It seems that the villain is targeting me.

So, the first thought that popped into Xiaoniao's mind was that Gwen was doubting her.

But suspicion is understandable. Emperors are almost all severely suspicious patients. They can trust others, but basic precautions are necessary. Gwyneth must remain cautious and rational in this regard, otherwise it will be difficult to survive in this intrigue-filled environment.

Alliances based on friendship and trust will not last long. Only real and reliable interest relations are unbreakable.

The human heart cannot withstand any test. The best way is not to give it the opportunity to be tested at all - Xiao Niao taught her this at the very beginning.

'Even if that person is me,' she told Gwen.

Gwen is growing up very fast. She remembers everything I taught her. Xiao Niao silently remembers it in her heart.

I thought, I should feel relieved.

But even after thinking this, the sour feeling still came up uncontrollably.

Xiao Niao stroked the corners of the table with some melancholy. Her hands were cupped on the table, slowly clenching and then gradually loosening.

Gwen might not need me anymore soon, she thought.

...If that's the case, that would be great.

In the future, Gwyneth will rule this land. Here is her kingdom and the people who submit to her. Even after she leaves, Gwyneth will still have a long and wonderful life.

But I am destined not to be able to accompany her for too long.

Xiaoniao had anticipated this, but when it all really happened, she couldn't help but feel a little empty in her heart.

Xiao Niao felt a touch on his shoulder, and his body trembled slightly. He turned his head in a daze.

"……grown ups?"

There was uneasiness in the Red Moon Knight's voice: "How do you want to handle this matter? Do you need to inform His Majesty..."

Xiao Niao shook his head: "No need."

"It's normal to have spies in the palace. They're just doing their job," Xiao Niao dipped his quill into the inkwell and said, "It's relatively safe here. Hongyue, don't be too nervous."

The Red Moon Knight was a little anxious. She didn't understand why Xiao Niao suddenly lost interest in pursuing the matter, and she was eager to explain to Xiao Niao the seriousness of the matter.

"I understand, sir, but those sudden increases in guards seem to be specifically designed to monitor you—"

Xiao Niao shook his head again: "The knights sent are all Gwen's men, it doesn't matter."

Then he said, "Hongyue, don't ask any more questions."

These words were clear enough, and Hongyue slowly came to her senses. She slowly took a step back and became the silent knight again.

One of the advantages of the Red Moon Knight is that he never asks too many questions. Since Xiao Niao has said so, he must have his own reasons. As a knight, she will not ask any more questions.

It was not until the evening that day that Xiao Niao finished processing all the official documents. She had been working for almost four hours in a row, and her body was a little shaky when she stood up.

"...Let's go to the front hall." She whispered hoarsely.

Xiao Niao went to the front hall to wait for Gwen to come back - Her Majesty the Queen has been suffering from some symptoms of separation anxiety recently, and she will become depressed even if they are separated for a short period of time.

In this regard, Birdie always indulges Gwyneth's behavior. She naturally hopes that the other party can be happy and will try her best to meet the other party's requirements.

She even felt that Gwen was actually quite easy to satisfy: apart from being too clingy, this girl basically had no shortcomings.

Xiao Niao came to the front hall and sat down on the sofa in front of the fireplace as usual. The head maid came over and lit the fire, and after a while the room became warm.

She leaned back in the chair, dozing off for a while, and soon fell asleep.

The Red Moon Knight had already taken turns resting with another knight and had even gone to eat something, so he didn't feel particularly tired at this moment.

She gently took off Xiao Niao's coat and covered him with the thick clothing so that he could sleep more comfortably.

The even and gentle breathing sound fell on her ears like a feather without a trace of dust, bringing a slight itch. The Red Moon Knight stood silently behind the sofa chair, occasionally lowering his eyes for a while to look at the bird sleeping soundly in the chair, and felt inexplicably happy.

This man always paid attention to details in his work, even making sure to give the knights on duty enough time to rest, but he almost completely ignored his own physical condition.

Now she is asleep.

The Red Moon Knight didn't realize that he had calmed down unconsciously.

She even felt that the grievances she had felt when she was forbidden to ask further questions in the study were comforted at this moment.

Time passed with the sound of the crackling flames. The surroundings were very quiet and only the shallow breathing of birds could be heard, but Hongyue did not feel bored. She even hoped that time could continue like this forever.

But Gwyneth walked in shortly after.

The Red Moon Knight quickly noticed the Queen's arrival. She placed her right hand on her chest and saluted Gwen in a low voice, "Your Majesty."

Gwyneth glanced at the bird, then nodded slightly to the Red Moon Knight. "Thank you for your hard work, sir."

She also lowered her voice when she spoke.

Hongyue hesitated for two seconds, maintaining the posture of saluting: "...Should I wake the master?"

"No need," Gwyneth's expression was very gentle at the moment, "You can leave first."

It was probably at that moment that the Red Moon Knight's keen intuition was triggered, and the alarm bells in her heart rumbled like an explosion.

However, after saying that, Gwen stopped looking at her.

There were no other words, and Gwyneth's attention was no longer on Hongyue.

In any case, the Queen's order was not something a knight could disobey, so she could only choose to leave.

At the last moment before walking out of the front hall, the Red Moon Knight suddenly understood Gwyneth's eyes as if it were enlightening.

The wonderful look that rested on the bird was a mixture of love and longing.

Hongyue had a vague premonition:

Someday

This person will hurt the bird.

because

That was the look only an extremely paranoid person would have.

Chapter 116 She fell into a deep sleep

A few days later, just as Her Majesty the Queen had arranged, Bi'er, who was far away in Highgarden, received a letter of commission to be sent to the local area.

Due to the long journey, the adjutant was unable to return to the capital to accept the appointment. She sent a pigeon to send a letter back, expressing her gratitude for the Queen's trust and appreciation, but there was not much excitement between the lines.

She just accepted everything calmly.

Her Majesty the Queen was in a hurry, and the place where she was to take office was far away from the capital. Bi'er could not make it back, so she had to hurriedly write a farewell letter to Xiao Niao and then set off.

And yesterday, the Red Moon Knight also left the capital.

She is now a knight personally appointed by the Queen and has been given a fiefdom. Hongyue must return to the territory for a period of time to complete the inheritance and handover procedures.

In addition, there are various miscellaneous matters waiting to be handled in the newly divided territory. Even if Hongyue entrusts all those matters to the affairs officer, she, as the new lord, has to be present.

At first, Hongyue didn't want to agree. She refused the honors and rewards and begged to stay in the capital to become a royal guard, shouldering the responsibility of protecting the royal family.

Being a royal guard is an extremely honorable profession for most knights, including nobles from ordinary families.

——But compared to a territory that can be inherited and passed down forever, the royal guards are nothing.

"This is a very rare honor," Xiao Niao advised her. "Even if we take the history of the Seven Kingdoms into account, being personally knighted by a monarch is extremely rare. Luna, they will write you into the White Codex and use an entire page to record your achievements."

The "White Book" is the "Book of White Knights", which records the knights with outstanding achievements in the history of the Seven Kingdoms, as well as their life stories. Many old knights refused to retire until they were old and gray, just because they wanted to make achievements and be included in the "White Book".

Speaking of this, Xiao Niao seemed to remember something and couldn't help but smile.

Her tone softened. "I once promised you that I would make you a true knight, and now you stand at the pinnacle of all the knights in the empire... just consider this as satisfying me."

Xiaoniao insisted that Red Moon Knight accept this honor. The latter felt awkward for a few days, but finally agreed.

That territory is not particularly far from the capital. If everything goes well, Hongyue might be able to find time to come back at the end of this year.

But Gwyneth knew that the Red Moon Knight would not have that kind of free time.

She has already informed the officials of the territory that Hongyue will not have the opportunity to return to the capital for at least the next two to three years.

Gwyneth actually didn't deliberately want to go that far. Strictly speaking, most of her actions were unintentional, and her behavior was more driven by her subconscious.

But the fact is: everything is moving in an irreversible direction.

------

-

Gwyneth could clearly feel that Xiao Niao's mood had become very low.

When trusted friends and familiar people gradually leave you, everyone will feel sad. No matter how much you comfort yourself, separation will always make people feel melancholy.

At this point, her act of transferring people away from Xiao Niao was already very obvious, and it was impossible for the other party to be completely unaware of it.

But Xiao Niao asked nothing and said nothing. Gwyneth was prepared to be questioned by her, but in the end, all those words and comforts were of no use.

Xiao Niao did not resist at all, but obediently accepted Gwyneth's arrangement and allowed her to deprive him of his remaining influence among the civil servants.

Those light brown eyes still looked at her without any resentment, as if saying: It's okay, Gwen, I don't want anything.

The soldiers wanted gold, the people wanted peace, the lords who followed wanted power and wealth, but Levi Butcher wanted nothing.

Does this mean that there is nothing he can do to keep her?

The only thing that comforted Gwyneth was that Xiao Niao was still so kind to her, still cared about her health, and always shared the burden on her shoulders. Every morning, she would see this person sleeping soundly beside her.

I must be too sensitive. It was just a meaningless nightmare.

Although she had thought about it many times, Gwyneth could never feel at ease.

So, when those things were really placed in front of her, her tormented heart calmed down.

It’s like a knife is always hanging over your head, making you worry all day long that it will fall, but if one day it really falls, you will feel relieved instead.

Gwyneth silently flipped through the paper in her hand. The leader of the Feathered Guard stood respectfully beside her. There was no one else in the room. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Gwen read quite quickly, but when she was halfway through, her hands suddenly curled up.

Her Majesty the Queen silently clenched her palms, and remained stiff for a long time without moving, as if she had lost the courage to continue watching.

After a long silence, Gwyneth spoke hoarsely, "...When did the Emperor start writing these things?"

"Judging from the handwriting, about a year

It started a while ago." The Yuyiwei leader kept his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart, trying to reduce his presence.

Gwyneth was visibly stunned.

After a long while, Gwen murmured, "Ah... I've been preparing since I left Highgarden."

The last ray of light in her eyes seemed to disappear, and her jewel-like eyes also dimmed.

Her Majesty the Queen lowered her eyes and continued to flip through the papers without saying a word.

The commander of the Feathered Guards actually didn't understand why the Queen seemed so gloomy: what Butcher wrote was not some treasonous statement or attempt at rebellion, but just a plan for the future development of the empire.

However, the blueprint planned by Shrike was a bit too long-term, as it covered plans for the next nearly twenty years.

The commander of the Feathered Guards actually didn't quite understand the details, but he was amazed at how the plan covered every aspect of national construction in great detail.

In addition, Butcher wrote a letter that has not yet been sent.

The leader of the Feathered Guards did not dare to open the letter to check the contents. He only looked at the cover and knew that the letter was sent to a woman named Bi'er.

The commander looked at the empress's face cautiously, thinking secretly: Could it be that the girl named Bi'er is the emperor's lover, so His Majesty is so angry?

Come to think of it, the name Bi'er sounds incredibly familiar. I think she used to be one of Butcher's subordinates...

Thinking of this, the leader of the Feathered Guards became as quiet as a chicken.

It is true that the Feathered Guards are the henchmen who protect the imperial power, but he really doesn't want a new official to know such a dramatic royal secret in the first week of taking office!

Perhaps sensing the Feather Guard leader's restlessness, Gwyneth raised her head slightly and waved her hand to signal him that he could leave.

The other party acted as if he had been pardoned, and after paying his respects he carefully retreated.

Gwyneth's gaze fell back on the desk. The pile of handwritten documents scattered in a slightly messy manner looked no different from suicide notes in her eyes.

As if he had known that his time was running out, Butcher put all the plans in his mind on paper, and even the date of his death was clearly defined - shortly after their wedding, when she left Highgarden and left him.

Gwyneth read the contents of the letter again. She tried to appear calm, but her fingertips trembled uncontrollably.

"When you receive this letter, it will be around July, and I should have left by then," Xiao Niao wrote. "Wait until the spring of the following year to bring the news to Her Majesty and tell her that I died in an accident."

July...summer...

Everything matched that dream.