NOVPUBEven a heart of iron like Isatia’s had grown capable of feeling.
The idea of revenge evaporated into smoke, and she decided to dedicate her life to pestering her sister as her form of vengeance.
That was what Isatia thought.
Unfortunately, the good times did not last. The century’s holy war arrived, the Demon Race crumbled, and she began a life on the run, hiding her identity, hoping to evade the spotlight, yearning for the day she might reunite with her surviving friends from the Demon Race.
Her demonic life was full of ups and downs. As she continually encountered both gains and losses, saw hope and despair, she began to evolve from the indifferent Second Princess, who had once been content to let the world pass her by, into someone who must awake her long-dormant talents to become one of the Powerful Ones who could alter the current state of affairs.
However, in her most desperate moments, it was her sister who actively sought her out.
Indeed, a sister was still a sister, just like the one she remembered from her youth.
It was only after a long time that Talia, reluctantly, pushed Isatia away by half a step with her hands on her shoulders.
"Isatia, how did you end up like this?"
Her gaze fixed on the scars around Isatia’s neck as she asked.
There were so many things the sisters had to catch up on, but Talia’s most pressing concern was undoubtedly her sister’s well-being.
"There’s too much to tell in just a few words; let’s talk about it later," Isatia said, revealing her true face and averting her gaze.
Her features bore a slight resemblance to Huebelle’s, only more adorable and enticing, and unlike the tall Huebelle, Isatia was a bit shorter.
She instinctively tried to raise her collar to cover the scars, sensing her sister’s worry and anger, like a parent infuriated upon seeing their child bullied.
"Uh-huh."
Talia could probably guess it had something to do with the Blood Clan even without asking.
Guilt spread through her heart.
While she was living peacefully in Ichrite, Isatia might have been fighting the Blood Clan for her life every single day.
The more Talia thought about it, the more she felt she had let her sister down.
Seeing Talia’s melancholic eyes, Isatia roughly guessed her sister’s thoughts but was at a loss for words, not knowing how to reassure her sister against feeling guilty.
"Don’t think like that. You protected Huebelle in Ichrite, which is an indispensable condition for our march toward victory," Lanci interjected from the side.
"Woo."
Talia instantly looked up at Lanci.
Even if Lanci was about to say something rude, this time she didn’t feel like blaming him.
When she was in a good mood, he’d always manage to irritate her, but when she truly felt sad, he turned out to be better to her than anyone else. n𝚘𝚟pub.𝚌o𝚖
"The thing is, I just had to focus on fighting the Blood Clan on the frontline, while you, sister, had to take care of Huebelle in Ichrite, which came with many other considerations," Isatia hastily added, shooting a grateful glance at Lanci.
She was relieved to have someone here who knew how to comfort her sister, showing her how to word things properly.
"Isatia..."
Talia’s voice was soft and teary as she gazed at Isatia once more.
She had always thought of her sister as an eternal child, only to realize now that Isatia had grown up, was no longer the child needing protection, and had even become strong enough to fend for herself while she was unaware.
"Master, why are you acting like a woman? I’m almost too embarrassed to say anything that might upset you," Lanci secretly thought, never having seen Talia so vulnerable before.
Correspondingly, he couldn’t even begin to imagine what the Talia caught in the cruel destiny foretold by the Goddess of Destiny would have become.
"I am a woman, you know?"
Talia, with tearful eyes and a hint of annoyance, grabbed Lanci by the tie, causing him to stumble half a step closer to her.
Their gaze locked in a way that seemed to demand confirmation whether she indeed was a woman.
"Um..."
Lanci uncomfortably shifted his gaze, overwhelmed by Talia’s gaze, which somehow managed to be both vulnerable and commanding. He found himself at a loss for words with Talia for the first time.
He had never seen her demon eyes appear so human; they resembled the gentle warmth of the spring sun, and her tears seemed to rinse her eyes, leaving behind nothing but their pure, ethereal beauty.
"Oh, sister, did you come from Ichrite? And have you met Huebelle?"
Isatia had found the crux of the matter.
She had assumed her sister had simply come to find her, but it turned out that her sister had met Huebelle on her way through the Hutton Kingdom and, from the sound of it, cared deeply for her.
Isatia had only seen Huebelle as a baby.
In the blink of an eye, more than a decade had passed.
Huebelle must have grown into a beautiful woman by now.
After starting her struggle against the Blood Clan, Isatia’s biggest worry had been that those unscrupulous people would bring disaster upon Huebelle, trying to break her and Migaya.
Fortunately, she had Barton keep an eye on the situation in the Hutton Kingdom, and not only was there no news of Miss Duchess coming to harm, but she also saw her and her classmates’ names under the news about the Great Priest Loren.
Now, thinking about it, with her sister protecting Huebelle, it was no wonder the Blood Clan’s minions hadn’t been able to harm her daughter.
"Right, I live with her..."
Talia let go of Lanci’s collar and nodded.
"What does she look like now? What’s her personality like?"
Isatia grabbed Talia’s arms, asking with concern.
"She is very beautiful, as beautiful as you. I can have her draw you a picture. Her personality, personality..."
Talia felt at a loss for words, unable to find the right vocabulary to describe her Xiu Bao, because to her, Xiu Bao was perfect, so she had never considered how to appraise her specifically.
Eventually, Talia could only look to Lanci helplessly.
Lanci wasn’t omnipotent, but to her, he was, even finding Isatia. She had started to become superstitious.
"Don’t worry, Miss Isatia, Huebelle, her elegance, her acumen, that mix of melancholy and resolve, cautiousness and boldness, and that temperament, that naive innocence that doesn’t impede her from having many healthy and correct pieces of knowledge."
Lanci stood to the side with a smile, describing slowly,
"And, she loves you very much; she thinks of you every day."
Unfortunately, he didn’t have his brush and paper on hand right now, otherwise, he would immediately draw Huebelle for Isatia.
"Wuwu... thank you both... I’ve been so unfair to Huebelle, and she still thinks of me?"
At his words, Isatia teared up again.
She knew she had done wrong; whenever her heart was filled with regret, she would become afraid to meet Huebelle, feeling it was irreparable.
Yet this kind child was still longing for her, her incompetent mother.
More than joy, her heart ached; she had fantasized many times that rather than Huebelle hating her, she wished Huebelle wouldn’t think of her, as that would make her feel overwhelmingly guilty.
"But, but has Huebelle started dating any boys? Will she encounter any rivals in love?"
She wiped her tears and asked, concerned.
Huebelle was both exceptional and earnest, and Isatia was worried that her daughter would be deceived by bad men and usurped by bad women.
"..."
The air became quite still for a moment.
The Cat Boss, who had just poked its head out from the shadows, looked back and forth.
It felt that at this moment, both Lanci and Talia had frozen.
"Why aren’t you speaking?"
Isatia’s tears were gone, her eyes much clearer, as she looked at the two speechless before her.
"She doesn’t have a boyfriend yet; I will keep an eye out for her."
Talia assured her resolutely, with an unwavering tone.
"Then I’m relieved. With sister, you personally keeping an eye out, Huebelle will definitely find a good man."
Isatia’s smile brightened, and she nodded.
"Meow..."
The Cat Boss’s mouth formed an "x," holding back from speaking.
Previously, it had enjoyed the excitement, thinking that Xiu Bao and Tata had no Asura Field, but now it was starting to get scared.
