Chapter 228: The Truth She Couldn't Say

What is Mother so nervous about?

Gabriella’s words made Creis freeze as if her brain had crashed. She couldn’t utter a single word.

Although this wasn’t the first time she had felt troubled by having to “answer,” or even racked her brain thinking, this kind of complete helplessness was a first.

Even after calculating several possibilities, Creis couldn’t find the best response.

She was so close to succeeding, so she couldn’t let everything fall apart halfway.

Therefore, she needed to be even more cautious.

However, the more meticulous and careful she became, the harder it was to calculate.

Creis recalled last night, at three in the morning, when Captain Isa had called her out into the corridor outside the bedroom.

Creis had first gone to check on the sleeping Gabriella. She used her power to seal the sound in the bedroom so Gabriella wouldn’t hear their conversation, then walked over to Isa.

There was no moon that night. The sky was hidden behind heavy, dark clouds.

“Miss Creis, through special arrangements made by Olivia and the Holy Queen, I will be guarding Gabriella together with you during the day.”

“……”

Creis carefully considered the meaning of that sentence. It felt as if Isa was telling her, “You’re not qualified enough.”

She wouldn’t feel troubled by a mortal’s opinion. She would even treat it as garbage information and forget it quickly.

But she suspected Isa’s identity.

“Who are you?”

Creis voiced her question to her face for the first time.

“I’m the Knight Captain. Why?”

“Why are you approaching Gabriella? What do you want to gain from her?”

“When you say it like that, it makes me sound like a bad person.”

Isa covered her mouth and let out a soft laugh, as if she had no intention of hiding anything at all.

“Could it be that I’ve been planning to get close to Gabriella and you found out~”

“……”

“Of course I want to get close to Gabriella. Her softness can pry open my heart. I like that feeling.”

Creis didn’t quite understand what Isa was trying to express. She tried to grasp the meaning, but was quickly countered.

“By the way, who exactly are you, Miss Creis? Why do you like Gabriella so much? It’s like you’re trying so hard to get close to her.”

“This isn’t something you should know.”

Her voice echoed in the corridor. Her tone was like a cold command.

Creis had originally thought Isa would get angry, but the other party simply smiled it off. It wasn’t forgiveness—it was that she didn’t view her from the position of someone superior.

“Of course I should know. Besides, you’re the one who seems more suspicious, right? You say you’re an important person to Gabriella, but you won’t tell her. Isn’t that very suspicious?”

“I…”

Creis hesitated.

“If there’s a chance, I still suggest you tell the truth. Sometimes being proactive is a good thing, right?”

“……”

The memory ended there.

She had thought they would argue endlessly that night, or even come to blows.

But the topic had ended in just a few minutes.

For the entire day, only two words remained in Creis’s mind: “be proactive.”

Isa and Gabriella had already mutually confirmed their relationship a long time ago.

Likewise with recovering memories—every time they met, the way they looked at each other left a deep impression.

Creis had also achieved that.

Ever since she started making delicious meals for Gabriella, their relationship had improved.

But compared to Isa, there was still an insurmountable gap between them.

What excessive methods had the Evil God’s apostle used?

Creis didn’t know.

She only knew that acting on impulse was wrong.

If she revealed that she was her mother, Gabriella would be shocked. She would feel that it wasn’t fair.

Although they were both mothers, Creis was absolutely not a good mother to Gabriella. Compared to Olivia, she was far too lacking.

This contrast would make Gabriella hate her. She might even remember that battle where both sides fought to the death—that tragic scene of mutual harm. The aftershocks of the battle had split the entire sky, as if the world itself had turned dim.

Creis absolutely would not allow such a thing to happen.

She could not tell Gabriella the truth. At the very least, she would never act rashly before they had “mutual understanding.”

Gabriella’s amnesia was also an opportunity—a chance to rebuild their relationship.

Creis made up her mind.

“Gabriella, I am an important person to you.”

All of her thinking had only taken a few seconds.

Creis looked seriously at Gabriella sitting at the dining table and gave the answer she had never changed.

“I am an important person to you… Gabriella. It’s just that you haven’t remembered me yet. That doesn’t matter. I want to look further ahead.”

“Oh?”

Gabriella didn’t resist Creis’s touch. This was clearly an imitation of Olivia’s actions.

Yesterday, Olivia had come to the bedroom to chat with her. She said she rarely went upstairs and had been busy cleaning, so she had to make time to pat her cute little daughter.

At the time, Creis had watched from the side with her eyes wide open.

She completely didn’t understand how Olivia managed to do it!

She had even started thinking that if it were Olivia, perhaps Gabriella could easily understand.

But the reality was, if Olivia found out about the falling-out between her and her daughter, it wouldn’t be as simple as “cold war” and indifference.

They would become enemies.

“Why are you so sure I can’t understand you, Miss Creis? In my eyes, you’re not some special existence. You’re just a cute girl.”

Unlike Creis’s hesitation, Gabriella wore a relaxed expression.

Creis stared at the cross in Gabriella’s pupils and felt momentarily lost.

“No…”

She shook her head.

“Most people are able to understand each other because they have similar friends, or because they themselves are that kind of person… Gabriella, you won’t understand me.”

Gabriella still kept that smile. She was finding Creis more and more interesting.

She still remembered Isabella saying she was an idiot. Could it be because she had inherited some of Creis’s traits?!

“You’re that certain?”

Creis nodded.

Gabriella’s voice was very calm. “I don’t agree with your view. I also don’t know what exactly happened in the past that you’re referring to.”

“……” Creis remained silent. She waited for Gabriella to finish speaking. For an instant, her pupils became unfocused and vacant.

“So I don’t know why Mother doesn’t dare to admit her identity.”

“Gab…”

***

At the same time, two maids were sneakily standing outside the door, pressing their heads against the wall and carefully listening to the voices inside the bedroom.

Olivia had also heard the interaction between the two girls, and a soft smile curved on her face.

“My daughter is a little too gentle.”

“Wife…”

“We have to remind her to be careful with Creis. If this gets exposed, it will still be very dangerous.”

Isabella nodded. She agreed with Olivia’s words.

Unfortunately, the subsequent conversation was distorted by Creis’s magic, and they couldn’t hear anything anymore.