"I-I'M s-sorry, S-sister J-Juri…

"

Juri Wisteria didn't have to hear it from Greko. She knelt beside her grandmother while being assisted by Jeno Dankworth. Then, she held her grandmother's hand. It was still soft and warm. But that wasn't enough to delude herself that her grandma wasn't gone yet.

Grandma's wound on her chest…

Her thoughts were interrupted when Jeno Dankworth removed his cloak, then he silently and gently put it over her grandmother's body.

She wanted to thank him but the lump in her throat hurt so much.

Grandma…

Just like Greko, she was also a Healer. She saw the extent of damage that her grandmother received. It wasn't only the heart of her Grandma Judy that was crushed. The Healing Sage's Core was also destroyed and her life force was absorbed by someone else.

It was as if the killer really wanted her grandmother dead.

She stared at her poor's grandma's face.

Her grandmother had her eyes closed already. She didn't know if her grandma had a peaceful look on her face or her vision was only blurry because of the tears in her eyes.

"I-If only I w-wasn't l-lacking…

" Greko said between sobs.

"I'm s-sorry…

"

To be honest, she wanted to comfort the child and say that it wasn't his fault. From the looks of it, even Marcus (His Majesty's personal Healing Mage) wouldn't have been able to save her grandmother.

But when she opened her mouth, only sobs came out.

She couldn't remember the last time she cried. But it sure felt like it was the first time that she cried her heart out. If she didn't, she felt like she'd suffocate from the heaviness in her chest. Moreover, the reality that her grandmother was really gone just came crashing down to her.

"Grandma…

" Juri whispered in a cracked voice, then she hugged her grandmother's still soft and warm body. She couldn't believe that her grandmother was already gone. If only she took studying in the Royal Tower seriously, maybe she would have been a great Healing Sage and saved her grandmother.

"Please don't leave me!

"

***

"GRANDMA, please don't leave me!

"

Neoma clenched her hands tight when she heard Juri's heartbreaking cry for Madam Hammock.

The Healing Sage was really gone...

Madam Hammock…

The madam wasn't just a Healing Sage to her. Sometimes, she thought of her as her own grandmother. Madam Hammock was one of the people who was good to her. Her heart hurt so much that she wished she had the time to grieve for the lost of a loved one.

But of course, she was in a situation where she couldn't do so.

Her Aunt Nichole was still there, waiting for her attack.

Lewis was currently fighting Saint Dominic Zavaroni who was acting strange.

And lastly, the Paladins were attacking her the Princess Royal all at the same time. But at the moment, the four of them (she, Lewis, Aunt Nichole, and Saint Zavaroni) were inside the Dome that His Holiness created to separate their group from the Paladins.

"Did you lose your will to fight?

" her Aunt Nichole asked with a smile on her face. It seemed like the Princess Royal found her pain entertaining.

"Were you close with Madam Hammock?

"

She didn't comment on that because she was still trying to get her ** together.

I can't afford to have a breakdown here.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a noise as if the saint's barrier was crack. It seemed to surprise her Aunt Nichole and Saint Zavaroni who turned to the source of the noise.

And so did she.

Honestly, she thought the Paladins had successfully broken the barrier.

But much to her pleasant surprise, it was her trusted Wind Spirit.

Mochi!

"I'm exhausted after moving all the children to a safe place with your

"oppa,

"

" Mochi complained, then she flopped on top of her head.

"Princess Neoma, you have a lot of explaining to do.

"

"I will explain everything to you later, Mochi,

" Neoma said in an urgent voice.

"For now, bring the four of us outside the fortress.

"

***

NEOMA just literally blinked and here they were now.

She, Aunt Nichole, Lewis, and Saint Dominic Zavaroni were already out of the fortress. It seemed like they were at the foot of the mountain. They were surrounded by tall and creepy-looking trees. But thankfully, she didn't feel someone else's presence there.

As of the moment, she was standing in front of her Aunt Nichole. Lewis stood behind her while Saint Zavaroni stood beside the Princess Royal.

And Mochi was already asleep on top of her head.

Mochi must be tired as hell.

"Is there a particular reason why you asked your Wind Spirit to bring us here?

" Aunt Nichole asked.

"I thought you wanted to kill me for what I did to Madam Hammock?

"

"Killing you wasn't my intention for attacking you earlier,

" Neoma said. She was being honest now because there weren't other people around them. Of course, Lewis was an exception because she trusted her son with her life.

"I only intended to

"arrest

" you because I wanted to talk to you alone, Aunt Nichole.

"

But most of all, she didn't want to act cozy with her aunt in front of Juri Wisteria who was grieving the loss of her grandmother.

It wasn't like she didn't hate her Aunt Nichole for killing Madam Hammock. But after hearing what her aunt went through, she knew that the Princess Royal wasn't the type of person to kill for fun. She wanted to know why she killed Madam Hammock.

But not in front of Juri.

"Madam Hammock was like a grandmother to me,

" she admitted in a soft and careful voice.

"She was good to me. But that didn't mean she was good to you as well.

"

Her aunt looked surprised by what she revealed, then she smiled bitterly.

"You know?

"

"Not all of it,

" she said, then she lowered her gaze to the floor.

"I read a bit of what happened in the past with the help of the Devil's Grimoire. I found out that the doctor that you trusted forced you to hide the truth of what happened to you when you were abducted by the cult. It was under your mother's order, but that doctor had an ulterior motive for following the former empress's order.

"

She paused for a while to breathe because it was too much for her. It hurt to know that the madam that she loved and respected had done something unspeakable out of greed.

"Your doctor, Madam Hammock, stole your divine power and used it for two reasons: first, to extend her lifespan. Second: for research,

" she continued with clenched hands.

"Worst of all, despite knowing what you went through, your doctor even helped your mother to try and marry you off to a wealthy nobleman known for being ruthless and violent to his mistresses. But that nobleman wanted a virgin bride. Thus, your doctor

"fixed

" your body to make it look like you've never given birth at all.

"

She only noticed that she was already crying when she saw her tears fall on the grass. It genuinely hurt her when Madam Hammock died. But being reminded of what the madam had done to her Aunt Nichole also made her feel resentful towards Madam Hammock.

"Are you crying for me now, my dear niece?

"

When she raised her head, she was a little surprised to find her Aunt Nichole standing so close to her now.

But she used that chance to close the gap between them.

"Aunt Nichole, I told you I'm good at taking revenge,

" she said as she wrapped her arms around her aunt's waist.

"So please let me avenge you.

"

Her aunt smiled kindly at her.

"Are you telling me to leave the empire alone?

"

"In the meantime, please,

" she said.

"Aunt Nichole, I understand why you killed Madam Hammock. But she was Juri's grandmother, and I treat Juri like my own daughter. Seeing her hurt that way for losing her loved one hurt me.

" She glared at the saint.

"You didn't have to hurt Juri that way just to stop her from attacking my aunt, did you? Your Holiness, I also understand why you're being protective of Aunt Nichole. But Juri is just an innocent child.

"

Saint Zavaroni bowed his head.

"I recognize my mistake and I have no excuse,

" he said in an apologetic voice.

"Please forgive me for getting carried away by my anger, Princess Neoma.

"

"If you're going to get your revenge on people that hurt you, please make sure that you won't drag innocent people in it,

" she said firmly.

"Because even if I want to fight with you, I will always choose to protect my people first. So if you really want to support me, be careful next time.

"

The saint raised his head and nodded.

"I will keep that in mind, Princess Neoma.

"

Another lump formed in her throat.

"Your Holiness, are you leaving?

" she asked in a cracked voice.

"Are you leaving with Aunt Nichole now?

"

"Yes,

" Saint Zavaroni said with a sad smile on his face.

"I'm sorry I can't stay with you anymore, Princess Neoma.

"

She shook her head.

"No. The two of you deserve to be happy now,

" she said, then she raised her head to meet her Aunt Nichole's warm gaze.

"Aunt Nichole, please hide for now. I will ask for your help if I need it. But for now, I can't show my affinity to the Devil.

"

"I understand, my dear niece,

" Aunt Nichole said, then she hugged her back tightly.

"I will cover the trace of your affinity to the Devil so don't worry too much.

"

"Don't get me wrong, Aunt Nichole. I'm not saying that I will side with the Devil now,

" Neoma said, clarifying her stance firmly.

"I will destroy the empire's disgusting system for all the oppressed female de Moonasterio in history.

"

***

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***

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