Nancy stood her ground, shoulders straight, expression unshaken. "I don't think he was ever a bad person," she continued, voice unwavering. "So saying that he learned from his mistake.. that's a wrong statement to give."

"Nancy" Arabella turned toward her daughter quickly, her tone sharp, a warning edge in her voice as she tried to stop her before she said too much. She didn't want her child to sound disrespectful, especially not toward Merisa of all people.

But before she could say anything else, Merisa raised a hand slightly, stopping her.

"No, let her be," Merisa said gently, her tone calm and oddly understanding. "For her… after all, he's a good person. I'm happy she's standing up for him."

She placed a light hand on Arabella's shoulder, smiling faintly. Her eyes, however, betrayed a flicker of emotion.. pain mixed with pride.

"I never said he was a bad person," Merisa explained softly, her voice steady but quiet. "It's just that sometimes certain actions… happen. He was a child back then. If I hadn't stopped him, things might have gone down the wrong path.. without him even realizing it."

Her tone was patient, her reasoning calm as if she were trying to convince not only Nancy but herself as well.

But Nancy didn't hesitate for even a moment.

"No," she said, her voice rising slightly. "That's not what I mean."

"What I mean," Nancy continued, her voice trembling faintly but her words sharp and clear, "is that he never tried to rape Selena. He was punished wrongly."

Her words fell like thunder.. raw, loud, and absolute.

The silence that followed was heavy.

Even the sound of waves crashing against the shore seemed to fade away.

Nancy's gaze didn't waver. She looked straight into Merisa's eyes, unflinching, even though she knew exactly who she was standing before one of the world's most powerful beings, someone whose presence alone could crush mountains. But that didn't matter to her. She honestly doesn't even know why she was even bothering with saying this.. Maybe its just annoying to her now.. Listen to them calling it like it was an great deed ..

Arabella froze, turning to her daughter again, clearly torn. "Nancy…" she began, her tone softer now, uncertain whether to stop her or let her continue.

But then she caught the look on her daughter's face that fierce, trembling conviction and she sighed silently, lowering her gaze.

She decided not to interfere knowing that Merisa wouldn't mind it since she wasn't someone who would lash out at a child for speaking not atleast when Nancy is just trying to talk good about her son right?.

So she let her be.

Still, she kept her eyes carefully on Merisa, ready to step forward if anything changed.

Marcella, standing slightly behind them, stayed silent her gaze moving between them, her face composed but her mind alert.

After a long, heavy pause, Merisa finally exhaled softly. Her expression remained calm though her eyes darkened slightly with an emotion too complex to name.

"I appreciate your passion," Merisa said slowly, her tone even and deliberate. "But believe me, at that time I was more desperate than anyone to prove that he didn't do it."

Her voice grew softer, quieter.

"I tried everything," she continued. "Every possible way to find a reason.. to prove his innocence. But everything I found… all the evidence, every testimony, every witness… it all proved him guilty."

Her gaze lowered for a moment.

"Why," she asked quietly, "would I, as his mother, ever want to punish him for something he didn't do? Why would I… ever do that wrongly?"

Her tone wasn't angry.. As she just asked calmly..

But before she could finish what she wanted to say next, Nancy face still full of determination opened her mouth again, ready to speak.

"You were wrong, Lady Merisa…" Nancy's voice came out sharp, cutting through the air like a blade. "Your judgment was wrong ..all those methods were wrong. That's what I'm saying. Punishing him was wrong because of that. I'm not saying you didn't have the right to act as a mother… but you didn't have the right because you were wrong. He never even did that."

The words poured out of her all in one breath fierce, unfiltered, trembling with anger. She didn't even realize what she'd just done that she had cut off Merisa Virelan mid-sentence, one of the strongest and most feared women in the world. Not to say… she had just called her wrong to her face.

Nancy's brows were furrowed. She wasn't thinking anymore only speaking, driven by something raw inside her. Her voice cracked slightly near the end, but her eyes stayed firm, blazing with conviction.

The moment those words ended, a deep silence fell over the place.

It was the kind of silence that pressed against the skin, heavy and sharp, as if the air itself was holding its breath.

Gulp.

Arabella couldn't help but swallow hard, the sound almost audible. Her throat felt dry as her eyes flickered toward Merisa.. watching her face, waiting for the smallest reaction.

But Merisa didn't speak.

She just stood there, calm and utterly composed, her amethyst eyes fixed on Nancy. Her gaze wasn't angry not even cold. Just quiet. Deep and Unreadable.

And somehow… that calmness made it even more terrifying.

"And you know why he isn't forgiving you?" she continued, her tone shaking but determined. "As you all say.. that's what Lady Nova was saying most of the time, right? That he isn't coming back home because he's still angry? Well, this is why. Because you people ..none of you aren't even apologizing in first place!"

"You're not admitting that it was you who failed to find the truth. You punished him without knowing, without seeing what really happened. You keep saying, 'accept that you did wrong, it's alright, forgive us for what we did as saying you guys were cruel and all that shit.' But that's not what he needs. That's not what he deserves!"

"The reason he doesn't want to talk to you ..the reason he won't come back is because none of you are even trying to understand him! You're not trusting him! You just not even apologising for the actual right thing.. Which i mean you both aren't even apologising!"

"I'm rather surprised… at how kind ..or maybe what a pussy he is for not taking revenge on you all for what you did to him!"

"Nancy!" Arabella's voice snapped like a whip as she turned sharply toward her daughter, her face full of sternness. "That's enough now!"

Nancy blinked, realizing what she'd just said, but the anger was still simmering in her eyes, too strong to cool.

The tension was so thick that even Marcella, standing silently at the side, didn't dare to move.

"Don't worry, Arabella," Merisa's voice finally broke the silence calm, smooth, almost gentle. "I'm not yet that old nor rotten to get angry at a child."

She reached out, lightly patting Arabella's shoulder. Her touch was reassuring.. yet her next action made both women freeze.

Merisa took a slow step forward.

Arabella stiffened immediately, every muscle in her body tightening. Her instincts screamed at her to move, to protect her daughter, though her reason told her that Merisa's tone wasn't threatening. Still, the sheer weight of Merisa's presence made it impossible to relax.

Even Nancy, who had been fuming just seconds ago, suddenly felt her anger drain away. She blinked rapidly, her breath catching in her throat as her eyes lifted toward Merisa.

She hadn't even realized how close she was until she felt the faint pressure in the air.. that powerful aura that needed no release to make itself known.

Her draconic body tensed instinctively. Every cell screamed to run, to hide.

But before her instincts could push her any further a gentle hand rested on her head.

Nancy froze completely.

Merisa's hand ruffled her hair softly, her voice low and warm. "Calm down, girl," she said, her tone carrying no trace of anger. "I'm happy that you're angry on behalf of my son. It seems you truly thank him from the heart for saving you."

Her words weren't condescending.. they were sincere, layered with quiet affection and deep sadness.

"But you should know," she continued softly, her hand still resting gently on Nancy's head, "I never wanted anything bad for him. At that time, I did everything I could. Truly."

Her gaze drifted somewhere far away, lost in memory. "One regret I do have," she said quietly, "was that I didn't read his memories like he asked me to. Because of the sacred rules, I didn't… but if not for that, I tried every way I could."

Nancy's body stiffened further as she looked down at the ground, her fists tightening at her sides.

The warmth of Merisa's touch made her tremble not from fear now, but something else. It was overwhelming.. to feel this presence, this strength, and this calm all at once.

Her heartbeat thundered in her chest, the sound echoing in her ears. She could feel goosebumps running across her arms, and even her spine tingled from the pressure of the moment.

Still, she couldn't let it end here. She bit her lip, took a shaky breath, and forced her voice out again.. quiet but steady.

"I'm not lying either," she said, still staring at the ground. "He really didn't try to rape Selena. He didn't. And… why didn't you check Selena's and Celestia's memories?"

Her eyes slowly lifted again, meeting Merisa's directly. "I'm sure you could have…"

"You're still a kid. You don't know these things." Merisa's voice came out calm, though there was a faint sigh hidden behind it not of annoyance, but of quiet exhaustion. She shook her head gently, her gaze softening as she looked at Nancy. There wasn't anger in her tone; instead, there was something almost… maternal.. a kind of understanding that came from experience and pain.

Still, she began to explain, her voice steady and patient, as though she was speaking to someone who couldn't possibly understand the weight of the past.

"That isn't how things are done," Merisa said quietly. "You might not even know it, but Selena herself was the first person who told me not to spread this matter to anyone. She was… caring toward Razeal, in her own way. Her family, too, said they wouldn't take action against us. They wanted to resolve this matter privately.. within the family."

Her eyes lowered slightly, her expression tightening for a second. "It would have been embarrassing for me to doubt her," she continued. "They didn't gain anything from it. They didn't even ask for anything. There was no profit involved. Not from her, not from them."

Her voice was calm, but her words carried the echo of the past of the choices that could not be undone.

"And as for Celestia…" Merisa's tone grew a little quieter, more solemn. "I couldn't have checked her memories, even if I wanted to. She's the daughter of that woman. Do you understand? I wouldn't start a war over just that reason."

Her gaze lifted again, meeting Nancy's eyes directly now not as a warning, but as an explanation she hoped the girl could understand.

"And also celestia had no reason to lie. None at all," Merisa said, her voice even. "She was his fiancée. Do you think she would bring shame upon him just like that? Doing so would have only brought shame to herself.. to her own name and family. She must have gone through the same pain and humiliation as Selena did. Those two girls… they were both hurt. Both took damage."

Merisa's tone softened at the end, like someone defending the broken dignity of others or maybe trying to convince herself that what she'd believed all this time was still right.

Nancy, however, didn't back down. Her hands clenched slightly at her sides, and she raised her head. "And what if Selena and Celestia did have something to gain?" she asked, her voice still edged with restraint but firmer now, even respectful. "Maybe you weren't aware of it, since you aren't them… but that doesn't mean they didn't have a reason. They definitely could have gotten something out of it."

Merisa's expression didn't change at first. Her eyes only narrowed faintly not in anger, but in contemplation before she shook her head.

"They had no reason to," she said quietly. "They are innocent."

Her tone was firm unshaken but there was a trace of weariness underneath.

"She's young," Merisa thought to herself, sighing inwardly. "She can't see what I saw."

"They're from powerful families.." Merisa continued, her tone a little more deliberate now, though still calm. "Born into strength, into everything one could wish for just like yours. Do you really think they lacked anything? No. They had no reason to lie, no profit to gain. The children of such great houses.. the only thing they value above all else is their dignity. And because of this… they lost that. Their reputations were destroyed."

Her voice dimmed slightly, as though the memories weighed on her even now. "Their faces, their names… all stained because of that incident. Do you think they would willingly choose that? No one would."

As she spoke, she recalled that day vividly the image etched in her mind like a scar. Celestia's pale face. The tears that never quite fell. The silence that followed every word she spoke.

"Celestia herself said Razeal was guilty," Merisa continued softly, her eyes unfocused, caught in the past. "But she also said to keep it within the family.. not to announce it publicly. They didn't even want him punished before others. She refused to see him humiliated. And… because of their close relationship, I couldn't see any hatred in her eyes toward him. None."

Merisa sighed again, closing her eyes for a brief moment. "If there was anything there, it was sorrow not resentment. They didn't want this to happen either. They simply… didn't have a choice."

Nancy bit her lip, frustration flashing across her face. Her voice rose again, sharper, almost trembling. "So… in simple words you trust them more than your own son?"

The question hit like a dagger.

"What reason would Razeal have to even try to hurt Selena?" she asked, her tone cracking slightly as emotion flooded her voice. "He had none! None at all!"

Nancy's disbelief was clear she couldn't understand how someone like Merisa, known as one of the world's most brilliant minds, could be so… blind. So easily manipulated into believing the worst about her own child.

Merisa's expression tightened. For the first time, she frowned a faint crease forming between her brows.

That word.. trust it stung.. It always did now honestly.

Razeal had said it to her once too, long ago. And now hearing it again, in the same tone, from another child's mouth it struck something deep within her.

"I wish trusting was all it took to make things right," Merisa said finally, her voice low, almost sad. "But sometimes, it isn't about trust."

Her gaze softened as she looked at the young girl before her, as though she saw a reflection of her younger self in that fiery defiance.

"Most of the time in this world," she continued slowly, "the more you love someone… the harder it becomes to believe them. Because love clouds judgment. It blinds."

She paused for a moment, her tone growing heavier with each word.

"Now imagine this," she said quietly. "If someone came to you and said your mother killed your brother ..and your mother swore to you that she didn't would you not have even a single shred of doubt in your heart? Not even a flicker that wouldn't go away?"

Nancy blinked, caught off guard by the question.

"Now understand this," Merisa continued, her gaze sharp but not unkind. "Maybe you'd fully trust your mother. Maybe you'd stand by her side. But if I.. someone with no reason, no gain and strong words came and told you that, you'd start to question it. Even if only a little."

Her tone softened again, almost like a teacher guiding a stubborn student. "You would want answers. You would want proof. Because that's what people do. We seek truth, but our hearts are never free from doubt.. You wouldn't beleive your mother fully until you saw your brother alive.."

Her words lingered in the air.. quiet but heavy, like a truth too hard to argue with.

Nancy paused at Merisa's words. For the first time since she had begun arguing, she didn't immediately have something to say back.

Her lips parted slightly, but no words came.

She couldn't help but understand what Merisa meant.. and the worst part was that… it wasn't even wrong.. atleast not completely.

Nancy lowered her gaze, the edge in her eyes softening just a little as Merisa's reasoning settled into her thoughts. What the Duchess said made sense, even if she didn't want to admit it.

Because Nancy herself… had been the same way.

She couldn't even trust someone completely, not even when she wanted to. Even when there was no logical reason not to.

Her mind drifted back.. to that moment when Razeal had told her to go to Riven and ask him, that time when he looked right into her eyes and said, "You'll understand everything once you do."

She had wanted to trust him then. She really had. But she didn't.

Even when her entire body had been trembling, when every part of her being screamed that Razeal was telling the truth some small part of her still didn't believe it.

And that was why she had gone to Riven herself… to confirm.

But even after that conversation, even after seeing the truth in Riven's eyes, she still wasn't completely convinced. A tiny corner of her heart refused to fully trust what she was told.

What if Riven was lying too?

What if he and Razeal were working together, manipulating her in some way?

She didn't know. She still didn't know.

All she could do was be careful ..keep her guard up, stay ready for whatever might happen.

That was how she had been living these last few days.. constantly alert, constantly preparing. She wasn't sitting idly, not anymore. She had been training, focusing on stabilizing her mentality, trying to keep herself together.

And maybe… that was part of the reason why she had come so late to meet Merisa too.

She wasn't avoiding this.. not exactly. But she had needed time to think. To breathe. To come to terms with what had happened for her.

Because regardless of everything else Razeal had saved her.

That fact alone remained clear in her mind, unshakable.

She was still caught in these thoughts when Merisa's calm voice broke the silence.

"Do you have any proof?" the Duchess asked softly, her expression steady. "Anything that can prove they lied? That Razeal really didn't do it?"

Her tone wasn't mocking or harsh it was quiet, almost hopeful. But there was a trace of finality in it too, as if she already knew the answer.

Merisa didn't expect the girl to have proof ..not really.

She had only asked because she wanted Nancy to understand something: that conviction alone, without evidence, could never overturn what had already been done.

Still… a small part of her, deep inside, wanted to be proven wrong. Wanted to hear something that could undo years of guilt.

"Proof?"

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