A bright, sunny morning.
Lierre came out to the balcony, scissors in hand, patiently pruning the budding flowers. Whenever she had nothing better to do, she enjoyed passing the time by fussing over her plants.
The sound of light footsteps echoed as Theresa stepped out from the room.
She glanced at the neatly tended flowers before looking earnestly at Lierre's back. "It's just the two of us here now. I want to have a proper talk with you."
Lierre gently snipped off a stray branch and replied, "What do you want to talk about?"
"Are you... are you actually a Herrscher?" Theresa asked in a low voice.
Lierre's method of summoning people from the past simply didn't belong to the realm of humanity. In Theresa's understanding, only a Herrscher possessed such incredible Authority.
However, the feeling Lierre gave her was different. Lierre didn't seem like a 'qualified' Herrscher, but rather an exceptionally willful person! Because of this, Theresa had done her best to stay on good terms with her without showing any hostility, wanting to avoid adding another enemy of unknown strength to human civilization.
But after what happened yesterday, she could no longer hide the fact that Lierre was special. Now, she wanted to have an open and honest conversation to understand her.
"I can be a Herrscher, and I can also not be one. Does that answer satisfy you?" Lierre turned around and replied.
To her, being a Herrscher was merely an identity she could fabricate at will. If she wished, she could even become the Herrscher of Finality directly.
Theresa analyzed Lierre's words. "Can I take that to mean that right now, you are not yet a Herrscher?"
If Lierre wasn't a Herrscher yet, she wouldn't become a target for everyone in the short term. Her grandfather wouldn't have sufficient reason to capture her, and as long as Theresa dug in her heels to protect her, there would still be room to maneuver.
"You can think of it that way." Lierre nodded slightly, then added, "From your expression, it seems you don't doubt my words. Theresa, do you really trust me that much?"
Theresa fell into a silent default for two seconds before saying, "I can't prove that what you're saying is true, and likewise, I can't prove it's a lie. I'm just making a judgment based on my own feelings. I don't believe you're a bad person. Even if you lied to me about certain things, perhaps you won't end up hurting me in the end."
It was her intuition. Likewise, after receiving a satisfactory answer, Theresa felt a sense of relief.
"Congratulations, Lierre's favorability toward you has increased by a point. Please keep up the good work." Lierre gave her a thumbs-up.
She could see that Theresa truly cared about her.
"Stop it, this isn't a galgame... Besides, why did it only go up by one point?" Theresa couldn't help but complain.
This is supposed to be a serious topic. Can't you cooperate a bit and stop being so scatterbrained all of a sudden?
"One point is already quite a lot. Do you have anything else to ask? Hurry up; Kiana and the others will be back soon, and I still have to prepare lunch for them." Lierre urged.
Her time was precious.
"Last few questions..."
Theresa stopped obsessing over the favorability issue. She looked up at the position of the sun and, thinking of Kiana and the others, asked:
"Kiana, Bronya, and Raiden Mei—what is their status in your heart? What exactly are you trying to achieve with the story you spun for Kiana?"
These were the questions she cared about most. Based on her observations over the past few days, she found that Lierre was exceptionally concerned about the three girls. Like an elder caring for a junior, she provided them with incredibly thoughtful care.
Theresa couldn't tell if Lierre had truly put her heart into it or if it was just an effect she was specifically acting out.
What worried her even more was Kiana. Regarding that family photo album, she had never felt at ease. Though Cecilia hadn't denied its authenticity, Theresa feared that some other person in the know might tell Kiana it was fake, thereby dealing her a crushing blow.
Lierre dropped her playful stance, her expression turning calm as she gazed at Theresa.
"Is that hard to guess? Kiana is my niece, I truly do want to adopt Bronya as my daughter, and Raiden Mei is the apprentice who will carry on my culinary legacy! I've invested real feelings into all of them."
"Regarding the last question..."
Lierre took a few steps forward, closing in on Theresa and looking directly into her eyes. "Theresa, that wasn't a story I spun. In a certain sense, it truly did happen."
Struggling to create a false timeline wasn't just to take a few photos. It was the memories of her life before age eight that she had secured for Kiana, to be handed over only when the time was right. Though it was a bit of a hassle, as Kiana's aunt, she naturally had to do something for her niece.
"...I hope you don't betray the trust I've placed in you." Theresa breathed a silent sigh of relief.
As long as she didn't hurt Kiana and the others, it was fine. It was the first time she had seen Lierre so serious. Because of this, the heart that had been hanging in suspense finally found peace.
Coming back to her senses, Theresa looked at Lierre's exquisite face so close to her own and backed away a few steps uncomfortably. She had even been able to smell the pleasant floral fragrance coming from the other girl.
"I have no reason to lie to you about such things, but I am currently agonizing over something else."
Lierre thought for a moment and asked, "Tell me, what attitude should I use toward you in the future? If we're just simple friends, there's this inexplicable relationship between us, which leaves me quite conflicted."
"Ugh..." Theresa finally remembered her other connection to Lierre.
Recalling Lierre's earlier statement of intent, a sudden wave of panic hit her. If Lierre had also invested feelings into her, what should she do? Should she take the initiative to sever this ill-fated bond?
Thinking of this, while her face rapidly heated up, Theresa stammered a reply, "W-we're just acting... right, just acting! Whatever you do, don't take it seriously!"
"With those words from you, I can rest easy."
The conflicted expression on Lierre's face vanished instantly, replaced by a surge of confidence. She had been afraid that if she didn't state her stance, Theresa might eventually start acting the part of a wife for real, and then Lierre would truly become a "scumbag."
Now that she had Theresa's declaration, she had decided how to handle the meeting with Otto.
Seeing Lierre like this, while Theresa felt relieved, she also felt somewhat displeased. Something isn't right; I'm quite popular at St. Freya. Is my charm really so devoid of attraction to Lierre?
"Here, take this. I haven't touched a cent of your dowry; I'm returning it to its original owner. You can spend it, but whatever you do, don't give it back to Otto."
Lierre pulled out a bank card and stuffed it into Theresa's hand, joking, "Of course, if you change your mind in the future, you could consider giving it to me first."
Seeing Lierre's attitude of wanting to distance herself as quickly as possible, Theresa immediately puffed out her cheeks in indignation. She promptly shoved the bank card back. "Take it! If we're going to act, we might as well make it as realistic as possible!"
With that, she turned and left the balcony for the living room without looking back.
Lierre: "?"
Why the big temper? Did she eat gunpowder or something?