Chapter 197. Elizabeth
"Darling, there's more scars on you now..." Elizabeth commented as she traced her fingers painted with dark red nail polish across Charles' chest.
Charles grabbed Elizabeth's hand in his. "It doesn't matter how many wounds there are if they can be healed over time. It's the ones that won't heal that are troublesome."
"And your left arm..." A look of heartache surfaced on Elizabeth's visage as her gaze landed on Charles' new prosthetic limb. He seemed to have endured countless hardships in the past three years that they didn't meet.
"It's alright," Charles assured Elizabeth as he flexed his new arm to display its might. "And these prosthetics are more functional than the limbs we are born with. You should inquire if they have something similar for your eye."
Elizabeth gently shook her head and lifted the eye patch over her left eye. Beneath her long black lashes, an eye with black sclera and a crimson-hue pupil stared directly at Charles.
"What is this? Is it a relic that can replace normal vision?" Charles asked with apparent astonishment.
Although technology in the subterranean realm might not match up to that of the surface world, they possessed strange things that could achieve what modern society deemed impossible.
"It's from the Eastern Seas. It's rare but very effective." As Elizabeth explained, the circle of red in her eye quivered slightly before the eye slowly crawled out of its dwelling.
It was a creature that resembled a spider with more than eight legs. It made several rounds on Elizabeth's face before settling back into her eye socket.
"Is it a little too terrifying? Are you repulsed by me?"
"Never," Charles whispered as he leaned down and gently landed a kiss on her lips. With their lips locked in a passionate kiss, their bodies pressed into each other. After a while, they finally pulled apart, and Charles lifted his gaze to meet hers. Chart your course back to the origins of this substance at n0v^lbin
"Thank you for sending the Initialization Box over. It has been very useful for my explorations."
The corners of Elizabeth's lips curved up into a soft smile. Wrapping her arms around Charles' neck, she rested her head on his chest. "Why the formality? You own half the share of my island."
As he gently stroked Elizabeth's silvery-white hair, Charles was unable to hold back his curiosity and asked, "How did you manage to control 1002? I never imagined that you would be able to even harness its powers."
Pride painted Elizabeth's visage. "It's all thanks to Finn. His seal array could perfectly control and contain 1002's radiation. It was the right call to offer him thirty percent of the land to make him stay. He also created the Initialization Box."
Leonardo skimmed through his ledger and replied, "Sir, the envoy from Isle of Whereto is the only one remaining. However, for some unknown reason, she left hastily last night."
Actually, Leonardo could have delegated his current task to his subordinates. However, he had always believed in seizing any opportunity to gain more face time with the governor.
Having concluded the meeting of the envoys, Charles let out a sigh of relief.
"That's all then. You may leave."
One more or one less made no difference to Charles. After all, they were just here to offer cursory pleasantries.
"Sir, there are some pressing matters concerning the island that I have to—"
Before Leonardo could complete his sentence, Charles interjected, "Handle it as you see fit. That's what I hired you for." With a wave of his hand, Charles signaled for Leonardo to exit the room.
Witnessing the scene, Elizabeth's nicely arched brows furrowed slightly. "You can't be so hands-off like this. It's better for you to be directly involved in crucial decisions regarding the island."
"Don't worry. I have my own way of managing the island," Charles said with a smirk and gently tapped his desk.
Instantly, several mice scurried out from underneath the desk and darted out of the room.
Soon after, a swarm of mice, with a prominent red one leading the way, flooded into Charles' office.
Their gray beady eyes gleamed, their soft, furry bodies moved with agility, and their noses twitched as they explored. It didn't take long for the mice to quickly fill every available inch of space in the expansive, classroom-sized office.
The sight of the rodents blanketing the floor sent shivers down Elizabeth's spine. Although she had the means to dispatch them effortlessly, some fears were deeply ingrained and beyond reason.
The moment the scurrying creatures had entered the room, Elizabeth had quickly pulled her feet up and rested them atop Charles' thighs.
Charles let out a chuckle and gave a reassuring pat on her slender legs. "It's okay. They are my crew."
"All of them?!" Elizabeth exclaimed in disbelief, her pitch rising a notch higher than usual.
The mice stacked themselves to elevate the red mouse onto the desk. She tilted her head up at Elizabeth.
"Hi, Miss Elizabeth. It's been a while," Lily greeted in a tiny, squeaky voice.