"What are your plans for Tomyris?"
"It depends on the situation."
"You really don't trust her?"
"Trust her. If you don't trust her, I can just let her become a powerless vase. It's not impossible." Hilde sighed and rubbed his temples. "Tomyris and I have been through so many difficulties together. If I still don't trust her, then I'm afraid I might have gone too far. It's just... the details of many things may not be so easy to resolve."
"What about Artemis?"
"..."
Hilde did not answer.
But Xerxes already knew the answer.
Hilde's failure to answer means both distrust and trust.
This may be contradictory, but it is indeed the actual situation. On the one hand, Artemis and Hilde are now on the same side. Artemis also provided great help when Hilde was fighting Apollo. At least, Hilde still trusted Artemis in terms of interests. But on the other hand, Hilde is now facing Artemis' father, Zeus, and the gods under his command. Will Artemis be so firm in her attitude when facing her family?
This is a problem.
Therefore, Hilde's attitude is very unclear.
Xerxes did not ask any further questions.
"What are your plans for me?"
"If something unexpected really happens, I might need you to help me bear a lot of pressure."
"can."
Xerxes agreed without hesitation.
"I will do my best to help you."
"Um...thank you."
Hilde breathed a sigh of relief.
She leaned back in her chair, turned her head, and looked at Xerxes, who frowned slightly and seemed to be thinking about something. At this moment, Hilde couldn't help but think of the future... Although she had always avoided thinking about the messy things in the future, she couldn't help but think about it at this moment. Her emotions would naturally be affected. Hilde thought for a moment, and then asked, "Xiaoxuexue, I realize that I am a little dependent on you now, but in the end I still have to get rid of my dependence on you."
"Yes."
"what should I do?"
"Do you still need to rely on me for this question?"
Xerxes smiled and blinked.
She also lay on Hilde's chest like a lazy cat.
"I depend on you, too."
"Come on, we depend on each other, it's over."
"Not really... Maybe people are interdependent, but besides being interdependent, no one can live without the other. Isn't it the same for you and me?" Xerxes gently stroked Hilde's long silver hair and said with a smile, "If I leave you one day, I think you will be very good, Sissi. In the end, the person you rely on is me. Because even if I leave, I still have to rely on Sissi to help me manage my country."
"do not talk."
Hilde exhaled.
"It's time for you to rest."
"...I'm sorry." Xerxes straightened up and looked at Hilde's profile. "I said the wrong thing."
Although Hilde's face showed no expression, Xerxes knew that this was exactly how Hilde looked when she was sad. Now, Hilde seemed very sad about what Xerxes had just said. This was the relationship between the two. Xerxes knew that his fate was to fight with Ahura Mazda and eventually die, and his body would definitely be taken away by the patron saint of Persia. And Hilde's fate was to be controlled by Ahura Mazda before Ahura Mazda purified the world.
To be killed.
This is a person destined for tragedy.
Hilde and Xerxes both knew the outcome.
But despite the result, the two are still working hard to achieve the most perfect result.
Like this time, attacking Athens, confronting the gods of Mount Olympus, and confronting Zeus head-on, such a magnificent epic is just a foreshadowing of the final ending of the two. Thinking of this, both Hilde and Xerxes will feel a sense of sadness about the unfairness of fate. But the two people who are caught up in fate have no possibility of rejecting it. There is no possibility for them to reverse such a fate.
After being devoured by Ahura Mazda.
Xerxes was already dead.
Compared to a Xerxes.
The tens of millions of people in Persia are more important.
Hilde rubbed her eyes, as if trying to stop herself from crying.
"You are right... It's not you who is wrong, it's Ahura Mazda, it will be fine without it."
"That's right, this way we can be together forever."
"Okay, I'll go check on Dione."
The Tenth Tune, Section 1: Two People Who Can't Be Separated
Hilde didn't want to bring up these sad topics at this time.
At least, she didn't think it was necessary.
After standing up, Hilde also walked out of his own tent.
After leaving the tent, the sound of the lyre outside became clearer. Standing at the door of the tent and looking in the direction of the sound, I could see Alcibiades, Tomyris, and Sophia sitting in front of the fire, singing and drinking, looking very happy. The melodious sound of the lyre did not affect the rest of the soldiers in the barracks. Perhaps, listening to the sound of the lyre, they would have a better sleep.
"Sissi."
Xerxes also came out.
She also saw Alcibiades playing the lyre.
"so good."
"Well, this is naturally the best."
Hilde turned around with a smile and walked towards a small tent nearby.
After entering, Dione has already fallen asleep. As a good child who goes to bed early and gets up early, Dione was not affected, but slept on the mat, as if having a very sweet dream. Hilde walked over, gently covered Dione with the animal skin blanket, and then kissed her on the cheek, and then gently left here.
She and Xerxes walked side by side in the military camp, heading in the opposite direction of Alcibiades and his men.
Hilde didn't want to disturb their happiness.
“I want everyone to be able to live in this simple happiness.”
"That might be a bit difficult."
Xerxes smiled bitterly and said:
"But I think you can achieve this goal."
"I am very sure of that."
Hilde also patted his chest confidently.
For some reason, Hilde looked at the bright starry sky above her head, and the anxiety and hesitation in her heart seemed to disappear out of thin air. Hilde liked this feeling very much, to the point where it was hard to describe. Perhaps, because she had already arrived in Athens, she had reached a point where there was no turning back, so Hilde was able to look directly into her heart, adjust her attitude, and face the various problems that might happen next.
Especially Athens... the place where she had lived for fifteen years. The city that held Hilde's many complicated emotions was now surrounded by the army she led. A few years ago, Hilde probably never dreamed that one day she would be able to lead tens of thousands of troops to the south and conquer the most famous city in the Greek world.
"Xiao Xuexue."
Hilde suddenly asked:
“I love this world.”
"Because of me?"
"Including you and everyone else, you have helped me find a sense of belonging in this world." Hilde smiled and looked at Xerxes. "After coming here, I finally knew what it felt like to love someone, what it felt like to be loved, and what it felt like to work hard day and night for my ideals. Although my original world was free from hunger and cold, and had a wealth of entertainment to the point of numbness, I don't miss it at all. It's really strange."
"Although I don't know what you were like in the past..."
Xerxes hugged his chest, with the corners of his mouth raised, revealing a very happy smile.
"But as long as I am happy now, that's all that matters."
"Do you think I will be happy without you?"
"meeting."
Xerxes couldn't help but pause and took a breath, and then the uneasy expression on his face was controlled.
"I believe you will."
"Really?"
"Sissi, you deserve to be loved by many people. Even if I leave, there will be many people who love you. And I may have regrets, but if my mind is invaded by Ahura Mazda, when my soul is about to disappear from this world, I will also feel that I have no regrets in this life because I was once loved by you and I deeply love you."
Xerxes placed his hands on his chest.
"Everyone will die eventually. Nothing in the world is eternal, not even gods."
"I just left a step early."
"really."
Hilde turned her head away helplessly.
She closed her eyes gently and took a deep breath.
"But are you really so free and easy?"
"Being carefree is just a helpless act. Compared to crying and saying that you don't want to leave, I can make you feel better now." Xerxes seemed to have noticed Hilde's low mood and smiled helplessly. She walked behind Hilde, stretched out her hand, hugged Hilde from the back, and then said gently, "But I can't bear to leave you more than anyone else, but no one can stop me. If I'm lucky and Ahura Mazda doesn't erode me, I may be with you for the rest of my life. If you think this way, don't you think it's okay?"
"Are you still being eroded now?"
Hilde turned her head and asked nervously.
And Xerxes shook his head.
"No, it's like it disappeared since I came to you."
"You mean, Ahura Mazda won't show up when I'm around?"
"Yes."
"Hmm?" Hilde seemed to see hope. "So, what's the situation?"
"To be precise, if I wasn't in Persia, Ahura Mazda's power wouldn't have affected me as much, so in the end, things wouldn't have gotten any worse."
"According to what you said, if you don't go back to Persia, then nothing will happen?"
Hilde held Xerxes' hand tightly.
Xerxes responded with a wry smile:
"But I am the Emperor of Persia. I have to go back."
"But the Byzantine Empire is a vassal state of the Persian Empire. You can still govern Persia if you stay in Byzantium!"
"right."
Xerxes thought about it for a moment.
"Governing Persia from Byzantium is a very good choice."
"Yes!"
"But don't you think that you have lost your position a little bit, Sissi?" Xerxes gently kissed Hilde on the forehead. "You are the king of the Byzantine Empire. What you should do is to let your people live an independent life. For my life, at the cost of the independence of the country, isn't this a little too hasty?"
"But……"
Hilde finally felt hopeful.
But Xerxes said so.
Hilde couldn't accept it.
"If your return to Persia leads to this outcome, then I will not let you leave Byzantium even if I put you under house arrest."
"House arrest!? Wow, how are you going to put me under house arrest and lock me up???"
"Why are you suddenly so excited..."
The second section of the tenth tune, please go a little slower
"Hehe, I really like the way you are so domineering."
