Based on the information Primo brought yesterday, I was able to reach a conclusion.
As expected, just as I predicted, Creed ‘s true goal was not to suppress Sylvia’s Mystic Eye to free her from its influence.
No, to be more precise, it was highly likely that they were conducting a sort of preliminary process before obtaining the Mystic Eye.
Perhaps that’s why they did the same thing to Sylvia before my regression and then waited about five years.
In other words, for them, that five-year period was like a maturation time to make Sylvia’s Mystic Eye reach its complete form before they could fully take control of it.
Even before my regression, the one who approached me must have deliberately timed it that way.
Damn it, just thinking about it makes me feel sick.
My daughter is not some kind of wine, and yet they were trying to age her to perfection before handing her over to someone else.
“…What? Kyle?”
“Y-Yes…?”
A questioning voice broke through my thoughts.
Snapping back to reality and looking around, I saw my family and Sylvia staring at me with wide eyes.
It seemed I had completely forgotten that we were in the middle of a meal.
“Is something wrong? You’re not eating and just staring at your plate.”
“A-Ah, no. I must have zoned out for a moment.”
Shaking my head at my father’s words, I forced myself to move my fork and knife.
I wasn’t really hungry, but I pretended to eat diligently, shoving down the meat that I could barely swallow.
I could feel Sylvia’s gaze from the side, but I deliberately ignored it.
Sylvia felt that Kyle was acting a little strange today.
Of course, it wasn’t as if he had never shown odd behavior before, but he had always been responsive whenever she called him.
Yet today, he sometimes didn’t answer or responded with a delay.
It wasn’t just that he looked tired.
His face was constantly filled with worry and concern, and his complexion was so dark that, despite the bright and clear weather outside, watching him made Sylvia feel gloomy as well.
“Lord Lyard, please sit down here.”
“……?”
In the end, unable to hold back any longer, Sylvia secretly called him to the greenhouse where they first met and made him sit down without warning.
Kyle was momentarily taken aback by her demeanor, which resembled a mother about to scold her mischievous child, but he obediently took a seat.
“Are you worried about something?”
“No…”
“Lying won’t work. My eyes aren’t that blind.”
Kyle wanted to retort, asking why she even bothered asking if she already knew, but seeing how firm she was, he could only offer a wry smile and nod.
“Yes, just a little.”
“I don’t like that answer… but fine, I’ll let it slide.”
Anyone could tell it wasn’t just a minor concern, yet he called it a small worry as if it were nothing. Watching this, Sylvia felt utterly frustrated.
Still, she decided to stay calm and try to get him to open up.
“Is it something you can’t tell me?”
“Yes.”
“Is it something I can’t help you with?”
“……It probably is.”
There was a brief pause before he answered both questions.
From that alone, Sylvia realized that his worries were not something he could share with her.
Or perhaps, it was something he especially couldn’t share with her.
If that were the case…
“The Eyes of Dawn… Is it related to them?”
“…So it was, after all.”
As she cautiously spoke, Kyle’s pupils widened in shock.
Seeing this reaction, Sylvia nodded, as if she had expected it.
Kyle immediately used his magic to create a soundproof barrier around them.
Even if few people visited the greenhouse, it was better to be cautious.
“How did you know?”
“Well, because I can’t think of anything else that would trouble Lord Lyard this much.”
“I see, that makes sense.”
Kyle thought that, ironically, it was because Sylvia didn’t know much about him that she was able to reach that conclusion.
If she had known him since childhood and was aware of all his trivial matters, she might have thought differently.
But because their relationship was still relatively new, and not much had happened between them yet, she was able to guess correctly.
“Are you truly planning to join them?”
“Yes.”
“You promised me before, didn’t you? That you would never fall into darkness.”
“I have no intention of succumbing to evil. Besides, I’m not the kind of person who’s easily swayed by others.”
His firm response somehow reassured Sylvia.
Yet, at the same time, she felt deeply concerned.
After all, in her previous life, she had watched him die a tragic death right before her eyes.
Even though he had tried to save her at the very end, she could tell that he had never truly succumbed to evil.
However, even if that were the case, there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t end up following the same tragic path again.
“Lord Lyard, I am truly grateful to you.”
“Is that so?”
“That’s why I can’t just stand by and watch you walk into certain death. What exactly is your reason for siding with those people?”
A reason.
Kyle couldn’t answer right away.
If he had asked himself that question, he could have responded instantly.
But standing in front of her, he found it difficult to speak honestly.
Because the truth was—
It was for you.
Even if I burn this body to the ground, no matter what kind of looks I receive, I have reached this conclusion because I am determined to protect you with my own hands.
If I were to say that, what kind of expression would you make?
“I’m sorry, Sylvia.”
I am truly curious, but at the same time, it is something I cannot bring myself to say.
Kyle knew this better than anyone, so he lowered his gaze and carefully opened his mouth.
“Lady Sylvia, may I ask you just one question?”
“I think it’s my turn to ask questions now… but yes, go ahead.”
Believing that he was not the type to use a question as an excuse to escape the conversation, Sylvia nodded and allowed him to speak.
After expressing his gratitude, Kyle lifted his gaze and, locking eyes with Sylvia, opened his lips.
“What would you feel if someone you trusted betrayed you?”
“Are you asking that about yourself?”
“That sounds like you are saying you trust me.”
“Well, of course. You are the one who freed me from my cage.”
At her unwavering nod, Kyle unconsciously let out a small laugh.
It was both gratifying to earn her trust and, at the same time, unsettling because he felt that he should not be such a person to her.
“Yes, fair enough. So, how would you act if someone you trusted betrayed you?”
“Well… that’s difficult. Wouldn’t it depend on the bond I had with that person?”
“That’s quite a rational answer.”
“Well, I am human too. I’m not some saint who can forgive all sinners.”
Kyle thought to himself that such an attitude wasn’t kindness but foolishness, but he saw no reason to voice that thought aloud, so he simply nodded in understanding.
In short, how she treated a betrayer depended on how much she had trusted and followed them.
“In that case, what do Lord Eleonore or your family mean to you?”
Flinch.
Unlike before, Sylvia could not answer right away.
It wasn’t just because the question was difficult.
Rather, thinking back to the previous question, she found the direction of this conversation somewhat strange.
“…Mother has been sick and bedridden ever since giving birth to my younger sister. But she is someone I am grateful for. She opposed my father to the very end, trying to help me escape from that cage. Rine, too, with her innocence and brightness, was a dear sister who helped heal me.”
Kyle, who had been listening silently, narrowed his eyes.
He noticed that one particular person was missing from her account.
Sylvia also seemed hesitant to speak about her father, Creed, as she pressed her lips together and searched for words.
Eventually, she spoke, her tone noticeably lower than before.
“But as for my father… To be honest, I have no good memories.”
“Because he persecuted you?”
“No, not exactly. Memories stay in your mind when you spend time together. But with my father, we barely talked or did anything together… I don’t have even the most ordinary memories with him.”
Sylvia replied with a forced smile, as if trying to mask her bitterness.
Kyle felt an indescribable frustration.
Even he, who had been rejected by his family from a young age, had received some affection from his parents before the age of ten.
He might not have been as cherished as his older brother, Hassel, but there were times when he went fishing with his father or when his mother read to him before bed—small, common childhood memories.
Of course, those pleasant memories had long since been overshadowed by the nightmares that followed.
But Sylvia… had not even those tiny fragments of warmth.
From birth, she had been marked as a cursed child because of her Mystic Eyes.
“Still, at some point, he started treating me more favorably. He even spoke to me. For someone who once wanted to kill me because of my cursed bloodline, such a change was something I was grateful for.”
No, that’s not it.
Sylvia spoke as if even the smallest kindness from Creed Eleonore had made her happy, but Kyle was certain.
That wasn’t fatherly love.
‘It’s because you became useful to him.’
Kyle had no doubt that Creed Eleonore’s change in attitude coincided with his contact with the Eyes of Dawn.
In other words, he must have realized that the product he intended to hand over to them should not be damaged too soon.
Even his so-called kindness hadn’t included freeing Sylvia from her cage, proving that he still did not want to face his own daughter.
Crunch.
As Kyle reached that thought, he felt a surge of heat rise from his core to the top of his head.
Under the table, his clenched fist tightened so hard it could have shattered, and his narrowed eyes gleamed with determination.
He had considered showing the bare minimum of mercy for the sake of her family, but now, even that was unnecessary.
He would destroy and crush everything, restoring things to the way they were meant to be.
That was the only thought filling Kyle’s mind now.