To see my mother?

Upon hearing Leon's suggestion, the Cat Witch couldn't help but gently bite her cherry-colored lips, and some strange feelings of retreat unexpectedly sprouted in her eyes.

As the "owner" of the Cat Witch, even though she wasn't in her cat form now, Leon still noticed her inner hesitance and hesitation, and he asked surprisingly:

"What? You don't want to see the Grand Witch King?"

"Heh heh, she's just a doddering old lady, what's there to be afraid of?"

"..."

"..."

Ah, right, your current character setting is the evil witch who replaced the true princess, and you can't say anything else.

Realizing this, Leon's mouth twitched, and then he proposed somewhat speechlessly:

"Alright, it'd be better if you don't speak. Your mom is almost a hundred and fifty years old, don't really anger her into some mishap with that mouth of yours… Let's go find her quickly."

"But I..."

"But you're not sure how to face her?"

"Hmm..."

Looking at the Cat Witch who appeared somewhat awkward, Leon raised an eyebrow and then said:

"'If only I had listened to her advice,' 'things are like this because of me,' 'I dragged down my mother, I'm sorry to her,' 'If mother were here, she might've done better,' 'I might have disappointed her,' 'I'm not a good daughter'...

If I'm not mistaken, the reason you don't want to see her is probably one or a few of these, right?"

"..."

"If you don't speak, I'll take it as your default."

After identifying the direction, Leon, while leading the Cat Witch deeper into the inner courtyard, spoke reassuringly:

"Rest assured, based on my understanding of the Twelve Royal Families, as long as you're sure you're her biological daughter, all your worries are nothing."

"???"

"Because within the bloodline of the Twelve Royal Families, there are fragments of power, and the personalities of the legitimate bloodline are basically cut from the same cloth, so in terms of personality, your mom should be similar to you, and will definitely look for the reason within herself when things happen."

Recalling what he heard about the Twelve Royal Families from the director at the Aquarius branch in the Northern Kingdom, Leon explained:

"Including the already extinct East Carleighwen Kingdom, the bloodlines of the thirteen royal families occupy seven sins and six virtues, thirteen emotions, and according to my and a senior's speculation, even those royal descendants holding the 'virtue' power will also be negatively influenced.

For instance, the strange thoughts you had just now are likely influenced by your Witch Kingdom's [Modesty] bloodline... Even facing the rigorous blockade of the Slaughter King Association, the fact that you held on until now and even infiltrated the Slaughter King Association before, you've done quite well.

As for your mom, if she's your biological mother, she'd probably think 'I'm not a competent mother,' 'if I had done a bit better, Catherine wouldn't have suffered,' and certainly wouldn't blame you, so don't worry."

"..."

If you put it that way... Mother does seem to be that kind of person.

After listening to Leon's reasonable analysis, the inherited mental exhaustion of the Cat Princess was mostly alleviated by these words.

With a grateful glance at Leon's back, the Cat Princess took a deep breath, worked to suppress her inner insecurity and timidity, stepped forward, and walked alongside Leon to push open the wooden gate of the courtyard where the Grand Witch King resided.

"You two..."

Even though, under the constraints of the [Bedtime Story], the current Cat Princess had transformed into the evil witch, her whole temperament leaning towards seductive and sinister, the silver-haired elderly lady sitting in the middle of the courtyard basking in the sun recognized her real daughter at a glance.

"Catherine?!"

Looking into those eyes filled with joyous surprise, the Cat Princess's lips moved twice involuntarily, then her nose suddenly soured, and tears streamed down her face as she cried out with joy:

"Old hag, you didn't expect it to be me, did you!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Watching the stunned mother and daughter of the Grand Witch King stare at each other inside and outside the courtyard, all four eyes dull with shock, Leon, feeling excruciatingly awkward by the atmosphere, couldn't help but cover half his face in utter speechlessness.

(ﾉ_ヽ)

I really give up… Didn't I just remind you to speak less?

"I'm... I'm not..."

Flustered by her own ridiculous lines that made her mom choke up without words, the Cat Princess frantically waved her hands, her face flushed as she explained:

"I mean to say, you're done for! No, no! Just rest easy! Your daughter will never come back! Your Kingdom is mine now! You..."

You'd better shut up! If this talk continues, your mom might really head off prematurely!

Sneakily kicking the Cat Princess from behind, causing her to stagger, Leon decisively stepped forward, standing between her and the Grand Witch King, his expression a bit strained, as he spoke:

"Please don't misunderstand, what Catherine truly wants to say isn't this; what she means to express should be 'It's so good that you're okay, rest assured, your daughter is back, and the Witch Kingdom will be well protected by her'..."

Having translated all of the Cat Princess's rebellious words, Leon continued to explain:

"Originally, we were close to casting off the [Bedtime Story] constraints, but the Narration of Nonexistence somehow reinforced the effects of [Bedtime Story], leaving Catherine with no choice but to act according to the pre-set character."

"I understand..."

After taking a few breaths supported by the armrest, the Grand Witch King, whose eyes were seeing stars by her unfilial daughter's retorts, shook her head and chuckled wryly, nodding to show her understanding, then looked intently at the teary-eyed Cat Princess with a guilt-ridden gaze and said:

"Catherine... my daughter, these years have really been hard on you, it's my fault as your mother, if I could see further, maybe you wouldn't have had to endure so much."

"I… I… Wah!"

Seeing that her mother indeed was as Leon described, not uttering a harsh word but instead apologizing with guilt-filled eyes, the Cat Princess, who couldn't even return to her home due to the Slaughter King Association's blockade, suddenly burst into tears on the spot, and then with a sob, rushed over, reaching out to fiercely pinch the Grand Witch King's neck.

"Wuwuwu! Old hag, you're done for! I've long waited for this day! Did you ever think I'd come back to take revenge on you? You..."