"Such a dangerous grimoire..."
But upon hearing Hypatia's explanation, Lily hesitated.
She instinctively glanced at Iver.
Actually, merely listening to the description of this grimoire had already made Lily's heart flutter.
It was a resonance that came from the depths of her heart... She immediately understood why this grimoire had acknowledged her.
Lily had been worn down by her inner contradictions for a long time. On one hand, she wanted to become more suited to Iver's needs, both to repay his kindness and out of gratitude. On the other hand, she harbored a hidden, violent desire.
Her actions were usually quiet and reliable, silent as a shadow... always following close behind.
Yet violence lurked within her heart. When she killed Minister Drost, for instance, she had felt an ecstatic sense of vengeance—and, at the same time, a perverse sense of liberation.
From that moment onward, Lily had sensed that a beast lived within her. When she transformed into a werewolf, she had even nearly hurt Iver.
If she could separate herself... perhaps that would be a more complete form of salvation, completely curing the uncontrolled madness within her. But her other self—the werewolf witch Lily of the Path of Love—would lose the restraints of reason. She might hurt Iver.
Another problem was that complete separation seemed to require some time. If that werewolf witch seized control of her body during that period, what would happen to Iver?
Who would take care of Iver? Iver had no mother, and Lily had cared for him ever since he joined the Moriarty Family. In a sense, Lily was practically Iver's adoptive mother.
On one hand, she worried about Iver having no one to care for him. On the other, she genuinely feared the thought that "Iver has truly grown up and no longer