It was for the best to not let Veirya find out about what I just did. I only wanted to aggravate the Elven Queen so that she'd respond. I never expected her give me that response. The three of them just left, and that just had to happen. If Veirya found out about it, I'd probably be put on a chopping board.
Anna, who was behind me, wore a shocked expression. I gently clear my throat and said, "Umm, Anna, don't tell Veirya and Leah about this. You understand, right? It wasn't my intention to do that. I just… right? I only did it to wake the Queen, right? I wasn't thinking about that. You understand, right?"
"Yes. Yes, I understand." Anna immediately discerned the situation and figured out what she should do and say. She firmly nodded, and then began to take care of the other two elves.
I turned my head. I gently rested the Queen's head on my thigh. She could speak but was still very weak. Laying your hands on a weak woman, who couldn't move, and laying your hands on an unconscious women are two different things. I could pretend the former never happened, but I genuinely felt I was a bully… Seeing the Queen made me feel awkward. I carefully wiped her tears with my hand and softly said, "Don't cry. Your eyes and wound… don't cry. The more you cry, the more it'll hurt, so don't cry."
"… Mm." The Queen carefully sniffled. She began to gently cough.
Feeling hopeless, I stated, "Umm, with regards to your eyes… I'm very sorry, but I can't do anything about them… I can heal your wound, but there really isn't anything we can do about your eyes. Don't be too upset about it, though. Not everything in the world requires you to see it. Further, you'll never have your vision restored. Live with us from now. I'll take care of you appropriately."
The Queen did her best to turn in my direction. In a soft voice, she asked, "You people are…"
I took the cup of water from Anna's hand and held it up to the Queen's mouth. She struggled to lift her hands; she was too weak to grab the cup. I used my hand to support her head so that she could have a drink. I answered, "We are in humanity's lands. I'm with Veirya; Lucia sent you here to me. With regards for what happened back at home for you… I'm very s-."
"I want to go home…" The Queen whimpered before I could finish. She lightly placed her hand on my leg and sobbed: "I want to go home; I can sense it. I can sense our forest. I want to go home. I know I'll be executed when I go back, but I still want to die at home. That's my homeland; my family and friends are all there. I want to go home… Please… please… let me go home."
I caressed her hand. I solemnly explained, "Sorry. I've done a lot of questionable things and lied to lots of people, but I've never sent someone to their death. If I take you to the elves, there's no doubt they'll kill you. You'll be content if you die there. How do you expect my conscience to feel, though? I've never killed before, and you're no longer the Elven Queen, either. The elves no longer acknowledged you a long time ago. Do you still think the forest is your homeland?"
"That… that is my forest… Why…? I never did anything wrong, so why did they do this to me…? Why…? Why…?"
The Elven Queen didn't say much. Every sentence she uttered was akin to vomiting blood. She sobbed. Her tears brought blood along with them. She tightly clenched her teeth and uttered the words that shattered her heart.
I had no way of explaining it to her. No explanation or words of comfort would've been helpful in that situation. She had to walk out of that tornado herself. I gently wiped her tears and replied, "You're right; nevertheless, you should've been prepared for it from the moment you decided to ascend the throne. You might not think you did anything wrong, but those around you may not have felt the same way. It's pointless for you to contemplate the past anymore. You no longer are the Queen of elves. You're fortunate as is to have kept your life. Don't think about going back anymore. You can't see your forest anymore anyway. Just live here."
"I… I… I can't accept it… I… really… can't accept it… The fate of elves… shouldn't be this way…"
"You can no longer do anything about the fate of elves. Their fate is now their business." I reached my hand out and kept my eyes on her: "How about you consider the fate of your two friends here with you? The forest is no longer your concern."
"… Uhm."
The Queen still looked miserable. I understood it was difficult for her to bear with the pain. It was bound to be a painful experience for her. Her vassal, who was also her hero, betrayed her. Her elven hero blinded her, and she could no longer return home or see her green homeland anymore. I had no means of comforting her; all I could do was to help her forget it.
I stood up: "Rest up. As you have recovered, stop living in denial. Why not think of happier things. For instance, we won't betray you. Spend the next few days resting here. Once you've recovered, though, we'll need to discuss your rent. I'll take care of you until you recover, for Veirya respects you. Nevertheless, we have to clear things up afterwards."
"I can…" The bodyguard, who was behind me, grabbed Anna's clothes and struggled to try to stand up. She panted for air and raised her voice to get my attention. I turned my head to look at her. She desperately tried to lift her body up to look at me. She earnestly carried on, "I can… I can be your bodyguard. I can earn money; however, I hope… you can… take care of Her Majesty! Please… take good care of Her Majesty!!"
"I don't need you to be my bodyguard. I have Veirya protecting me; why would I need a bodyguard? Plus, even if I didn't have Veirya, I still have Angelina. I don't need a bodyguard."
"Then… then… no matter what it is… I will be able to do it!! Trust me… I can do anything… All I ask is… that you can take care of Her Majesty!"
"Ciara… don't… don't… there's no need… to ditch your elven dignity… for my sake… we… we have no need… to plead a human…"
"Is earning money a shameful act to you elves?" I shook my head. Then, I looked to Ciara, the bodyguard, and told her, "Be honest with me; what can you do? I have a maid. Anna, here, is my maid. Veirya is my bodyguard. I don't need an assistant for my work, either. Have a good think; what else can you do? Actually, I need to find my Leah a good teacher. I need a teacher, who is well-versed with elven and human knowledge."
"Umm… I could have filled that role… but now… my eyes…" replied the Elven Queen.
"I…" The bodyguard gritted her teeth. I, therefore, assumed that it was beyond her.
I was quite disappointed. On the surface, I was trying to offer them jobs so that they could pay me back. In reality, however, I wasn't really lacking money. After the few recent jobs that I took on, I had enough gold coins to spend for a long time. I wanted to find Leah an excellent tutor at home. After all, Leah had to study at some point. She was my daughter; as such, she needed to possess enough knowledge to become an outstanding individual when she ventured to the imperial capital in the future.
"I can." The weak diplomat mustered up all of her might to raise her hand. She turned her head. She looked at her with her fearful maroon eyes. She gulped before elaborating in a shaky voice, "i… I once worked as a diplomat in humanity's lands… so… I… I am familiar with humanity's language… and elven language… Our clan specialised in elven culture… I am confident… I… I should be able to teach your daughter…"
"All right."
I instantly found the best candidate for the role.
"How did I forget the diplomat?" I reprimanded myself. For her to have been able to work as a diplomat in humanity's lands and work for the Elven Queen, she must be very educated. I clapped my hands and said, "Let's go with that, then. As a tutor, your salary will be enough to cover your Queen, her bodyguard and your living expenses here. Leah is a good girl; I'm sure you'll like her. There's yet to be anyone who doesn't like her. I also hope you can educate her."
While the diplomat was very weak, she looked at me with a very serious look as she made her request: "I can teach her; however, I need you to provide me with sufficient material. Without materials, I cannot teach her. Some of these books were bought from the elven lands. As for humanity's books, buy as many as you can."
I nodded: "That won't be a problem. I'll do my best to procure the books. I'll be entrusting Leah to you, then."
The diplomat nodded: "Mm."
The diplomat then turned to her Queen. The Queen's expression couldn't be seen, as she had her eyes bandaged. Nonetheless, she seemed to be very displeased with the fact that the other two elves agreed to my terms so quickly. With her eyes on the Queen, the diplomat softly said, "Your Majesty, we truly cannot go back anymore… Your Majesty… Your Majesty… we really cannot go back anymore…"
"I must go back… I must… go back… Even if I die there… I still… must go back…"