After the meal, Bai Li followed Bai Ning to the study.
The hall was silent, save for the flickering candlelight that cast shimmering shadows of the pillars against the walls.
“Come, Bai Li, sit on my lap.”
“…”
Full of reluctance, Bai Li could only follow her command and sit down.
His gaze fell upon the desk, watching Bai Ning handle the affairs of the state.
A thick stack of Parchment Scrolls was piled on the desk, but Bai Ning’s eyes were sharp.
She could distinguish right from wrong and make decisions with a single glance.
She acted decisively and efficiently, without a hint of hesitation.
As she flipped through the scrolls one by one, a certain page suddenly caught Bai Li’s eye, making his heart tighten.
[Your Majesty, your humble servant implores you to decide on the subsequent strategy against the humans. Now that the Human Hero has fallen, it is a god-given opportunity. I suggest we join forces with the Dragon Race to settle the blood feud from ten years ago! We are fully prepared and only await your command!]
“Mother…”
Bai Li tugged at Bai Ning’s sleeve and pointed his finger at the scroll, his voice tinged with an urgency he couldn’t hide.
“This one… can you just veto it?”
“I can. Besides, I already planned to stabilize Longjiu first before making any further arrangements.”
“Mother… does that mean in your heart, you still want to invade the Human Empire?”
“If I said I didn’t, I would be lying to you, Bai Li.”
Bai Ning raised her hand to stroke the top of Bai Li’s head.
Her palm was warm, but her tone had grown a bit somber.
“Even if I had no such intention right now, the humans would eventually come looking for trouble. That is simply how the world is right now, Bai Li.”
“Why can’t the two races just live in peace? Why must there be fighting and killing, only to increase the casualties?”
‘…’
Bai Ning fell silent for a moment upon hearing this.
Her eyes were deep, and after a long pause, she finally spoke slowly, every word heavy with helplessness and reality.
“Bai Li, I admire your sentiment. Looking at this world, I fear there are few who harbor such thoughts. But in the matters of this world, there aren’t always so many ‘whys’.”
“Perhaps the world simply functions this way. The Demon and Human Antagonism is innate; since the beginning of time, they were born as natural enemies. Or perhaps, this is an ironclad rule set by The Demon God that no one can violate.”
“If it weren’t so, the Heavenly Way would not have granted that supreme Hero’s Power to humanity to maintain the balance between the two realms. When the Demon Race gives birth to a Demon King and gains the innate advantage in war, the humans receive power comparable to a god. How truly heaven-defying.”
“Furthermore, even without the interference of the Heavenly Way, humans and demons are as incompatible as fire and water. Most of the Demon Race has always fed on humans. How could they be willing to sit as equals and live in peace with their own food?”
“Conversely, how could humans allow monsters who view them as a meal to exist in peace? They will eventually raise an army to crusade against us, and it will be a fight to the death.”
“Even if both sides are sentient, intelligent beings, this war is ultimately unavoidable.”
“Bai Ning… actually… Was I very stupid for adopting the three of you when I was a human?”
Bai Li lowered his eyes.
Those harsh realities felt like a heavy stone pressing down on his heart, making him doubt his past choices the more he thought about them.
With a *clack*, Bai Ning’s pen was set down on the desk.
The Parchment Scroll was pushed aside as she reached out and grasped the back of Bai Li’s neck.
Her grip wasn’t heavy, but it carried a gentle firmness that forced him to look up.
“Stupid?”
The gloom of political affairs in her eyes vanished completely, replaced by a soft, earnest look.
“How are you stupid?”
Bai Li’s eyelashes trembled, and his nose felt a bit stingy.
“Even though I knew you were monsters, and even though I knew humans and demons are natural enemies, I insisted on picking you up and raising you.”
“When I was young, I poured my heart and soul into patiently teaching you how to be human. Now, look at me. I can’t even be a human myself anymore. And later, I might have to watch the daughters I raised with my own hands attack the humans…”
“If that isn’t stupid, then what is? I’m just asking for trouble.”
Bai Ning lowered her head, her voice softening.
“Asking for trouble?”
“But of the three of us, who didn’t survive thanks to you ‘asking for trouble’?”
“Longjiu looks carefree, but back then, she used a newborn body as a cover just to escape the Hero’s pursuit. If it weren’t for your ten years of meticulous care, how could she have returned to her peak so quickly? She even showed mercy and let me off the hook.”
“Ziya was born prone to nightmares and would always cry in the middle of the night. Who was it that held her every night until dawn, humming tunes to coax her to sleep?”
“And then there’s me. I was wounded by the Hero and was at death’s door. Who hid me away, buried me safely, and gave me the chance to be resurrected?”
Bai Li was stunned.
A lump formed in his throat, and he turned his face away, unwilling to let her see his reddening eyes.
“…That’s all in the past.”
“It’s different now. You’ve all grown up, and the state of the world is laid out clearly before us. My original idea of everyone getting along… it was completely unrealistic.”
“So what if it’s unrealistic?”
Bai Ning reached out and gently turned his face back.
“But your feelings were never in vain.”
“The thing I am most grateful for in this life is being picked up and brought home by a silly Pops like you.”
Bai Li sniffled and asked in a muffled voice.
“But… but in the end, the paths of humans and demons are different.”
“So what if they were different before? Now, we are all demons.”
Bai Ning pulled him closer.
“A path is made by walking it. Rules are dead, but people are alive, and monsters are alive too.”
“You are stupid—stupid enough to love us monsters like your own daughters. But we are ‘stupid’ too—stupid enough to treat a human Pops like you as the most precious person in the whole world, even though you aren’t quite satisfied with your current appearance…”
She reached up and gently pinched Bai Li’s cheek, her voice soft and pleading.
“So, don’t doubt yourself anymore, okay?”
“You aren’t stupid at all. You’re just too kind, too soft-hearted, and you wanted to give us a home too much.”
“And because of you, this home is finally a real home.”
Bai Li buried his face in her embrace and, after a long while, managed to squeeze out a sentence.
“You just know how to say nice things to trick me.”
“I’m not tricking you.”
Bai Ning chuckled, her voice full of mirth as her warm breath brushed over the top of Bai Li’s head.
“It’s all the truth.”
“You aren’t allowed to think about such stupid questions anymore, do you hear me?”
“Mm.”
Bai Li responded softly.
His heart stirred, and he looked up to ask.
“But Bai Ning, did you grow up with your memories intact the whole time, just like Longjiu?”
Remembering the baby cradle that had appeared out of nowhere by the river back then, Bai Li suddenly realized the truth.
Bai Ning let out a low laugh, her tone laced with a bit of mischief.
“Haha, yes… my Human Magic Caster~”
“Hmph, shameless Vampire Queen, acting like a child.”
Bai Li pouted and whispered a retort, but the bitterness in his heart had long since been filled by a gentle, soothing warmth.