Chapter 137
Sylaria pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. Euclid climbed onto the bed and sat beside her.
“Euclid, when did the Maw first start appearing?”
“As far as I know, it began in the current Emperor’s reign. It must have opened not long after His Majesty ascended the throne.”
Sylaria’s eyes widened at Euclid’s explanation. To her, the Maw appearing was as natural an occurrence as rain or snow.
From the moment she was old enough to understand anything, everyone around her had already known about the Maw. She had assumed it had existed much longer. But its history was surprisingly short.
“Then did the Holy Knight Order form because the Maw appeared? And divine power too? Did divine power used to not exist, the power used to kill monsters and erase the Maw?”
“I wish I could tell you in more detail, but all I’ve ever done is run around killing monsters. I don’t know the finer history.”
Euclid looked troubled by Sylaria’s barrage of questions. Seeing her disappointment, he stroked his chin. Then he suddenly smiled and looked at her.
“Once your neck heals, shall we visit the temple? Linder would know.”
“Linder, you mean the High Priest, right? Alright.”
Euclid chuckled softly at the way Sylaria’s eyes lit up. She tilted her head and asked,
“Why are you laughing?”
“When I look at you, you’re much braver than I am.”
“Me?”
“You nearly died. You even have bandages around your neck, yet you’re full of energy. I was worrying about what I’d do if you suddenly broke down crying.”
“If crying could fix anything, I would’ve cried. But it doesn’t.”
Sylaria spoke bitterly. If it were her past self, she would have cried already. Not only that, she would have trembled helplessly in front of Wilder as she was overpowered.
But Sylaria had changed. She was no longer weak or obedient.
There are people like Arendtert and Grizelle who never change, and there are also people like Sylaria who transform into someone completely different. Everything depends on one’s resolve.
If one has a firm heart and resolute determination, letting go of a frail self is not difficult. Sylaria believed that.
And that belief had helped her come this far.
“Weren’t you scared?”
Euclid asked gently as he stroked her cheek. Sylaria softly took his large hand into hers.
“Of course I was afraid. But I believed you would save me.”
“I was terrified. The moment my neck began to tighten, the thought that this pain was coming to you made my mind go blank.”
Euclid’s low voice trembled faintly. He wrapped his strong arms around her. Pressing his face into the crook of her neck, he whispered,
“Thank you for staying alive, for holding on. Sylaria.”
Sylaria closed her eyes in his warm embrace. Through their touching bodies she could hear the heartbeat in his chest. Its deep, steady rhythm drew a beautiful curve across her lips.
* * *
Cressida barely supported herself by grabbing the table. The moment she entered her bedchamber, she released the breath she had been holding in.
“Ugh, huff…”
She clutched at her heart as she gasped. Her body trembled violently and her eyes bulged as if they might come out of their sockets.
“Haa, haa, huff!”
Blood vessels burst in her eyes as she struggled to calm her breathing. Once she finally managed to draw steady breaths, she let out a long sigh and collapsed onto the bed.
‘That was close.’
If she had stayed in the Second Prince’s Palace even a moment longer, she might have had a seizure right there. She felt relieved that she had managed to reveal her weakened state only after reaching a safe place.
“I wonder if my son knows how much his mother suffers because of him.”
Cressida let out a hollow laugh. That foolish Arendtert had so easily asked her to open the Maw for him. He had no idea how great a burden it placed on her.
‘Should I not have told him?’
She gnawed at her regret. Being able to open a Maw at will had been a secret she kept throughout her life. But when the Maw became entangled in the Crown Prince succession scheme, she had no choice but to reveal the truth to Arendtert.
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