Anime, Girlfriend Shokuhou Misaki.

"May I come inside?"

A familiar female voice then rang out.

Makoto Haramura immediately recognized the visitor's identity.

“La Fria! Come in.”

The door was flung open, and La Fria, still wearing the same white dress, walked in with a beautiful smile.

"Thinking about something?"

"No, I was just looking around."

Makoto Haramura shook his head, looking at La Fria with a faint smile on his lips.

"But you, the banquet is about to start, you must have a lot of things to do, how do you still have time to come over to my place?"

La Freya shook her head in the same way.

"I do have a little time. I've come to tell you something, and I'd like to ask for your permission."

"Oh?"

Makoto Haramura suddenly became somewhat interested.

"What is it? Tell me about it first."

Chapter 273 The Empress Dowager's Plans

The restaurant was rather dark.

The dozen or so candles on the table were the only remaining source of light.

The restaurant's ceiling and walls are partially made of glass, allowing silvery moonlight to stream into the room. Combined with the moonlight reflecting off the lake, this makes the room even brighter.

The stars twinkled in the sky, and the lake shimmered with light.

The designers of the detached palace created this dreamlike scene.

Led by the female official, Makoto Haramura and his entourage entered the room.

Natsune Haze and Nagisa Akatsuki are still very young and are wearing school uniforms.

Lan Yu Qiancong wore a luxurious blue-green dress that she had brought from home and had never worn to a banquet before.

However, if we're talking about who dressed the most uniquely among this group, it has to be Himeragi Yukina.

She didn't wear a uniform like Natsune Yase and Nagisa Akatsuki, nor did she wear a formal dress like Asagi Aiba.

Instead, she wore men's unisex clothing, which, combined with Yukina Himeragi's rather dashing face, made her look quite dashing.

If it weren't explicitly stated that she was a girl, many people would probably mistake her for a pretty boy from somewhere.

"Wow, Setsuna, you're so cool."

Akatsuki Nagisa nestled close to Himeragi Yukina, their two small hands clasped together, and whispered with a look of pure bliss.

"It was the maid who suggested I dress like this, but I still feel a little embarrassed."

Himeragi Yukina shook her head and whispered shyly.

"Hmm, this is quite an interesting welcoming ceremony."

"Is this the king?"

The leader, Makoto Haramura, was wearing a bespoke red suit with a hand-tailored design, but his gaze was fixed on the head of the table on the other side.

An elderly man was sitting there.

He was slender and had a refined appearance. Although there were deep wrinkles around his eyes and on his face, it was clear that he must have been incredibly handsome in his youth.

Silver hair and blue eyes are the symbol of Aldiqia.

However, what prompted Makoto Haramura to utter those words was that the king's mouth was covered by the kind of black mask used to restrain criminals, and he was tightly bound to a chair from head to toe with thick hemp rope.

From this perspective, he seems less like a king and more like a serial killer being interrogated.

"it's him."

"Even now, you still dare not see your daughter and want to run away. You have no choice but to do this. Please forgive your rudeness, Your Majesty of the Primordial Empire."

After sitting down in the chair, Aldiqi Asia Pacific stood up and gave a graceful bow. Her elegant movements instantly filled the room with her aura.

Indeed, it's hard to imagine that such a person could look so old and frail.

"From this perspective, it is indeed a lack of male responsibility."

Makoto Haramura raised his eyebrows, looking down on the old man with gleaming eyes.

He's a freeloader who cheats on his wife, and to make matters worse, he can't even protect his mistress.

Now that his own daughter has come knocking on his door, his first thought isn't to reunite with her, but rather to run away.

Tsk tsk tsk!

This guy is the epitome of a scumbag.

"Xia Yin".

After finishing his evaluation, Makoto Haramura took a step back and gently placed his hand on Natsune Yase's head.

No matter what happens next, right now, Natsume Yase's matter is the most important.

Makoto Haramura's actions were intended to give Natsune Yase confidence, to reassure her that he was there for her and that she could confidently do what she wanted to do.

"You are the former king?"

Natsune Yase stepped forward and lightly bit her lip, but not forcefully.

The old king's eyes finally stopped flickering, and he began to look Xia Yin in the eye.

However, his eyes looked quite complicated, containing surprise, hesitation, but even more so, guilt.

The old king did not answer at first, but stared blankly for a while, and then nodded gently.

This amplitude is so small that it is almost invisible unless you look closely.

However, Natsume Yase didn't seem to care what the old king was thinking at the moment.

Her question seemed to be something like an opening remark.

Then, Natsune Yase took a step back.

Place your hands on your lower abdomen and bow deeply at a 90-degree angle.

"First of all, I want to thank you, Your Majesty the late King."

Natsune Yase's sudden apology left almost everyone stunned.

The surprise in Empress Dowager Miao Jie's eyes was even greater.

"Regardless of what you were thinking back then, as my biological father, I want to thank you for giving birth to me."

"Secondly, my sister Asagi said that the monastery that raised me when I was a child was built with your funding."

"I also want to thank you on behalf of my former friends for giving them a place to stay."

For Mokuwai, who controls the entire Itogami Island, investigating such matters would be a piece of cake.

This information was pulled up along with her background when I was looking for Natsune Yase. Later, after I got to know Natsune Yase better, Asagi told her about it as a joke.

"You only do this kind of thing?"

The Empress Dowager was genuinely surprised; even her voice sounded somewhat shrill.

You must know, this is Aldiqia.

Even with the Fourth True Ancestor protecting her, in her territory, it would be incredibly easy for her to kill a little girl.

If she really is the vicious woman rumored to be, then her current actions are tantamount to handing her life over to her.

What is this child thinking?

That's all.

Ye Se Natsune simply smiled sweetly at the Empress Dowager's slightly harsh questioning.

That smile was so pure, so pure that it contained not a single impurity, like a piece of flawless white jade.

La Freya and her family could only watch helplessly with pure smiles.

"Regardless of the late king's motives, the monastery he built at that time did indeed save us."

They were all orphans, some abandoned by their parents, others because of war.

In short, it is virtually impossible for a child without parents to survive in this cruel society.

The existence of the monastery provided them with a place to live.

At least the existence of monasteries provided them with warm shelter, good food, and the opportunity to learn.

Although the monastery has now been destroyed for unknown reasons.

But both emotionally and rationally, she should thank her father, whom she had never met.

"You... child... really..."

Miao Jie had a sentence on the tip of her tongue several times, but she just couldn't say it.

"It seems I was right about you."

"That way, I can make the promise with peace of mind."

All the entanglements, complexities, and unspoken words were ultimately transformed into comfort in the eyes of the Empress Dowager.

“I know you don’t want to return to the Aldiqia royal family, but I can assure you that Lihavain will always be your support.”

"Lihavain will do everything he can to help you whenever you need him."

The Empress Dowager had already allowed Xia Yin to return to the royal family, which means that they are preparing to include Xia Yin in the family genealogy.

However, Xia Yin has already clearly refused.

Moreover, she not only refused, but after arriving in Aldiqia this time, she addressed people very formally.

Even when he met his own father, he addressed him as the late king.

If someone were truly malicious, they should now be addressed as "father."

"Thank you."

Xia Yin returned the smile with a sweet one.

However, anyone could see that the child hadn't taken the Empress Dowager's words to heart at all; he was simply expressing his gratitude.

If something really happens, this child will definitely not ask them for help.

"I've gone a bit off-topic, sorry."

The Empress Dowager shook her head in the same way.

Although Xia Yin herself refused, she would keep her promise in her heart.

"However, please take your seats and have your meal first, Your Majesty."

"Okay."

"I'm really looking forward to the specialty dishes in Aldiqia."

Makoto Haramura raised his eyebrows, then sat down in his seat, and the others followed suit.

After sitting down, Xia Yin tugged at Haramura Makoto's sleeve with a hesitant expression.

Sitting next to Makoto Haramura, Asagi Aiba immediately understood.

"Your Majesty, I have a request. Now that everyone is seated, could you please remove the restraints from the late King?"

Nangong Nayue is not with Haramura Makoto at the moment.

She became the oldest woman around Makoto Haramura, and the task of relaying messages naturally fell to her.

"Oh……"

The old queen's reaction was as if she had completely forgotten about the old king before she finally looked at her husband, who was tied up.

The immobilized old king, like a frightened young animal, looked away and sought help from his daughter.