"But I'm sure Rania already notified you beforehand, no?"
Anathasia continued casually, gesturing with one hand as she looked at Roselia, who remained rooted in place.
Roselia nodded, averting her gaze.
"She did pass by, yes."
"And she also informed me regarding…" her eyes shifted toward Grace, who stood beside Kyle, practically clinging to him.
"…her."
She let out a quiet breath, lowering her gaze.
"However… I'm afraid I can't—"
"Is that a yes?" Anathasia cut in smoothly, a wry smile forming on her lips.
Caught off guard, Roselia blinked.
"No, please let me finish—"
"So it really is a yes?" Anathasia interrupted again.
In the next instant, she flickered—reappearing right in front of Roselia, taking both of her hands into hers.
She's not listening…
A flicker of pain crossed Roselia's face, gone just as quickly as it came.
"Miss Veridielle, I don't think I can—"
"So you'll treat her like your own daughter, yes? That's good to know," Anathasia continued, completely steamrolling her again.
…Why is she so insistent…?
Roselia's gaze drifted.
Toward Grace.
The girl was absentmindedly playing with the ends of Kyle's hair.
Then her eyes lifted—
Meeting his.
A look of genuine trust.
Something she hadn't received in… longer than she could remember.
His lips curved into a soft smile. Steady. Patient. Almost… understanding.
And just like that—
Something warm stirred in her chest. Clashing against the weight of her own regret.
…Is that why Miss Veridielle chose him?
Out of everything and everyone that came from her…
He was the only one who saw her as… her.
Her chest tightened.
She looked away.
Down at the floor.
Even as Anathasia continued speaking, her voice simply faded into the background.
Cognitive dissonance… was it?
A bitter laugh echoed in her mind.
Doing something despite knowing it's wrong…
Yeah… I did everything fully aware of what it would do to everyone else.
Roselia slowly closed her eyes.
A faint, bitter smile tugged at her lips.
And even now… I still don't think I was wrong.
But I regret it at the same time…
A pause.
Or… am I just regretting it because things didn't turn out the way I planned?
When Roselia finally snapped out of her thoughts, her gaze met Anathasia's.
A faint glint of determination reflected in her amber eyes.
"So, since you're one of the most disciplined Outer Gods among the seven of us," Anathasia said, tilting her head slightly, her smile bright, almost blinding after Roselia had just returned from her thoughts.
"I trust that you'll raise Grace well, right?"
"And sure, maybe you're a bit unstable sometimes—"
Roselia flinched instantly.
…Was that necessary…?
Even Kyle shot her a look, but Anathasia simply continued.
"So, with that in mind…"
She stepped forward slightly.
"…Please take care of her well, Auntie Roselia."
Her smile widened, leaving Roselia no space to process what had just happened.
And before she could even respond, they were gone.
Anathasia.
Kyle.
Just like that.
Leaving only the pink-haired girl behind.
…She didn't even wait for my approval…
Roselia let out a long sigh, burying her face in her hands.
"Miss Veridielle… why…"
Silence.
After a moment, she lowered her hands and looked at Grace again.
The girl simply stared back at her.
Pure.
Innocent.
Unaware.
And suddenly—
Something stirred in Roselia's chest.
…Why do I feel like protecting this girl from everything else…?
Her eyes widened slightly.
Then—
She shook her head sharply and slapped her cheek once.
No… don't. I'll just be running in circles.
A faint redness bloomed across her cheek, the imprint of her hand lingering for a moment.
She exhaled slowly.
Then looked at Grace again.
This time, a gentle smile formed on her lips.
"I suppose… we'll be together from now on."
Grace blinked.
Still staring at her.
"…So… Auntie…?"
Roselia froze.
Warmth spread through her chest—quiet, unfamiliar.
Then she nodded.
Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around the girl.
"Mhm…"
"…I'm your aunt."
—
**Back at the beach house**
Anathasia paced around the living room, nibbling on her thumb while I watched from behind the couch.
"What if that crazy woman makes my innocent little girl think genocide isn't wrong if you have a good reason…?" she muttered, frowning.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair before casually catching her by the shoulders when she tried to walk past me again.
"Calm down, okay?"
I pulled her closer, ruffling her hair as she struggled against my grip.
Or at least, pretended to.
"She wouldn't do something like that. You're painting her as some kind of monster…"
"She's insane," Anathasia shot back instantly, letting herself lean against me.
"She's unstable…" she added, then promptly bit down on my arm.
A moment passed.
Eventually, she calmed, her back pressing against mine.
"Come on… at least trust her a little. You're the one who technically left Grace in her care, aren't you?"
She didn't respond.
Instead, she stared out the window, watching the sea.
Another sigh slipped from my lips as I leaned forward slightly, burying my face in her hair. Nuzzling into it as she exhaled softly, the faint scent of our shared shampoo lingering.
For a moment, I just stayed there.
Letting myself relax.
Absentmindedly playing with her hair.
"…I still don't trust her completely," she murmured, sinking back into me as my arms wrapped gently around her.
"I think she deserves a chance, at least," I replied quietly.
"And with someone like her taking care of Grace…"
I paused.
"Considering Roselia's background and environment, Grace might grow up to be someone… responsible."
Anathasia scoffed immediately, shaking her head. The strands framing her face swayed lightly.
"Responsible? That woman?"
"She's a Duchess, isn't she?"
"Roselia having a long political history doesn't mean she'd be a good example of being a responsible adult," she argued, her hands gripping my arm as we stood there.
"But she pays her taxes on time, doesn't she? Isn't that enough reason—"
"That's completely different, Kylie," she cut in, glancing back at me with a flat stare.
I went silent, raising an eyebrow for a moment.
Then, with a quiet sigh, I buried my face in her hair again.
We stayed like that for a while.
—
Later…
Still with her arms crossed, she lay back on the couch, using my lap as her pillow like always. Her lips were pressed into a thin line as she stared up at me.
My hands moved gently through her hair, now spilling over the edge of the couch as my fingers combed through it.
"Speaking of Grace…" I murmured.
"Hasn't Lena been… a bit distant lately?"
Anathasia's expression shifted immediately. The hardness in her gaze softened as she nodded slowly.
"So you noticed too…"
I hummed, continuing to run my fingers through her hair.
"It's hard not to. She keeps… pulling away whenever I check on her."
"Ever since the number of planets she was overseeing dropped, it feels like she's constantly on edge…"
A sigh escaped me.
"I don't really know what to do. I don't want to touch on something sensitive and end up pushing her away even more."
"Especially with how quiet she already is."
Anathasia's expression softened further, something uncertain flickering across her face.
"She's been avoiding talking about herself too…" she muttered, a frown forming.
"It's almost like…"
She trailed off.
"…she's back to being the little girl I remember."
"The one who just wanted to be acknowledged… back then."
A pause.
"During that time."
She stopped completely.
Then sat up.
Her expression hardened once more.
Anathasia looked at me over her shoulder, reaching for my wrist.
"We need to get to the bottom of this."
We exchanged a look.
Then nodded—
—and the next moment, we were back in the living room.
Francesca was there, still rubbing her temple with a pen in hand.
She paused, looking up at us.
"Mom? Dad? Back already?"
I froze for a second, my eyes settling on her.
But then—
Right. Aegea. Earth. Non-linear continuums…
I nodded, offering her a small smile as Anathasia stepped forward.
"Where's your big sis? Is she home?"
Francesca stopped, tapping her chin lightly with the pen before answering.
"She said she was gonna visit Apoche and some other planets she's handling,"
"So she's been out since yesterday."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Is something wrong with Big Sis Lena?"
I stood and walked over, gently ruffling her hair.
"We just need to talk to her for a bit," I said, lightly pinching her cheek.
"Ohkays…?" she replied, her voice slightly muffled.
Anathasia shot me a glance, then nodded before heading toward the kitchen.
Letting go of Fran's cheek, I gave her head a small pat.
"Hm… Earth and Life, huh?"
My eyes drifted to her notes and textbooks.
"Mhm…" she muttered, running a hand through her hair.
"I thought it'd just be the basics…"
"But why am I studying what a zygote is…?"
A laugh slipped out of me as I shook my head.
"Zygotes, huh… now I remember how I used to brag about knowing stuff like that back then."
My laugh turned dry.
"Only to get humbled by the same thing in senior high."
Francesca stared at me like I'd just said something unbelievable.
Her eyes wide.