The next day, rain poured down on Lyovianne heavily as if the world was mourning for something unseen. Voltrania sat on the roof of the headquarters while looking at the small town of Lyovianne, she thought back to Gladia's words the other day, she felt that she had been confused about who she really was, why could she suddenly consider herself a "Queen"? Why did she suddenly claim to be a judge if she could only execute her enemies on the battlefield instead of holding a real trial? And why did the people and the Crimson Wing just follow her lead without criticizing her? She felt unworthy of recognition. Behind her Lily stood silently, observing Voltrania while waiting for orders.
After a long silence, Lily finally approached her slowly and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Your Highness, are you alright?" Lily asked softly.
"Don't call me that anymore. I don't deserve it," she replied softly.
Lily smiled softly and sat down beside her. "Why?"
Voltrania sighed softly. "Lily...I have a question, and you have to be honest."
Lily nodded slowly, waiting for her to continue. Voltrania looked out at the city.
"How am I feeling right now?"
"That's a tough question to ask, and the answer could be even worse," Lily replied.
"Just answer it, and I'll accept it,"
Voltrania said, bowing her head.
Lily began to explain everything.
"Since you were first appointed leader of Crimson Wing, replacing Lady Victoria, you've been suffering from delusions of grandiosity, causing your mental state to deteriorate. You claim to be Queen and Supreme Court Justice, when in fact you're just a 'commoner' with no royal record."
Those words struck Voltrania hard in the face, and she felt such shame that she wanted to hide in her room forever.
Voltrania asked again, this time with a slight tremor in her voice.
"Then... why did you all let me do that? Was I just a clown for you, so you just went along with the flow and enjoyed my show?"
"It's not like that... Your Highness," Lily replied quietly.
Lily continued, this time in a low, slightly sad tone.
"We did that because we felt sorry for you at first."
"When you were 10 years old. More precisely, on June 12, 3010, when you were playing with Cassandra and Lisa in the garden. Miss Victoria invited you to play Queen and Servant, but when it was your turn to be 'queen,' you thought it was real, and you often called yourself a princess. We thought you were still playing around in your fantasies just to entertain yourself."
"But... after Lady Victoria's death... your mental illness worsened, and you claimed to be our 'queen' who would carry everyone's hopes. Some wanted to resist, but they understood your condition. So that's why I made a rule to let you lead so you could figure it out for yourself."
Voltrania shed tears, her voice trembling. "So... am I crazy?"
Lily shook her head.
"Not completely... but the longer you rule... the more we realize... that you are indeed worthy to be our queen."
"Why?" Voltrania asked, wiping her nose with her sleeve.
Lily stopped her, then held out a handkerchief for her. She chuckled as she replied.
"Hehe... look at all you've built! You've made the citizens prosperous with your rule that upholds equality and justice."
"You're not a queen in the formal historical records like a royal blood or anything like that. You're a queen for all those who have lost so much in this world, and they've all acknowledged it. You're our Queen, Your Majesty~"
Voltrania stood up and looked up as the rain soaked her face, hiding her tears.
"Thank you for saying that... I don't mind if you call me a 'fake Queen'... as long as you all live safely and happily," she said with a smile.
Lily nodded, replacing her hand with an umbrella and covering Voltrania's head.
"It's okay, Your Majesty. Now let's go inside before you catch a cold."
Voltrania walked back into the headquarters with Lily. Once inside, Voltrania walked the hallways in silence with Lily behind her, still waiting for Lisa's report on Gladia's interrogation. She suddenly stopped and stared out the window quietly, listening to the gentle patter of rain that revitalized nature and its citizens, keeping them from thirsting.
Then, the sound of small, fast footsteps could be heard from the end of the hallway. It was the little blue-haired girl Voltrania had saved the other day. She looked healthy and happy to see her. The little girl happily hugged Voltrania's leg, smiling sweetly and happily, clinging to her tightly, as if she didn't want to be separated from her.
"Mama...Mama..." the girl murmured, burying her face in her feet.
Voltrania's eyes widened in surprise, confused as to why the girl had suddenly called her that. A strange feeling began to spread throughout her body, something she had long lost.
"Ma...Mama?" Voltrania asked softly.
"Yes...Mama is my mom~" the little girl replied, giggling.
Lily lifted the little girl in her arms.
"Your Highness~ do you remember the little girl you saved a few days ago? Her name is Liora now, she's only 7 years old, and she's your adopted daughter."
Voltrania's jaw dropped and her pupils constricted, clearly shocked by the sudden change. Her legs felt weak, and she leaned against the wall to maintain her balance.
Voltrania looked at Lily, her face still shocked. "What...what does THIS mean??"
Lily smiled sweetly.
"Hehe...you have a daughter now. After you saved her, she felt indebted to you and saw you as a mother, which is why I adopted her and named her."
Voltrania took Liora from Lily with trembling hands, cradling her in her arms. She stared into her beautiful, confident eyes, sensing the determination of a warrior beneath her small frame.
"Hello, dear~" Voltrania greeted softly.
"Hehe~ Don't worry, Mama... I will protect you with my life, just as you protected me." Liora replied confidently.
Lily bowed slightly.
"Then I'll go first to give you both some space. I'll prepare a bed for Liora in your room." Then she walked away.
Voltrania smiled at Liora and gently touched her cheek, as if looking at a very precious treasure in her life. Then she remembered the mysterious cube Liora had brought back from the laboratory, but she would examine it later because for now, she wanted to focus on slowly healing herself with her new daughter.
"Come on, honey~ let's go for a walk," Voltrania said before kissing her forehead.
"LET'S GO, MAMAAAA!!" Liora shouted.
With that, Voltrania walked down the hallway, carrying Liora. She had already thought of several activities she could do with her little daughter, wanting to improve herself.
Meanwhile, at the Crimson Wing prison fortress, Gladia sat silently in the interrogation room, alone, her hands shackled with special handcuffs that prevented her from using her powers. She couldn't see, but she knew there was a bowl of warm soup in front of her. This was the first time she had ever felt the warmth of food. She had never experienced such delicious smells or warmth from anything around her; she had only been surrounded by a piercing cold.
Lisa and Laura watched from the CCTV room, observing her every movement, even though she hadn't moved at all.
"Should we go in now?" Laura asked, sitting on Lisa's lap.
"Not yet. There's a chance we won't be able to intimidate or provoke her." Lisa replied calmly.
"Okay~ we'll wait a little longer," Laura said, wrapping her arms around her neck.
Suddenly, a tall, white-haired woman appeared behind them.
"What are you doing?"
Laura was startled and immediately stood up. "Um... um... it's nothing... we're just monitoring our prisoner."
Lisa turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Who are you?"
"My name is Bianca. I'm a nun from White Moon. I officially joined the Crimson Wings a few weeks ago," she replied.
Lisa stood up and crossed her arms, speaking coldly.
"Then why are you here? You're not allowed to enter the CCTV room yet."
Bianca replied quietly.
"Excuse me, General. The door was open, and I was curious, so I went in."
Lisa sighed, looking at Laura with a sharp gaze. Laura scratched the back of her head with a small chuckle.
"Hehe...sorry, I forgot~" Laura said, "Oh yeah, Lisa, this is Bianca. She can make anyone tell the truth in an instant."
Bianca stepped forward slowly, looking at Gladia through the CCTV.
"What did she do to end up in the interrogation room?"
"Hmm... if you'll allow it, I can try talking to her," Bianca said, looking at her.
Lisa put a hand on her shoulder.
"She's dangerous, you know?"
Laura suddenly had an idea and removed Lisa's hand from Bianca's shoulde.
"Lisa~ Just let her do it, she's very skilled at interrogating, you know~"
Lisa sighed softly, looking at Bianca with some worry. "Huh~ Okay, I'll let her. You go in and ask some questions while we wait outside just in case."
Bianca nodded slowly, already having a plan in her head. Shortly after, Lisa and Laura opened the door to the interrogation room, inviting Bianca to enter and do her job.
Bianca slowly walked into the room as the door closed behind her. She sat across from Gladia and looked at her sympathetically. The room was eerily silent, the lights flickering several times, adding to the tension of the conversation between the nun and her patient.
Laura fiddled with the light switch to add to the tension. "off, on, off, on."
Lisa slapped her hand away and glared at her. "Stop it!!"
Back inside, Bianca calmed herself down as usual before finally starting a conversation.
"Hello, Gladia... is the soup good?" Bianca asked lightly. Gladia didn't answer, instead pushing the bowl away slightly. Bianca continued.
"Well, that's your first answer. If you don't like it, we'll throw it away," Bianca said, reaching for the bowl of soup.
Gladia reflexively snatched it back and shielded it with her hand as if it were the most precious thing in her life. Bianca wasn't surprised by the sudden movement; she smiled gently and pulled her hand back. "You're really cold, aren't you? That's why you're protecting the soup like your life"
Gladia quickly finished the soup so no one could take it from her. Bianca looked at her with a gentle gaze, understanding her current predicament.
"You're just a cold little girl... who's never felt the warmth of those around you."
Hearing this surprised Gladia. She hated to admit it, but if it meant she could have warm soup again, she decided to answer.
"That's... true..." she replied quietly.
Bianca continued, managing to get him to open up a little, more gently this time.
"You're so innocent... yet the world has stained you with its cruelty, so you've never experienced kindness in your life."
Gladia nearly cried at those beautiful words, looking down as if they had given her life again. But realizing that she shouldn't trust anyone's words anymore, she remained silent and moved her chair back slightly.
Bianca was shocked when she refused again. She didn't give up, she tried again.
"You don't have to believe me. We can let you go back to your old life if you want."
Hearing that made Gladia afraid, afraid to go back, afraid to lose that warm soup again, afraid to lose the warmth and softness of someone in front of her. Her body trembled and shivered at the thought, she wanted to stay here longer.
"Please...don't..." Gladia said softly, her voice trembling.
Bianca reached out and gently touched Gladia's hollow, rotting cheek like cotton, wiping it like a normal child, without the slightest hint of disgust. Gladia's blind eyes began to shed a few tears, touched by the sudden gesture; now she had a great reason to stay here longer.
"Please...keep me...here...a little longer," Gladia said softly.
Hearing that, Bianca, not wanting to waste the opportunity, immediately struck her target. "What if I make you a good offer?"
"An offer?" She asked.
Bianca replied confidently.
"How about you join me and become a nun? You can call me big sister and be my adopted sister."
Hearing that angered Gladia; such things simply didn't suit her. She was a cold-blooded warrior who killed her enemies mercilessly, not a devoted follower of God. But thinking back on all the benefits brought conflict back to her mind; perhaps this was the solution she had always been asking for.
Gladia gripped her hand tightly, trying to ask softly.
"Do... I still have the freedom... to fight?"
Bianca chuckled softly, and continued.
"Hehe~ I'm not surprised by that question. You can be both a Crimson Wing trooper and a nun in our cathedral."
Tears began to well up in her blind eyes, feeling the overwhelming emotion engulfing her heart. Gladia stood up and hugged Bianca gently, feeling incredibly grateful that she was finally given a chance at happiness in life.
"Thank you... thank you..." she said, wiping her nose on Bianca's uniform.
Bianca hugged her back, not minding having Gladia stay at her home.
"Shhh~ It's okay. Come with me, we'll bathe you first."
Gladia smiled softly, finally having the home she deserved. She hugged Bianca tightly, crying loudly. Bianca hugged her back, sending a feeling of warmth and security to her, easing some of the burden on her shoulders. She would care for Gladia like her own little sister and love her with all her heart.
Meanwhile, Voltrania was playing with Liora in the park. Liora was holding the teddy bear Voltrania had just bought her. She sat on her lap, holding her new teddy as Voltrania gently combed her hair. Watching her new daughter smile happily lightened the burden on Voltrania's shoulders. Her motherly spirit surfaced somehow, but she felt that this was the best therapy ever.
"Honey~ would you tell Mama a little about yourself? Where are you from?" she asked softly, seeking information.
Liora's smile faded slowly, and she answered softly.
"I...actually, I don't know who I am...I don't even remember why I'm here."
"Then what do you remember?" She asked again.
Liora answered quietly. "I don't remember anything."
"Is that so...it's okay, dear. Now, I'm here to guide you towards a better future. I promise to protect you and make you happy," Voltrania said, gently stroking her cheek.
Liora smiled again and hugged Voltrania, speaking confidently.
"Thank you...I promise to make you proud."
Voltrania looked up at the sky, saying to herself.
"Even though I'm an ordinary person who claims to be a queen due to delusions, I can slowly become a mother to this poor child, so I can distract myself from my delusions and cultivate a motherly spirit to forget them. You always think beyond logic, Lily..."