Demon Lord 3

The princess smiled and nodded at me after seeing me. After I paid my respects to her, she asked everyone else to leave. When she found that no one was paying attention to her, she hugged me and burst into tears. I hurriedly tried to coax her not to cry, but she didn't respond. She kept crying. Although her crying was not loud, her tears fell like raindrops. She just covered her mouth tightly, not daring to make any sound, for fear that people outside would hear what she said. She stopped crying after that, and just talked to me about the things on the grassland. She asked me who I was going to marry. I asked her curiously if she didn't know? He shook his head and said he didn't know yet, just said that this person was good, but he thought this person was not so good, and wanted us to help find out. I also went to ask the doctor carefully, but I was shocked. This man had married five wives, but none of them lived for more than two years. The longest one only lived for a year and a half. I don't know what happened and they died in an accident. It could be domestic violence, or it could be the climate over there that the people here can't stand, or it could be special requirements and habits that led these wives to commit suicide. The women who had taken him from the grassland before also didn't survive. A few years later, even after marrying several princesses, it didn't help. They said the man was too powerful, too unlucky, and unlucky with women. But I don't think that's the reason. There must be other reasons. The princess would definitely suffer a lot if she married him. Even if the emperor didn't let her die for the sake of his reputation, she would still be very uncomfortable. If I were to count the relationships, my relationship with that man on the grasslands should be like that of a cousin. I thought carefully, if I went back to the grasslands, discussed this matter properly, and paid more attention to that person, would I be able to get married? But what I didn't expect was that it would be very difficult for me to go back to the grasslands now. The Emperor will think we're on the run, fleeing to the grasslands. He's putting us under house arrest around the palace to sever ties with this place, and he doesn't want us to go back. The Princess is also very sad because some of the people who served him before have been assigned to other places, and those who remain are almost none of his confidants, so there's no one to talk to. This is probably to keep her under tight control. The Emperor can monitor her every move, so if she tries to escape, she'll definitely be caught. The Princess is begging me for help, but I can't think of any other options. Besides taking the Princess with me, what's the outcome? It seems there's no way out. I didn't try to persuade her, nor did I say anything. The princess just stood there quietly watching me. Finally, she felt relieved, saying that at least I hadn't tried to persuade her to go. Looking at a girl my own age, now so haggard, I lowered my head silently. It was indeed my inability to protect her; it was my fault. If I hadn't come here, and let someone else come, at least I wouldn't have to witness this. Otherwise, my heart would have been torn. Seeing I had no other options, the princess decided not to bother me anymore and wanted me to leave. But I insisted I stay here with her for the rest of her life. She also planned to show me around the palace, saying she'd figured it out. After we left, we spoke to the stewards outside. Everyone was delighted and hurried to report to the emperor. The princess took me on a tour of the palace, explaining how she'd been locked inside these high walls since birth. She hoped to reach the grasslands, at least to see how horses ran. Curious, I asked her if she'd ever been to Mulan Paddock. Sometimes, watching movies and TV shows, I'm always curious: does everyone in the palace ride horses? But the princess said those weren't real horses, but rather horses confined in fences. Those horses weren't free, like pets. The horse the princess wanted to see was a horse galloping across the battlefield, a mad, wild horse running wild. I wonder if the princess's heart is that wild horse, wishing she could run free, rather than be confined and occasionally released for hunting. I understand that the princess knew her future marriage was another besieged city, but she longed for the grasslands and freedom beyond. But is that true freedom there? It's just a different world than here.