The garden fell silent once more. In the silence, Gawain stared at the Silver Empress for a long while, trying to guess her true intentions at this moment—though he felt he had roughly figured them out, he could not shake the feeling that he had overlooked something.
The Silver Empress observed Gawain in silence as well. Her platinum eyes were deep as water. No one knew what she saw in him at this moment, nor what she wished to see. After more than ten seconds of silence, she said softly, "From the perspective of the Silver Empress, I have no need to confirm whether you truly are Uncle Gawain—I am merely dealing with the ruler of a newly risen human empire in the Northern Continent, so it is enough for me to know what kind of ally you are."
Gawain looked into the Silver Empress's eyes. "But everything you just said could be a false appearance."
"Everything every ruler does could be a false appearance. In that regard, whether you are an 'Outworld Wanderer' makes no difference," the Silver Empress said calmly. "What matters is my judgment. If I judge wrongly, then the price that follows is naturally mine to bear."
"...Rest assured, your judgment is correct. I will be more reliable than you imagine," Gawain said. Then his tone shifted. "But I still have a question—you answered me just now from the perspective of the 'Silver Empress,' but as Bercetia, what does your heart tell you? I sit before you, yet inside I am someone you do not know. Frankly, that would not be easy for anyone else to accept."
Bercetia pursed her lips, a rare expression on her face. Even for her, answering this question seemed especially difficult. After a brief hesitation, she broke the silence. "That is