When the plot-skips players into the game world

Aiwass keenly sensed that Lily had fallen into a state of grief and sorrow.

Her soul was in agony, as though pricked and scorched by needles and flames.

Yet at the same time, Lily did not cry, nor did she seem about to. Instead, her lips slightly curved upwards, as if she wanted to smile, but the smile was terribly ugly.

"What's wrong?"

Aiwass asked in a concerned low voice.

Lily shook her head slightly, without speaking.

She appeared very tired, to the point of having no energy even for talking. Her whole being was pervaded by a sense of decay and loss of spirit, empty and drifting, like a homeless little ghost.

"—Who is Antlers?"

Aiwass quickly realized that the issue was about Antlers.

Lily was silent for a while, then answered softly, "Minister Drost."

She did not refer to him in the emotionally complex way she used to, with phrases like "that man" or "my biological father." Instead, she called him by name with an icy coldness...

"—Then tell me about it."

Aiwass seated Lily by the lamp.

The ceremony had a time limit of only one hour. Almost half of it had already passed,

but he was not in a hurry to find the Holy Lance, nor to pursue the remaining two people—caring for one's own people's feelings took precedence over rushing to exterminate and hinder others.

"Grief, pain, hatred... these things are like wine, they ferment over time into a richer taste."

Aiwass said softly, "On the other hand, if one could taste it early and share it with others... it might not be such a bad way to savor a bittersweet drunkenness."

"He said..."

Lily hesitated for a moment but couldn't help speaking out.

Because she did indeed want to confide in someone.

When chatting with Princess Isabel before, the princess had, upon hearing that Lily's father was Minister Drost, verbally lashed out at him. At that time, Lily was quietly comforting the princess, while also trying to make excuses for her own father.

Lovers were one thing, that could at most be considered a personal morality issue.

But having an illegitimate child was a different matter.

To the whole family, an illegitimate child was a mark of dishonor, and very troublesome.

If an illegitimate child were acknowledged, this might imply that the head of the family favored this child, and their inheritance was unfair to the children who had already been living in the family. From the perspective of outsiders, the pure blood of the family would also be tainted.

Moreover, in fact, illegitimate children did indeed have inheritance rights. Therefore, there would often be fierce disputes within the family... which typically meant the onset of chaos and the end of kinship.

But if the illegitimate child was not recognized, left to be uneducated and a source of shame outside— even if the illegitimate child did not carry the family surname, others with intentions would take them as members of the family, utilizing them as ammunition to attack the family in public opinion.

Just by being born, regardless of where, the illegitimate child could only bring chaos and stain to the family.

As an illegitimate child, they were also very pitiable. They were completely innocent and had done nothing wrong...

However, if they joined the household, they would be looked upon with disdain and subjected to bullying; if they were abandoned and left to fend for themselves, they could easily be lured by enemies of the family into doing wrong to attack the family that had forsaken them; even if they were hardworking and talented, any success they achieved through their efforts would be seen as "favoritism due to the other half of their bloodline."

Yet Princess Isabel was not aware that it was not that there were few illegitimate children of other ministers. Rather, they all stripped their illegitimate children of their surnames and sent them to other families as servants.

This was not a rare occurrence. Since these illegitimate children were forbidden to proclaim their origins, it was hard to find out where they ended up, unless it was through face-to-face questioning.

For this reason, at the time, Lily even wanted to argue in favor of Minister Drost... because her time with the Moriarty Family had been not so bad. Old Moriarty was kind to her and had tacitly allowed her to read; Mr. Aiwass, who had taken care of her since her childhood, was also understanding and gentle, even willing to request an additional reading seat from the princess for her wish.

When Princess Isabel rebuked Minister Drost, Lily thought he wasn't so bad— it was because her father had chosen a good family for her that she now could live peacefully and happily. She did not have to engage in scheming with others, nor endure disdain or bullying.

...But now, Lily found that this was not due to Old Drost's good arrangement.

Having become Aiwass's personal maid, she was in essence half a "Moriarty"; yet Minister Drost still minded her coming out to school and appearing in public and had even hired an assassin to kill her, disregarding the face of the Moriarty Family, all to avoid trouble that her status as an illegitimate child might bring to himself.

This indicates that the relationship between the Drost Family and the Moriarty Family is not that good. Explore more adventures at empire

In other words, the favorable treatment she received from the Moriarty Family was not on account of her father's influence. It was simply that the people she encountered within the Moriarty Family were kind.

This realization sent a chill through Lily's heart.

——Her biological father had killed her own mother, and now he wanted to murder her as well. All this time, she had harbored complex emotions towards him, a mix of hatred, gratitude, curiosity, grievance, and yearning... But now, all these emotions had transformed into a murderous intent.

She had thanked the wrong person. The one truly deserving of gratitude, the only one worthy of repayment, had always been in front of her.

It was ridiculous. She had thought her father had feelings for her.

"...I see."

After listening to Lily's narrative, Aiwass nodded slightly.

"I will help you resolve this matter. Let me think..."

He fell into deep thought, then answered softly, "I won't let him ascend... But you must not act. To him, you are now an underling of 'Grey Green,' having taken his murder orders. So keep quiet, don't arouse his suspicion. Only then will you be in a safer position.

"He must die within a month.

"If you can't bring yourself to do it outside, leave it to me. I will kill him for you. But if you want to do it yourself, then I will leave you the final chance to execute him.

"No matter what, ordering a child to kill her own father is inhumane; but if the child seeks vengeance for her murdered mother and retaliates for herself who is about to be murdered, then it is justified.

"But regardless, I will protect you. You are, after all, brought up by the Moriarty Family. Since you can't be a 'Drost,' become a 'Moriarty.' You know that now the foster father is suspected to have passed away... Whether it is Edward or me who inherits the family, I will give you the surname 'Moriarty.'

Aiwass did not say something soothing like "cry if you want to cry," but instead spoke seriously, "Also, don't cry... That man is not worth your tears.

"If you can't help it, then laugh. Don't cry over the past, laugh for the future."

At this point, Aiwass suddenly thought of the poem written by Crown Prince Lohar, so he recited softly:

"One day, I shall break free from these leaden shackles;

"I shall rise with the smoke, free as the wind;

"I shall have a day of shining, bright as the stars, resplendent like the moonlight..."

He felt that this poem was perfectly suited for Lily at this moment.

The shadowy observer who bound her fate would be removed, and she would claim her freedom anew.

One day, she would rise and shine with her own light.

Not as "Drost's illegitimate child," but as "Lily" herself.

Aiwass looked at Lily and said earnestly, "You should celebrate such a future with joy, laugh aloud. If you still have worries, it's only because vengeance has not yet been completed.

"——So, don't be scared. I am with you."

Having said this, he slowly stood up and stretched his body a little.

Lily also stood up in sync with him, silently melting into the shadows.

They had talked here for close to fifteen minutes; there was probably only about a third of the time left for the ceremony.

Yet Aiwass didn't show any sign of nervousness.

"Let's not go after the Holy Lance for now."

Aiwass made a decision: "First, let's help you collect some interest——

"——Shadow Demon, lead the way. I'm going to kill."

"Hehe..."

For some reason, in front of Lily, Shadow Demon reverted to using its own raspy, deep voice: "Such sweet vengeance, such fresh flesh... You finally have the opportunity to bare your fangs, to display the wickedness of your nature.

"I shall be delighted, my master. I will kill for you... I will keep killing for you——kill everyone."