"So what exactly happened that made you feel concerned?"

Marianne looked at her quietly, her gaze gentle and full of tolerance.

"Just say it. I'll listen carefully and help you think of solutions."

In that voice gentle as water, Celitia's eyes slightly reddened.

She steeled her heart and spoke carefully: "It's like this..."

Celitia told Marianne everything from encountering Charlotte and Bren's secret conversation in the corridor to the final loss of control of her power that caused Bren's disappearance.

As those events were spoken one by one, the heavy pressure that had been weighing on her chest, making it hard to breathe, slowly dissipated.

By the time she finished the last sentence, Celitia felt completely relaxed.

"So many things actually happened..."

Marianne didn't immediately express her opinion. She looked at Celitia with eyes full of heartache.

"Keeping all these things bottled up inside, not daring to tell anyone—it must have been very difficult, right? I'm truly very happy that you're willing to tell me these things."

At this point, Marianne became even more pleased, the joy in her voice almost overflowing.

If they weren't walking in the garden, Marianne might have already been unable to restrain herself from embracing the girl beside her.

"It's okay, that wasn't your fault. Bren deserved this, and as for Charlotte... I might be able to guess why she disappeared."

In Marianne's view, these two people had each committed unforgivable wrongs. Even if they unfortunately died, it was their own doing.

"So they were originally targeting Sophia, but by accident you encountered it instead. Thank heaven, both you and Sophia are safe… Just as Gorman said, certain demons are lurking in the shadows, plotting some conspiracy. Now that we know, we must stay vigilant."

Marianne murmured a few sentences, and seeing Celitia's expression becoming heavier, she gently touched Celitia's hand to comfort her.

"Don't think too much about it. What's done is done. Excessive worry serves no purpose. You must believe that we'll find a solution. So just relax and take things as they come."

"Mm." Celitia nodded.

Their side was in the open while the enemy was hidden.

They could only respond to moves as they came while trying to draw the snake out of its hole and find a way to expose them.

"If anything else happens in the future, you must tell me."

Marianne's smile became even gentler.

"No matter what it is, I'll listen seriously to what you have to say, my child."

Though it was clearly still the cold depths of winter, it felt as if a spring breeze had suddenly blown into Celitia's heart.

Her cheeks gradually took on a faint blush as Celitia lowered her head and spoke quietly:

"Alright, thank you, Your Majesty Marianne. I will."

Marianne looked at her with a meaningful glance, her eyes flickering with both sadness and reproach, as well as hope and expectation.

"Even at this point, you still won't call me 'Mother'?"

"Mother"...

This was such a luxurious form of address.

Could she really possess it?

Celitia couldn't help but feel slightly dazed.

Involuntarily, she gently opened her mouth, about to utter this address.

"Mother!"

However, the person who called out this address was not Celitia.

Another voice suddenly came from far away, interrupting the words Celitia hadn't spoken.

"Mother, I wondered where you'd gone when I wasn't paying attention—turns out you're here with Lily!"

Sophia appeared at some point at the garden entrance, waving at Marianne and Celitia from afar.

"Sophia?!" Celitia was immediately startled.

Realizing she was still being held by Marianne, Celitia immediately forced herself free from Marianne's hand, stepped back half a pace behind her, and put distance between herself and Marianne.

At the same time, Sophia jogged over and stopped in front of the two.

"Are you taking a walk together?" Sophia looked at the two very curiously. "What secrets were you sharing?"

"Nothing much," Celitia casually deflected. "Just keeping Her Majesty the Queen company for a walk."

Not daring to look directly into Sophia's eyes, Celitia evasively shifted her gaze away.

Due to Sophia's sudden interruption preventing her from hearing Celitia call her mother, disappointment uncontrollably showed in Marianne's eyes.

Marianne stopped walking, turned around, and looked at Celitia who had fallen half a step behind her, forcing a smile:

"Alright, Celitia, you've kept me company long enough. Next, I still need to handle the aftermath of the ball. You go play with Sophia."

Sophia naturally took Celitia's hand and winked at Marianne:

"Great! Then I'll take Lily away!"

"Go ahead." Marianne nodded.

After saying goodbye to Marianne, Sophia led Celitia deeper into the garden.

She held Celitia's hand tightly, with three times more force than usual.

Earlier, Sophia had actually seen the scene of Marianne and Celitia walking hand in hand through the garden.

Her mother really liked Celitia and was very good to her—Sophia should have felt happy about this.

But for some reason, in that moment, an inexplicable panic arose in Sophia's heart.

That's why she had hurried over to interrupt their conversation.

Sophia asked awkwardly, trying to probe: "What did you and Mother talk about?"

"Nothing special," Celitia glossed over the key content. "Mainly about some things from yesterday's ball. Her Majesty Marianne briefed me on the situation."

"I see."

Sophia's heart immediately settled back in her stomach, and she felt much more relaxed.

"I heard they've already caught several thieves who snuck in. When you feel better, go identify them to see which bastard tried to harm you."

"Mm."

Even knowing this would be useless, Celitia still responded.

Seeing Sophia pulling her deeper into the garden, Celitia couldn't help but ask in confusion: "Aren't we going back?"

"What's wrong?" Sophia pouted, full of envy and jealousy. "You're willing to take walks with Mother, but not willing to walk more with me?"

Celitia was stunned: "No, that's not what I meant..."

She couldn't help but complain inwardly—how could someone be jealous of their own mother?

She just sighed out loud: "It's mainly that looking at the sky, it seems like it might rain soon."

"It won't rain," Sophia's pout got even higher as she turned facts upside down and was completely unreasonable. "I order it not to rain!"

Celitia was speechless.