Chapter 400: Mutual
Time trickled away; as sunlight streamed through the gaps in the canopy, Hope Island welcomed a brand new day. The islanders started on their busy day, oblivious to the events of the previous night.
In the Governor's Mansion, Charles stood under a sun umbrella erected on his room's balcony. Clad in white pajamas, he stood beside Elizabeth as they surveyed the island beneath them.
Elizabeth let out a yawn lazily before she took a sip of coffee from her white porcelain cup. "Charles, has the night passed already? How quickly time flies."
"Is there any particular reason behind your visit?" Charles turned his gaze on Elizabeth. The towering giantess had a playful smile on her lips.
"I missed you," Elizabeth cooed softly as she gently rested her head on Charles' shoulder.
A gentle chuckle escaped Charles' lips as he raised his right hand to run his fingers gently through Elizabeth's slightly curled, bright white hair.
"Elizarles Shores is quite a distance away. Did you travel all the way here just because of that?"
In response to Charles' question, Elizabeth took another sip of coffee before she wrapped her arms around Charles' neck and pressed her rosy lips onto his, feeding him the warm coffee.
"Can't I do that? I doubt Anna would put in as much effort as I do. She probably finds it a hassle and doesn't want to come here, does she?" Elizabeth said.
Charles savored the sweetness of the coffee on his tongue before swallowing it. "You've been up all night, aren't you exhausted? Do you want to sleep a little more?"
"I'm not tired. On the contrary, I feel pretty alive," Elizabeth said, her eyes sparkling with unmistakable affection.
Just as Charles found himself at a loss for words, Elizabeth's expression suddenly softened. She reached out a hand and gently caressed Charles' new eyes, which had become markedly different from his previous eyes.
"I heard that you became blind. Are these your new eyes?"
Recalling the events that he had gone through, Charles' gaze deepened with a mixture of complicated emotions. "They are all matters of the past. They aren't that significant now compared to everything that has happened recently."
"Why? Did something happen?" Elizabeth asked in surprise.
"Nothing to be concerned about. It's merely some matters concerning the crew," Charles responded as he turned his gaze onto the lively street underneath the balcony.
Sensing Charles' reluctance to delve further into the topic, Elizabeth understandingly changed the conversation topic. "How's your progress in locating the exit to the surface world?"
"We found it. The Pope from the Divine Light Order is gathering his followers to breach that door," Charles shared in a calm tone.
"But why don't you seem that happy? I thought you would have been more excited over the news," Elizabeth remarked in surprise as she gracefully brushed a silver lock behind her ear.
Charles took out his phone and leaned his elbows against the balcony railing. As he rapidly swiped through the photo gallery, he scanned the photos within. The once-blurred memories in his mind started to come into sharper focus.
"To be honest, I've gained many things that I care about in this seascape, so much so that I feel that I should cherish these things more than my desire for home."
"Then why are you still looking for the surface exit? Can't we just live out the rest of our lives together down here?" Elizabeth asked as she rested her head on Charles' shoulder once again.
"But I can't resign myself to giving in just like this. The sea has taken away too much from me. I've sacrificed so much and spent almost twelve years in pursuit of this goal. I just want to go up and take a look, even if it's just one glance. Moreover"Charles trailed off and paused for a brief moment before continuing"I want to try and see if I can reclaim what the seascape has taken away from me."
"The things that surround us daily often go unnoticed until we lose them. It's only then that we realize their true importance and value."
Elizabeth's eyes widened in surprise. Though they had known each other for a long time now, she had never expected such words to come from Charles' mouth.
"What is it? If you lost something, you can just buy a new one," Elizabeth suggested.
"Let's not dwell on this anymore. Since you're energized, why not get ready? I want to bring you somewhere to see new things that you've never seen before. It's also relevant to the future collaboration between our islands," Charles said as he stepped into the bedroom.
Just as he shed his pajamas, he felt Elizabeth pressing against him from the back.
"Am I one of those people you care about in this seascape?" Elizabeth asked.
"Without a doubt. It's not just you, but all of your wives as well," Charles responded to lighten the previously somber mood.
"I just can't help it. Those women are so adorable. You have Anna, too; surely you can empathize with my feelings, can't you?"
Charles chose not to respond. He wrapped his arms around Elizabeth and sealed her lips with a gentle kiss. Their planned outing was then postponed.
In the following days, Charles lived out a comfortable time. Yet, for some reason, he couldn't shake off the feeling that Elizabeth's affection was somewhat excessive.
If not for the fact that he was certain that Elizabeth wouldn't feast on humans like Anna, he would have thought that she was going to devour him whole.
"Don't you ever miss your lovely wives?" Charles asked as they strolled down the bustling streets of Hope Island with their arms intertwined. He couldn't understand women's obsession with shopping, especially considering the limited clothing options for someone of Elizabeth's stature.
Standing at two meters tall, and coupled with her bed of white hair and the purple rose eye mask over an eye, Elizabeth was a striking presence wherever she went; of course, she drew the islanders' curious gazes, too.
"It's fine. I can see them anytime when I'm back on my island, but it's not the same with you. Look over there," Elizabeth remarked, pointing ahead with her index finger tipped with dark red nail polish. Charles' gaze followed her finger and landed on a sunlit hill where light filtered through the canopy overhead.
The hill was adorned with lush greenery and a single short tree. While such scenery was common on Hope Island, they appeared exotic and mesmerizing to Elizabeth.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Elizabeth commented as she admired the view. "Sceneries like this are unique to your island. They would never appear on other islands."
As they watched the tree's leaves flutter in the breeze, Charles muttered under his breath, "Scenes like this are even more plentiful on the surface worldin far greater abundance than the amount of water in the subterranean sea."
Just then, a young boy looking around seven or eight years old entered their field of vision. He clutched a small bucket in one hand and wielded a large umbrella in the other as he made his way toward the sunlit area.
Charles acted swiftly and rushed forward to intercept him. "Are you seeking death? You sure have the guts to venture into the sunlight."
However, the boy with two missing front teeth remained unfazed. He raised the umbrella in his hand slightly and responded, "I've got this."
"What do you have in that bucket? And why are you heading over there?" Charles asked.
"It's manure! The banana trees grow faster after absorbing nutrients from the manure! That tree over there is mine!"
Cosyjuhye's Thoughts
We have finally hit Chapter 400! Thank you for sticking with me all this while and the love and support you've shown to the novel! It's starting to get really exciting!
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