As Mary listened to Lorgar's undisguised sarcasm and mockery and watched his incredulous smile, as though he had heard a child's babbling, an unmistakable expression appeared for the first time on her face, which had always been as cold and unruffled as a mask—an expression beyond her calculations and comprehension.
She froze for a moment.
A trace of bewilderment flashed through her deep, obsidian eyes, followed by greater confusion, before finally settling into a tremor of disbelief.
She seemed utterly unable to understand Lorgar's reaction, like an assassin who had painstakingly prepared a deadly poison, only to discover that her target was not merely unharmed but savoring it with relish and even commenting, "Not bad."
"Why...?"
She instinctively murmured the word, her voice carrying a rare uncertainty.
Some understanding or expectation she had built over countless years seemed to develop a tiny but fatal crack beneath Lorgar's casual scoff.
She stared intently at Lorgar, trying to find even the slightest hint of pretense, wavering, or anger at having his secrets exposed on that handsome face filled with amusement and disdain.
"You... don't believe in the Emperor? You don't believe he's a god?"
Mary pressed him, her voice unconsciously rising a little. She even forgot to address him respectfully.
She seemed to need confirmation of this point, which overturned every premise she had assumed.
She swallowed involuntarily, her throat bobbing slightly, betraying the turmoil beneath her outward calm.
"Hmm?"
The instant Mary's emotions wavered, the irreverent smile vanished from Lorgar's face.
His golden eyes abruptly sharpened like two spears suddenly unsheathed, piercing the air and locking onto Mary.
He had sensed it.
A subtle, profound fluctuation of psychic energy, like an undercurrent deep beneath the ocean, was spreading uncontrollably from Mary.
It was not a deliberate attack. It was more like