Back in the Empire

Nancy's voice cut through the quiet deserted area of city like a blade dipped in disgust.

"I never thought you'd be this kind of person," she said, each syllable shaking with anger she didn't bother to hide. "Honestly, I'm disgusted that I.. and even my family stood beside you back then. We defended you. We supported you because we thought you were wronged. But to imagine you lied…"

Her eyes narrowed, burning with a hatred Selena had never seen from her before.

Selena stood frozen, head bowed so low it almost touched her chest. Shame clung to her like a suffocating veil. Her fingers trembled against her dress, gripping the fabric so tightly that the seams nearly tore. She couldn't lift her head. She didn't dare.

She had been on her way to the Virelan household finally determined to reveal everything when Nancy intercepted her. Selena expected coldness, but not this… not that Nancy already knew.

She didn't understand how the truth reached Nancy. She didn't understand why it came from her mouth and not her own. All she knew was that hearing Nancy speak those words felt like having her chest ripped open.

Fear, sadness and Mortifying guilt.

They swirled inside her until she felt like she might vomit from the weight of her own conscience.

Nancy, meanwhile, only shook her head with a look of disbelief like she was staring at something rotten.

It was strange to her as well, this sudden involvement. Minutes earlier, that strange, white-haired, white-eyed man Riven appeared before her and told her everything. Everything. Down to details that no one was supposed to know.

"Stop her. If you don't, many innocent lives might be lost."

Nancy didn't understand why she was chosen.

She didn't understand why he, of all beings, told her.

She wasn't someone who took orders from strangers not to say that bastard. She wasn't his servant to do his job right?. She wasn't anyone's subordinate literally.

But the moment he mentioned about audacity of this women… and innocent people She couldn't ignore it.

That was why she came.

Not for Riven. Not for Selena. But for the world that might bleed because of this woman's guilt-driven desperation.

Selena forced her dry throat to work.

"I was wrong," she whispered, voice cracking under the weight of everything she held inside. "I know I was. I'm very aware of it. I just… I went too selfish. I have regretted that decision every single day."

Her voice trembled uncontrollably. For years she imagined this moment someone confronting her, forcing the truth into the open. She had practiced countless explanations, apologies, reasons, even rationalizations.

But now, when it truly mattered, everything she planned collapsed into dust.

She couldn't think. She couldn't breathe properly. She couldn't even raise her head to meet Nancy's icy gaze.

She felt like a child again small, terrified, drowning in the consequences of something irreversible.

Nancy's expression twisted into something darker.

"Regretted?" Nancy repeated, voice rising with disbelief. "Regretted? You destroyed the life of such a bright person. He could've been so much.. SO much but you…" Her jaw clenched so hard her teeth nearly cracked. "…you just fucking ruined it."

The anger that surged through her was wild and raw. The memory of Razeal saving her earlier.. risking himself for her.. Like yeah he have his motives but he still fucking saved ber..

"That man saved my life," Nancy hissed through her teeth, "and you.. Fuckkkkkkk I still can't stop being angry about it."

Her hand moved so quickly Selena didn't even flinch.

SLAP.

The sound echoed sharply through the silent place sealed by Nancys spell.

Selena's head jerked to the side, her cheek instantly swelling with a red imprint of Nancy's palm. Her hair fell over her face, hiding her expression but even then, she didn't move.

She didn't defend herself. She didn't even raise her hands out of reflex.

The Saintess of the world's strongest religion one of the Four Duke Families' heiress taking a slap without resistance… it was unbelievable. Anyone else would have retaliated or at least shielded themselves.

But Selena whispered instead, voice trembling:

"I deserved it… don't worry."

She slowly lifted her head enough for Nancy to see the tears gathering in her lashes, though none fell. She refused to cry.

Nancy exhaled sharply through her nose, shaking her head like Selena wasn't even worth looking at.

"You know what?" Nancy said coldly. "I'm not even that disgusted that you made a mistake back then. People make mistakes. Kids make stupid choices. Fine. I can understand that you were young. And an idiot."

Selena's heart squeezed painfully, but she stayed silent.

"But what I am disgusted by," Nancy continued, voice dropping into something harsher, "is that you did nothing afterward. NOTHING. You just let everything stay that way."

She stepped closer, her eyes piercing.

"Don't try to look weak now. Don't think you acting like this will soften me. I'm from the Dragonwevr family. Pathetic expressions don't work on me."

It wasn't a warning. It was a fact.

Selena swallowed hard and forced herself to speak.

"I had no way… I wanted to.. truly but I… I at that time, I was scared. For myself. For everyone. I.. i couldn't… I wasn't able to do anything." Her voice broke. "And then… when everything collapsed… Razeal disappeared. I thought he died. I didn't know what to do. I… I was scared and sad and I… I…"

But Nancy cut her off before she could finish.

"Even if he had died, it doesn't mean you shouldn't have done anything," she said, her voice sharp, cold, unforgiving. "I think even if he had died, he still deserved justice. But you" her eyes narrowed with disgust, "You never took responsibility for what you did. You just kept running. Hiding here and there. Seriously, Selena… grow up."

Selena flinched just slightly, but enough for Nancy to see. Her shoulders trembled. Her throat tightened. The guilt that had been eating her alive for years clawed even deeper into her chest.

"I know…" Selena whispered. "I know… but that's why today, I made my decision. I'm going to tell everyone the truth. To his family… and to everyone."

Her voice trembled as she closed her eyes for a brief moment, steadying herself, before opening them again. When she spoke, they were filled with melancholy guilt that never faded and fear that never loosened its hold.

"I'll take responsibility for my actions. And I'll give him what he deserves…"

Nancy's expression twisted somewhere between disbelief and outrage.

"And I'm here to stop it," Nancy snapped. "Because you need to stop being fucking childish."

Selena froze mid-step.

Nancy stepped forward, blocking her path again, her expression cold enough to freeze the air around them.

"This isn't going to do anything. And it has NOTHING to do with him or anyone else. What kind of imaginary world are you living in? Do you think walking in there and crying out the truth will magically satisfy him? Do you think this will bring some kind of closure? What the hell do you think you're achieving with this?"

Her disappointment was deeper than anger now. It dripped from every word.

Selena's lips trembled. Her voice cracked as she tried again.

"Stop me? What… are you like Celestia too?" she asked, confused, almost pleading. Her eyes raised just enough to search Nancy's face. "Do you think I'm being selfish? That I'm doing all this just to ease my guilt? That I'm doing it for myself?"

Tears finally gathered in her lashes, shimmering but refusing to fall.

"No, I'm not," Selena insisted, shaking her head, voice rising with desperation. "I'm doing it so.. so his family knows they were wrong. So they can understand. So… so they won't misunderstand him anymore. I made him lose his family. They deserve to know the truth because of me…"

She clutched her hands to her chest, gripping her clothes like they were the only thing keeping her together.

"So… I am going to do it today. And if you're worried if you're afraid innocent people will be killed because of this, or that a war will start.. no, it won't. I wouldn't let that happen. I… I know war is supposed to happen because of me. But if I let them kill me, then it won't… it won't happen."

Her voice broke.

She was trembling fear, guilt, sorrow swallowing her whole.

She genuinely believed Nancy was acting on Celestia's orders as she also might be the one who mightbe told her the truth... She believed that simce nancy thought exactly the same thing. So she tried to explain herself. To justify herself. To convince her like she tried to do on celestia.

"Now step aside…" Selena said, breath shaky, eyes wet. "Let me go. I know I was wrong. Let me face the consequences of my actions. I won't run anymore. I won't hide anymore. I won't lie anymore. I… I'm tired… I'm so fucking tired…"

She stepped forward again but Nancy immediately stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

Selena froze.

Nancy exhaled slowly, as if she couldn't believe the level of stupidity she was dealing with.

"I can't understand why everyone is so stupid in this matter," Nancy said, pressing a hand to her forehead as if dealing with a severe headache. "Heyyyy this isn't about you people. And it's not about them. It's about him."

Her frustration grew sharper with each word.

"I don't understand how you think telling them the truth and receiving punishment from them is going to 'satisfy' him. How on earth is that justice? They're just as bad. Just as disgusting. Just as disappointing to him as you are."

Selena's breath caught in her throat.

Nancy didn't stop.

"You really don't get what the real problem is," she said, voice rising. "Selena Luminus.. YES, it was your fault that you lied. YES, you framed someone for a disgusting, vile act. That part is yours. But…"

Nancy's eyes sharpened cutting, merciless.

"…it wasn't YOUR fault that he was separated from his family. That was THEIR fault."

Selena's eyes widened.

Nancy continued, her voice low and deadly.

"They didn't believe him. THEY. Not you."

Selena opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"You think this is gonna go how?" Nancy said, throwing her hands in the air. "You go there, tell them you lied, and suddenly everything becomes better? You think they'll have some big dramatic realization? That they'll run to him crying, saying they misunderstood him?" Nancy scoffed, disgust dripping from her voice. "You think they'll magically become the parents he deserved?"

Nancy stepped even closer, stabbing her finger toward Selena's chest.

"Do you know what he would say if they went to him now? If they dared approach him with some pathetic apology?"

"I said the same thing back then, but you didn't believe me. Funny how you suddenly do when someone ELSE tells you. So once again, you trusted someone else over your own son."

Nancy's eyes flared.

"What do you think? Huh? You think he'd be happy they 'finally' trusted him?"

Selena stood frozen like a statue carved from guilt and horror.

Nancy's voice sharpened even more.

"This is what you're imagining in your fucking empty head? That he'll appreciate the truth coming out NOW? After years? That he'll feel grateful?" Nancy scoffed violently. "Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous."

Her anger rose like a storm.

"So stop this 'they deserve to know the truth' bullshit," Nancy snapped. "What is that going to do? They WERE wrong. And they SHOULDN'T be forgiven. They SHOULD feel the consequences of never trusting their own son."

Selena's knees nearly gave out beneath her.

But Nancy wasn't done.

She took a step closer, voice dropping to a low and deadly tone.

"They don't deserve redemption. They don't deserve a second chance. They don't even deserve to call him family. They have NO right to tell him what's best for him. And they have NO right to disturb his life again after everything they did.. And they definitely don't have fucking right to know the truth.. Why would you need to tell them they are wrong.. What are they? Bunch of idiots?"

Each word hit Selena like a punch.

Nancy inhaled sharply, shaking her head.

"Honestly," she said, "I can't imagine how disgusting and dumb a family famously known for intellect can actually be. It's not even funny. It's just sad."

The wind around them was still. The hall was silent. Selena's breathing was uneven, shallow, pained.

Nancy stared at her expression cold, decisive, unshakable.

"And that," she finished, "is why you're not going to him. You're not going to them. And you're not spreading this truth today. Because none of it is justice. None of it will help him. And none of it is your right to decide anymore."

Selena's lips parted but no sound came out.

She looked like a woman whose entire world had been ripped apart twice.

Her guilt tried to drown her. Her fear tried to choke her. Her desperation tried to push her forward.

But Nancy's words froze her in place.

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