Minutes passed.

Neo opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again.

Finally, he spoke.

"Please, sit. I'll make some tea."

"Mhm."

Hades looked around the room once, as if committing its layout to memory, then sat down calmly.

Neo turned and walked into the kitchen.

His steps were steady, but his shoulders were tense.

He boiled water, measured the leaves, and poured carefully.

His hands didn't shake, but his thoughts wouldn't settle.

When he returned, he placed two cups on the table and sat across from Hades.

They drank in silence.

The tea cooled slowly between them.

Neither spoke.

After a while, Neo stood, collected the cups, and returned them to the kitchen.

He rinsed them, dried them, and placed them back where they belonged.

Then he rested both hands on the counter and took a deep breath.

[Master, talk to him. Are you going to just stay silent?]

"Shut up," Neo muttered under his breath, glaring at the screen. "I'm trying."

He inhaled again, steadied himself, and returned to the room with what he hoped looked like determination.

"Would you like to have lunch? It's about time, so I was going to cook."

"Mhm."

Neo turned around before he could overthink it and went back to the kitchen.

Heavenly Records watched silently.

It had already expected this to happen.

Neo cooked methodically.

He made some simple dishes, nothing fancy.

It was food he knew how to make without thinking too hard.

When it was done, he served it and sat across from Hades again.

They ate in silence.

Hades kept glancing at him, as if there was something he wanted to say but couldn't quite find the timing for.

Neo noticed but pretended not to.

Halfway through the meal, Hades spoke. "It's good."

"Thank you," Neo replied.

The silence returned.

When they finished eating, Neo cleared the table and did the dishes.

He wiped his hands, stood there for a moment with nothing left to do, then finally returned to the room.

'I'm going to talk to him. I'm going to ask why he treated me like that,' Neo told himself.

He walked in, saw Hades sitting there, and words got stuck in his throat.

Hades looked towards him, and Neo spoke the first thing that came to mind.

"You must be feeling stiff staying inside for so long. Would you like to take a tour of the Sect?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Neo wanted to slap himself.

"Mhm."

Hades nodded.

And just like that, it was decided.

Father and son left the residence together.

The Sect was lively.

Disciples trained in courtyards, elders discussed matters under shaded walkways, and children ran past carrying books that looked far too heavy for them.

As Neo and Hades walked, people began to notice.

Curious gazes followed Hades.

Some sensed his presence and quickly looked away. Others stared openly, unable to help themselves.

Neo noticed it all but said nothing. Hades didn't react either.

They walked in silence.

Then a shout rang out.

"Grandfather! Grandfather!"

A blue blur rushed toward them.

Vivi skidded to a stop in front of Hades, staring up at him with wide eyes. "You are Grandfather, right? You look like Dad, just older."

Hades looked at Neo.

Neo nodded once.

Vivi's face lit up instantly. "I finally met you! I've been asking Dad to let me meet you and Grandmother, but he always makes excuses."

Neo coughed lightly.

"Oh, are you having a tour of the Sect? Come on! I'll give you one!"

Before anyone could respond, she grabbed Hades's hand and began pulling him along.

Hades allowed it, matching her pace without resistance.

Neo followed behind them.

The awkward silence between father and son was quickly drowned out by Vivi's excited chatter.

She talked about everything. The training grounds. The library. Which elder was scary and which one secretly gave snacks to children.

Hades listened quietly, occasionally nodding.

Just like that, a week passed.

Neo and Hades still hadn't had a proper conversation.

…

Elizabeth's POV

Elizabeth explained everything to Amelia.

She didn't hide anything. Not about her origin. Not about the Witch of Pride. Not about Amelia's mother or the truth surrounding her existence.

She spoke calmly, carefully, making sure Amelia understood every part.

By the time she finished, Amelia was sobbing into her arms.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hiding the truth about your mother," Elizabeth said softly.

"No," Amelia said between sobs. "She's not my mother. You are."

Elizabeth froze.

Amelia clutched her tighter. "You're the one who stayed. You're the one who protected me. You're my mother."

Similar exchanges repeated throughout the day.

Amelia cried, then calmed down, then cried again.

Her emotions were fragile, stretched thin after losing too many people she cared about.

Unlike Neo, Amelia didn't have the same willpower.

She couldn't just keep moving forward after loss and pain.

She had cracked under the weight of it all.

Even after her friends were saved by Neo, her condition hadn't truly improved.

But something had changed.

A seed of hope had been planted.

And with Elizabeth's arrival, that seed was finally blooming.

Amelia began talking about the future again. About things she wanted to do. About places she wanted to see.

For the first time in a long while, she genuinely believed that nothing bad would happen anymore.

Elizabeth knew she would have to stay for several more months.

Amelia still needed care.

And Elizabeth also had others she needed to meet.

When she left Amelia's room that day, she was immediately intercepted.

"My daughter-in-law is finally free. Come spend some time with me," Persephone said cheerfully.

Before Elizabeth could protest, Persephone locked arms with her and began pulling her along.

Even someone as composed as Elizabeth felt embarrassed.

Persephone treated her like a child, called her daughter-in-law openly, and showed no restraint at all.

Elizabeth didn't show it on her face.

But she felt happy.

As for her other daughter-in-law, Elizabeth hadn't met her yet.

She had spent months preparing herself mentally. And today was the day.

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth said gently, stopping their walk. "But I have something I need to do today."

"…?"

Persephone tilted her head.

'Cute,' the thought popped in Elizabeth's head.

"I want to meet the fragment of the Witch of Gluttony."

"Oh," Persephone said brightly. "Then let's go together!"

Elizabeth was pulled along in a different direction.

Watching Persephone's enthusiasm, Elizabeth couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you worried?"

"I trust my daughter-in-law," Persephone replied without hesitation.

They arrived at a quiet room and knocked.

The door opened, revealing a maid.

Inside, Morrigan was sitting by the window, drinking tea and reading a book.

She looked up, and stiffened.

"Oh… c-come in," Morrigan said quickly.

She was visibly flustered.

The reaction was almost identical to Neo's when he was caught off guard.

Seeing that similarity made something twist in Elizabeth's chest, but she kept her expression neutral.

The maid was soon dismissed, and the three of them sat around the table.

Morrigan moved to serve tea, her movements a little too careful.

She kept glancing at Elizabeth when she thought no one noticed.

Persephone laughed lightly, took the teapot from her hands, and poured tea for everyone herself.

"Sit," Persephone said gently. "Relax."

Morrigan obeyed.

Elizabeth remained silent, her gaze fixed on Morrigan.

The air grew tense.

Persephone chuckled and tapped Elizabeth's hand.

A wave of refreshing power flowed through Elizabeth.

The anger simmering inside her eased, just slightly, enough to keep it under control.

Elizabeth took a slow breath.

Only then did she realize Persephone had deliberately helped her.

"…Thank you," she said quietly.

"Don't mind it," Persephone replied, smiling as if it were nothing.

Elizabeth turned her gaze toward Morrigan.

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