It seems that the villain is targeting me.

A fierce cheer erupted from the knights' ranks. "The capital is ours!" This phrase spread like wildfire throughout the army. Soldiers either struck their weapons or stretched out their arms to wave, shouting with joy everywhere.

The capital of the empire was known for its solidity and being easy to defend but difficult to attack. They thought they still had a difficult siege to deal with, but they didn't expect that the enemy's last fortress had already been conquered.

The soldiers cheered because they no longer had to fight. They were brave, but it would have been better if they could capture the city without bloodshed.

This jubilant atmosphere infected Gwen, and her depressed mood became a little brighter.

However, there are people who are cheering without knowing the truth, and there are also people who know the inside story and are worried.

Among the guards on both sides of Gwyneth, there was an old knight with a slightly white beard. He was a member of the Tudor family's side branch. He had served the main family for a long time and was loyal to both heads of the family.

The old knight glanced worriedly in the direction of the capital, his expression extremely solemn. He rode his horse to Gwyneth's side.

"Master, please forgive me for overstepping my bounds." The old knight whispered to Gwen, "This is just my personal opinion... Perhaps you should control Levi Butcher as soon as possible."

The old knight frowned. "His actions these past few days have been truly excessive. My lord, you were concerned for his safety and immediately organized the remaining forces to come to our aid after the battle. But he bypassed you and led his troops to capture the capital."

Gwyneth gripped the reins tightly. The city ahead was getting closer and closer. She responded, "...The situation was urgent at the time, so it was normal that there was no time to send a message. Levi might just want to avoid a siege."

But the old knight shook his head.

He said, "No...you are too idealistic. Butcher is a stranger after all. None of us knows what his intentions are. If he has other intentions, you should have been on guard early on."

"This matter is of great importance. The future prosperity and decline of our family's honor for hundreds of years depends on you. Please treat it with extreme caution."

The old knight's worries were not unfounded. Gwyneth had been worried about this, so she had no choice but to nod in agreement.

She finally arrived at the capital much earlier than Xiaoniao had expected. In order to ensure the marching speed, she left the baggage and the wounded in the main force behind, and only brought with her most elite legion and the knights who were still capable of fighting.

Even so, when she hurried to the city wall of the capital, about a week had passed since the decisive battle broke out in Hejian.

Although it was a light march, Gwen's team had a large number of people and looked extremely conspicuous as they walked on the avenue. Just when they were halfway there, the city gate in the distance began to lower.

She was at the front of the army and could clearly see several people coming out of the city to greet them. The one leading them looked particularly familiar.

There are many people around her, countless voices

Although she could not hear the sound, she still recognized the bird from the crowd at first sight.

Gwyneth became inexplicably nervous, blood rushing up from her limbs and bones, and it felt like butterflies were flying in her stomach. She subconsciously tapped the horse's belly with her boots, urging her mount to speed up.

At that time, Gwen hadn't actually thought about what she was going to do next. She just walked forward driven by instinct. The knight who was responsible for guarding her was even left behind by her. After he realized what was happening, he hurriedly tried to catch up with her.

Gwyneth stopped her horse and lowered her head to look at the man who seemed a little frightened, feeling uneasy for no reason.

The other person's gentle features were still the same as he remembered, but his figure seemed to have become thinner, and the little flesh he had managed to gain while in High Garden seemed to have disappeared.

She wanted to smile at her, but an irresistible sadness suddenly hit her from the bottom of her heart.

Gwyneth tried to appear calm.

"Levi?" she whispered.

Xiao Niao slowly raised her head. There were many people around watching her, so she just responded very softly.

Gwyneth wanted to jump off the horse and hug her.

Desire and reason swirled in her mind, and Gwen's throat tightened unconsciously. It took her a long time to suppress her fluctuating emotions.

------

-

The Tudor army entered the city, and Gwyneth's soldiers quickly stationed at various important checkpoints and took over the control of the capital from Xiao Niao.

Thanks to the latter's cooperation, the soldiers did not encounter any obstacles along the way.

"I'll take you to the palace," Xiaoniao raised his head and said to Gwyneth who was sitting upright on the horse, "Let's go now."

Xiao Niao did not bring Hongyue with him today. Several knights responsible for protecting Gwyneth's safety noticed this situation. They surrounded Xiao Niao intentionally or unintentionally, forming an encirclement.

All Gwyneth had to do was utter a word or give him a look, and the knights could have Butcher under their control in the blink of an eye.

Gwen looked at the old knight who had warned her before: "Sir, you..."

Could it be that the Patriarch has heard what I just said and is ready to attack and control Butcher right now?!

The old knight couldn't help but feel refreshed, and he pricked up his ears to listen carefully to Gwyneth's next instructions.

"...Tell the knights behind to find a horse," Gwyneth said seriously, "Levi is not a good rider, so remember to pick a docile one."

Old knight: “…” Well, it was all in vain.

Soon someone brought a docile horse, and Xiao Niao did not refuse. The two of them stood side by side again and walked slowly towards the palace.

The streets of the capital were still the same as they remembered. The two walked in silence for a while. No one was talking around them, and there was only the sound of horses' hooves clattering on the cobblestones.

Xiao Niao had originally prepared herself to accept the other party's questioning. Whether it was fear or suspicion, she had certain psychological expectations.

But Gwyneth didn't ask her anything, as if she had placed all her trust in her.

In the end, the bird couldn't help it and broke the silence.

"...You arrived faster than I estimated," Xiao Niao said, "Did you rush here on a forced march? The main force is probably still behind."

"Yes," Gwyneth nodded, "I had no news of you, and I thought you were kidnapped to the capital, so I rushed here."

Xiao Niao was silent for two seconds, lowered his head and mumbled an apology.

Gwyneth smiled softly at her. "What's there to be sorry about? You captured the city for me, saving my soldiers from a difficult siege... I should be the one apologizing for taking so long to get here."

Thank you for your hard work, Levi, Gwyneth said to her, don't worry, I'm back, let's deal with the next thing together.

The girl's words were not aggressive. She was soft, like a warm leather collar. Just hanging it around the neck made people want to buckle it on.

Xiao Niao was a little dazed, and she turned her head to look at Gwyneth.

The sunlight was dazzling, and Xiao Niao's eyes couldn't help but squint a little. Something seemed to be shaking gently beside Gwen's ear, and Xiao Niao's eyes were unconsciously attracted. However, before she could confirm it, the girl's crescent-shaped white earlobe disappeared under her long hair again.

Are they earrings? Xiao Niao tried his best to recall.

In her memory, Gwyneth did not have any particular preference for jewelry. She wore it mostly for social needs, and it was rare for her to wear any jewelry on her own initiative.

This was quite unusual for Gwen. Xiao Niao was planning to ask about it, but he felt that it was just a trivial matter at the moment, so after paying attention to it for a few seconds, he temporarily put it aside.

The road from the city gate to the palace was not long. Even if one wanted to delay, one would soon reach the end.

Xiao Niao began to feel a little embarrassed. He was distracted just now and did not explain to Gwen what happened after entering the palace.

Gwyneth should have known about what happened in the capital these days, after all, she has several family knights.

In the city, the bird did not stop the knights from sending news to Gwen.

She just didn't have time to justify her actions.

The other party arrived too quickly. Xiao Niao had just finished dealing with everything when the army appeared under the city wall. She learned the news hastily and could only rush outside the city to welcome them.

Now, all the royal family members who are eligible for inheritance have been dealt with by Xiao Niao. Among the remaining people, except Charles who is imprisoned in a dark cell, there are only a few daughters and in-laws who pose no threat at all.

In fact, this group of people will be let go in the end, and the reason why Xiao Niao kept these people is that he wanted Gwyneth to be the one who pardoned and forgave them, and establish an image of kindness and generosity in front of the people.

Such performances and sacrifices are necessary in politics, just like giving a date after a slap, if one person plays the good cop, another must play the bad cop, and most of the time people buy into this.

This path is not unfamiliar to Xiaoniao. Lawrence took a similar path in the past, and she is already very familiar with some of the routines.

Gwyneth should be able to understand my thoughts, Xiao Niao thought. The top priority now is to enter the palace as soon as possible and stabilize the turbulent situation to prevent further disputes in various places.

After most things have settled down, even if some people still want to make some trouble, it will be difficult for them to make any waves.

Xiao Niao was a little lost in thought, and only after Gwen called her twice did she suddenly turn her head around.

"What?" Xiao Niao asked subconsciously.

"There are some things," Gwyneth repeated helplessly, "how about we go to the side hall to talk about it?"

Against the backlight, her face looked blurry, and it was impossible to tell whether she was happy or angry.

"Just the two of us," she added.

Xiao Niao then turned his gaze back to Gwyneth and responded hesitantly: "Okay..."

Seeing her agreement, Gwyneth nodded slightly and said to the knights behind her, "You guys stay outside the side hall."

The place they walked to happened to be very close to the side hall, and they turned there after a few steps.

Xiao Niao was a little confused, not knowing what Gwen wanted to say to him, but then he thought again and felt that the timing was right and he could explain to her what to do next.

Maybe Gwen brought me here to talk about this, Xiao Niao guessed.

Gwen pushed open the door of the side hall and walked in first, while Xiao Niao followed behind her and closed the door when he turned around.

The windows in the room were not closed, and the beaded curtains were swaying slightly in the wind. Xiao Niao turned his body slightly, pulled the door handle, and confirmed that the door was closed.

"Okay," Xiao Niao loosened his fingers and turned around, "What is it——"

Soon, she couldn't utter a word.

The girl's warm breath was close at hand, and her slightly thin but strong arms were tightly wrapped around her neck. She had nowhere to escape and was completely powerless to resist. The back of her head and back hit the door panel together.

It didn't hurt much. At the last moment, Gwyneth gathered her strength and reached out to protect the back of the bird's fragile head, but she didn't let go of the arms that were hugging her.

Xiao Niao frantically tried to support the door panel with her right hand, and her eyes wandered unconsciously. Her gaze finally fell on the girl's hair blown away by the wind by her ear, and then she froze in place.

An earring made of black feathers with blue tips hung on Gwyneth's earlobe, hidden under her hair and close to her warm skin.

The color of the feathers is very bright and the shape is well preserved. You can tell at a glance that they have been well maintained.

Those are her feathers.

Chapter 110 Lies [Please refresh the chapter! ]

Is it my imagination?

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Gwyneth rested her chin on Xiaoniao's neck, like two swans embracing each other, and her warm breath swept across the back of her neck. Gwen could feel the pulse beating under the thin skin, and she heard the bird's heartbeat.

Gwyneth wasn't sure if it was her imagination.

She heard a discordant murmur amidst the slightly intense heartbeat.

The air in the room became quiet. Xiao Niao had recovered from her initial confusion. Her breathing was rapid due to nervousness. She relaxed for a few seconds, then slowly reached out and hugged the person in her arms.

Gwyneth hugged her tighter, and whispered her name in a wronged and low voice, like a puppy cruelly abandoned in the rain. Xiao Niao almost doubted whether she had really bullied her.

It was an unreasonable hug, a little beyond Xiaoniao's expectations.

Xiao Niao originally thought that Gwyneth would be afraid of what she had done, or would be still angry. She even speculated that she might be restrained and controlled at the first possible moment to eliminate her worries.

That's why she didn't bring Red Moon with her today. Xiaoniao was worried that her overly loyal knight would get into a bloody conflict with Gwen's people.

Xiao Niao guessed how Gwen would react: even in the best-case scenario, he would be harshly questioned; in the worst-case scenario, Gwen might just try to get rid of him.

But there was no questioning, not even any suspicion, before she could explain.

Even if the bird is slow, it can still feel the girl's embrace.

The deep longing I felt when I held her in my arms.

Anyway, she decided to apologize first.

"I'm sorry," Xiaoniao muttered softly, its light wings resting gently on Gwen's shoulders, "...I thought you didn't want to see me."

Gwyneth buried her head in her neck and Xiaoniao felt the girl stroking her shoulder blade. The feeling was very familiar. She had touched that hand countless times.

Xiao Niao knew that Gwen's palms were slightly narrow, and there were thin calluses on the base of her palms and fingertips. He slowly stroked her still tense back, and the touch was so warm that it made him feel melancholy.

"I'm afraid something will happen to you." Gwyneth's soft voice suddenly sounded.

She finally let her go and stepped back a little, no longer forcing Xiao Niao to stick to the door panel.

"You left without leaving any message. I can't find you anywhere. No one has seen you." Gwyneth gently stroked her chin, her palm warm against her cheek. "They all said you were caught."

"I'm scared," Gwyneth repeated quietly, her voice muffled. "I really miss you."

Xiao Niao's throat tightened unconsciously, and she pursed her lips, as if she had turned into a stupid bird with a rigid mind and great clumsiness, unable to utter any words to comfort others.

But Gwyneth did not understand Xiao Niao's helplessness at the moment.

"I don't understand," Gwen frowned, her hand cupping Xiaoniao's cheek with a hint of compulsion. "I'm your wife... I can share any worries you have. You don't have to keep everything to yourself."

"That's what our vows say, that when times get tough, we should support each other."

Gwyneth could actually vaguely guess Xiaoniao's intention. After all, in this matter, the person who benefited the most was herself, and the person who eventually became the target of public criticism was Xiaoniao.

"If there is anything in the future, don't hide it from me anymore."

She spoke very seriously, enunciating each word clearly.