Chapter Twenty-Eight: Epilogue

Under the shade of the old oak tree.

“Your Highness Mingyu, I have an impertinent request. Might you hear me out?”

After clinking his wooden cup against Xia Mingyu’s “Rainbow Goblet” a few times, Kalen eagerly began to speak.

“Please, do.”

Seeing the warm smile on Kalen’s face, like the gentle sun of spring, and sensing his goodwill, Xia Mingyu added a polite “please” in his words.

He had initially considered maintaining a cold and distant demeanor, but as the saying goes, you don’t strike a smiling face that reaches out to you.

This Viscount Hughes was clearly a robust man; he was being so friendly, smiling and offering gifts. If Xia Mingyu still kept his aloofness, he might risk angering him and getting beaten to death.

“Your Highness, it is my utmost honor to have you visit my domain. Therefore, I earnestly ask that you allow me to fulfill the duties of a host.”

Kalen glanced at the village — its simple huts made of thatch and wood, the dirt paths — and continued:

“The village in my domain remains peaceful for now, but it is too dilapidated and unworthy of your noble status!”

“Our ancestral Hughes family castle is spacious enough to serve as your resting place. I humbly invite you to grace it with your presence.”

“I swear on my honor as a knight, you shall be the most distinguished guest this castle has ever hosted. I will command the servants to attend to you with respect ten times greater than they show me.”

Rising from his chair, Kalen placed his right hand on his left shoulder and bowed slightly toward Xia Mingyu. His voice was low and gentle, filled with sincerity and openness.

Tap, tap.

Xia Mingyu’s fingers unconsciously drummed on the armrest of the chair.

Looking at the bowing Viscount Hughes before him, he fell into deep thought.

Should he go, or not?

Going carried obvious risks. Medieval castles were not only residences but also small military fortresses.

If his identity were exposed there, he would truly be trapped with no escape, doomed to await death.

But... Xia Mingyu’s gaze grew resolute.

To survive in this utterly unfamiliar world, strength was not the most important thing at this moment — knowledge was.

He needed to understand the world’s past, present, and its elusive future.

Just as everyone on Blue Star knew the two mightiest nations were the Eagle and the Dragon; one must not utter certain slurs nor negotiate with others thought unreliable.

He needed to grasp the deeply ingrained common knowledge of the people — or rather, the nobility — of this world.

For that, he was willing to risk his life if necessary.

By going to the castle, he could quickly acquire this knowledge. Staying in the small village of Fruit Basket, boasting in front of villagers who had never left their homes in their entire lives, meant he would remain ignorant and sooner or later face a catastrophic fate.

So, what choice could there be?

“Viscount Hughes...” Xia Mingyu said slowly.

---

At the sound of his name, Kalen lifted his head.

“I look forward to your hospitality,” Xia Mingyu said calmly.

In an instant, the strong knight who had survived countless deadly battles in the brutal “Dragon-Lion War” revealed unprecedented joy on his sharply chiseled face.

“The honor is all mine.”

...

At dusk, having packed his belongings, Xia Mingyu bid farewell to the villagers of Fruit Basket under the old oak tree, accompanied by Anlia and Berg.

“Your Highness, I will forever cherish all that you have done for Fruit Basket Village. May the light of the Sun and the God of Justice always shine upon you.”

Robert’s eyes glistened with tears; his weathered face was full of gratitude. He bowed deeply.

The other villagers knelt on one knee in unison.

Looking at the middle-aged man before him, whose hair had turned white from worry despite his relatively young age, Xia Mingyu sighed softly.

When he first met this man in his sheepskin cloak, he had dismissed him as a cunning fellow due to his sycophantic manner and better clothing compared to the other villagers.

Now he realized how foolish that thought had been.

This was a noble man, a venerable elder worthy of respect.

“I only did what was my duty, and so did you,” Xia Mingyu said softly, gently supporting Robert’s arms to help him up, whispering into his ear.

“May the gods bless you.” Xia Mingyu had adopted the local custom.

The elder was moved to tears.

...

Next came Robert’s private counsel to Berg and Anlia.

“Berg, you’re a good lad. Thanks to you saving the Highness from the wolf pack, Fruit Basket Village was saved. Thank you!”

Robert sincerely thanked Berg as he patted his shoulder.

“Village chief, you don’t need to thank me. The one you should thank most is yourself,” the boy shook his head calmly.

“If you hadn’t insisted on taking me in despite opposition back then, I’d have starved or frozen to death. Then the Highness would have been nothing but a corpse in the wolf’s jaws...”

Robert silently clenched his fist. Berg’s tone changed instantly.

“Our lord is protected by the gods. Even without me, he would surely overcome all misfortune.”

Robert finally relaxed his fist, looking at the boy’s youthful face bruised all over, sighed deeply, and advised:

“Berg, remember: no matter when or where, no matter who asks — even your own son, even me — the answer is not that you saved the Highness, but that the Highness saved you from the wolf pack.”

“You must remember, the Highness is a good man. Perhaps he will treat you as a friend, but he can never be your friend — only your lord. You must engrave this truth into your soul.”

“You must obey every command from the Highness, even those that are absolutely wrong. You may err, but you must never refuse to act.”

...

After giving countless instructions, Robert looked at the determined young man before him and suddenly smiled.

“Safe travels. May you always walk the path of pursuing your dreams. May the gods watch over you, my... child.”

The boy silently embraced Robert and then turned away.

He disliked farewells because they bore the risk of loss, but he was certain he would see his family again.

...

Then it was Anlia’s turn.

“My daughter, remember, although the Highness likes you very much now, a man’s love is like a beautiful dream — fleeting and forgotten upon waking. The Highness is a good man, but he is still a man.”

Robert earnestly cautioned the girl before him.

“A prince as noble and handsome as the Highness is a potent poison for all women. Many girls will fall in love with him, some as beautiful as you, even more so. You must never grow arrogant, thinking you alone deserve his favor, nor entertain the foolish notion that he should love only you.”

“For the Highness, you must obey, obey, and obey.”

“The Highness may not love you, but you must never fail to love him.”

“If possible, conceive the Highness’s child as soon as you can. A mother’s status comes from her child...”

Mid-advice, Robert suddenly froze as if struck by a thought.

Smack!

He slapped himself hard and then knelt before Anlia.

“If... if only you were not my daughter.”

Robert’s voice was filled with sorrow; his expression looked as if he had committed an unforgivable sin.

Indeed, as a father who could not grant his daughter the right to happiness from birth, was that not itself a crime?

“Father...”

The girl gently wiped the tears from the man’s eyes, then, just like when she was a child, planted a soft kiss on his wrinkled, weathered face.

“To be the daughter of a serf may not be honorable, but to be your daughter is the greatest honor of my life.”

She smiled, her face radiant as never before, with a single tear glistening.

(The village storyline concludes perfectly!)