“Who?!”
Yekaterina almost sprang up from the sofa.
In her eyes, dimmed by fear, the last glimmer of light burst forth, locking onto the Prime Minister’s face.
Allison’s expression became extremely subtle—a complex mix of wariness, disgust, and reluctant acknowledgment of the other’s abilities.
“An old friend of mine.”
“An old friend who is very… specialized in their field of research.”
“Your Majesty, you should have met her. The Chief Court Mage of the Valoran Kingdom, President of the Mage Association, Dean of the Central Academy Magic Branch, and the clan head of the Klein Family, known as the ‘Demon Slayer.'”
With each title Allison spoke, Yekaterina’s heart sank deeper.
Each name was as thunderous as it was renowned, representing the pinnacle of power and authority in the Valoran Kingdom and the entire Erashia Continent.
By the time the last title fell, the little queen’s mind had gone blank.
“…Layana Klein.”
Boom!
The name exploded in Yekaterina’s ears like a thunderclap.
Layana Klein?
Laxana’s mother?!
A long-buried, blurry fragment surfaced from the depths of the little queen’s memory.
She was still very young then, so small she needed a maid to carry her.
She remembered a woman dressed in a complex mage’s robe, cold in demeanor, who had once held her.
That embrace was not warm at all, even a bit stiff, carrying a fragrant scent of magical potions that was both pleasant and unapproachable.
At that time, her mother had smiled at her and said, “Little Lina, quickly call Layana Auntie.”
Layana Auntie…
Yekaterina was completely stunned.
She had never imagined that the “aunt” who existed in her childhood memories as nothing more than a fleeting presence, nearly forgotten, would turn out to be such a monster of a person, holding a string of terrifying titles!
“Is… is it really Layana Auntie…”
Yekaterina murmured, the flame of hope that had just been extinguished reigniting once more.
“If it’s her, that’s great! She’s Laxana’s mother and has a deep connection with our royal family…”
However, before she could finish, she noticed the bitter smile on Allison’s face.
“Your Majesty, in all these years, how many times have you seen her?”
The Prime Minister’s counter-question poured over her like a bucket of cold water.
“Uh…”
Yekaterina’s excitement froze instantly.
She thought back carefully.
It seemed… aside from that vague memory, and seeing her from afar at a few extremely important kingdom ceremonies that happened once every ten years…
The number of times she had met this “Layana Auntie” could be counted on one hand.
And each time, the other party had an ice-cold demeanor that warned strangers away, as if everything around her had nothing to do with her.
Seeing the little queen’s expression, Allison knew she had understood.
“That’s how it is.”
The Cardinal picked up the now-lukewarm black tea and took a gentle sip.
“My old friend is a complete magic lunatic. In her world, nothing matters except magical research. Socializing, power struggles, worldly emotions… in her eyes, these are all boring wastes of time.”
“For her to appear at those few grand ceremonies was already for the sake of the royal family and the Church. For her to hold you once—perhaps that was the most affectionate gesture she could ever make in her life.”
These words made the hope Yekaterina had just kindled waver again.
“But… but she’s still Laxana’s mother!”
The little queen was still unwilling, grasping for the last piece of driftwood.
“Laxana is her own daughter! If I go beg Laxana to plead with her mother, surely that’s possible?”
“Useless.”
Allison shook her head, mercilessly shattering the little queen’s last hope.
“Laxana being able to leave the Academy and return to the Royal Capital already shows that Layana has completely adopted a hands-off approach to her daughter.”
The Prime Minister’s voice was calm, yet carried a cold insight that saw through everything.
“In Layana’s mind, only if the fledgling eagle learns to flap its wings on its own can it soar in the sky. She would never step in to handle any ‘trouble’ for her daughter—because those troubles, to her, are trials that Laxana must face on her path to growth.”
“But… but the situation is different now!”
Yekaterina was so anxious she nearly stood up.
“Laxana is now my sister’s childhood friend—she’s also… also someone close to that witch! Based on what you said, she could be played to death at any moment, or even destroyed! Isn’t that serious enough? Doesn’t that warrant help?”
“Not enough.”
Allison’s reply was decisive.
“To Layana, if Laxana can’t resolve even this level of crisis on her own, it just proves she’s a failure—not worth pitying even in death.”
“…………”
Yekaterina was completely speechless.
She felt as if she were facing not a person, but a block of cold, unyielding steel.
The study fell into suffocating silence again.
The little queen slumped on the sofa, her eyes hollow, feeling as if all roads had been blocked.
Just as she was about to sink into complete despair, Allison’s voice rang out once more.
“Your Majesty, rather than letting Laxana go plead with her, wouldn’t it be better… to make her come on her own?”
の？
Yekaterina jerked her head up.
Her unfocused eyes regained clarity, locking onto the Prime Minister’s deep gaze.
Allison put down the teacup, leaning forward slightly.
On her usually composed face, an unusual mix of excitement and madness flickered—bearing a strange resemblance to the “magic lunatic” she spoke of.
“Your Majesty, there’s actually something I’ve always been curious about.”
“Since the Crown Princess, as you described, has already entered a state of ‘Witchification.’ But even though she knows that you and Laxana did such an unforgivable thing to Prince Wendy behind her back… why hasn’t she completely lost control?”
“Is it simply because Prince Wendy’s presence soothes her desire for now? Or does her rationality still persist?”
“No.”
Allison shook her head slowly, her eyes gleaming with wisdom and inquiry.
“I suspect the Crown Princess’s condition is more special than any case recorded in the .
She probably harbors thoughts none of us can imagine.”
“This unprecedented, special yet relatively stable state of Witchification…”
A meaningful curve appeared on Allison’s lips.
“Will definitely arouse my old friend’s curiosity.”
“She will want to study it, just like I do. She will want to uncover exactly what is happening within the Crown Princess—she will want to probe the origin of this present-day witch’s power.”
“The only difference is…”
Allison paused, her voice lowering further.
“I can restrain my urge to investigate, because first and foremost, I am the Prime Minister of Valoran.
But she can’t…
She is a pure scholar, a lunatic who would pay any price for knowledge.”
Yekaterina’s breathing unconsciously halted.
She seemed to understand.
“So…”
The little queen’s voice was dry.
“As long as I write down everything that happened here in a letter and send it to her…”
“Yes.”
Allison’s smile was like a fox poised to pounce.
“We don’t need to beg her, nor do we even need to meet her.”
“We only need to place a research subject interesting enough before her.”
“A witch who should have exploded under provocation yet remains abnormally stable—a Toy around her neck that keeps her rational, yet…”
“Believe me, Your Majesty.”
“When my old friend sees this letter, she’ll be more desperate than any of us.”
“She will come to us herself.”
Hearing these words, Yekaterina felt a chill run from her spine straight to the top of her head.
Was this really calling for reinforcements?
No, this was more like using her own sister and the man she loved as bait to lure an even more unfathomable monster!
It was madness!
But…
She remembered the glaring collar around Wendy’s neck in the dining room.
She remembered her sister’s eyes—gentle, yet eerily violet.
She remembered how she herself had been consumed by terror and fled in disgrace.
Did she have any other choice?
No.
Rather than sit and wait for death, to be turned into the next Toy by her sister, it was better… to take a gamble!
“Alright!”
Yekaterina slapped the table.
Tea splashed onto the back of her hand, but she didn’t care at all.
“Let’s do it!”
In the little queen’s eyes, a flame named “determination” was rekindled.
What of drinking poison to quench thirst?
As long as she could survive, as long as she could pull Wendy from her sister’s claws, even making a deal with the devil was acceptable!
“Pen and paper!”
She stretched out her trembling hand toward Allison.
Thus began a grand gamble for the sake of the “Witch.”
And on the other side of the table sat a madwoman so unpredictable, even they themselves couldn’t foresee her next move.