Chapter 1510: Chapter 942: Theresa’s Dream (Part 7)_2
Everything seems unchanged, yet everything seems to have changed.
The tram slowly passed in front of her eyes, and the girl retracted her gaze, looking ahead once more.
At this moment, her eyes became somewhat complex.
Directly in front of her was the former Imperial Palace of the Maniya Empire.
And that, too, was where she had lived for nearly fourteen years, her true home in every sense.
The palace, which had been engulfed in flames ten years ago, appeared to be renovated, looking no different from what the girl remembered.
However, the fluttering imperial flag was nowhere to be seen.
Strangely, fully armed guards could still be seen in front of the palace gates. Their armor seemed more splendid than what Theresa remembered, yet she couldn’t sense any extraordinary power from them.
They seemed to be ordinary people.
At the palace gates, all sorts of people gathered, most dressed humbly, undoubtedly commoners.
They moved in and out, lining up, curiously and excitedly observing everything.
A guide holding a small flag and a magic loudspeaker led the group, passionately introducing something, though the distance made it hard to hear. It seemed to be a history of the palace.
At that moment, Theresa realized that her former home must have become a tourist attraction...
"Do you want to go in and have a look?"
Noticing the girl’s gaze, Feng asked with a smile.
Theresa hesitated for a moment, then gently nodded.
Summoning her courage, the girl walked towards the palace.
But as she approached the crowd, her emotions became increasingly apprehensive.
However, what she feared didn’t happen.
Everyone was busy with their own activities; no one paid attention to her, nor did anyone care about her. At most, they would see Feng beside her, stand upright, and respectfully bow.
Nevertheless, even in front of Feng, the people here were not as surprised as those in Oles City. Clearly, they must often see the Elf Chosen Ones in their daily lives, and were probably used to it by now.
Come to think of it, Maniya City after all is the largest city in the Human World, naturally gathering more Elf Chosen Ones.
Theresa, distracted by her thoughts, nervously arrived at the palace gates.
She took a deep breath, ready to step in, but was stopped by the guard.
Theresa’s heart tightened, instinctively wanting to flee, but the words that followed left her momentarily stunned:
"Please wait a moment, beautiful lady, you haven’t paid for a ticket yet."
"A ticket?"
Theresa was baffled.
The guard smiled, looked Theresa up and down, and then respectfully explained:
"Beautiful Mage lady, to visit the Imperial Palace Museum, you must buy a ticket, twenty silver coins per person, half price for children. There, over there."
The guard pointed to the ticket office.
Theresa:...
So... do I now have to pay to return to my former home?!
Her eyes widened.
However, just as the girl with the expressive face was feeling a bit disoriented, two tickets were handed over:
"For the two of us."
It was Feng.
Seeing Feng’s demeanor, the guard’s face instantly lit up with a respectful and ingratiating smile:
"It’s the Elf Priest, my lord! Elf Priest, you don’t have to pay for a ticket, all priests can visit the palace for free!"
"It’s alright, we’ve already bought them anyway."
Feng said with a smile.
The guard received the tickets and quickly stepped aside, warmly asking:
"My lord Priest, do you need a guide? I can find you the best guide! Former court nobles, extremely familiar with the palace, sure to provide you and your friend with an excellent tour experience!"
Court nobles!
Theresa’s heart trembled, feeling a bit nervous.
She feared being recognized.
"No, we don’t need that."
Feng shook his head with a smile:
"We already have the best guide."
Seeing Feng decline, Theresa breathed a sigh of relief.
"Alright then, if you don’t need it, enjoy your visit!"
The guard said with a smile.
...
After a ten-year absence, Theresa re-entered the Imperial Palace.
The tall palaces and walls seemed unchanged from ten years ago, but the strict guards were gone, replaced by tourists coming and going, and gardeners trimming the gardens.
Looking at this familiar yet unfamiliar scene, images of the bloody battle from that day ten years ago occasionally flashed before her eyes. The girl caressed the gray-white giant stone of the palace, her gaze complex.
She sighed, continuing forward, unknowingly arriving at the palace that once belonged to her.
Not far away, a guide in tattered clothes, which could still be identified as fine material, resembling a fallen aristocrat, was passionately introducing something to curious tourists using a magic amplifier.
Theresa looked over and felt that the person seemed familiar.
The middle-aged man had a weathered face, white hair at the temples, and sun-darkened skin.
His face was full of smiles, speaking enthusiastically, often making the tourists burst into laughter.
Theresa couldn’t resist, curiously drawn closer, finally recognizing the person’s identity.
The guide was actually a former Court Count, seemingly named... Felix.
At the same time, she finally heard clearly what he was saying.
He was discussing former court secrets!
In fact, he even involved Maria II, as well as Theresa’s father and mother.
This guide seemed quite familiar with the old court, effortlessly naming various nobles and recounting events vividly and accurately.
For example, the affair between Maria II and Bishop Wenstar, Theresa’s mother’s clandestine romance with a guard... and all sorts of juicy and scandalous secrets.
Tourists around listened with great interest, constantly cheering.
But Theresa was trembling with anger.
The reason being, he was completely fabricating!
Those so-called secrets were entirely fictitious, outright lies!
Listening to the flattering guide spewing non-existent stories about her parents, Theresa felt disgusted, and deeply angry.
Eventually, anger overcame her nerves, she stepped forward and, trembling, chastised:
"Stop! These are all lies! All lies!"
Once Theresa interrupted, everyone instantly turned their eyes on her, some tourists expressed displeasure:
"How do you know it’s false?"
"Exactly, nobles have plenty of scandals..."
Theresa was shocked, her heart even more furious, and she glared fiercely at the bewildered middle-aged guide, angrily rebuking:
"Felix, you hypocritical bastard! Do not smear my... former imperial family!"
The middle-aged guide froze for a moment, he stared at Theresa, examined for a while, suddenly trembled, and became excited:
"Your Majesty? Are you... are you Theresa Your Majesty?!"
"Your Majesty?"
The tourists around were taken aback.
Their gaze shifted between Theresa and the middle-aged noble, astonished.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! You’re actually alive! You’re actually alive!"
Felix moved through the crowd, knelt in front of Theresa with tears and snot streaming.
Seeing him like this, the tourists instantly stirred, various glances focused on Theresa.
"Theresa Your Majesty?"
"Is he crazy?"
"No, no... I heard he was once a minor noble in the court..."
"Hiss... Could she truly be the little Empress? Theresa II?"
"But wasn’t the little Empress already dead?"
"Who knows... Isn’t there a rumor that the little Empress faked her death to escape?"
"Hiss... Looking at her, she indeed resembles the portrait in the palace!"
"..."
Under the scrutinizing gazes and overhearing the tourists’ discussions, Theresa tightened, suddenly becoming tense.
She’s been recognized...
She’s been recognized!
In an instant, various images flashed in the girl’s mind, as if she returned to that fearful night.
She seemed to see angry citizens besieging the palace, she seemed to hear angry citizens shouting her name...
She seemed to see those angry faces blend with the tourists before her.
She seemed to see... the recognized tourists push her back to the execution ground.
An unspeakable fear surged within, Theresa couldn’t control her body, and couldn’t help but turn and flee.
