"Lingtian, why are you here?"
Dai Hao frowned, then continued speaking to Zhu Lingtian:
"You should have left with them."
Zhu Lingtian smiled, his laughter steeped in irrepressible bitterness as he said to Dai Hao:
"If Your Majesty will not leave, how can I?"
Zhu Lingtian then walked to the edge of the city wall, gazing at the familiar palace complex within the city as he said to Dai Hao:
"You said this was the Dai Clan's root, the imperial family's home. But don't forget, I, Zhu Lingtian, grew up here too. If Star Luo City is gone, what meaning is there in my living?"
"To live and die with Star Luo City."
Zhu Lingtian's voice was soft, yet it carried the weight of a thousand jun.
Dai Hao looked at him and suddenly laughed. His laughter held endless sorrow, yet also a trace of relief:
"Hahaha... What a 'live and die together'! Lingtian, then let us accompany Star Luo City through this final stretch!"
Just then, two figures hurried up the steps along the city wall.
They were the Star Luo Empress and Zhu Lingtian's wife.
They wore no magnificent court robes, having changed into fitted outfits suited for movement. Their faces were bare of cosmetics, yet they possessed a resolve no less than that of any man.
"Why are you here?"
Dai Hao and Zhu Lingtian asked in unison.
The Empress walked to Dai Hao's side and gently took his hand:
"You are Star Luo's emperor, and I am Star Luo's empress. If you remain here to defend it, then I will remain here with you."
Madam Zhu also took her husband's hand, her gaze unwavering:
"Where the men of the Zhu Clan are, the women of the Zhu Clan will be."
The four elders exchanged smiles. There