Chapter Ninety-Nine: Betis—The Memory of the Kingdom of Kestan

“Your Highness Treshi, what exactly is happening outside right now? Could you spare a moment to talk with me? Being cut off from the world for so long, I’m completely out of the loop!” Lieutenant General Lauren spoke with a teasing tone.

“Do you take me for a pager? Or a newspaper?” Prince Treshi didn’t take the sarcasm to heart and even retorted slightly. “It’s fine—just consider me part of the United Nations team!” Walking through the basement alongside Lieutenant General Lauren, Treshi intended to take a good look around.

“The Kingdom of Kestan has been almost entirely wiped out, save for some foreign ambassadors stationed elsewhere and a few citizens who have left. Survivors, aside from you, number roughly around two hundred thousand…”

“Two hundred thousand…” At its peak, Kestan had nearly a hundred million people; now, less than one percent remain. Hearing this, Lieutenant General Lauren couldn’t help but feel sorrowful.

“Don’t be disheartened. At least there are survivors. Unlike the United Arab Emirates, even if there are survivors, Israel wouldn’t give them a chance,” Treshi’s words carried an unspoken threat.

“That’s just how it is. A country with so few people truly doesn’t deserve so much land. Being annexed was inevitable,” Lauren seemed to foresee the future without hope.

“I will do everything I can to keep the Kingdom of Kestan alive. After all, Kestan was where Cole launched his campaign. My brother cares deeply about it…” Before he could finish, a figure appeared before Treshi’s eyes.

“She looks somewhat familiar,” observed a blonde girl crouched beneath a table in a room. She looked no older than twenty and appeared outwardly normal, like a frightened girl hiding away.

“Oh? Her? She’s a secretary at the city government—though I’ve forgotten her exact position. She’s been like this for days,” Lieutenant General Lauren provided a little information. Through his earpiece, Roger seemed to recognize her.

“It’s her? I didn’t expect that little girl we once temporarily took in has grown into such a beauty,” Roger, aboard the plane and connected with Treshi, clearly saw the girl inside.

“But it seems she carries a trace of the virus. I really don’t understand how she’s survived until now.” Roger silently watched the blonde girl, memories stirring within him.

“Virus?” Hearing just that word made Treshi uneasy. “May I go in to see her?” he suddenly asked Lauren.

“That… should be fine. If she’s someone the prince knows, greeting her might help improve her condition.” Lauren hesitated slightly; after all, he was risking offending the heir of a nation because of Treshi. Even though the Kingdom of Kestan barely existed now…

“Thank you, Lieutenant General Lauren!” As he spoke, Treshi’s hand was already on the security panel of the room’s door.

“Your Highness, you’ll still need a key…” Before the words were finished, the door swung open. Treshi walked straight inside, leaving Lauren dumbfounded.

“As expected of the United Kingdom; even ordinary security systems can’t stop them,” Lauren sighed as Treshi approached the girl crouched beneath the table.

“Hello, beautiful lady. Do you need help?” With the practiced opening of a nobleman, Treshi knelt on one knee and extended his right hand toward the girl, waiting for her to take it.

The familiar voice made the girl glance up. Upon seeing his striking golden hair, memories long buried resurfaced.

“Cole?” The name evoked a faint recollection from Cole’s days of study abroad.

“What is it? Did something come back to mind?” Treshi’s smile was gentle, prompting the girl to instinctively grasp his hand.

“Cole…” Betty’s eyes welled with tears as she looked at Treshi, or rather Cole himself.

“What is it? Are you so moved, Betty?” Though Cole had forgotten her name, he remembered the moments they shared. Though reading lips was tedious, it was manageable.

“Cole…” Moving out from beneath the table, Betty’s hand touched Cole’s face, as if confirming his identity.

“There, do you believe me now?” Cole caught Betty’s left hand and gently kissed it.

“Sorry I couldn’t protect you better and let you suffer,” Cole tenderly stroked Betty’s head. He knew she was an orphan—after escaping the orphanage, she had met him during his study abroad. Though brief, what he gave her was a sense of home, a feeling of security.

“Cole!” Betty threw her arms around his neck, sobbing uncontrollably. “Cole, I’ve missed you so much! Cole!” She wept bitterly, and Cole could only comfort her by gently patting her back.

“All right, my sister, from now on, come with me, okay?”

“Mm! Brother Cole!” The old term of endearment was spoken once again by both of them.

“But…” Upon closer inspection, a faint red flicker shimmered in Betty’s pupils.

“You’re ill, aren’t you?” Cole couldn’t help but ask.

“Yes, but it’s not too serious…”

“No, you just don’t realize how serious it really is,” Cole produced a syringe filled with a glowing blue liquid. “Do you trust me, Betty?” he asked, unwilling to force her.

“My life has been given by you, Brother. How could I not trust you?” Though Betty’s hair wasn’t the purest gold like those from Mystra, they truly resembled siblings. Yet Cole knew he never had a real sister; this identity was fabricated.

“Hold still, it might sting a bit,” Cole comforted her. Once Betty responded, the silver syringe pierced her left arm.

“Cole, it doesn’t hurt!” Betty acted coy, but her consciousness gradually faded, and she finally collapsed into his arms.

“Sleep peacefully. Once this battle is over, I’ll take you back to Wales.” He kissed her forehead softly, lifted her, laid her on the bed, and covered her with a blanket.

“You’d better not know what comes next,” he whispered, kissed her again, then opened the door and stepped out.

——

Side note:

Chapter ninety-nine—soon to be one hundred. There’s not much in-game content to grind at the moment, so although there might be work to do, it’s still manageable. (What about the writing I promised yesterday?) (Well… had to make a bunch of revisions due to some discrepancies with the initial draft.)