"Circe, are you saying..." Carcas seemed to realize something. "The person Snape loves is merely the witch he imagined?"
"More or less." Circe's tone brimmed with confidence. "Carcas, it seems your Eye Sockets are occasionally useful after all."
"Lily Evans was the first ray of sunlight he ever saw while trapped in the cold house of the Snape family. He kept trying to chase that ray of sunlight, never realizing that the door had long since closed."
"Of course! Or perhaps it wasn't that he failed to realize it..." She shrugged. "Maybe he simply didn't dare admit it. I've seen far too many men like that."
"Wonderful, truly wonderful!" Herpo raised a hand and applauded. "Then it seems Lily Evans's relationship with Snape was rather distant?"
"That question..." Circe looked toward Voldemort. "I think only Snape's master can give the correct answer."
"I don't know." Voldemort shook his head lightly. "I don't concern myself with such matters."
"But based on the information Peter provided..." He narrowed his eyes as he recalled it. "They could be considered distant."
"After all, she had a child with another man, then relied on the 'Fidelius Charm' to survive like a rat."
"That makes it feel even more pathetic." Herpo sneered. "It sounds like the tragic manuscript of some terrible poet—utterly unoriginal and simply revolting."
"Of course, you may keep mocking him." Circe raised an eyebrow. "Such emotions may seem foolish to you, but they can also draw forth powerful magic."
"Oh, I nearly forgot!" Carcas laughed. "You once said yourself... Odysseus was able to break free of your magic because of his loyalty to Penelope?"
"How annoying!" Circe's brows arched, and her lips pressed into a straight line.
Her gaze settled on Carcas, carrying a hint of threat. "Carcas, it seems you lost to