"Stone head! Stone face! Stone, stone! You're nothing but stone all over!"
At this moment, Gui Zhong stood by a riverbank, furiously picking up stones and hurling them into the water. Each splash seemed to carry away a piece of the frustration bottled up in her heart.
"Ahhhhhhh—stone, stone, stone, stone, stone!!!"
The more Gui Zhong thought about it, the angrier she became. Finally, she plopped down on the ground, flailing her arms like windmills as she tossed stone after stone into the river.
Crying and fuming at the same time, she looked almost adorably pitiful.
Before long, Cloud Retainer appeared.
"Still mad at the Emperor?" she asked.
Gui Zhong glanced back, then quickly turned away, continuing to fling stones.
"He called me stupid..."
"Well, you are rather foolish."
"But this dumb brain of mine can't think of any other way to make him happy..."
Her movements slowed to a stop. Her voice trembled with grievance, her eyes shimmering with tears. She looked lost and helpless.
"An Emperor who spends every day protecting his people—it's only natural he wouldn't understand these things."
"Don't be sad. Maybe one day, he'll suddenly figure it out," Cloud Retainer said softly, a trace of pity in her tone.
"Hmph! Waiting for him to figure it out is as impossible as waiting for a stone to bloom. I'm not expecting anything!"
Though Gui Zhong's words sounded disdainful, they lacked any conviction.
"Do you even believe yourself when you say that?" Cloud Retainer exposed her bluntly.
"Anyway, I won't do this again. I don't care if he's happy or not. If he's unhappy, then let him be unhappy! Stone-faced jerk!"
Cloud Retainer only smiled faintly and said nothing more.
After all, Gui Zhong had said the same thing last time. And yet, here she was again, foolishly doing the very same thing.
Sharp tongue, soft heart.
Cloud Retainer chatted with Gui Zhong for a while longer before Morax slowly walked over.
The moment she saw him, Gui Zhong quickly wiped her tears, took a few deep breaths, and forced down every trace of her earlier emotions. She refused to let Morax see her like that.
"Your Majesty, the next Territory Expansion is about to begin. I'll return to Tianheng Mountain to make preparations," Cloud Retainer said, giving Morax a subtle glance as she spoke.
"Mm." Morax nodded.
"Ah!"
"My apologies, I have matters to attend to. We'll talk another time."
Seeing Cloud Retainer about to leave, Gui Zhong quickly opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Cloud Retainer cut her off.
With a flap of her wings, she flew away, leaving only Morax and Gui Zhong behind.
Gui Zhong cast him an awkward glance, then turned her head away with a little huff.
"What are you doing here?"
Though her tone sounded impatient and unfriendly, inside she felt a flicker of joy. At least this time he had come to her of his own accord. That was already a huge improvement.
In the past, Morax had often angered Gui Zhong half to death, yet he always acted like nothing had happened—never seeking her out, never mentioning it.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that earlier," Morax admitted bluntly.
Gui Zhong froze, eyes widening as she stared at him in shock.
She had assumed Morax was only here to talk about the Archon War again, so she hadn't expected anything more. But to her surprise—he was actually apologizing, as if he had finally come to his senses!
"You... what did you just say...?" Gui Zhong asked, still unable to believe her ears.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you stupid. I apologize." Morax lowered his head slightly.
Gui Zhong stood rooted to the spot as if struck by lightning, her pupils trembling violently.
Her stunned gaze soon blurred with tears, her eyes glistening as she looked in disbelief at the bowed figure before her. With just those words, Morax made her feel that everything she had done until now had been worth it.
It was the sudden changes that struck the hardest.
Morax, who had always been blunt to the point of cruelty, suddenly apologizing like this—Gui Zhong hadn't been the least bit prepared.
After a long silence, Morax, seeing no response, slowly lifted his head. What he saw was Gui Zhong, her eyes red and brimming with tears, staring right at him.
"You..." Morax froze at the sight.
"I'm... fine..." Gui Zhong snapped out of it, quickly turning away as she hurried to wipe her tears.
After a while, her cheeks flushed as she shyly turned back, her voice barely a whisper.
"It's fine... I forgive you."
"If I've ever said anything offensive or hurtful to you before, I apologize as well. I didn't mean it..."
"It's fine, really... I forgive you." Seeing Morax like this, Gui Zhong's heart softened at once, and she quickly reassured him.
"Truly?" Morax asked, doubtful.
"Truly, truly. I forgive you."
"Good..." Morax let out a small sigh of relief, a faint smile touching his lips.
Seeing Morax smile for the first time, Gui Zhong was left completely dazed.