fernan also did not contact her.
Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish
Thus, they had no communication for three years after the war ended, and Marianne met and married her current husband.
She thought it might have been for the best. Fernan respected his fiancée but did not love her.
Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish
Perhaps it was better that their engagement was broken rather than suffering with unrequited love.
And so, more than three years passed without any contact between them. Just when she thought their connection had ended, a letter from Fernan arrived.
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
The content of the brief letter was truly shocking.
I entrust you with a child. His name is Tersion. Please look after him so he can live healthily and happily on Bringerton’s land. I ask this shamelessly, setting aside all pride.
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
Your friend, Fernan.
To suddenly ask her to raise a child when he hadn’t even contacted her before.
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
Marianne wanted to scold him for being shameless, for being out of his mind. But she couldn’t. By the time she read the letter, Fernan Lowell had already passed away.
The cause of death was a fall due to a misstep. The ‘White Falcon,’ who had once flown freely in the sky, had succumbed to gravity.
Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com
Marianne decided to honor his last request.
Whether it was out of affection for her former fiancé or loyalty from her unrequited love, the reason didn’t matter.
Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish
She retrieved Tersion from the agreed-upon location and entrusted him to her most loyal servant, Count Ashwood.
Count Ashwood indeed proved to be a loyal subject. He followed Marianne’s unreasonable command without a single complaint.
For the best reading experience, visit lilyonthevalley.com
He adopted the strange boy brought by the queen as his son, giving him the new name ‘Richard Ashwood,’ and truly raised him as if he were his own flesh and blood.
Naturally, rumors followed the Ashwood family about bringing in an illegitimate child, but the count bore even that silently. For Marianne, his loyalty was touchingly appreciated.
Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com
Twenty-two years passed since then.
Richard grew taller, his voice deepened, and he began to draw everyone’s attention day by day. The shy and skinny boy grew into a handsome young man with a fine appearance.
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
Marianne was satisfied with how well Richard was turning out. Occasionally, the chill in his eyes seemed ominous, but she thought he had grown up well enough. However, an event that marred her pride occurred, and that was Richard’s enrollment in the military academy.
The enrollment itself wasn’t the issue. Being a military officer was a preferred career for the second sons of noble families, and achieving military merits as an officer or general was a source of pride for the family. Count Ashwood also supported Richard’s decision to attend.
Support us by visiting our official site at lilyonthevalley.com
But for Marianne, keeping her promise to Fernan Lowell came first. If Richard were to get injured or die in battle, she felt she would have no face to meet Fernan in the afterlife.
Moreover, a fighter pilot. When she heard that Richard had started flying fighters in his third year, her heart sank.
Read the complete chapter at Lily on the Valley without random text
The problem was that Marianne had no legitimate reason to stop Richard’s decision. Richard stubbornly insisted on becoming a fighter pilot, no matter what options were presented to him. Who could oppose a young man’s desire to serve the country?
He even distinguished himself in the war with Yalten after graduating from the academy, leaving Marianne with even less ground to oppose him.
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
Eventually, after the war with Yalten ended, she managed to get him out of his military uniform and into reserve status, but Marianne knew. Controlling Richard further was impossible.
If he ever decided to return to the military, she would have no way to stop him.
Visit Lily on the Valley to read full chapter without gibberish