The bad value system is measuring values.

Chapter 96 Heartache

Deep within his heart, beyond Qiao Xiao's reach, a powerful possessiveness called love locked his pounding heart; this love had seeped into his very bones.

"This time, I will absolutely not let you go, my queen."

He leaned down slightly, pressing his body tightly against Qiao Xiao's, as if being close to her was a way of telling himself that she had returned, back to his side.

The whole country knew the astonishing news: Her Majesty the Queen, who had disappeared for three years, had returned, but her health had deteriorated to an extreme degree, and His Majesty the King had brought her back to the palace to recuperate.

"How do you think the king will treat her?"

"How should we treat her? Of course, we should take good care of her."

"Why? The Queen herself abandoned him, so why should he be responsible to the Queen?"

"Just you wait and see, see if the king will punish the queen."

"Hmph, it definitely will."

Qiao Xiao's bedroom remains unchanged from before.

Qiao Xiao's face was as pale as paper, her lips were bloodless, and she walked with great difficulty, each step appearing extremely strenuous.

Shi Bozi stood quietly to the side, not daring to ask why Qiao Xiao left back then, because he was afraid that she would suddenly disappear from his sight like last time.

Qiao Xiao's hand was held tightly by Shi Bozi the whole time. Those hands had become cold and withered, as if they had lost their vitality.

Qiao Xiao asked softly in a hoarse voice, her gaze fixed on the silent and speechless Shi Bozi: "Aren't you curious about why I left?"

Schertz's eyelashes trembled slightly, his skin was a little bronze, and his eyes revealed an undisguised aggressiveness.

"If you don't tell me, I won't ask any more questions."

Qiao Xiao: "Your coming-of-age ceremony has arrived, and I still remember it."

After saying that, Shi Bozi hugged Qiao Xiao tightly. Although Qiao Xiao was very unwilling, she was no match for Shi Bozi in her current strength and could only accept it.

"My coming-of-age ceremony is not important," said Spitz firmly. "The most important thing now is to heal your wounds. Over the years, I have read through ancient books, searching for a way to cure you. Although your symptoms are strange, they are not incurable. Ancient books record that drinking the heart's blood of a loved one can cure the poison."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Xiao's pupils contracted sharply, and she exclaimed in shock, "Are you crazy? I can't do this!"

Spoelstra, however, remained unusually calm. He replied softly, "I'm not crazy, Fali."

He used all his strength to restrain Qiao Xiao's hands, his Adam's apple bobbing frantically as he repeatedly uttered, "But I really can't live without you! Do you know how I've survived all these years without you? It's been worse than death! I'd give my life to save you!"

The madness in his eyes was terrifying, as if his previous composure and calmness were just a thin mask, revealing his true colors now.

His eyes were only on Qiao Xiao, filled with obsession and fanaticism.

As soon as he finished speaking, he quickly reached out one hand to unbutton his shirt, while his other hand tightly gripped Qiao Xiao's wrist, as if afraid she would escape.

Shockingly, the skin around his heart had been cut open, leaving a deep gash.

Qiao Xiao was taken aback and asked in astonishment, "What did you do?"

This is absolutely suicidal!

Looking at Qiao Xiao's worried expression, Shi Bozi's eyes revealed a hint of surprise. He thought to himself: You still love me, Fali. I'm so happy.

Whenever he deeply missed Qiao Xiao, cutting his wrists could no longer alleviate his inner pain and torment.

So when he learned that his heart's blood could save his beloved, he did not hesitate to cut open the skin around his heart in advance, collecting the heart's blood bottle after bottle, and using magic to preserve it properly.

Spoelstra gave a bitter smile, gazed at her, and said, "I'm fine."

Immediately afterwards, he hugged Qiao Xiao tightly again, burying her face deep into his chest where his shirt was undone.

Qiao Xiao: "How could it be nothing... It must... hurt a lot."

Her voice gradually weakened, even trembling slightly, after all, she knew that all of this was because of her.

As Spoelstra gazed at the aged, no longer young face, an indescribable emotion welled up within him.

Her face was full of wrinkles; she was no longer young. But those deep eyes and gentle smile still lingered in her mind.

He was not a lecher, and his feelings for her were not based on her appearance, but rather on simple affection and admiration.

He couldn't help but move closer to her and gently stroke her cheek.

Then, out of the blue, he kissed her.

This kiss was no longer a fleeting peck, but rather filled with the passion and tension unique to a grown man.

Spoelstra recalled the first time he collected blood from his heart.

He was standing in the sunlight then, his face pale and bloodless, etched with the pain of longing and illness.

At that time, the pain was real, an excruciating pain, like a sharp sword piercing his heart.

Bright red blood gushed out from the cut, stinging his eyes.

His body trembled slightly, and each breath became extremely difficult.

The pain was bearable, but not nearly as excruciating as when Qiao Xiao disappeared.

The system's forced suppression of his emotions was to prevent him from committing suicide, but the moment he saw Qiao Xiao, the forced restrictions instantly collapsed.

Spoelstra took Qiao Xiao to his secret room.

The secret room was filled with a whole row of shelves, brimming with his painstakingly stored treasures.

He casually picked up a bottle and whispered, "Drink it, my dearest Fali."

Schertz's face was sharply defined, appearing particularly somber in the dim light. Qiao Xiao couldn't meet his gaze; she only knew he was staring intently at her.

Qiao Xiao refused and shook her head.

Spoelstra seemed to grit his teeth as he asked, "Why?" But his tone was strangely tinged with tenderness.

Qiao Xiao: "How could I possibly drink this? You scared me."

Her tone was calm and even, her emotions completely unwavering, but Sporz thought she was telling him about her grievances.

Spaz: She definitely loves me. It's normal that she can't drink my heart's blood. Don't be too crazy, Spaz, you'll scare her.

Spoelstra sighed helplessly, slowly put the bottle back in its place, gazed quietly at Qiao Xiao, and said softly, "Promise me, be my queen."

Qiao Xiao replied, "When you come of age..."

Schertz was unwilling to wait these few days. He interrupted her before she could finish speaking, saying urgently, "I don't want to be an adult. I want to become your husband right now, is that okay?"

Qiao Xiao thought that her answer was useless; it was clear that Shi Boz had made up his mind to be with her.

Schertz stared at her intently, not missing a single micro-expression, until she nodded slightly. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and look at her with a smile.

"Great."

It seemed that in that instant, he returned to three years ago, and he was once again that spirited prince.

His reaction was exactly what Qiao Xiao had expected. She knew that Shi Bozi would forgive her and choose not to bring up the past again.

However, he never expected that his marriage contract with him would become his obsession.

Meanwhile, Anna the witch in the Enchanted Forest received a letter from Spartz.

When she opened the letter, she exclaimed in surprise, "My God! We found Fali!"

It turns out that in his letter, Spitz told Anna the witch that he had found Josie and wanted to invite her to his wedding.

So, the witch Anna excitedly led the dwarves on a journey to the Kingdom of Sotoa, riding on unicorns.

The moment Daisy saw Qiao Xiao, her face instantly filled with tears, and she was too excited to speak.

The joy of reunion after so long and the pain of separation for so many years intertwined, leaving her unable to calm down for a long time.

Qiao Xiao had already taken off her black cloak and changed into her usual dress.

Although her face showed signs of aging, her dignified elegance remained unchanged.

She looked at Daisy, who was clearly the little girl who had been by her side back then, and had now become much more mature.

Upon seeing Qiao Xiao, Daisy forgot all the etiquette expected of a maid and rushed towards her without saying a word, hugging her tightly.

Daisy choked up as she said, "I miss you so much, my queen."

Over the years, she has consistently addressed Qiao Xiao as Queen, making her the only person in the entire palace who dares to address her that way.

She volunteered to be in charge of cleaning Qiao Xiao's bedroom, and she did so day after day without ever changing her mind.

This loyalty stemmed from her deep-seated guilt towards Qiao Xiao. Instead of running away, she took concrete actions to make up for her past mistakes.

To her surprise, King Spartacus forgave her foolish behavior back then, perhaps partly due to the Queen's influence.

Qiao Xiao gently called out, "Daisy." Her voice was gentle and affectionate.

Upon hearing Qiao Xiao's hoarse voice, Daisy quickly stood up and asked with concern, "Why does your voice sound different?"

Qiao Xiao smiled and shook her head, indicating that she was fine. However, Daisy couldn't suppress her self-blame and guilt; tears streamed down her face, and she blurted out, "It's all my fault!"

Seeing Daisy's agitated state, Qiao Xiao gently patted her hand and comforted her, "Don't worry, it's not your fault."

Qiao Xiao paused for a moment, then said, "We will be holding our wedding in one day."

Daisy slowly composed herself and said, her voice choked with emotion, "That's wonderful. You will become the Queen of the Kingdom of Sotoa."

Qiao Xiao wiped away Daisy's tears with her own handkerchief and said, "I've already done that before, Daisy."

Daisy fought back her tears and asked, "So you still want to be queen? I believe you would tell the king, and he might even agree."

Qiao Xiao shook her head. "I don't want to be king, Daisy. Don't you think I don't look like the image of an elegant and dignified queen?"

Daisy's eyes immediately sharpened, and tears quickly streamed down her face as she said firmly, "You're too worried. I'll teach those who won't open their mouths a lesson and get them to say something nice."

Qiao Xiao smiled faintly: "You've become even more amazing, Daisy. By the way, where did Eric go?"

Daisy replied respectfully, "Eric has become the Grand Master of the Knights and is currently training soldiers in the training grounds. But don't worry, I'll have him come to see you as soon as he's resting."

Qiao Xiao glanced at Daisy's expression, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, revealing a meaningful smile, "Perhaps the ones who should have a wedding are not me and Shi Bozi, but you two."

Upon hearing this, Daisy blushed instantly, lowered her head, and said shyly, "You already know."

Qiao Xiao smiled and nodded, then gently lifted Daisy's hand, which was wearing a wedding ring, with her fan, carefully admiring the dazzling diamond ring, her eyes revealing a satisfied expression.

She nodded in approval, saying, "It's a good design."

Daisy quickly explained, "Actually... Eric has been with me all along, especially after you disappeared. He constantly comforted me and gave me a lot of warmth and care. Our relationship deepened over time, and we only officially got together last year. He proposed to me shortly after, but I hadn't gotten over it yet and rejected him outright. In the end, he insisted on giving me this ring to show his sincerity."

Qiao Xiao didn't really care about the age gap, so when she learned that Daisy and Eric were together, her expression didn't change at all.

Qiao Xiao: "Tell me quickly, what happened while I was away?"

Daisy obeyed: "Okay, no problem."

Then they began to recount the major events that occurred during Qiao Xiao's disappearance, especially the stories about Prince Aike.

As Daisy recalled the incident, she angrily complained, "That Prince Echo is absolutely despicable! He keeps coming to our kingdom, claiming to be the king's lover. It's laughable."

“And on another occasion, he was so annoyed that the king ordered Eric to ride a fine horse and banish him from the country. I have never seen such a despicable and shameless fellow.”

……

Just as they were chatting enthusiastically, footsteps came from outside the door. Judging from the steady and powerful footsteps alone, it was easy to tell that it belonged to a burly man.

Daisy immediately recognized who it was and exclaimed in surprise, "Eric!"

Eric's gaze first fell gently on Daisy, and after a brief but meaningful eye contact, he turned and respectfully bowed to Qiao Xiao.

Eric: "Your Majesty, it's so good to hear that you're back safely."

Qiao Xiao: "Eric, please step forward."

The three then reminisced for a while, but this peaceful and harmonious atmosphere did not last long, as a sudden sound of footsteps interrupted them.

Everyone's eyes followed the sound in unison, trying to pinpoint its source.

Unsurprisingly, it was King Spartz, who was usually busy with state affairs and rarely had any free time.

Today, however, I made a special effort to take time out of my busy schedule to spend more time with Qiao Xiao.