Seated upon a temporary throne, the blurry figure observed the two before her with quiet authority.

One stood tall, posture unyielding, pride etched into every line of his frame, while the other bowed her head with delicate restraint, fingers clutching the hem of her clothes.

The blurred figure dismissed the proud, striking man without so much as a flicker of interest. Her attention settled entirely upon the bowing girl.

"It has been a long while, Nyx Shadowfall."

Nyx lifted her head just enough to respond, her expression carefully composed, her tone steady and respectful.

"Indeed, it has been a long while, Your Majesty. I have often wondered how you have been faring in my absence."

Yet beneath that calm exterior, her thoughts stirred with quiet intensity, a warmth she could neither suppress nor fully understand.

’She remembers me... even after everything, she remembers. I knew it... she has not cast me aside. She still cares.’

Mary’s lips curved into a faint, knowing smile,

"I have been well," she replied with a gentle amusement. "But tell me, Nyx... how has your life unfolded since then? Has the world treated you kindly, and more importantly... has your husband proven worthy of you?"

Nyx straightened slightly, her fingers loosening their hold as a soft blush crept across her cheeks, betraying the composure she tried to maintain.

"My life has been... peaceful, more than I expected," she answered, her voice quieter now, touched by something intimate.

"And my husband... yes, he treats me well. He cares for me every single day without fail."

Her gaze faltered for a brief moment.

Mary’s smile widened, a soft laugh escaping her as she leaned back against the throne.

"I see... so he truly was your destined one after all," she murmured, a trace of something wistful slipping into her tone.

"How fortunate you are, Nyx. To find someone who chooses you every day... that kind of bond is not so easily forged."

Nyx lowered her head again, her blush deepening, unable to meet Mary’s gaze any longer as emotion quietly bloomed within her chest.

Mary tilted her head, her smirk returning.

"Oh? Look at you... blushing like this," she said, her voice laced with soft laughter. "How delightful. I had almost forgotten you were capable of such expressions. It suits you more than I expected."

"Y-Your Majesty... please, you must not tease me like this," Nyx replied, her voice wavering slightly despite her attempt to remain composed.

Mary’s laughter followed, echoing faintly through the vast chamber.

Meanwhile, standing just a few steps away, a lone figure remained frozen in place, his presence starkly disconnected from the strange warmth unfolding before him.

And there was only one thought in his mind,

’What the hell is going on here?’

Aether stared at the exchange, disbelief written plainly across his face as the scene continued to unfold.

They were not speaking like ruler and subordinate. This felt... intimate... Like a mother who had sent her daughter away, now reunited after years of silent longing.

A sharp breath left him as unease crawled beneath his skin.

’What is this... feeling?’

Aether rubbed his arm unconsciously, as though trying to dispel the goosebumps that had risen at the sound of Mary’s voice.

There was something deeply unsettling in the tenderness she displayed!

’No... I understand Nyx’s side. In her memories, Mary was the one who accepted her, the one who stood where no one else would. It makes sense... it makes sense that she would cling to that image, that she would act like this.’

His gaze shifted slowly toward Mary.

’But this...’

Mary leaned forward slightly, "So tell me, Nyx... when should I expect a grandchild?"

Aether’s entire body stiffened, his thoughts slamming into a wall of disbelief.

No! Absolutely not.

His head shook instinctively.

’That is not Mary.’

He stared at her.

Mary, as he knew her, did not speak like this. She did not indulge in such warmth. Her care was absolute only for her daughter.

Others were nothing to her.

At best, they were pests.

No... not even pests. Most did not exist in her eyes at all.

’Something is wrong. This is not her!’

Mary’s smile lingered, hidden behind the veil of blurriness. Her gaze flickered toward Aether, catching the subtle shift in his expression, the disbelief he failed to conceal.

"Sorry," Nyx’s voice broke through the tension, soft but firm despite the lingering blush on her face.

"I am not planning for a child anytime soon."

Hearing that, both Mary and Aether flinched, their reactions almost perfectly synchronised as if an unseen string had tugged at them at the same moment.

They blinked in confusion... This was the same girl who once longed for nothing more than to cradle a child in her arms, whose every thought seemed to orbit that singular desire.

Child!

Child!!

CHILD!!!

And yet now, without hesitation, she had said she did not want one.

Mary’s gaze sharpened instantly, her eyes turning cold as they locked onto Aether with quiet accusation.

"What have you done?"

Aether blinked, caught off guard for a fraction of a second, but then it came... That shift in her tone, that chilling clarity in her eyes, the suffocating allure of her presence settling back into something far more familiar.

There it is.

’Yup... that’s one hundred percent Mary,’ Aether thought to himself, a strange sense of relief mixing with his irritation. At least this version of her made sense.

He parted his lips, ready to respond with visible annoyance, when Nyx’s voice cut in, calm yet firm, halting him before a single word could escape.

"No, it is not my husband, Your Majesty," she said, lifting her gaze fully this time.

"It is simply that the world now stands on the edge of chaos. We do not know when we might be attacked, and considering such dangers... it would be unwise of me to bind him with responsibilities he may not be able to bear."

"??"

"??"

So many questions appeared on both of their heads.

Mary and Aether tilted their heads almost identically.

Utterly shocked and Utterly... ’What the fuck?’ thought.

What the hell?

Danger?

Chaos?

Responsibilities?

Woman, you kidnapped him, forced him into marriage, and... raped him in fact!

And now you are talking about not wanting to burden him?

Mary frowned slightly, though her expression held something far more complex beneath it.

’It seems the girl has truly grown... hasn’t she?’ she thought quietly.

She knew Nyx.

A girl obsessed with souls, detached from the emotions of others, never once revealing anything genuine beneath that eerie composure.

She had been hollow in a way that even silence could not fill.

But now...

Now her eyes shimmered with life.

Her posture carried a quiet strength, her presence steadier, fuller, as though she had found something worth standing for.

She seemed taller, prouder, as if she would willingly face the world itself for the sake of another.

As if...

As if she were no longer the lonely girl Mary had once taken in under Grace’s command.

A faint, almost imperceptible smile formed beneath the veil of blurriness.

’Is this what it feels like... for a mother to see her daughter change after marriage?’ Mary wondered, a strange tightness forming in her chest.

Meanwhile, Aether’s thoughts moved in an entirely different direction.

’Yeah... something definitely happened to her,’ he concluded, ’I need to find out what it is as soon as possible.’

It was true that Nyx had changed after spending time with others.

That much he could accept.

Loneliness could fracture, reshape, or even soften a person over time.

But this?

This was not a small change.

For her to say she did not want a child...

No.

No, that was wrong.

If there was anyone in this world who would cling to the desire of bearing a child even as everything burned around her... it was Nyx.

Even if the world itself collapsed into ruin, she would have chosen that one desire above all else.

There was no way she would simply postpone it.

Mary let out a soft cough, "Anyway," she said, her voice smooth, devoid of the earlier warmth, "what is the purpose of your visit?"

Her gaze never once drifted toward Aether, as if his very existence did not warrant acknowledgement, as if he were nothing more than empty space occupying the room.

Nyx parted her lips,

"My wonderful, handsome, and ever-worried husband brought me here... to stay for the Blooddawn."

Aether’s heart skipped a beat seeing her say it out loud without hesitation.

Mary let out a quiet hum and, "Oh... right..." she murmured, before her posture subtly straightened, her presence sharpening as her regal composure returned in full.

"But you are no longer one of us, are you? You had been exiled"

Nyx nodded without hesitation.

"Yes, I am no longer a citizen of Umbrionis Void," she said, her gaze lifting toward Mary, her eyes brimming with emotion that refused to be hidden.

"But... I am still your adopted child, the one you raised and cared for, and your disciple whom you shaped with your own hands."

She took a small step forward,

"Those bonds will never sever, no matter what happens... not even my husband could break them."

Her eyes flickered briefly toward Aether before returning to Mary with a solemn intensity that silenced the room.

"Because I love you... as much as I love my husband."

"Eh?" Aether was shocked.

"Eh?" Mary was shocked.

And... Nyx was rocked, ’Hehe...’

Behind the veil of blurriness, Mary’s cheeks flushed a deep, unmistakable red, the colour spreading rapidly as her thoughts spiralled into disarray.

’T-This audacious girl! H-How dare she say something like that so openly... such... such shameless words!

Disgusting words! H-How dare!!’

Her hand moved to her chest, fingers pressing lightly as if to steady the sudden, chaotic rhythm of her heart.

’My heart belongs only to my daughter... my real daughter... m-my blood!’

Her gaze snapped toward Aether for corrupting Nyx.

’This must be his doing...’

’Using Nyx... manipulating her... turning her into a pawn to say such things... to shake me, to weaken me... to take Lia away from me...’

The thought ignited something far more dangerous within her.

’This vile man... to think he would use such an underhanded method... to try and separate me from the one I cherish most... and taint my beloved Lia... How dare you!!’

Her fingers tightened against the armrest.

’How dare he...’

The pressure built for only a moment before—

Crack.

The armrest beneath her hand crumbled into fine powder, slipping soundlessly to the ground.

Meanwhile, Aether stood motionless, his thoughts trapped in a loop that refused to release him.

"Because I love you... as much as I love my husband."

The words echoed again.

And again.

And again.

Like a voice calling from the depths of an endless canyon, each repetition strikes harder than the last.

His expression darkened, shadow swallowing his features as strands of black hair fell over his eyes, concealing whatever storm brewed beneath.

And finally,

"Hehe..."

A low, uneasy chuckle escaped him, quiet at first, then rising with a dangerous edge as his head slowly lifted.

"Hehehe..."

His hand moved through his hair, pushing it back, revealing eyes that burned with wickedness and hatred.

He locked his gaze onto Mary.

"Come at me, bitch," he said emotionlessly, "Let’s end this... once and for all."

With a sharp motion, he pulled his sword from his storage space.

In that moment, whatever plan he once held had vanished completely.