Milin’s voice was thick with deep anger… but her eyes, as she gazed at Nephtalia, were somewhat hollow.
The disconnect between her daughter’s voice and expression made Lian frown. She called her name with some worry:
“Milin…?”
“Lian, you and Iyue… do you already know? Do you know who it is that turned Natalia into this?”
She suddenly turned her head and stared at Lian as she asked. Nothing could be read in her black eyes, yet they carried an inexplicable sense of pressure.
Lian had felt something similar before—back when Meliya had posed those questions to her.
That shackle-like gaze made it impossible for anyone trapped within it to evade the questions they raised.
“When you and Iyue were discussing things on the beach, you left me completely out of it, didn’t you? And when those two from the Nelf Family came to us, you made me wait inside too.”
“Milin, we never meant to keep things from you…”
“But I have ears. I can listen for myself. Iyue was furious at those two. Do you know? The Iyue I know would never speak like that… before entering that mist. I don’t remember what happened inside that mist, but you two do, don’t you? What did she see in there?”
“…”
Lian didn’t actually know what the girl lying on the bed had gone through specifically—because when they exchanged information, Iyue had mainly spoken of the Guard Knight Captain who had died and come back… and as for the part about her sister that she had seen, she only mentioned it in passing.
She hadn’t pressed. Because when that topic came up, she had seen an expression on Iyue’s face that she had never seen before—pain, hatred, rage… even her lips had been bitten through until they bled without her noticing.
But Lian could more or less guess what had happened to this child. When Iyue had roared at those two from the Nelf Family, she had used this word to describe what had befallen her sister and mother—
“HELL. Iyue said her mother and Natalia were both imprisoned in some kind of HELL. Because of that Family Head, the woman they should have called Grandmother.”
Milin said the word for her. At the same time, a vivid anger began to surface in the depths of her eyes.
“I know those stories about Natalia and Iyue.” Seeing Lian remain silent, Milin continued, “Because Natalia told me. She told me that her grandmother sent people to drag her mother back. And not long after she returned to Iyue’s side, she died.”
“That’s the person who drove Natalia and Iyue’s mother to her death… drove her own biological daughter to death. And she probably used the same methods to force her own granddaughter.”
“…”
Lian knew that was likely how it was. Only something so inhuman, so utterly contrary to all moral decency, could make someone who was a Hero—the supremely noble Iyue—lose her reason and show that kind of expression.
And neither she nor Iyue should have let Milin realize that such bloody reality was happening right beside them, to their own friends and family… which was why they had tried to avoid her when discussing these matters.
As her elders, they wanted this child’s world to always be bright and sunny—
“I understand now.” Seeing Lian silent, Milin lightly clapped her hands. “So you all still treat me like a child. You think this matter is so terrifying and dark that a sunny, lively kid like me shouldn’t know about it, right?”
“We never thought that—”
“Then why hide it from me?” Milin’s tone suddenly rose. “Lian… I’m not a child! I’m already an adult! The ones who got hurt are Iyue, whom I consider family, and Natalia, my closest friend! I know this world has both good and evil, and the good should be praised, and the evil should be condemned!”
“I understand. It’s my fault.”
Lian lowered her head and apologized to her daughter.
“I suppose I’ve always placed myself in the position of an elder when thinking about these things, and neglected your feelings. Yes… you are already an adult.” She reached out to gently stroke her red hair. “You have the right to know these things, and the right to make your own judgments and choices based on that information.”
“Hmph, good that you know you were wrong!” Milin clearly hadn’t expected Lian to apologize so readily, and was caught off guard for a moment.
Blushing, she shook off Lian’s hand, then turned her face away to hide her embarrassment.
“You have to tell Iyue too… no more treating me like a kid!”
“Yes. My little grown-up.” Lian chuckled softly. “Why don’t you go rest for a bit? I’ll take care of this child for you.”
“Fine… since you put it that way.” Milin stood up from the bedside, preparing to head to her own bedroom.
But before leaving, she suddenly seemed to remember something and turned back to ask Lian:
“By the way, where’s Iyue? It’s so late and she still isn’t back.”
“Well… she said she was going to confirm some things with Senia—no, with the Queen and her Guard Knight Captain. And she also said she was going to check whether the Nelf Family Head is actually still alive.”
“Check whether the Family Head is still alive… so that means she probably went into the city?” Milin nodded thoughtfully. “If she were still on the island, there’d be no reason for her not to come back and check on Natalia by now.”
“That should be it.”
“If that’s the case, I’ll head back to the city first thing tomorrow morning to find her! I’ll leave Natalia in your care!”
“You’re going to find her?”
“That’s right. If that woman is still alive, I’ll help her beat that woman to death. Iyue went to confirm whether she’s still alive, so she must be thinking the same thing, right?”
“No, no, no, that’s the Nelf Family Head we’re talking about? In Yilansiya, her status would be equivalent to a Duchess of the Four Borders… no, even above them. How can you just say you’ll beat someone like that to death…”
“Does that have anything to do with her status? If you do bad things, you should be punished—that’s only natural.”
“But she is, after all, a high minister of a nation, and from our standpoint, we are guests of this country…”
“Nag, nag, nag… Lian, how did you become so naggy?”
Milin said with some impatience.
“Na—naggy?”
Lian was somewhat taken aback by that word.
“Just answer me one thing. If that woman is still alive, and Iyue is going to beat her, will you help or not?”
“Uh… I suppose I would?”
“Then it’s settled, isn’t it? Ah… but since Lian has your magic power sealed now, I guess I’ll have to do the beating myself. I’m going back to save up my energy.”
“Wait, this needs more thought… at least we should ask the Queen’s opinion first—”
“Yes, yes, yes. I’ll ask tomorrow. Stop worrying about this and that like some old housewife. So annoying.”
Leaving behind those classic rebellious words, Milin dashed back to her own room in a flash.
“To think my own daughter called me naggy…? And said I’m as annoying as an old housewife…”