The sexy long dress on her body, after the illusion dissipated, also revealed its wear and stains, and the hem of the skirt was even a bit frayed.
"Your Excellency, Karl... I... I truly know I was wrong!"
"I'm sorry! I shouldn't... shouldn't insult your mother!"
"Keira prays that you... I pray that you will forgive me for my mistakes!" Keira's voice was tearful and trembling uncontrollably, and she lay on the ground, not daring to look up.
Karl turned around, and when his gaze fell on Keira, in her true state at that moment, his eyes involuntarily flickered with surprise.
He had expected Keira to be having a hard time, but he hadn't expected it to be so... miserable.
The life of "exile" over the past six months had been far harsher than he had imagined.
He didn't even have to get very close to see small creatures vaguely moving through her hair; a quick glance showed more than a dozen lice.
This once pampered and well-groomed sorceress was now in no better condition than the most destitute beggar.
Karl's eyes were calm, he spoke indifferently, and his voice clearly echoed in the quiet room: "The person you should apologize to is my mother, Alyssa, not me."
Before Keira could react, Karl raised his hand and lightly inhaled, and a portal with energy sparks falling from its edge opened beside him.
Opposite the portal was a quiet and solemn cemetery in the fiefdom of Terra.
Directly facing the portal was a tombstone engraved with the name "Alyssa El."
Karl had thought, given Keira's past arrogance and awkwardness, even now,
she might still need to be pushed or pressured into reluctantly and resentfully going to the tombstone to apologize.
However, to his surprise, Keira was stunned for less than a second by the sudden appearance of the portal, contradicting her thoughts.
A flicker of complex emotion passed through her eyes, and she immediately struggled to her feet.
Without the slightest hesitation, she staggered straight through the portal and knelt before Alyssa's tombstone with a thud.
She didn't stand on ceremony or hesitate, but began to bow vigorously, her forehead hitting the bluestone slab before the tomb, making a dull sound.
As she bowed, she continued to speak words of apology in a voice full of choking and deep remorse: "Mrs. El... I'm sorry! I was wrong!"
"I shouldn't have insulted you with those evil words... I'm a stupid, arrogant, conceited bastard!"
"Please forgive me... I truly know I was wrong... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
Her apology echoed across the empty cemetery with heartbreaking sincerity.
Tears welling from the corners of her eyes, mixed with blood trickling from her forehead, left two clear streaks on her dark, gaunt face.
Karl stood at this end of the portal, quietly watching the scene on the cemetery on the other side.
He understood that Keira's remorse, fear, and apologies at this moment were not disguised performances.
But truly coming from the heart, stemming from complete awakening under the hardships of the past six months.
Karl couldn't help but sigh slightly and shake his head: if she had known this, why did she do it in the first place?
If Keira had been willing to bow her head and admit her mistake when Triss advised her half a year ago, why would she have had to endure a life worse than death these six months?
For Keira, who once held a high position and enjoyed luxury and respect, the past six months had been a decline from a court advisor to solving the problems of poor residents.
Moreover, she is still engaged in manual labor, and her income is so meager as to be almost negligible.
The poor sanitation, having to endure the contempt of others, and the psychological gap with her former self is truly hellish.
Seeing that the wound on Keira's forehead was getting bigger and bigger, the blood staining a small piece of the stone slab red,
Karl finally spoke, and his voice clearly reached Keira's ears through the portal: "Keira, stop. Your apology—Alyssa has received it."
Keira's movements abruptly stopped, and she collapsed as if weak.
She bowed three times deeply and solemnly to the tombstone, each bow seeming to exhaust all her strength.
Then she staggered back through the portal, returning to the quiet room, which silently closed with a wave of Karl's hand.
Keira stood before him, pressing her cracked lips together and nervously wringing her hands.
She looked at Karl with anticipation, like a prisoner awaiting a final verdict.
Karl raised two fingers, calmly looked at her, and gently said: "I will give you two options."
He paused and clearly enunciated the first option: "First, I want you..."
Before the words fell, Keira suddenly shuddered upon hearing them, and then a light flashed in her eyes, and she actually revealed... surprise?!
It seemed she had mistaken this for some kind of "transaction" she was used to understanding.
Her hands, covered in dirt and blood, immediately grabbed the edges of the shoulder straps of her dress and were already about to take it off.
Her face even flushed with relief and slight anticipation.
Seeing this, Karl's expression changed slightly. He abruptly stepped back half a step, raised his voice, and asked with surprise and displeasure: "What do you think you're doing?!"
Keira's undressing motion froze in mid-air, and the expectant expression on her face froze, turning into thick doubt.
She looked up and answered with some uncertainty: "You... didn't you say you wanted me?"
She deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of the word "want" to imply some kind of physical possession.
Karl's face instantly darkened, the corners of his lips twitching several times, and a sense of absurdity mixed with speechlessness washed over his heart.
He suppressed his emotions, and his voice turned cold: "Keira! What filthy things are in your head?!"
"I want you to do something for me! Work for me! In your current state, do you still think you can get my body?"
"Heh, even if you paid me, I'd feel disgusted!"
These words, like a cold whip, struck Keira's face hard.
Her face instantly turned pale, and a flicker of intense shame and anger appeared in her eyes.
But in the face of Karl's undisguised contempt, she quickly restrained and suppressed all these emotions.
She angrily let go of her hand holding the straps, pretended nothing had happened, and re-hooked the shoulder straps that had slipped down both sides, fastening them.
However, the movement was extremely stiff, reflecting the extreme embarrassment and humiliation in her heart.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her voice, and changed the subject, asking: "So, Your Excellency Karl, what is the second option?"
Karl looked at her forced composure and said angrily: "The second option—with Foltest, you definitely won't be able to regain your former position as a court advisor."
"But I can step forward and ask the Brotherhood of Sorcerers to give you an opportunity to atone for your crimes."
"Let them revoke part of your punishment and reassign you to assist a king."
"However, whether you can establish yourself again depends on your own performance."