"You had to go home eventually. You couldn't stay by my side forever; you had your family. You'd already been here for eight years. Your childhood shouldn't have consisted of only me—it should have included your family too. It wasn't too late yet. You could still have that," Ye Lang said softly.
"..." After hearing this, Tiger Girl fell silent. She quietly, tightly embraced Ye Lang, seeming to understand that after this hug, they might be separated for a very, very long time.
At that moment, Ye Lanyu and Long Anqi suddenly felt ashamed. They had only known to make Tiger Girl take care of Ye Lang, yet they had never considered Tiger Girl's circumstances.
Perhaps only the closest of friends could understand such things. Ye Lang had never regarded Tiger Girl as a female slave, but as his childhood companion, his closest and dearest friend. How could he not have sensed her longing for home?
In truth, Tiger Girl had never hidden much from Ye Lang. She had spoken of her family, of who was at home. Sometimes she would sit alone beneath the moon, staring blankly because she missed home.
Because of this, Ye Lang knew that she was not an orphan. Not only that, her parents and elders were all alive, and she had family who loved and cherished her.
The old Ye Lang had been muddleheaded and had never known how to deal with this matter, letting it drag on for eight years. The current Ye Lang knew it had to be addressed, though he still had a little selfishness in him—he wanted Tiger Girl to stay with him for another three months.
Of course, during those three months, he had also done much, teaching Tiger Girl some martial techniques as well as several special skills for preserving her life.
Now everyone seemed to understand why Ye Lang had suddenly insisted on sleeping with Tiger Girl. So he had already been making such plans back then. During this time, he had borne the pain of their coming separation alone, while outwardly remaining as normal as ever.
Thinking of this, Tiger Girl's heart seemed to ache again. Naturally, she no longer blamed Ye Lang for not telling her.
"But, Young Master, if I leave, no one will take care of you. You're always so clumsy," Tiger Girl said, her voice carrying a faint sadness.
"I'm not as clumsy as I used to be. I'll take care of myself, so don't worry," Ye Lang said gently, wanting to put Tiger Girl at ease.
"As if! You're not much better than before. You still get muddled all the time, all silly and slow," Tiger Girl bluntly exposed Ye Lang's comforting words. She knew him even better than he knew himself.
Although Ye Lang had recovered his memories, the things he did were just as Tiger Girl had said. At times he would get muddled, and his reactions would be sluggish. No one knew whether it was an effect left behind from before, or whether he had always been this kind of person.
Fortunately, these were all minor matters, and they only made him seem no less adorable.
Ye Lang did not think much of it, nor did Long Anqi, Ye Lanyu, and the others. Servants could handle the little things, as long as he was not muddleheaded when it came to major matters.
Perhaps Tiger Girl was the only one who truly worried over this.
"It's fine. By then, I'll know how to do it," Ye Lang said seemingly casually.
"..." Tiger Girl said nothing more, merely staring blankly in silence.
At this point, no one in the courtyard made another sound. They quietly waited for time to pass, while Ye Lang and Tiger Girl both seemed to wish time would stop here, at this very moment.
But time could not stop for anyone. What was meant to come would always come. The arrival of Regiment Commander Anna forced Ye Lang and Tiger Girl to part, and he began discussing this mission with Regiment Commander Anna.
His demand was simple: at any cost, they had to ensure that Tiger Girl remained completely unharmed. If they could not manage it, they could call in more people to help.
Beautiful Anna was stunned by Ye Lang's request, finding it a little hard to believe. Was this for real?
It was not that his demand was too high—it was simply far too low. They only had to escort Tiger Girl. There was no need for her entire mercenary group to mobilize, nor was there any need for such a huge payment. One-tenth—no, even one percent—of the commission would have been enough.
To the continent, Tiger Girl was not an important person, at least not at present. Even if she walked the roads alone, aside from lecherous men, no one would set their sights on her. Someone like her naturally did not need such a grand escort to protect her.
No matter what, since Ye Lang had made this request and offered so much money, they would naturally do their very best. They would not allow Tiger Girl to suffer even the slightest injury.
Later, many people asked Ye Lang why he had paid a commission of over a million gold coins. A mere Tiger Girl was not worth such a price; even he himself did not warrant that much.
Ye Lang did not answer that question. He disdained answering it, disdained discussing Tiger Girl's worth. It made him feel as though it were an insult to Tiger Girl.
"Young Master, I'm leaving. You have to take care of yourself. I'll come back," Tiger Girl said, reluctant to part as though they were being torn apart by life and death.
Come back—of course she would come back. She had originally planned to stay home for a while, then have her family arrange for her to attend the Royal Academy. There were quite a few Orc students at the Royal Academy as well.
How could she possibly stop worrying about Ye Lang? For the rest of her life, she would never be able to stop worrying about him!
"I know. I'll take care of myself. If you don't come back, then I'll go visit you," Ye Lang replied. Given how well he knew Tiger Girl, he naturally knew she would return.
"And, Young Master, before I come back, don't sleep with the Seventh Princess. Other girls are even less acceptable," Tiger Girl said softly. It sounded like teasing, yet also like she meant every word.
"Don't worry. I'm not that casual a person!" Ye Lang said very seriously.
"Isn't your next line supposed to be, 'If I ever become casual, then I won't be human'..." Tiger Girl said with a smile, making Ye Lang freeze.
"...Who taught you that?" After staring blankly for a while, Ye Lang asked curiously. By all rights, that saying should not have been popular here.
"You did. You said it two years ago, when you were..." Tiger Girl spoke softly, slowly and in great detail recounting what had happened then.
"..." Ye Lang could only listen quietly. He himself had nearly forgotten the incident, yet she remembered it so clearly, even though it had merely been a tiny, tiny amusing moment from their daily lives.
How many times had this been already? The members of the Anna Mercenary Group could not help thinking to themselves. This was not the first time the two had said goodbye, then drifted onto something else, unable to part.
Those two little ones were already so lovey-dovey. Who knew what they would be like once they grew up!
Yet everyone liked the feelings between them—their pure, utterly pure affection, free of any impurity. It made everyone think back to childhood, to their childhood playmates...
What precious feelings. But how many could truly continue on forever?
They hoped the two of them could keep this bond forever, until eternity. That was the wish of nearly everyone present.
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