Chapter 012: The Witch and Love

The garden was filled with mist everywhere, resembling a paradise on earth.
Prince Fischer didn’t waste words and simply walked slowly along the path paved with cobblestones. As he passed by the vibrant flowers, he casually picked one, crushed it in his hand, and the flower instantly turned into scattered petals.
However, the nobles following behind did not share such leisurely tastes.
Though this so-called “garden in the air” seemed like an ordinary garden at first glance, showing no trace of the legendary “garden in the air,” none of these nobles dared to ask questions.
Prince Fischer seemed to guess their thoughts and said as he walked, “Why… do you all think this doesn’t resemble a garden in the air?”
The nobles replied in unison, “We dare not!”
Prince Fischer smiled indifferently and said, “It’s alright; it’s not your fault… But in this empire, the origins of the royal garden in the air have been exaggerated beyond measure… Yet don’t you know what the truth is?”
None of the nobles dared to speak, keeping their mouths tightly closed.
Prince Fischer, seemingly expecting this reaction, pointed at the mist around them and said calmly, “Look, the mist surrounds us in layers. If one weren’t sure of the solid ground beneath their feet, they might think this is natural mist. Doesn’t it somewhat resemble the sky?”
The other nobles didn’t know how to respond, but Count Christopher quickly interjected, “Indeed, it really does look like clouds in the sky!”
Prince Fischer shook his head slightly, glanced oddly at Count Christopher, and then continued, “Then, Christopher, tell me what stories exist in this empire about this garden in the air…”
Christopher’s expression changed slightly, but he took a deep breath, pondered for a long time, and then slowly said, “According to legend, this garden in the air didn’t exist originally… But during the reign of Emperor Austin I, one day, a holy light descended from the sky, and a garden appeared out of thin air—this is the so-called garden in the air… It is said that this was because one of Emperor Austin I’s concubines was the daughter of the gods in heaven. Seeing her marry a mortal, the gods couldn’t bear to let her suffer, so they created this garden as her dwelling.”

“Was the concubine of my great-great-grandfather the daughter of the gods in heaven?” Prince Fischer chuckled softly before looking at Christopher and shaking his head slightly. “Christopher, such folk tales are fine to mention here, but if you speak of them in front of Lord Anthony, I’m afraid another person will end up tied to the execution pole.”

Count Christopher smiled and said, “Your Highness, there’s no need to scare me. Lord Anthony surely knows these folk tales can’t be taken seriously. If he really tried to judge me based on them, wouldn’t that prove the wonders of this Hanging Garden?”

Prince Fischer shook his head again and glanced at the other nobles. “What about you? Do you have any opinions?”

One of the nobles chuckled lightly and said, “Your Highness, these folk tales are probably not trustworthy… But since you seem to know so much about the origins of this Hanging Garden, why not show us and broaden our horizons?”

Prince Fischer replied indifferently, “You’re quite good at speaking. Well, since I brought you here today to see these things, I can’t just keep everything to myself, right…”

As he spoke, Prince Fischer suddenly waved his hand lightly. It was unclear what exactly he did, but suddenly a road paved with white marble appeared before their eyes.

Following the road deeper, they saw a magnificent building faintly visible through the mist.

The building seemed to be located on an island in the middle of a lake, connected to the shore by a single arch bridge. From afar, it appeared to have three floors, each covered with various plants. Some unknown method was used to channel water from the lake to the highest floor, where it flowed down slowly, as if artificially created.

The building was made of pure white marble, with tall Roman columns everywhere. These columns were covered in strange plants of unknown names. Yet despite this, the building didn’t appear dilapidated; instead, it had a lively atmosphere.

Prince Fischer pointed at the building and said simply, “There it is—the legendary Hanging Garden. Are you all a bit disappointed? This so-called Hanging Garden is nothing special after all!”

The nobles were clearly stunned by what they saw. Although they were not inexperienced, such a magnificent sight could probably only be created with the immense resources of the royal family.

Glancing back at the expressions of the nobles, Prince Fischer wore a faintly mocking smile. After a moment, he said calmly, “Speaking of this aerial garden, although it didn’t fall from the sky… it was indeed built for one of my great-grandfather’s concubines—this much is true.”

“You all know that my great-grandfather was the first in our Austin line to inherit the throne. Though he was extremely intelligent and possessed remarkable imperial tactics… he had one flaw: he loved beauties more than the kingdom itself. It is said he had dozens of concubines, but his favorite was one named Chenchen…”

At this point, a hint of sarcasm appeared on Prince Fischer’s face.

“It is said that this Miss Chenchen actually couldn’t even be considered a concubine of my great-grandfather. According to the palace records, he not only never married her but also never even touched her. As for the title of concubine, it was something he added himself. Moreover, it is said that Miss Chenchen was a peculiar person—her appearance remained unchanged for decades… almost like a witch…”

The word “witch” made the nobles break into cold sweats.

Prince Fischer was the future ruler. Of course, no one dared to disagree with him speaking ill of his ancestors here. But as his subjects, they didn’t dare to respond either—any mistake could cost them their lives!

Yet Prince Fischer seemed unaware of the nobles’ strange expressions and continued calmly, “Legend has it that Miss Chenchen was always melancholic. My great-grandfather tried every means possible to win her favor and make her smile… But she never showed the slightest change in expression. Given my great-grandfather’s nature, if persuasion failed, force should have worked, right? Strangely enough, according to the secret records, although he was already a master at the sacred level—considered the best in the royal family… he had no means whatsoever in front of Miss Chenchen. Tell me, what level of strength does this legendary Miss Chenchen possess?”

Prince Fischer’s question was clear, and the nobles dared not remain silent. After a moment, Christopher mustered the courage to say, “Your Majesty, I dare to guess… that concubine must have reached the legendary realm level.”

“Heh? A realm?”

Prince Fischer smiled indifferently, seemingly unwilling to dwell on the issue. After pondering for a moment, he continued, “Later, it is said that long after my great-grandfather had known Miss Chenchen for some time, he accidentally learned that she used to live in a garden that seemed to be in mid-air, and she missed that place very much… My great-grandfather was also afraid; he feared that Miss Chenchen would leave him out of longing for her hometown—even though he had never truly possessed her, neither in body nor heart. Still, he used all his resources to build such a garden for her, calling it a ‘garden in the air’!”
“Of course, the Austin dynasty had just seized power, the regime was unstable, the empire was in a tense situation, and finances were strained. Yet under such circumstances, my great-grandfather managed to persuade the wizards’ guild and various nobles to build this garden in the air… It is said that the cost of building this place was no less than fifty million gold coins, not including the expenses incurred by the wizards’ guild… The various plants in this garden were collected from across the continent. My great-grandfather even sent several top-level ninth-grade warriors to the legendary Eastern Continent in search of rare plants. Unfortunately, they never returned… Nevertheless, this Garden in the Air was created… As you can see, there was no lake in the imperial palace originally. But some great mage at the time used legendary space magic to create such a space here. They also spent a fortune to lay down a magic array, allowing the Garden in the Air to appear and disappear while providing strong protection… But the most important thing was ensuring that the plants in the garden would thrive forever… Such efforts, such grandeur—all for a woman who never loved him. What do you think? Was my great-grandfather utterly foolish?”