Do you all know the future?

Chapter 148 Meeting with Fiona

Lead-gray clouds hung low over the sea, completely blocking out the sun. Only a few faint rays of light seeped through the gaps in the clouds, giving the churning sea a dazzling metallic sheen.

The waves relentlessly lapped at the shore, white foam surging up again and again, only to quickly dissipate upon contact with the dark, wet sand, leaving behind streaks of varying depths.

Diane stood on a black reef smoothed by the sea, her gaze fixed on the blurry line where the sea met the sky in the distance.

"Master, it's windy, be careful not to catch a cold."

The head maid, standing half a step behind him, was clad in a well-tailored dark dress.

Her posture was impeccable; even in the strong sea breeze, her skirt swayed only slightly. She reached out and gently smoothed Diane's collar, which had been slightly disheveled by the wind, with her fingertips.

"I have the constitution of holy blood, so I am not afraid of strong winds or cold."

Diane turned around, his gaze shifting to the head maid who was standing close by. He took his hand out of his pocket and raised it to tuck a strand of hair that had been blown in front of the head maid's eyes by the wind.

In the salty and damp sea breeze, the head maid's smile was pure and warm, truly heartwarming.

The head maid remained silent, but quietly took another half step closer to Diane, using her body to slightly shield him from the wind blowing from the side.

The two fell silent again, with only the rhythmic sound of waves crashing against the rocks echoing in their ears. Finally, Diane spoke first.

Will Fiona come in this weather?

“She will definitely come. After all, this is the place where I first took her to see the sea when I was still Queen Istaya. The weather was just like this back then. She went to the restaurant yesterday, so she will definitely come today.”

The head maid said with certainty that since Fiona had other feelings for her, she wouldn't let this place go either.

As soon as she finished speaking, a figure could be vaguely seen on the shore of Diane Beach. The figure seemed to sense something and strode towards Diane and the head maid. The person was Fiona, the captain of the guard. She was wearing leather armor that allowed her to move easily and had no extra expression on her face.

But as she approached Diane, Fiona's eyebrows furrowed slightly involuntarily, a look of confusion on her face.

This is already the second time.

The first time was at that commoner's restaurant in the city. She had just finished her meal and was about to leave when the man and his head maid were standing outside the door, making them impossible to ignore.

Now, they have reappeared on this secluded coast, like a meticulously planned theatrical scene. Too many coincidences make it seem deliberate.

"Excuse me for bothering you, but we met once before at the restaurant, and now that we've bumped into each other here, I think I should formally introduce myself?"

She stopped in front of the two of them, just a few steps away, her eyes filled with wariness.

“Fate is indeed a wondrous thing, madam. I never expected to meet you in a place like this. My name is Gray, a merchant from Fafia. And you are?”

Diane's voice was gentle and clear as she began to act according to the script given to her by the head maid.

The head maid beside him took a half step forward, her posture revealing a protective instinct, which made Fiona realize she was overthinking things.

“Fafia? That’s not a convenient place.”

Fiona's voice didn't reveal much emotion; separated by several small countries, it was far enough.

"Since you're a businessman, why are you here on this coast? Do you think you can pan for gold in the sand?"

Fiona's voice rose slightly at the end, her tone playful, but her eyes held an undisguised scrutiny.

Her gaze shifted from Diane's gentle face to his clothes, which were devoid of any family crest, before returning to him.

"Not exactly gold hunting, just searching for some memories?"

Diane smiled and replied, and Fiona's heart skipped a beat; she too had come to the beach to search for memories.

"You're from Favya, what memories do you have of this beach?"

Fiona asked Diane directly, looking at Diane and his head maid with deep suspicion.

But this feeling was fleeting, and reason quickly returned. A merchant from a landlocked country, on this coastline belonging to the heart of the kingdom, was searching for memories?

“My mother is from Ishtar, and she brought me here. I’m just looking for memories of her.”

Faced with such a direct question, Diane's smile did not disappear, but it became slightly different, seemingly mixed with a touch of nostalgia, making his words more genuine.

"What did your mother bring you here for? To see the sea? Istaya has plenty of ocean!"

Fiona's skepticism didn't lessen in the slightest because of the story about her mother. She took another step forward, crossing her arms over her chest—an instinctive defensive posture.

"On such gloomy, leaden-gray, cloudy days, sometimes the sun shines straight down through gaps in the clouds, and it looks beautiful on the sea."

Fiona looked in the direction he was pointing. The weather was gloomy today, which was the time when such a spectacular sight would appear. It was also the first time she had seen such a beautiful view with Queen Greta, which was why she had come today.

"Did your mother take you to the restaurant yesterday?"

Fiona asked with a frown, the question simply following the natural progression of Diand's memories.

“My mom took me there. It tastes like my mom’s cooking. My mom said that’s her favorite seafood rice.”

Diane was lost in his memories, seemingly oblivious to the pressure in Fiona's words, instead offering a gentle smile.

“Fiona, do you know that in this sea, when the sky is covered with leaden clouds, the sun occasionally pierces through the clouds like a golden sword? That is the most magnificent sight in Ishtar.”

Recalling what the Queen had told her, Fiona realized that the man before her was perhaps not a businessman, but their prince of Istya, a Tudor prince, the son of Queen Greta, Diane.

What a coincidence, it's really too much of a coincidence. If it weren't for Queen Greta's guidance, Diane wouldn't have been able to come to these two places.

Because everything Diane said was told to her by the Queen, and the place was also brought to her by the Queen.

"We haven't asked you where you're from yet, ma'am. Are you here to see this strange sight too?"

Diane, curious, looked at the scene of holy light piercing through the clouds and asked Fiona.

"I came here to see the scenery. I'm an assistant to a court painter. I'm here to depict this kind of scene, which is quite rare, only a few times a year."

Her fabricated identity sounded plausible, explaining why she was there and subtly hinting at her connection to the palace, as she wanted to gauge Diane's reaction.

After Fiona finished speaking, she didn't give Diane a chance to continue questioning her about her identity. She took a small step forward, closing the distance between them again to observe her up close.

“It is indeed beautiful. I’m sure Mom will love it. It’s like a golden sword piercing through the clouds. That’s the most magnificent view in Ishtar.”

Diane sighed, seemingly regretting something, but Fiona couldn't discern anything from it.

"It is indeed a perfect landscape. It would be even more beautiful if it could be painted. I once enjoyed this scenery with my loved one."

Fiona's tone was nostalgic as she looked at Diane, then at the head maid, sensing something amiss with the head maid. "Really? How romantic. My head maid and I are watching too; it's a kind of recreation of that romance."

Diana pulled the head maid's hand and drew her into her arms, and the two of them looked at the floating light together.

Diane felt a strong sense of pride as she held Queen Greta's hand and looked at the scenery with her, with Queen Greta's suitors standing nearby.

"Lead-gray clouds, sunlight like swords...the smell of mom cooking in the restaurant."

Fiona's voice was soft as she repeated Diane's words word by word, her gaze and demeanor befitting her queen.

“These words sound familiar. You’re not the businessman Gray, are you, Your Highness?”

Perhaps stimulated by the sight of dogs, Fiona's face lost its previous suspicion and probing, replaced by a cold and calm scrutiny.

Just when Diane thought there would be a few more exchanges and that he might inadvertently reveal his identity, Fiona directly pointed out his true identity.

"How did you know? You're not a painter, and besides, you didn't even tell me your name!"

Diane's voice sounded a little dry. He cleared his throat and looked at Fiona in surprise, realizing that he didn't know Fiona's name.

“Fiona, commander of the Royal Guard.”

Before Diane could fully recover from the shock of this identity, she leaned forward slightly. This subtle movement instantly shortened the physical distance between the two and brought an invisible sense of pressure.

"So, now it's your turn to answer. You came all this way specifically to find me, didn't you?"

Fiona revealed her identity as the head of the royal guard and asked Diane if she had come to see her intentionally, secretly delighted.

“Your mother, Queen Greta, is a magnificent queen. You’re here to reclaim the throne, aren’t you? I can help you.”

Fiona's voice was lower than before, and the pauses between her words seemed meaningful, suggesting that her encounter with Diane was not accidental.

Diane's face and Queen Greta's image overlapped in Fiona's mind. The Queen's pure radiance, like the morning sun, was vastly different from the man before her, yet they also shared some similarities.

This chasm once made Fiona feel a kind of physiological aversion, as if a perfect work of art had been stained with an indelible flaw, yet she was unwilling to give up the work of art.

"That's not true at all. You're not my target. You're not a demigod, are you? You can't help me with anything!"

Diane's voice lost some of its initial dryness. His gaze lingered on Fiona's face for a moment, then swept it up and down as if assessing the value of an item. He then shook his head in denial, saying that ordinary angel-level powerhouses were of little help to Diane. Fiona stiffened at his words.

“That’s right, I’m only at the Angel level, probably not as strong as the head maid next to you.”

Fiona admitted it very readily: Margaret, the demigod maidservant beside Diane, was capable of defeating the Moon Goddess in her incarnation, but she also had her pride.

"In the capital, information, personnel, supplies, everything you can and cannot see is under my jurisdiction, and these can help you restore your kingdom."

As she spoke, her eyes never left Diane, her gaze like a nail trying to fix him in place.

"Oh, then why do you want to help me?"

Dai pretended to think about it for a moment, and then decided that Fiona was indeed useful. He deliberately acted as if he didn't understand why Fiona was helping him.

Do you know why I came to this place?

As she gazed into Diane's puzzled eyes, a feeling of anger quietly welled up within her.

"I don't know. Didn't you come here to see the scenery? We're not familiar with each other, so I wouldn't be able to guess."

Dai, feigning ignorance, asked Fiona a strange question, which made Fiona blush.

"His Majesty has never spoken of me to you?"

That loyalty and love for the Queen, like a rootless vine, entangled Fiona's heart, making her furious.

"Why did she mention you? She never talks to me about politics; she only found out your name a few days ago during an investigation!"

The head maid didn't mention Fiona's name; he only recently learned that he had such a rival in love.

"me……"

Fiona felt as if a thousand needles were piercing her heart, the pain making it hard to breathe. Her eyes were desolate. Although she had known this would be the outcome, it was still too painful for Diane to say it out loud.

However, she should be glad that Diane didn't tell her the truth; she is now somewhat prepared.

"What's wrong? Are you two very familiar with each other? Does Mom have to mention you?"

Diane tilted her head, looking puzzled, and asked, "To kill someone is to destroy their spirit; at least Fiona felt like she had been hit by several arrows."

"No, it's just, it's just..."

Despite working with Queen Greta for so long, Queen Greta did not accept her advances.

"Let's not discuss that. Why did you help me?"

When Diane saw that she couldn't answer, she went back to the original topic, saving her some face, but she didn't care about saving face!
"I love Queen Greta, not out of loyalty, but out of love."

Fiona's voice was calm, stating an objective fact as if discussing the weather. Her gaze passed through Diane to Queen Greta. There was no need to hide it, because Diane would find out sooner or later.

"what?"

Diane gasped in surprise, feeling incredulous and momentarily speechless.

"Do you love your mother?"

Fiona's reasoning was so frank that Diane didn't know what to say.

"Yes, I was madly in love with her, but unfortunately she didn't accept me!"

Fiona saw Diane sigh; she didn't even know Queen Greta had such a son, clearly Queen Greta had kept it from her.

"Uh, I'm your rival in love..."

Diane drew out her voice, showing her distrust.

“I serve Queen Greta, and my loyalty belongs to her, and also to you.”

As Fiona uttered these words, her right hand unconsciously rose, clenched into a fist, and gently touched the area of ​​her heart on her left chest, thus pledging her allegiance.

(End of this chapter)