After traveling for hours, they made it more than halfway to the capital.
Licht said, "I'm hungry. Can I have some of the food?"
Liebe replied, "No, you can't. It's for Mommy."
Licht pouted. "Fine. But what direction from here?"
Liebe closed his eyes and concentrated. "From what I'm sensing… she's not at the Black Rose HQ, or even in our territory. Wait... I found her."
"Where is she?" Licht asked quickly.
Liebe pointed. "She's in the royal capital."
"Then let's go!" Licht exclaimed.
By the time they reached the capital, it was already 6:30, and the banquet had begun.
Inside the castle, Lilith had just met up with Gabriel.
Gabriel smiled. "No wonder they call you the Silent Beauty. Even for a married woman, you're quite gorgeous."
Lilith replied coldly, "Don't waste my time. I'm here on duty—for security and management. That's it."
Just before they entered the banquet, Gabriel casually placed his hands on Lilith's shoulders. It wasn't a situation where Lilith could express her discomfort, so she put on a polite face and smiled.
In the banquet hall, Lilith met up with Domr.
"Father," she greeted.
Domr smiled. "How are you, dear? Good to see you're on time."
"Well… at Celesport, we received a fine," Lilith said.
"A fine? For what?" Domr asked.
"Hunting… and some other things. Liebe did a few things without permission. We got fined."
"How big is the fine?"
"30,000 gold coins."
Domr chuckled. "At least we know he's your child."
Lilith narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Domr smirked. "You've got a history of overspending. Tenebris is frugal, so obviously Liebe got it from you."
Lilith sighed. "Maybe…"
Around that time, Liebe and Licht had arrived at the capital.
"Any idea where Aunty is?" Licht asked.
Liebe focused. "Found her. She's at the castle."
As they approached the castle, Licht spotted Lilith inside—laughing politely, Gabriel's hand still on her shoulder. Not wanting Liebe to see, and trying to protect his best friend, Licht hesitated and said, "She's not there. Let's go look somewhere else."
Liebe turned to follow, but asked softly, "Licht… usually when you say something, it's fact. Why did you lie just now?"
Licht froze. "What?"
Liebe said calmly, "My dark magic allows me to sense impure emotions. When you said that, I sensed guilt."
Licht looked away. "I'm sorry…"
Ignoring the moment, Liebe slipped inside through a window, with Licht following close behind.
They encountered Astreous.
"Well, hello, Liebe," Astreous said with a smile. "You've grown."
"Hello, Uncle Astreous," Liebe replied politely.
"Looking for your mother?" Astreous gestured. "She's just around the corner."
Liebe turned the corner—and froze.
There, his mother stood smiling, as a stranger's arms wrapped around her. The wrapped-up food dropped from Liebe's hands.
He rushed forward, grabbing her dress. "Mommy… why did you come here? Am I really that bad of a child that you had to lie just to go to a party?"
Seeing Liebe's tearful face, Lilith was horrified. She immediately pushed Gabriel's arm away.
"I'm sorry, Liebe," she whispered. "I tried to explain, but I thought you wouldn't understand."
"Why, Mommy? Why?" Liebe cried. "Is this person really more important than me and Daddy? Mommy, please don't leave me!"
He ran away from the banquet, tears flooding his eyes. Just as he reached the entrance of the castle, he sat down, sobbing, his cheeks puffy and red.
Inside the hall, Gabriel moved to place his hand on Lilith's shoulder again, but she shoved him away.
"Forget the banquet. Forget everything. My son is more important!"
"Where are you going?" Gabriel called after her.
But Lilith ignored him and ran out.
She found Liebe sitting by the castle entrance, crying alone. She hugged him tightly.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm such a bad mother. I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't bring myself to say the truth."
Liebe said nothing and began crossing the castle bridge. Lilith followed, but just then Gabriel appeared again.
"Lilith, I love you," he said. "I don't care that you're married. You married a commoner, and your son is a hybrid. If you marry me, I'll make all of it disappear."
He walked closer and grabbed her wrist.
Lilith snapped. "Shut up! Are you an idiot or what?!"
Liebe turned, eyes burning.
"It was you," he said. "You're the one who caused all this. You're the one trying to separate Mommy and Daddy!"