Chapter 566 Your Friend

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On the road leading to the Royal Castle's city gate, Fang Li and Emilia were walking slowly.

During the journey, neither of them spoke.

Fang Li was waiting for Emilia to speak. Emilia, on the other hand, was desperately thinking about what to say to Fang Li.

As a result, this silence ensued.

Fang Li was the type of person who didn't care about anything. As long as he felt comfortable, he wouldn't mind maintaining this silence all day long.

However, Emilia had a lot of things she wanted to say to Fang Li. But precisely because there were so many things she wanted to say, Emilia didn't know where to start.

Therefore, a silent atmosphere lingered between them, making their footsteps sound clear and audible.

Feeling that this silence wasn't sustainable, Emilia awkwardly spoke up.

"Um… I didn't… didn't expect you to become a Royal Guard," Emilia finally blurted out.

That was indeed Emilia's genuine thought.

Although she didn't know much about Fang Li's background, Emilia at least knew that Fang Li wasn't some famous nobleman. And most members of the Royal Guard were influential figures from noble families.

For example, Reinhard hailed from the Sword Saint Family, one of the most distinguished families.

This wasn't because the Kingdom favored nobility, but rather because many noble descendants, like those from the Sword Saint Family, were naturally blessed with some form of Divine Protection or innate skill passed down through generations.

As a result, most members of the Royal Guard were naturally from noble families, if not all of them.

For Fang Li to join the Royal Guard as a commoner with an unknown background, it was because Margrave Roswaal himself recognized Fang Li as Emilia's Knight, one of the candidates for the throne. 

Moreover, Fang Li had summoned a dragon before all the high-ranking officials of the Kingdom, achieving this miracle. This was what led to Captain Marcho's recognition and Fang Li becoming a Royal Guard.

Otherwise, how could someone easily obtain a title like "All Attributes Increased by 30" and a sword like the Knight's Sword?

Everything had its cause and effect.

"Before this, I hadn't thought about it either," Fang Li honestly told Emilia his feelings, saying, "You also thought it wouldn't suit me, right?"

"No, that's not it," Emilia shook her head, speaking earnestly, "I think it suits you very well."

Because, in the audience hall, it was you who protected me.

Against the treacherous hearts of others.

Thoughts until here, Emilia seemed to have finally sorted out her feelings.

Their footsteps quietly came to a halt.

Sensing Emilia stopping, Fang Li also stopped and turned around, facing Emilia amidst the rushing of his cloak.

At the same time, Emilia's gaze also turned towards Fang Li.

Fang Li immediately met her gaze.

At this moment, their dark-colored and purple eyes locked tightly onto each other.

A thousand words, all silently conveyed.

Then, Emilia spoke up.

"Thank you," Emilia said with a tinge of guilt, "And...I'm sorry."

The former was directed towards Fang Li's act of standing up for her.

For Emilia, who had endured rejection and disdain, the thing she most hoped for was fairness.

Fair looks.

Fair evaluations.

Fair speech.

Fair treatment.

These were all things Emilia had longed for but couldn't obtain in the past.

However, today, Fang Li has helped Emilia achieve these longed-for things.

So, Emilia thanked Fang Li.

As for the apology, it was directed towards Fang Li becoming her Knight.

"That was Roswaal's decision, wasn't it?" Emilia clenched one hand in front of her, her gaze shifting to Fang Li with a sense of apology.

"I had no idea about this matter at all. If I had known, I absolutely would have stopped it," Emilia admitted.

After all, Emilia didn't want to see Fang Li involved in her affairs. Especially the Royal Selection, which was an extremely demanding path for a silver-haired Half-Elf.

Just look at the performance of those high-ranking officials before, and you'll understand.

If Fang Li hadn't stepped forward, who knew how many hurtful words those people would have said, or how many obstacles they would have placed in Emilia's path, ultimately diminishing her chances of ascending the throne?

"As a result, not only did I involve you, but I also made you stand up for me," Emilia said with a somewhat crestfallen expression. "It's all my fault. I'm really sorry."

With those words, silence once again filled the space.

Fang Li listened quietly to Emilia's words, sighing only after she finished speaking.

"You really are someone who easily gets taken advantage of," Fang Li said, giving her this evaluation.

"Eh?" Emilia was taken aback.

"Isn't that so?" Fang Li smirked and continued, "You'd rather endure so much hardship and hurtful words yourself than seek help from others. Despite the current outcome being satisfactory, isn't apologizing for something that isn't your fault a disadvantage?"

"But… but, I did involve you," Emilia quickly replied. "You wouldn't want to get involved in the Royal Selection, would you?"

So, it wasn't a win-win situation at all.

However, before Emilia could finish her sentence, Fang Li cut her off.

"I think you've got it wrong," Fang Li said. "From start to finish, I never said I didn't want to get involved in the Royal Selection. It's just that you've always been reluctant to involve me. So, I've just been going along with your wishes, not wanting to go against what you wanted."

With that statement, Emilia fell silent on the spot.

That's right.

Fang Li had never said he didn't want to get involved in the Royal Selection.

Every time Emilia tried to avoid involving Fang Li in matters related to the Royal Selection, Fang Li seemed to anticipate Emilia's thoughts and simply withdrew.

Then, Fang Li's reasoning was like this.

"After all, you wouldn't want that, right?"

In other words, Fang Li didn't want to act against Emilia's wishes without her consent.

Since Emilia didn't want him involved in the Royal Selection, there was no reason for him to intervene.

That had always been Fang Li's mindset.

"And if you had asked for my help from the beginning, I might have intervened sooner," Fang Li smiled at Emilia, speaking up. "After all, even if I'm not a Knight, I'm still your friend."

Upon hearing these words, Emilia's hand in front of her involuntarily tightened, and tears began to well up in her purple eyes.

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