Chapter 270: Chapter 270: Irrelevant.

Buck spoke with a detached tone, as if discussing matters that had nothing to do with him.

While he spoke, Her Majesty the Queen wanted to object but found herself powerless to refute him. Everything Buck said was the truth.

Back then, she truly hadn’t treated Prince Li Ke with any genuine care.

Or perhaps, there was a time she had been sincere—back when she was pursuing him. But it was all too brief; so brief that the moment she had him, she ceased to cherish him.

She had thought that by giving Prince Li Ke the position of main husband, she had bestowed upon him the highest honor. For him to want anything more was simply greed.

After all, ordinary females in the Empire could take multiple partners, let alone her.

She was the most venerated Her Majesty the Queen of the Empire. She had to have whatever she wanted. Because everything came so easily, she never learned to cherish any of it. Only after he was gone did she realize that the one thing she wanted most was already lost.

There was no chance to take it back.

Perhaps, in the beginning, her treatment of Prince Li Ke had been an act of feigned devotion. But now, her repentance was genuine.

’Why can’t he just give me one more chance?’

“If that’s the case, then why did you reappear? If you had remained hidden, there would have been nothing I could do, right?”

Watching Her Majesty the Queen choke out the words, Buck smiled. “For Ares, of course. He and Xiao Xiao are getting married, and I also want to make a clean break with the past. This estate is my property. I plan to renovate it and give it to them as a wedding gift. Her Majesty the Queen can decide when to move back to the Royal Palace. That is where you belong.”

“Ares… he’s… he’s our son?” Her Majesty the Queen’s eyes instantly filled with hope.

“Yes. He’s the male cub you despised back then. You felt his birth tainted your noble status as Queen, and that it was a great shame you couldn’t produce a female heir. But he was always my son. You didn’t want him, so I raised him.”

This was yet another of her mistakes. When she gave birth to Ares, she had been disgusted upon confirming he wasn’t a female. ’As the Queen,’ she had thought, ’I must be blessed by the gods. I would never give birth to a male.’

But reality slapped her in the face.

And so, she loathed the newborn child. From the day he was born, she never once saw him.

Until one day, Li Ke told her the child was gone.

What had she felt at that moment? It was relief, as if a great weight had been lifted. The child she considered a stain had finally vanished, and she was once again the perfect, noble female.

She had even consoled Li Ke, telling him they were still young and would have more children in the future. How ridiculous.

’Was that the moment Li Ke became utterly disappointed in her?’

Now, with the whole truth laid bare before her, Her Majesty the Queen felt like a joke. “I understand. I understand it all now. Your revenge has finally succeeded. You’re back to see the results, aren’t you? Well? Are you satisfied with everything you’ve seen? I regret it. I will spend the rest of my life in repentance. Is this the outcome you wanted to see?”

Buck sighed. His gaze, as he looked at Her Majesty the Queen, held no mockery, only helplessness and sorrow. “Not at all. This is the last thing I expected. What was the point? You should be as uninhibited as you were before, as powerful as you were before, not torturing yourself because I left. Regret is the most worthless thing in this world. You shouldn’t be like this.”

“The most worthless thing? You won’t even give me a chance to make amends? I know I was wrong. Why?”

Even now, Her Majesty the Queen refused to believe it.

“Do you really think my forgiveness is necessary? I’ve never resented you. You simply made a choice, one I couldn’t accept. What fault is that of yours?” Buck had never resented her, because every female in the Empire was the same. Her Majesty the Queen was just one of them. He was the one who couldn’t accept sharing a partner. If anyone was at fault, it was him.

Therefore, he didn’t need an apology from Her Majesty the Queen, nor did she need to seek his forgiveness. They simply weren’t meant for each other.

He had figured this out long ago. From that point on, he never again held any illusions about any female.

But what he never expected was that his son, Ares, would obtain everything he himself never had.

Lu Xiao was probably that one-in-a-million existence among the females of the Empire.

He was grateful to the gods that his son had met her.

In a way, he felt that he, too, had found a sense of fulfillment.

Lu Xiao’s existence was indirect proof that females like her did exist; he just hadn’t been the one to find her.

What he had sought his entire life was not, after all, something unacceptable.

Her Majesty the Queen looked at Prince Li Ke, who spoke with such frankness and ease. Even though they hadn’t seen each other in over a decade, and he had grown old and even unfamiliar, Prince Li Ke was still Prince Li Ke. He was always so magnanimous and clear-sighted.

It was as if he held the answers to all the world’s problems.

He was as gentle as ever, seemingly incapable of uttering a single bone-chilling word, yet he possessed the hardest heart in the world.

“I understand. Since you’re back, I will move back to the Royal Palace and return this place to you. I will attend Ares’s wedding. Since he is my son, I will restore his status. As for you…” Her Majesty the Queen trailed off, unable to continue. She turned and gripped the old female’s hand. “Pack our things. We leave tonight.”

“There’s no need to be in such a hurry. You can take your time. However, some landscapers will be arriving soon, so it may get a bit noisy.” Buck finished, glancing out the window. “I ask for Her Majesty the Queen’s forbearance then. I’ve only just returned and have many things to attend to, so I won’t keep you any longer.”

With that, Buck picked up his luggage and left without a backward glance.

Watching his retreating figure, Her Majesty the Queen’s strength gave out, and she leaned against the old female. “You heard him. He’d rather fake his death than stay with me. Everyone says Prince Li Ke is gentle and soft-hearted, but in reality, his heart is made of stone. He’s truly ruthless!”

“Your Majesty, you must take care of your health. Now that Prince Li Ke has returned, there will always be a chance to reconcile in the future.”

“You’re right. Regardless, he’s back. He’s not dead. And I have a child… my son is alive. I’ve even seen him. He’s so handsome. He… I wonder if he already knows everything. Will he resent me?”

At the thought of her past actions, the color drained from Her Majesty the Queen’s face once more.

“Your Majesty, as long as they’re here, there’s always a chance to make amends. You must not give up!”

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