You Smell Like Her...

When Maria was discussing with everyone where to imprison Kal'tsit, Theresis was also present. It was only after Theresis nodded in agreement that Maria placed him in a place less than a hundred meters away from his sister.

But...

Theresa's behavior just now clearly indicated that she was unaware of this matter.

"... I believe him."

Maria's situation hadn't yet dispelled Theresa's silence, and this subsequent remark left the girl utterly speechless.

She knew that Maria was reminding her that her brother wasn't completely open with her either.

He also has things he's hiding.

But she still chose to believe him.

"We all hope that Sarkaz will have a bright future..."

"I've seen some countries... where spiritual leaders and actual leaders are two different things."

Seeing the girl's appearance, Maria didn't say much.

After all, it was the other party's own choice, so naturally they should bear the consequences themselves.

However, she still wanted to remind the girl.

If you really don't want to fall out with your blood relatives, perhaps the best approach is to separate the actual leader from the spiritual leader.

Only...

Looking at the kind girl with a stubborn expression in front of her, and recalling Therese's sharp Theresis in the conference hall, she roughly knew the outcome.

"Fate will ultimately place you on opposite sides of the scales, Your Highness."

Maria shook her head slightly as she spoke, then prepared to leave.

Theresa watched Maria's resolute retreating figure in silence.

"Please wait a moment..."

"Um?"

Maria was somewhat puzzled when she suddenly heard the other person calling her.

But when she turned around, the girl had already composed herself, and her face was once again adorned with that pure smile.

At least on the surface, there are no visible problems.

"Could you... stay with me for a while?"

"... Can."

Maria remained silent for a moment, and pondered for a while.

The meetings for today are mostly over, and the work is pretty much done. The only thing left for her to do is go home for dinner, but...

Looking at the girl in front of her who was pretending to be strong, Maria still chose to agree.

At the same time, she slowly told Lamaline with her Bone Pen that she might be going home late that day, then turned and followed Theresa.

Although they were supposed to just keep each other company, there wasn't much else to do in Kazdel these days. After wandering around the castle for a while, the two ended up in the study.

Outside, the sky gradually darkened.

Maria and Theresa sat in their respective chairs around a table, quietly doing their own things.

Maria was reading a book, while Theresa was sewing...

The snacks on the table had long since gone cold...

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Ms. Maria ..."

Perhaps because the silence had made them both a little uncomfortable, Theresa hesitated for a moment before turning her head slightly to look at the other person.

"Who... who exactly are you?"

In the dark room, there were no lights. Theresa and Maria sat side by side by the window where they could see the huge moon.

The girl, as white as a flower, gazed at Maria's profile and softly asked a question.

"..."

Maria did not answer immediately; she simply continued flipping through the book.

"You want to discuss... something more philosophical?"

"Or are you just curious about me?"

"... both, I suppose."

Theresa also looked up and couldn't help but sigh.

Maria was still too mysterious to them.

Increasing evidence suggests that Maria knows and possesses far more than she has shown.

She's like an iceberg; what they're seeing now is probably not even the tip of the iceberg...

She still believed in Maria; otherwise, she wouldn't have invited Maria to such a private meeting.

But...

If possible, she also hopes to know more about the other person.

While I wouldn't say I know everything about them, I shouldn't be completely clueless about my friends when asked questions...

"Ms. Maria... what kind of person are you really?"

Theresa leaned back in her chair, her head tilted back.

Maria stopped turning the pages of her book, remained silent for a moment, and then quietly closed it.

"I have no idea..."

"Um?"

"I don't even know what I am..."

Maria sat in the chair, gazing out the French windows at the azure sky and the bright moon.

She could still only see a normal moon.

"You may have many opinions about me, but I'm no different from you... I don't know the information you don't have, and I often find it hard to understand things that you can't comprehend... It's just that, in some matters, I'm more insightful than you are."

As Maria spoke, she silently looked at her fingers.

Her slender skin was smooth and delicate, and it didn't look like the body of a martial artist at all.

But who could have imagined that Maria, in this state, was actually Hunter who had etched killing into her very being?

"My former race was called Cainhurst ...that is also my surname."

"In some ways, they're similar to the Blood Demon you're familiar with, but the difference is... there are more people like Dukale over there."

"I was born and raised in such a place... Strangely enough, my fellow countrymen like to call themselves God's chosen people and proudly proclaim themselves Cain..."

"But I only see myself as a human being... someone who goes with the flow."

Maria silently lowered her hand and gently lifted the candle beside her.

The slender flames relentlessly scorched Maria's hands, but the weak heat couldn't even leave a mark on her fair skin.

Her body had long since become terrifyingly strong.

Theresa watched this scene in astonishment, and almost instantly she understood what Maria was trying to say.

Clearly, Maria's subsequent experiences were far from ordinary.

But she thoughtfully refrained from asking, because she could tell that Maria didn't really want to bring up that past.

So after a moment of silence, she quietly lowered her head.

"Do you... have any regrets about your life?"

"I've encountered many things so far, some of which I regret, things I was powerless to do..."

As Maria spoke, she lifted the pendant that was hanging around her neck.

That was a pendant Madam Sicily gave herself.

The pendant that I should have taught my daughter...

"But I can't live with regret forever, so I chose to respond to those people through my actions..."

I consider myself a person... neither good nor bad.

"I don't know if just looking at what's in front of me counts as an answer, but I'm truly tired of searching for what I really am in the past."

Maria exhaled a soft breath, silently stood up, and looked at the other person.

How could she not understand Theresa's thoughts?

This ordinary girl, at this age, has been forced to accept responsibilities she never dared to imagine before... Even with so many people around her to help her, she is still confused about whether she can shoulder the responsibilities of her current role.

This conversation with herself was less about understanding Maria, and more about the girl using Maria to figure out which path she should take.

Maria didn't mind taking a little time to appease the other party.

She silently stepped forward, and under Theresa's astonished gaze, slowly knelt on one knee, and took one of the girl's hands in front of the girl draped in moonlight.

"You may feel lost and confused about your future, and unsure if you're even suited for this position... but these kinds of opinions aren't something you should be thinking about."

"Just do what you're supposed to do in your current role. I won't tell you how to be a leader, but if you're just talking about personal matters, then be a headstrong person and make sure that every choice you make leaves no room for regret..."

Maria whispered, and in the girl's stunned gaze, gently touched the back of the girl's hand with her lips.

The moonlight scattered across her back, like silver-white armor.

Sharp, handsome, yet with a touch of gentle coolness.

After a moment, she tilted her head slightly and looked into the girl's eyes.

Theresa's face instantly turned red...

285

Chapter 285 You smell like her...

The next day.

Maria woke up in her comfortable bed, her face still calm.

This is another unfamiliar environment... but this time, the people beside her are not familiar.

"Call..."

Her delicate pink lips slowly exhaled a fragrant breath, and her fair, unguarded appearance was somewhat unsettling.

Maria simply looked at the little girl sleeping soundly beside her, shook her head, and then carefully got up.

She talked with Theresa for a long time yesterday.

The overwhelming pressure had already pushed the girl to her breaking point.

For someone barely in their early twenties, the responsibility of being the Demon King still felt far too heavy.

In fact, her situation was even worse than Lamaline's.

Lamaline, at least, was chosen from a young age and trained continuously.

But in the girl's past, she was just an ordinary tailor.

Her sudden acceptance of Black Crown's recognition completely disrupted her original plans for the future.

Chaos and confusion are to be expected.

If it weren't for Maria's intervention, she might very well have developed some uncontrollable psychological problems.

But after a night of guidance, the situation is much better now.

Only...