Chapter 111 Familiar

Suren had lived in the Rose Manor for a while and was very familiar with everything here.

Not only were the gardens and courtyards exactly as he remembered, but almost all the servants in the manor were still those familiar faces from before.

The butler, the groom, the gardener, the maids... Suren remembered each of their names clearly.

When the servants saw Suren arrive, none of them treated him as a guest, but as the master of the manor.

Just like they used to, they stood on both sides of the road and bowed: "Sir, you're back."

"Yes."

Suren didn't feel any estrangement either, and walked all the way.

In addition to Martina and Jessica, the four personal maids were already waiting at the door.

As he walked over, the maids greeted him in unison: "Good day, sir!"

They smiled as brightly as flowers.

The corners of Suren's mouth also raised in a smile.

There was no need to be polite with the maids who used to take care of his food, clothing, and daily life.

As soon as he entered the door, his trench coat was taken off by Martina and hung on the coat rack. The other maids welcomed him all the way, tidying his boots, cleaning off the dust, and taking out clothes for him to change into at home.

Suren originally just wanted to see Yekaterina and didn't intend to stay here. But before he could say anything, the maids had already naturally done everything.

Just like those days in the past, they carefully took care of the master's daily life.

Jessica helped tidy his clothes and asked with a smile, "Sir, would you like to rest for a while? If you feel tired, I can give you a massage. Miss may not be back for a while."

Hearing this, Suren recalled the court secret massage techniques that were indeed worth savoring, but said, "No, I'll go to the study and sit for a while."

He had spent most of his time with Yekaterina in the Rose Manor in the study on the second floor. That familiar environment was perfect for waiting.

"Yes, sir."

Jessica responded with a smile, then led Suren to the second floor.

The decoration in the room was exactly the same as it had been a few years ago, and Suren was not at all unfamiliar with it.

Jessica helped open the door to the study, and he didn't treat himself like an outsider and walked in.

The maids brought hot drinks and pastries, and then left consciously.

They all knew that the master had a habit of reading quietly.

Suren walked to the sofa by the window, and memories flashed before his eyes. He and Yekaterina used to sit quietly by the window, busy with their own things, spending peaceful but memorable days.

The moonlight outside the window was pleasant, and the wind rustled the leaves, with the shadows dancing wildly on the walls.

The corner of the study always brought peace of mind.

Suren sat on the sofa he used to sit on, picked up the warm coffee, and took a sip. His eyes casually swept across the bookshelves on the wall.

There were few alchemy books on the bookshelf by the window, mostly poetry and literature.

These were also Yekaterina's favorites to read in her spare time.

She had a habit of leaving a bookmark in any book she read.

Looking at the many extra bookmarks, Suren knew that the one who became the Empress of the Empire still maintained her love for reading.

As his gaze swept past, Suren suddenly focused.

With his current vision, the alchemy plane had no secrets. At a glance, he saw a very special book on the bookshelf.

The purple gilded cover of the book was surrounded by complete world rules. This was a very powerful cursed object, very similar to the [Death - Land of the Yellow Springs] characteristic he had obtained back then.

There was a name on the cover of the book: "The Sunflower Windmill Castle".

Suren's expression suddenly changed as he looked at it, from sharp to gentle, as if he had thought of something.

"The Sunflower Windmill..." If he remembered correctly, it was the steam castle that Fick and Yekaterina went to for their honeymoon after their wedding.

Unfortunately, in order to ambush Rasputin, the "Undying Monk", that trip was doomed from the start.

Now, looking at this notebook, Suren had an idea.

He walked over and took out the notebook. As he flipped through it, the surrounding scenery changed, and he had already entered the world in the book.

...

The first page of the book read: It was a sunny spring day with blooming mountain flowers. In the valley where the breeze was blowing, a steam travel castle was chugging and emitting white smoke. On the light green lawn, a girl with flax braids and freckles on her face was painting an oil painting about spring...

The words turned into pictures, and the pictures suddenly came to life before his eyes.

His eyes were filled with colorful wildflowers blooming all over the mountains and fields.

As soon as Suren entered, a gentle breeze blew across his face, bringing the fragrance of mountain flowers.

Not far away was the punk-style and romantic Sunflower Windmill Castle.

Time was quiet and leisurely.

On the hillside not far away, there was a girl wearing a hat. She was wearing a plain white long dress decorated with tiny yellow daisies. She would occasionally look into the distance, and then look down and concentrate on painting something on her easel.

"Whoosh~"

Suddenly, a gust of breeze blew, and ripples spread across the grass.

The long dress swayed gently in the wind, and the girl quickly pressed down on her skirt, but the wide-brimmed hat with a beige lace bow on her head was also blown off by the wind.

In a panic, the girl wanted to catch the hat, but as soon as her fingertips touched it, the hat happily escaped with the wind, only catching a wisp of breeze.

In the blink of an eye, the hat was carried by the wind and landed in Suren's hands, who had stopped to watch.

Turning her head, it was a girl with flaxen braids, and her shallow dimples when she smiled seemed to leave all the purity and beauty of the world on that innocent face.

The two looked at each other, and the girl seemed to recognize the person, grinning with a bright smile, and excitedly greeted: "Long time no see, Mr. Suren~"

Reunited, she spoke as she had in the past.

Suren still remembered clearly that the first time they met was in the Star Hotel in the northern Snowwind City of Luoying.

At that time, he went to find his lost ring and met the buyer face to face in the hotel.

The first time they met, the girl with braids and freckles on her face seriously introduced herself: "My name is Katyusha, and I am an apprentice Astrologer..."

Like old friends reuniting after a long time, Katyusha's eyes were filled with joy from the bottom of her heart.

As she spoke, she pressed down on her skirt and ran down the hillside happily.

The girl rushed into his arms, and a fragrance of youth entered his nostrils. She looked up at him, her eyes like the starry river of summer. Suren suddenly felt a familiar warmth surge into his heart, and a smile also rose on the corner of his mouth, "Katyusha, long time no see."

It was as if they had never been apart.

...

"Mr. Suren, can I write you into my story?]"

"I wouldn't mind if I were the protagonist."

"You're so greedy. But what if I want to be the protagonist in my story?"

"Ah... then let's write a romantic love story in the story."

"No way! Astrology tells me that I will be the most shining star in the future. Love is just an unnecessary thing that will only hinder my speed of drawing my sword!]"

[How can you write a good story that makes people cry without experiencing heart-wrenching love?]

"Hmm... that seems to make sense too. I'll tell you later after I've figured out how to write our story."

[...]

It turned out that she had really written their story into poetry.

The world of this poetry was not as complete as the [Land of the Yellow Springs] on the level of law, but it used poetry as a carrier to record a complete love story.

There was an ugly duckling-like girl who was ordinary-looking, innocent, loved poetry, loved time, clouds, and night...

...loved all beautiful things.

She traveled the entire continent as a bard, originally thinking she would be a proud poet.

But on the way, she met a man named Suren, and it turned into the most romantic encounter of her life.

……

"Mr. Suren, long time no see. It seems like it's been a long, long time..."

"Yeah." "...."

Suren and the girl with braids sat on the pedals of the Sunflower Windmill, enjoying the cool spring breeze and looking at the beautiful scenery of blooming mountain flowers before them.

Katyusha swung her fair legs leisurely, and the two were as close as they had been in the Emerald Holy Land, without any estrangement at all.

She was not Yekaterina, and did not have the domineering aura of the Empress who ruled the United Empire.

She was just a kind, pure girl who loved poetry and life.

"Do you remember why I bit you back then?"

"Ah... I was drunk and had a memory lapse at the time. I only remembered it after a long, long time."

"You nasty fellow, you clearly took advantage of me at that time, but you still disliked me for being small?"

"Hahaha... it's been a long time, and you haven't grown up either."

"Hmm? Try again, there's obviously been a change, okay?]"

......

Suren's current realm allowed him to see through any falsehood at a glance.

Even a world in a book of the level of [Land of the Yellow Springs].

But precisely, in this "Sunflower Windmill Castle", he was immersed, fascinated, and wanted to stay in this world for a long time.

He even had a thought in his mind, wanting to travel the world with that girl and complete that romantic journey.

As they chatted, their thoughts seemed to be in a very mysterious state.

Hazy, dreamy, illusory...

Suren had actually been thinking about a question: Do people in low-dimensional worlds really exist?

For example, the characters in the world of the book.

The higher the level, the more blurred this doubt became instead of being resolved.

He couldn't deny it. Nor could he prove it.

This question would probably only be truly answered when he truly reached the God rank.

......

No matter how thick a book is, it will eventually be finished one day.

Suren couldn't bear to turn to the end, but it was getting thinner page by page.

Images flashed through his mind like slides, and he realized that every page had the figure of that girl, playful, lively, and cute.

When he turned to the last page, the girl stood in the field of blooming mountain flowers, smiling to herself, waving her arms at him: "Goodbye, Mr. Suren, take care of yourself."

Just like when they parted in the Emerald Holy Land.

She once said: Sorry for my unannounced departure, because this is the best ending to the story I can think of.

Suren couldn't help but sigh slightly.

The best ending to the story was left in the poem.

At this moment, he fully understood what Fujiwara Hayato had left behind that was most precious in his book.

The great writer used his pen to write down the story of his youth, waiting for that gray-haired girl to find it again, so she could see their original appearance.

He used ink to smooth out the changes of time.

From the moment they opened the first page of the book, they recognized each other again, just as they had been in the past.

Hello, my beautiful classmate, my name is Gustav, and I'm very happy to meet you. My dream is to become a great writer and a great adventurer! Now, we are classmates.

"Hello, my name is Natasha-]"

That beautiful moment was also forever left in the book.

When it was reopened, that story would start again.

Another fiery and romantic love.

With this thought, Suren also opened the notebook from the beginning.

It was still the valley with blooming mountain flowers, a steam castle called Sunflower Windmill, and a girl in a floral white dress leisurely and attentively painting an oil painting on the hillside.

The wind blew up her hat, and she reached out to take it off, looking back to see the man standing by the roadside, smiling gently: "Long time no see, Mr. Suren~"

Suren also looked at her, his eyes filled with a smile, "Long time no see, Katyusha."

He saw the girl in his memory, again and again.

Over and over again.

The world in this book was truly so beautiful that it made people want to sink into it.

......

In the quiet study, Suren stood in front of the bookcase, carefully flipping through the collection of poems.

He was in a very mysterious state.

Flipping through "The Sunflower Windmill", he felt as if his world had made up for something very important.

Something he seemed to have overlooked, he had grasped in his hand.

Suren suddenly felt as if he was complete.

He could take life and death lightly.

But if he really had to leave the alchemy plane, it seemed that the only things he really couldn't let go of were the most important people he had met in his life.

No one disturbed him, and the moonlight poured in from the window, shining on his face.

And the slightly raised curve of his mouth.

He smiled from the bottom of his heart.

But just then, suddenly a faint sound came from outside the door.

The maids would never disturb him unless summoned.

Suren also turned his head slightly.

At this moment, he saw a pair of white jade-like arms pushing open the slightly ajar study door, and then a small head poked in from the crack in the door.

It was a little girl with beautiful purple hair, as beautiful as a porcelain doll.

About four or five years old.

She looked at Suren in the study, her gem-like, wavy eyes still a little unfamiliar. But she blinked curiously, looking at the stranger in front of her.

Suren immediately saw the little girl who had a seven-point resemblance to Yekaterina, and then couldn't take his eyes off her.

Seeing the crystal pendant hanging on her chest, he immediately understood.

This was the space pendant he had once given to Yekaterina.

He had wondered before why it was in the manor,

So...it was on her.

Looking at her, Suren suddenly felt a surge of warmth in his heart, and his eyes became gentle.

The purple-haired little girl didn't seem to be shy. She stared at Suren with her big, watery eyes, and finally asked timidly, "Are you Daddy?"

She asked in an uncertain tone, and then added, "Mommy said that only Daddy would come to the study."

Hearing this, Suren suddenly felt his eyes moist.

Having lived two lives, this was the first time he had heard this title.

A very strange feeling. But it struck him to the heart. "Yeah."

Suren put on a gentle smile, thought about it, and opened his arms.

Hearing the response, the little girl's blue eyes shone like sparkling stars, and instantly lit up.

At a young age, she was already charmingly beautiful.

Her white porcelain face also instantly bloomed with a happy smile. She hesitated for a moment and then trotted over, crashing into Suren's arms.

Suren lifted the girl up, looking at the way she reflected his appearance in her eyes, and suddenly felt that there were really more and more things in this world that made him nostalgic.

The little girl was very happy, as if she had received the most precious treasure. She seemed to have held back a lot of words, and said very quickly, "Daddy, why haven't you come home for so, so long... Mommy said that you are a great adventurer, a great hero, who has to go to many places to eliminate monsters and maintain world peace..."

"Yeah."

Suren listened, feeling a mix of emotions in his heart, not knowing how to respond.

He wanted to call out the little girl's name, but found that he didn't know it.

Fortunately, the little girl said it herself.

Hearing Suren's response, she was even more excited, pouting her arms and waving them, "Vivian will also become a great adventurer like Daddy and defeat monsters in the future!"

Originally, all children liked to hear stories of heroes and adventures.

But for a father, it seemed too hollow and too distant.

With thousands of thoughts in his mind, Suren looked at the purple and shiny hair scattered around, and suddenly thought of something. He drew with his fingers in front of him, and a scarlet nine-pointed star alchemy array appeared.

Seeing this scene, the little girl's face was full of excitement, "Wow - it's a nine-pointed star, Teacher Machi said that this is the most powerful alchemy!"

"Heh."

Suren smiled slightly as he listened, not knowing who the "Teacher Machi" was.

He had long discovered that there was a dark ninth-order professional hiding in the shadows in the corner, secretly protecting her. If he guessed correctly, it should be Machi Kerton, the deputy commander of the intelligence department with the code name "Black Joker".

The little girl didn't know that just mentioning her name, Machi, the commander of the most powerful shadow guards in the empire, shivered and swallowed.

Between masters, just one thought is enough to know the gap, and the gap is really big.

The ninth-order expert knew very well that the one in the room was the real terror.

Without malice, Suren ignored the shadow, while holding the little girl, he threw a large pile of advanced materials into the alchemy array with one hand, and then pinched a warlock seal, and a hairpin slowly took shape.

This was a small thing with blessings, protection, and luck attributes, just like the [Serreia's Blessing] that his teacher had given him back then.

Suren refined it, and then used his hand as a pen to inscribe a line on the hairpin: "To my dearest treasure - Vivian".

He held the glittering hairpin and asked, "Vivian, I'm giving you a small gift, do you like it?"

The little girl in his arms had long been full of anticipation, nodding repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes! I like it very much!"

Even though she couldn't wait, the court etiquette she had been taught since childhood prevented her from reaching out to take it. Instead, she tilted her head, looking elegant as if waiting for someone to help her put it on.

Seeing this, Suren's eyes were full of tenderness.

He reached out and personally put the hairpin on Vivian's head.

The little girl was extremely happy.

It was also a coincidence that footsteps sounded outside the door at this moment.

Suren didn't need to look to know who was coming.

The maid pushed open the door, and a stunningly beautiful face came into view. With a waterfall of purple hair and a gorgeous golden silk imperial robe, who else could it be but Yekaterina?

...

Suren and the returning Yekaterina looked at each other.

Suddenly, two figures overlapped in Suren's eyes.

She wasn't Katyusha.

But Katyusha was her.

Before there was time to say anything.

Vivian in Suren's arms excitedly shouted, "Mommy, Mommy~ look, Daddy's back!"

Yekaterina smiled slightly.

Suren also smiled.

Just that one look, it was as if nothing had been said, but also as if a lot had been said.

Yekaterina's eyelashes fluttered gently, her eyes smiling, and after a moment of contemplation, she softly said, "Long time no see."

Listening, Suren also sighed for a moment, and said, "Yes, long time no see."

Time had passed in the blink of an eye, scattered somewhere.

It had been many years since their last parting.

The next time they met, who knew how many years it would be.

Or perhaps, they would never meet again.