Volume 4, Chapter 82 – The Grudge of the Two Fathers and The Changes in Claire

An hour later, Fia, Claire, and Anastasia were walking through the snow-covered noble district. As it was not yet eight in the morning when the three of them left, it was still early. The wide streets were basically empty of pedestrians. Only the lights shining from the windows of the nearby mansions and the occasional passing figure indicated that there were people in the noble district.

This was a true reflection of life in the cold regions of the World Tree Continent. People had already stockpiled the necessary supplies for the winter long before its arrival, such as dried meat, cured food, and firewood, so that they would not have to risk going out to find food when the mountains were sealed by heavy snow. Of course, this did not mean that people would just stay at home all winter. It was just that people went out less often, and even if they did, there was nothing to do. If they encountered something that required them to go out, or if the weather was nice and the sun came out, people would still leave their homes.

Feeling the crunching sound of stepping on the soft snow, Fia suddenly said.

“Are you not going to talk to Clark for a little longer, Anastasia?”

“All that needed to be said has been said.”

Walking side by side with Fia, Anastasia, who was holding an umbrella, turned her head away, her voice also becoming very small.

“Are you still angry with him…”

After Fia and Clark had finished discussing their countermeasures, Fia had deliberately left time for the father and daughter to talk alone. The result was that in less than five minutes, Anastasia had walked out of the room with an expressionless face, leaving only the restless and embarrassed Clark in place. Without asking, Fia knew that the atmosphere of their chat had not been pleasant, at least not the atmosphere between an ordinary father and daughter.

“Your Highness has already forgiven him. I naturally have no reason to complain about him. It’s just that he and I really have no common topics, which is why I came out so quickly.”

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“Mmm…”

Fia could more or less imagine the conversation between them. It was probably like the former princess and Yelido, one question and one answer, with no unnecessary words.

She couldn’t help but feel a little helpless. People always showed the greatest tolerance and pity for those who did not have long to live. She had originally thought that Anastasia’s attitude towards Clark would have changed after seeing his state, but the reality seemed to be otherwise.

This couldn’t be helped either. The relationship between Anastasia and Clark looked similar to that of the princess and Yelido, but the circumstances were completely different. Yelido was not that guilty towards the princess, while Clark, immersed in his revenge, had had a past where he had not cared much about Anastasia herself or her thoughts.

As for him finding a mistress, Fia did not know what Anastasia was thinking. If one were to talk about it, Yelido had actually not found a few himself. It was just that the two men had some differences in their treatment of their feelings. Yelido did not care about the objects of his political marriages, while Clark seemed to be evasive and could not be ruthless.

To ask Anastasia to suddenly accept a father who had not cared for her for many years was asking too much. There was an element of Clark’s own doing in this. Fia quietly sighed, and a white mist appeared.

“He doesn’t have long to live.”

“…” Anastasia was silent for a moment, then said abruptly, “He asked me some questions about my life, and also about the Sinner’s Mark that has disappeared from my face. When I answered that it was your doing, he found it very incredible. He looked as if he were regretting it.”

“Regretting that he left you back then?”

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“It should be said that he regrets not accepting your kindness back then. If he had chosen to stay in the Royal Castle under your arrangement, he might have had a chance to see Veronica in private in the past few decades, and you could have helped him sooner. A pity he chose the wrong path and only came to know the real you today.”

Although Anastasia had been using honorifics, her words no longer used “this subordinate” to refer to herself. She was probably giving her evaluation from her own standpoint, not that of a subordinate—this was probably a subconscious act. If she had realized that she had not referred to herself as a subordinate, she would surely have corrected herself immediately.

Fia pretended not to notice and deliberately did not remind her.

“Perhaps there was that choice.”

“Not perhaps. It is.”

“No. I don’t think the former me would have made the same choice as I have now. At most, I would have just secretly arranged for him and Veronica to meet in private. I would not have solved the problem from its root.”

In the end, the former princess did not have this ability. Fia knew that to say so was very conceited, but this was the reality. The current her was indeed stronger than the former her, so many things that had seemed incredible and impossible in the past had become feasible.

There were too many things that power could change. It was just like Claire defeating Yelido. If she and Claire had not had the power to defeat him, this marriage would surely have been fraught with difficulties. But both she and Claire had the power to defeat him individually, and this was enough to quickly change his view and shut everyone’s mouths.

To take it a step further, if Clark had the power to rush back to Veronica’s side and defeat Yelido back then, things would not have ended up like this today. Perhaps Yelido would have long since come to his senses in the long time he had lost her, that she only had the admiration of an older brother for her. Unfortunately, she had been snatched back by him, and was right before his eyes. This had blinded him, making him insist to this day that she was just temporarily confused and would one day have a change of heart.

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Fia pursed her lips and tightened the bright red scarf around her neck.

“Let’s not talk about the past. As long as we arrange the things before us properly, it will be fine. By the way, the person who led the way for us just now clearly had no strength, yet he was not particularly afraid of Claire. Recently, when the guards and servants in the Royal Castle see Claire, their expressions have also become a little more normal. Is it a change brought by the Siren’s Mirror? Or is it the Holy Tree?”

Because Claire could not only be immune to the negative effects of the Siren’s Mirror, but could also enjoy its benefits, that is, immunity to mental magic, Fia had left it with her. Even now, Claire was still wearing that silver brooch on her chest.

“So it wasn’t my imagination? I’ve also felt recently that the fear of those around me has weakened a little. I originally thought it was because I had lived in the Royal Castle for a period of time, and those people had seen me more or less, which had weakened the effect of the curse.”

“No. I also feel that the people in the Royal Castle are not so afraid of you anymore. You rarely leave the palace. There should be many people who have never seen you. The wearing of the Siren’s Mirror and entering the Holy Tree happened at the same time. It’s difficult to judge for a moment…”

More than a week had passed since she and Claire had first entered the Holy Tree. With the two of them working together to kill the Black-Flamed Monsters, the tree had already changed from its originally about-to-wither appearance to being covered with new buds, like a dead tree that had just sprouted tender leaves in spring. At this rate, it would not take half a month for it to fully recover. Fia vaguely felt that there were probably not many Black-Flamed Monsters left in the tree.

It was just that to this day, Fia had not figured out where those monsters had come from, and what their true form was. She had originally thought that it was because the roots of the tree had grown down into the Abyss, which had caused the chaos of the primordial continent to erode them and make the tree wither. However, the fact was that those root-like things that went straight down into the ground all had an end, and the end was a sealed rock wall. Fia had neither found any chaos, nor had she seen any “roots” that had been broken through. The theory of the roots being eroded by chaos seemed to be untenable. Fia had seen chaos before; it was not an invisible, colorless, and insubstantial thing, and there was a huge difference between it and the Black-Flamed Monsters.

There were no historical records to check. There was no way to start.

“Then I’ll put away the Siren’s Mirror first, and we’ll observe for a while longer?”

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“Mhm, that should be the best way. After I finish practicing the Holy Tree Dance this morning, we’ll go and try again at the Holy Tree in the afternoon.”

“The Holy Tree Dance… Fia, you’ve never danced before, yet you quickly became proficient. Have you really never danced before? Your body is very flexible.”

“That’s because I learn quickly. Don’t say such embarrassing things.”

To be able to dance was one thing, but to have to dance for others to see (although there were only Claire and Mizuki as the audience) was another. Although the Holy Tree Dance was not a vigorous dance, Fia still felt very embarrassed.

As if to shut Claire’s mouth, she waved her hands in embarrassment.

“Alright, alright, let’s hurry back.”

“Mhm.”

Claire and Anastasia nodded in agreement at the same time, and the three of them quickly disappeared into the empty and lonely noble district.