A Life Always Spent Running Away

Iver opened his eyes slightly.

" —Inilis Blooming Flowers"

He whispered Isabel's Mother's name.

In that instant, many clues intertwined in Iver's mind. Many things that had previously puzzled Iver finally connected at this moment: he remembered clearly— Yanis's mentor was named Betina Tia Blooming Flowers.

In the game's original lore, Isabel, who fled to this place, sacrificed her fertility through a forbidden ritual to ensure the continuation of the Flower Kingdom. She then became the Queen of Flowers and rebuilt the Camelot.

Betina Tia died in 1704, and it is now 1899. One hundred and ninety-five years have passed since her death—precisely the time Yanis left without a word. Inilis Blooming Flowers was over two hundred years old twenty years ago... meaning that when Yanis left the Theocracy, Innelis must have been a little girl.

Because Betina Tia is dead, the legacy of Lady Blossom cannot be passed down... At least, even Yanis cannot call herself "Yanis Blossom," indicating that Yanis herself has not mastered Lady Blossom's inherited ability to manipulate plants. Needless to say, Innelis could be easily cursed to death by the Bone Carver, is another case in point.

Since Innelis can inherit this surname, there are only two possibilities—either Innelis is Yanis's junior and is more in line with the Lady of Blossoms' legacy than Yanis, or she is Betina Tia's daughter.

The latter is much more likely.

Because if their relationship was merely that of master and apprentice, then by Isabel's generation, there should be no direct connection between her and Lady Blossom.

Yanis had visited Avalon almost sixty years ago. She left happily, like a free wind. But about ten years ago, Yanis suddenly and inexplicably returned to Avalon and stayed for ten years, which was completely different from her free-spirited style.

Although she said it was because of her friendship with Queen Sophia.

... But she had been traveling the world for 150 years at that time, so it was impossible for her not to understand the human tendency to forget.

For Queen Sophia at the time, that was an old friend from fifty years ago, a friend from her long life of over sixty years—how much power could such a childhood friendship still hold, how could it bind a Fifth Level powerhouse seeking freedom to this place for ten years? According to Iver's observations, in another timeline without Iver's interference, Queen Sophia would eventually take the Longevity Drug offered by Minister Drost and embark on the Twilight Path, attempting to marry Isabel to Stibium Prince. Yanis also left Avalon because of this.

But what if...

Did Yanis's departure at that time not only because the Queen was taking Longevity Drug, but also because Yanis no longer had a reason to stay?

And the most decisive one—

Despite being taught by Yanis for several years, Isabel did not learn any Extraordinary Skills from Yanis.

Aside from the basics, Yanis taught her almost nothing else, only how to choose the appropriate Path Trait related to illusion magic...

If it's true that Yanis didn't care whether Isabel became Professionals or not, and didn't teach her any Extraordinary Skills in the Path of Beauty, it's because she believed from the very beginning that Isabel would become "Isabel Blossom"?

Since they will all become Inheritors sooner or later, the Professionals's rank is of course not important.

According to Prince Albert, Queen Sophia was a rather tough and unfriendly Queen. While his assessment might be due to his rebellious phase coinciding with the Queen's menopause... there's also a more plausible explanation: the Queen was indeed quite tough in her youth.

But she deliberately chose Isabel, a timid person with no Queen demeanor, to be the heir to the throne after the "Shadow of Avalon" ceremony... It should be noted that without Iver's interference, Isabel would not have become strong until Avalon collapsed.

So, if that kind of destruction had not come sooner, and without Iver's help, how could Isabel have become Queen? Apart from the "brief friendship from more than fifty years ago" that did exist between Yanis and Sofia.

Could this be some kind of... transaction? "Do you know... Master Agnes?"

Iver suddenly spoke up, asking Prince Albert a question.

Prince Albert frowned slightly. "Of course I know..."

"—I mean, before you left Glass Island, was Master Agnes in Avalon?"

"How could that be?"

Prince Albert blurted out, "If Master Agnes were here, how could Ini have died so easily! They were friends!"

"You knew they were friends?" Iver pressed.

"When little Isa was four or five years old, Master Agnes returned once..."

The dejected man remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Because Isabel showed great artistic talent from a young age. She came specifically to examine Isabel's talent and then left. At that time, I didn't know she was Master Agnes, but Ini and she talked privately for a long time."

"After Ini was murdered, I wanted to find Master Agnes to avenge her. I remembered that she should have been in Avalon at the time... but I searched for a long time without success. About two or three years later, I suddenly discovered that she had founded the ' Glass Staircase Newspaper ' and had been living on Glass Island for a long time."

"—She must have returned for Isabel. With her protecting Isabel, I feel relieved. So..."

"So, you didn't come back?"

Iver laughed.

Prince Albert paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "For the first few years, I was actually... waiting for my death. I just didn't want to die on Glass Island; I'd rather fight the villains to the death. And then... it was because Yunus died."

"He died because of you."

"Iver said."

Albert lowered his head. "Yes, I know. So from then on, I became ' Yunus '."

"... Happy Yunus, is more valuable than Albert, who can disappoint anyone."

"I know I've wronged Isabel. So I... tried my best to be a hero. I did everything I could to help the people throughout Avalon. I defeated those bandits and villains, and stopped those evil plans—but not for people's praise! I didn't want fame, I just..."

"—You just don't know how to repay the guilt you feel for running away."

Iver interrupted, "Just like how intently you are concerned about Anastasia."

In that instant, Iver thought of Yanis, who had run away from Pure White.

Although they are not the same thing, they are actually similar in nature.

They all initially fled because of something, and then chose to continue fleeing because they couldn't face the consequences of that event—the immense shame and sense of deprivation forced Albert to help others to alleviate his inner pressure. He distributed all his wealth to the poor, keeping nothing for himself, which was essentially a preparation for death at any moment.

But he lacked the true courage to face the danger... just like his methods towards those villains: he initially wanted to die at their hands, but ultimately chose to escape. However, after escaping, he felt guilty and tried to publicize their evil deeds to draw fire and defeat them.

I've been running away, I've been regretting it. I've been afraid, I've been trying to make amends.

"What a spineless wretch, Your Highness. Do you have no backbone at all?"

Iver said lightly, "You dare not seek revenge, dare not die, dare not apologize—with your size and strength, what else would you dare to do?"

"...I am indeed a coward," Prince Albert admitted, bowing his head, after being reprimanded by the younger Iver. "I lack talent; I've only just reached the Third Level ..."

"No, this has nothing to do with courage, Your Highness. Nor does it have anything to do with strength."

Iver's calm words were as sharp as a knife. "It's about a sense of responsibility."

Upon hearing this, Prince Albert finally fell completely silent.

Perhaps it was because he gave birth to Isabel at a very young age, or perhaps it was because he lacked the guidance of a father who set an example for him, that he remained as innocent as an ignorant child until he escaped from the Silver and Tin Palace.

Prince Albert was never psychologically prepared to be a father; he couldn't bear the burden of anyone's life or death. That's why he was tormented to the point of madness by Innelis's death—he didn't even subconsciously entertain the idea of "running away with Isabel." He was afraid that Isabel would die in front of him, or die because of his mistakes and helplessness.

He dared not take responsibility for Isabel's life or death.

The declaration of "renunciation of inheritance rights" was more like "running away from home"; the action of taking his brothers out to fight for justice was closer to "a free adventure with a sword".

—To put it bluntly, rather than "doing something meaningful before he dies," Iver thinks he was more likely to go out and have fun.

Yunus's death left him alone once again.

There was no one around to comfort him anymore. It was from that time that Prince Albert began to grow up.

But in the end, he still chose to put on Yunus's skin, and still dared not face others as Albert... instead pretending that Albert was already dead.

Even though he gradually grew accustomed to loneliness, adapted to living alone, and learned to flatter and navigate social situations skillfully, those were things Yunus was supposed to do; they were part of Yunus's life. This doesn't mean he matured.

Because he is still on the run.

Innelis's death caused him to flee from his identity as a member of the royal family and as Isabel's father; Yunus's death caused him to flee from his identity as "Albert." Now that the curse has been lifted, he intends to end his life to atone for his sins—to escape from life itself.

He kept running away, missing every opportunity in Isabel's life when she needed her father.

He also grew up without a father, but he was even less resilient than his daughter Isabel.

"Faced with the same high pressure and the threat of the curse... the more desperate Isabel was not overwhelmed in the end, but you were."

Iver asked, "What have you been doing?"

"... I only did one thing."

After a moment of silence, Albert answered in a hoarse voice, "I left my necklace to her."