Father and Daughter Reunite

"This King is already aware of the matter. If there is nothing else to report, you may withdraw."

A moment later, Medusa's voice sounded again. Hua She'er seemed to hear a trace of resentment in her tone.

"Yes, Your Majesty the Queen. I shall take my leave."

Guessing that her queen was not in the best mood, Hua She'er naturally did not dare remain. After respectfully bowing once more, she turned and left the lavishly decorated bedchamber.

Hua She'er's retreating footsteps gradually faded, and the palace returned to its former tranquility.

Medusa held her sleeping daughter in her arms, her fingertips still gently stroking the child's delicate cheek. Yet the faint smile at the corner of her lips had vanished at some point.

She raised her eyes toward the heavy night beyond the window. The outlines of distant mountains blurred beneath the moonlight, but her thoughts drifted toward the Jia Ma Imperial Capital.

That man had returned to Jia Ma and stirred up such a commotion, hosting banquets and bustling about. Yet he had not even thought to visit her and their child in the Magical Beast Mountain Range first.

A trace of barely perceptible resentment quietly rose in Medusa's heart.

All these years, she had guarded the Snake People, guarded this home, borne Xiao Ling a child, and endured countless sleepless nights while holding her. From a wailing infant in swaddling clothes to a child now babbling her first words, had she not personally tended to every single thing, exhausting both body and mind?

Yet Xiao Ling, upon returning to the Northwest Continent, had made his first stop the bustling imperial capital, casting her and the Snake People aside.

She frowned faintly and lowered her eyes to her daughter's peaceful sleeping face. Her voice was so soft, as though