Not long after Xia and Ya left the hospital, the sky in the imperial capital was shrouded in dark clouds. Under the leaden sky, the entire avenue was submerged in thick water vapor.
The imperial palace was also covered by a gray water curtain, as if standing in a thick fog, and the entire imperial capital was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere.
Moria's room is on the east side of the palace, to the left of the Oval Office where the emperor handles government affairs. You can enter by opening the door.
Compared with Alicia's room, this room is more in line with the royal style. It covers an area of more than 100 square meters. The floor is covered with short-pile luxury carpets, and even the walls are velvet.
The furniture placed inside is all customized by famous masters. Just the wood used is valuable. The ceiling is golden and the curtains are all made of shiny satin fabric.
The portrait was obviously made by a top painter, and all the details were meticulous, just like the photo. The portrait was of a woman.
A woman with long black hair, wearing a long cyan dress with a large skirt, sat on a chair, her legs together and leaning to one side, her hands on her thighs, elegant and dignified.
She looks very similar to Alicia, but compared to Alicia, her appearance is closer to the East and has a gentler feel.
"That's Moria's wife, Anya." Silas said.
In a corner of this bedroom, Char and Silas were sitting on both sides of a three-legged table. There were some palace snacks on the table, which Sebas got from somewhere.
Char recognized one of the pastries, which he had eaten before, called Napoleon cake.
But it actually has nothing to do with Napoleon, it's just some homophonic misinformation.
The French name of this cake is Mille-feuille, which means a thousand layers of pastry, so it is also called mille-feuille.
He only ate it once because it was too expensive and the shortening process was complicated.
Xiaya picked up a Napoleon and looked at it carefully. It was a little different from what he had eaten in the past, but the layers between the puff pastry were still very rich, including not only fresh cream, but also custard sauce.
He tried to put it in his mouth and took a bite. The crispy and loose puff pastry was bitten open. Then, he tasted the tenderness of the fresh cream and custard sauce inside. The aroma of milk bloomed in it, and various layers of flavors filled his mouth. It shows on the taste buds one after another, and the sweetness is also moderate.
After losing his heart, appetite was one of the few desires he still had.
Xia Ya took out the wine that Sebastian gave him before, and took out two glass goblets from somewhere.
He opened the cork of the wine and poured it into the glass. Against the background of the glass, the wine exuded an intoxicating pink color like a rose.
He placed one of the glasses with wine next to Sebastian.
The rich aroma of wine enters the nasal cavity with the breath, and just smelling it makes people intoxicated. The wine brewed by the gods is indeed different from ordinary wine.
Char held the wine glass and stretched it towards Sebastian to toast.
But Sebastian made no move. He looked at the wine glass in front of him, with obvious struggle on his face, and then smiled helplessly at Char.
"Wait until I finish the last order. There used to be a God of Death who liked to drink while working, and then he made a big mess."
Xia Ya raised his eyebrows and nodded, "This is indeed the case."
He took back the wine glass and took a sip himself. The rich aroma of the wine bloomed between his lips and teeth, and every taste bud on the tip of his tongue was jumping for joy. It was not only physical enjoyment, but also spiritual and spiritual clarity.
Even though it has been in my belly for a long time, the lingering fragrance is still lingering between my lips and teeth.
The alcohol content is within the acceptable range for him. The higher the alcohol content, the better. It also depends on the other production techniques. There are also some low-alcohol drinks that many people like.
While Xiaya was savoring the red wine, she looked at the other corner of the bedroom.
Yes, there are many people in this room. Lying on the bed is an old man with gray hair and a thin body. He seems to be on his deathbed, but it seems that there are still some obsessions supporting him.
Obviously, this should be the Emperor of Britannia, Moria, whom Silas spoke of.
Even the owner of this huge empire of more than 10 million square kilometers is no different from ordinary people when facing death.
There were many people around, including doctors in black robes and some noble men and women of different ages in gorgeous clothes.
However, none of them noticed that in the corner of the bedroom, two people unknown to everyone were enjoying cakes and watching everything quietly.
Even the aroma of the wine could not be smelled by them at all, as if there was a wall of air dividing the two into two dimensions.
A beautiful young woman was sitting by the bed, holding the thin palm of the dying old man with one hand, and holding a tissue in the other to wipe the tears that kept coming out of the corner of her eyes.
She looks very young, with no wrinkles on her face, but her eyes and temperament are very mature. She looks about thirty years old. She has permed her hair like Roman curls that many European ladies have, and wears a long beige skirt.
"That is the eldest daughter of Moria, Isabel." Sebastian introduced, "The first heir to the empire, the blond man next to her is her husband, Pharos, a prince from a declining royal family. He took the throne and became a naturalized citizen of Britannia."
Xia Ya nodded, and at this moment, the door on one side suddenly opened, and another younger woman staggered in.
She looks a lot like Isabel, but her hair is longer.
"Father, father!"
When the woman saw Moria like this, she choked and shouted. She sat on the edge of the bed, grabbed Moria's other hand and sobbed softly.
"I'm back, father."
"That should be his second daughter, right?" Xia Ya asked.
Sebastian nodded, "Call Eugenia."
After a pause, he continued, "In the past few years, the emperor's health has not been very good. His two daughters, his younger brother, and the various forces behind him are all taking this opportunity to compete with each other. that power."
Xia Ya nodded, this should be the reason why people like Rick appear...
Moria's cloudy eyes turned her head, but she was not looking at the woman, but at the door she came from. The door was still slightly open, but no one came in anymore...
Isabel seemed to know what Moria was thinking and said, "Don't worry, father, we have mobilized all the secret police in the imperial capital and the surrounding troops.
Tomorrow we will issue an announcement, and the whole emperor... no, we will issue a reward nationwide to mobilize the power of the people.
As long as she is still in Britannia, we will definitely find Alicia. "
Her husband Faros also spoke on the side, "Alicia is the third heir, if it is because of a dispute over the throne, or something else.
She will most likely be used as a bargaining chip to threaten us later, so she should be safe until they get what they want. "
Moria was still speechless. He looked away from the door. He took a few deep breaths and his face became a little rosy.
He stared at the portrait in front of him with deep eyes, as if recalling the past, and then he slowly spoke.
“When Alicia first arrived at the palace, she didn’t like the etiquette classes in the palace.
Therefore, I often think of various ways to skip classes...
Pretending to be sick, or hiding...
But it’s no use…”
His voice was hoarse and weak.
"Later...she came to me crying every day, so I told her the locations of several secret passages in the palace.
When I was a child, I often used the secret passage to escape from the palace to play. For this, I received a lot of scolding.
But she... is much smarter than me. She only goes out for a few hours at a time and comes back.
This made the maids think that Her Royal Highness Alicia had some special talent in hide and seek. "
Moria grinned.
After a pause, he took a deep breath and continued: "But one day he was still discovered."
"She has been missing for a long time...
The people I sent to guard her outside the palace also confirmed that she had entered the secret passage, but she could not be found in either the palace or the secret passage.
At that time, as now, many people looked for it but could not find it.
Where do you think she was finally found? "
Moria smiled, but then he coughed violently. After calming down a bit, he continued.
"In a hard-to-see corner of the secret passage, she fell asleep.
Tens of thousands of people throughout the emperor were looking for her and worried about her, but she was sleeping soundly there.
Later, Alicia and I were scolded severely by your mother. "
Isabel seemed to remember the scene at that time, and a smile appeared on her face subconsciously.
But then, she heard Moria continue.
"But now...she probably can't even find the entrance to the secret passage anywhere...
I lost her again. Your mother should scold me again. "
Isabel raised her head. Moria was looking at the opposite side absentmindedly. She turned her head and saw the portrait of her mother.
Her eyes turned red again, she lowered her head and remained silent.
"That glass of milk was for me to drink." Moria's voice was weak. "I should be the one who is blind."
"It's none of your business, it was obviously done by those rebels who wanted to kill the king!" Eugenia said excitedly.
"No, it's just because of me."
Moria looked at the portrait with blurry eyes, as if she was imagining another possibility.
"If I hadn't returned to the palace, inherited the throne, and been involved in this endless whirlpool.
Maybe she won't go blind, and maybe your mother won't die either.
Maybe Alicia wouldn’t be missing, her life or death uncertain. "
He laughed to himself.
"But in this world...there are so many ifs..."
Suddenly, he coughed violently again. This time the cough was particularly violent, as if he wanted to cough out his lungs. Then, he spit out a mouthful of black and red blood on the cup.
"Father!" Eugenia shouted excitedly.
Moria clutched Eugenia and Isabel's hands tightly, his bloodshot eyes widened, and he breathed heavily, but he was already taking in more air than out.
He looked at his two daughters and tried hard to pronounce a few syllables with his trembling lips, but he could no longer hear them clearly...
"I will definitely find her, father." Isabel cried in response, not sure if she really heard her clearly.
Moria looked at the portrait not far away, and her eyes full of obsession had completely lost their charm. Her mouth was slightly open and closed up and down, and her face had lost its color, like a withered branch, full of death.
Isabel and Eugenia kept calling for their father, crying and shouting.
However, he no longer responded...
