Let's start over, Your Majesty.

Chapter 320 Extra: Yumilia's Journey (2)

"Griffith!"

Freya excitedly rushed forward and hugged him, not caring that they were still outside, and the two kissed passionately.

Yumilia stood there blankly, watching her parents hug each other for a long time before separating.

Freya blushed and looked at Gefilit with an undisguised smile.

"Oh, right, Yumilia, come here, Daddy's back."

She turned around and pulled Yumilia to Gefilit's side. Yumilia looked at the tall elf, whose fiery red hair was particularly eye-catching.

Although she often heard her mother talk about her father, she still felt hesitant and awkward when she suddenly met this somewhat unfamiliar man.

"Dad, Daddy," Yumilia called out, her face flushed.

Gefit crouched down, gazing at the now-grown Yumilia, his eyes filled with tenderness.

“Yumeria, you’ve grown so much!”

He stroked his daughter's long hair, pulled her into his arms, and hugged her tightly.

Feeling the broad and warm embrace, Yumilia's initial awkwardness and unease gradually melted away, and the sense of security brought by her father's blood made her feel at peace.

"Dad." She tentatively raised her hand and hugged him.

Geoffrey kissed her forehead lightly, ruffled her hair, and stood up.
“Griffith, why did you suddenly come back?” Freya said happily.

“I was on a business trip abroad and happened to be passing through, so I thought I’d come and see you,” Geffert said with a smile. “It was pretty much up to luck; if you hadn’t come out these past few days, I wouldn’t have seen you, but I didn’t expect to see you as soon as I arrived.”

He pulled Freya into his arms.
"It was also the Holy Mother who prevented us from parting."

"Mmm," Freya nestled happily into her husband's arms.

“By the way, you now…” She looked at Geffert’s military officer attire.

“I got into military academy,” Geffert said.
"And he has already been awarded a medal and is now a second lieutenant,"

“Really…that’s wonderful!” Freya hugged him excitedly. “You’re amazing, Geoffrey, you’re so amazing!”

Gefit stroked his wife's long hair. "Fria, I will continue to rise in rank. I will become a general, and then I will be able to take you and Yumilia out of here and let them live outside."

Freya opened her mouth, her eyes filled with barely concealed excitement.

"Okay, I'll wait for you, Geoffrey."

They kissed again.
After a long time, when they parted, Freya could not hide her disappointment.

"I have to go back now. If I'm late, he'll find out and forcibly take me back."

“Tomorrow, I’ll still be here tomorrow, and you can come out again,” Griffith said.

“But,” Freya lowered her head, “he won’t agree; the number of times we can go out is limited.”

“This,” Gefit pulled a pinky ring from his pocket,
"I got this through a friend. It's a magical item. As long as you wear it, your aura and appearance can be hidden, and he won't be able to detect it."

"Really?"

Freya took the ring, her eyes gleaming.

"Then, if that's the case, then I can..."

But then she suddenly remembered something, looked at her daughter to the side, and the flickering light went out.

“Don’t worry, Freya, it won’t be long. I’ll be back soon,” Gefit said with a firm look in his eyes.

Freya smiled and nodded: "I'll wait for you. Yumilia and I will both wait for you."

The next day, Freya secretly put on the ring and left the forest under the pretext of going to the back mountain to pick wild vegetables, and went on a date with Gefilit. She spent the whole day with him, but Yumilia could not go with her and could only stay at home, waiting for her mother to return.

However, every time Freya came back, she would bring her delicious food. Although she still hadn't seen her father many times, she had already developed a dependence on him.

An occasional meeting with Geoffrey allowed her to feel that long-lost, heartwarming fatherly love.

Days passed by like this, and two years later, Jolinasa, the grandmother of Yumilia, Queen of Romania, died.

Her lifespan as an elf shouldn't have been so short, but in this day and age when elves are gradually dying out, nearly five hundred years old is already considered a long life.

Her funeral was without a priest's eulogy or a band playing. Under the watchful eyes of Yumilia and Freya, Jordan manipulated the power of nature's divine authority, summoning vines to wrap and entwine his wife's body, according to elven custom.
It comes from nature and becomes part of nature.

At the funeral, Jordan silently manipulated his power, while Freya held Yumilia tightly, sobbing softly incessantly.

As she watched her grandmother gradually disappear into the vines, Yumilia's eyes trembled uncontrollably; this was probably the first time she had ever felt the passing of life.

That night, Freya held her as she fell asleep, and in her sleep, she could still faintly hear her mother sobbing.

After the Queen's death, Jordan seemed to quiet down and no longer paid much attention to royal etiquette. Even when Yumilia didn't eat properly at the table, he would only sigh and remind her a few times.

He had no interest in calling Yumilia to his side again and patiently recounting the glorious history of the elves to her time and time again.

Most of the time, he would just stay alone in his room, sitting on the balcony, gazing at the last remaining bit of forest that was called his homeland.

However, this has given Freya more opportunities to go out and see Gefit, and now he comes about once every two months to bring food and money.

Even so, when it comes to matters of principle, such as Yumilia's education and the ownership of the Elf Kingdom, Jordan remains stubborn and refuses to budge.

Several years passed like this. One day, Freya suddenly woke Yumilia up early in the morning and secretly told her that she was going to see her father.

After getting ready, Freya, still under the pretense of going out to sell medicinal herbs, greeted Jordan and then carried Yumilia out of the forest.

After selling the medicinal herbs, Freya took Yumilia directly to the bakery and bought her a lemon cake with fruit that she usually couldn't bear to eat. Then the mother and daughter sat on the steps at the door, and Freya watched Yumilia eat the cake in small bites with a satisfied look on her face.

"Slow down," she said, reaching out to smooth her daughter's hair.

"Mom, you eat too." Yumilia scooped up a piece of cake and offered it to Freya.

“You eat it, Mom doesn’t like this,” Freya said.

"Alright then." Yumilia then put the piece of cake into her mouth.

Before she had even finished a piece of cake, a carriage rumbled up, and to Freya's expectant gaze, Gefilit stepped down from it.

"Griffith!"

She immediately rushed forward and threw herself into her husband's arms.

Today, Griffith is dressed in a major's uniform, looking spirited and exceptionally handsome.

Freya looked at him excitedly and exclaimed, "You really advanced! In such a short time!"

“It will be even faster, Freya, I will soon become a general!” Gefit said confidently.

After embracing his wife tightly once more, he went to Yumilia.

"dad."

Yumilia called out timidly.

"Yumeria, sweetie, have you been listening to your mother lately?" Gefit smiled and took out a handkerchief to wipe the cream from the corner of her mouth.

"Hmm," Yumilia nodded first, then shrank back and looked at Freya, "I think so."

Gefit spent the whole day with his wife and daughter. Although they couldn't go very far, they took a carriage ride around the town before returning to a photo studio to have a family portrait taken. In the afternoon, they went into a tavern, where Freya knelt down to put a bracelet on her wrist and then patted her head.

"Yumilia, be good. Sit here and wait a bit. Mom and Dad have something to do. We'll come down to find you in a little while, okay?"

"Mmm." Yumilia nodded obediently.

Griffith ordered her another juice, and then the couple went upstairs together.

Yumilia didn't understand what her parents were going to do, but she was still quite happy to have juice.

It just so happens that a bard has come to the tavern today, and he's telling all sorts of historical stories in exchange for tips from the tavern patrons.

At this moment, he was speaking eloquently, recounting the epic rise of Reantandin, the Emperor of Eldarea.

This kind of popular literature with a legendary touch is also the most attractive.

Yumilia listened for a long time, listening to how that great emperor in history rose from a small mercenary to a lord, eventually possessing hundreds of cities, conquering Romania in one fell swoop, then conquering Savieye in the west, and establishing the great Eldaria Empire.

This was completely different from what her grandfather had told her. He had clearly told her that Reantandin admired the great wisdom of Romania, which was why he went to great lengths to form an alliance with them. But here it had turned into a legendary story of him defeating the arrogant and rude nation.

This confused Yumilia, but since her grandfather was the King of Romania, he must know more, so what he said must be true, right?
Hearing about Reinhardtine's attitude towards his wife Greta, Yumilia couldn't help but picture a burly man who was both fierce and cruel, yet also gentle and considerate. This strange feeling made her shake her head vigorously, trying her best not to think about it anymore.

About three hours later, as dusk spread across most of the sky, Freya and Gefit came downstairs. Looking at their mother's wet hair and rosy cheeks, it seemed she had just taken a bath.

Yumilia was fast asleep in a corner of the tavern, cuddling the chubby cat, when Freya gently woke her up.

“We should go home, Yumilia.” Freya gently touched her cheek after untying her bracelet.

Under the cover of night, Geffert bid farewell to his wife and daughters in front of the carriage.

“This time, I may not be able to come back for a long time, as the war could escalate into a full-scale offensive at any moment,” Griffith said.

“I’ll wait for you, Geoffrey. It doesn’t matter to me. I’ve already waited for over seventy years. I don’t mind waiting a few more years,” Freya said.

A surge of emotion welled up in Griffith's heart, and he embraced her tightly.

"When I get back, I'll keep my promise to you and take you to see the sea and the snow-capped mountains," he said softly.

"Mmm," Freya hugged him back.

After a reluctant farewell, Geoffrey boarded the carriage and drove away.

“Mom,” Yumilia tugged at her clothes, “when will Dad come next time?”

Freya smiled and stroked her head: "Sweetie, Daddy will be back soon. When he comes back, he will take us away from the forest to a more distant world."

Freya had been looking forward to the day she would see Gefilit again, but she never expected that day to come so soon. What it brought was utter despair.

It was an afternoon, just after lunch, when Freya noticed the wind chimes placed by the door were ringing.

That was a warning from the forest, indicating that outsiders were entering the forest.

She told Jordan the news, but was met with a cold snort.

"Probably those same humans trying to bargain again. Hmph, they want the mining rights to the surrounding forests? No way! We have to kick them all out!"

Jordan, who was about to raise his scepter, paused and muttered to Freya, "Freya, go and hear what they're offering. If you think it's acceptable, report back to me."

"Ok."

Freya had no choice but to go outside and wait at the entrance of the mansion.

A moment later, two men in military uniforms emerged from the forest, their faces bearing a solemn and sorrowful expression.

One of them was holding a small wooden box in his arms.

“Are you Freya, the wife of Commander Gefilit?” one of them asked.

“I am, and you are…” Freya’s eyes trembled, and she seemed to realize something, her voice shaking.

The two men exchanged a glance, took off their hats, and spoke in heavy tones.
Yumilia, who was reading a picture book in her room, heard her mother's heart-wrenching cries. She went out, at a loss, and saw her mother kneeling on the ground, clutching a blood-stained military uniform tightly in her arms.

On the wooden box held by the two officers was a black-and-white photograph of their father.

Freya wept, nearly fainting, repeatedly calling out Gefit's name, utterly unable to believe that her husband had left her.

"Mother."

Yumilia walked over worriedly and was immediately embraced by the heartbroken Freya.

“Yumeria. Your father, your father is gone. Gefit, Gefit.”

Yumilia stared blankly at the small photograph on the wooden box, and suddenly realized that it was her father, the father who had always been so gentle and tall and handsome to her.

Now it has become that little photograph, sitting in that little wooden box.

Suddenly, the thought that she would never again feel that warm fatherly love, never again receive those words of concern and reassurance, made her chest ache. The ache turned into a series of sharp pains, and she couldn't help but shed tears.

"What are you doing here! What are you doing here?!"

Just then, a shout rang out, and Jordan, the master of the forest, stormed out, brandishing his scepter.

The two officers, holding the urn containing the ashes, said to Jordan:

"We are subordinates of Commander Gefilit, and today we are here to inform you that he heroically sacrificed his life for the kingdom."

But Jordan suddenly flew into a rage, raised his scepter and knocked the urn from the other man's hand, roaring angrily:
"I don't care what he does! Everything that bastard did has nothing to do with us! I don't have this son-in-law! Freya doesn't have that kind of husband! Yumilia doesn't have that kind of father! Get out of here!"

Freya stared blankly at the overturned urn, her husband's last remains scattered on the ground, while the vicious old man continued to shout and curse.

She completely erupted, the resentment that had been building up inside her finally bursting forth. Releasing Yumilia, she grabbed a mud brick from the ground and hurled it at Jordan, hurling every vile word she could think of as she cursed her father with all her might.

Jordan was suddenly hit, and then he heard his daughter cursing. For a moment, he seemed stunned, and his face showed shock and bewilderment.

Then, his shock and bewilderment transformed into uncontrollable rage. His face turned ashen, and he raised the scepter in his hand. The ground beneath his feet instantly cracked open, and the soil transformed into a giant hand that grabbed Freya and dragged her into the crack.
Rain was falling outside the window. Yumilia huddled in the corner of the room, clutching the music box in her arms. She wound it up again and again, filling the cold and desolate room with music.

"dad."

She called out softly, but the name that had been warm to her had now become incredibly cold.

It's all gone now. It's as if the world has been ripped open. That tall figure has vanished forever. We'll never see him again, and we'll never taste that sweet lemon cake again.
She shrank back, wanting to cry, but there was no one to lean on. She could only hug the music box and listen to the lonely music over and over again.

Three days later, Freya was released from the basement, staggering, pale, and with disheveled hair.
"mom!"

When Yumilia came to her side, Freya hugged her tightly as if she were grasping at a last straw.

“Yumeria, my child,” she cried, unable to weep, for she had already shed all her tears in the past three days.

"Mom," Yumilia whispered, "Dad, will he never come back?"

Freya choked back a sob and nodded gently.
"I'm sorry, Yumilia, I'm so sorry," she simply said.

"Mother."

Yumilia took her hand, her azure eyes gleaming with a troubled sadness:
"Mom, please, please don't leave me again, okay? I... I don't want Mom to leave again, okay?"

Freya's lips trembled as she stroked her daughter's smooth cheek, and she said finally:
"Mom, I promise you."

(End of this chapter)