“If you’ve made a mistake, you should just say it directly, right?” Liana wasn’t particularly sensitive about this aspect, and she also believed that the King of Lisat wouldn’t get angry at her for such a thing.

“Even your father never spoke to me like this,” the king-no, the weary of man smiled.

“That’s because he doesn’t know about this. If he knew, he would definitely say so,” Liana said.

“...” He seemed lost in thought. “Truly worthy of being their daughter. Such an excellent character—brave and decisive like your father, Rayen, gentle and kind like your mother, Ambis.”

“Then I’ve somewhat disgraced my mother, because I’m not at all a gentle person,” Liana didn’t know why people always liked to describe her with the word ‘gentle.’

She didn’t know where her gentleness was. “I’m only like this with specific people. It’s not gentleness at all.”

“That is gentleness, Liana.” If one were unconditionally gentle to everyone, that would be called being a saint.

When it’s time to be angry, be angry; when it’s time to be gentle, be gentle.

“Whatever.” Liana also knew that arguing about whether she was gentle or not had no meaning.

“So, Liana, what do you want to tell me?” the king asked.

“...First, promise you won’t get angry.”

“I am, after all, the king of our kingdom. How could I possibly get angry over a word or two from you?” the king said very amiably.

However, he was also curious. After all, Liana had already said words that weren’t very respectful to the king. What words could possibly make him angry?

“Alright, that’s what you said. Mephilia, Minoga, Kasla, you all heard it, right?”

“...” He became more and more curious. What kind of words would make Liana so cautious?

“King of Lisat Kingdom, you might be an excellent king, but you’re definitely not a good father,” Liana said.

“...”

The three people present fell silent.

No, Liana, is this how you talk?

Who wouldn’t get angry if you said this to them?

“Your Majesty...” Mephilia wanted to say something.

But the King of Lisat Kingdom suddenly laughed. “Hahaha, even your current manner is exactly like Rayen’s. It truly is... quite a punishable tone.”

“You promised not to get angry,” Liana shrank back a bit.

“Don’t worry, I won’t get angry,” the old king amiably waved his hand. “Continue. I want to hear why you said this.”

“It’s simple. Because your attitude towards them is completely one of neglect. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; everyone indeed has their own growth journey. But you knew that if they continued, they would walk towards the abyss, yet you kept watching without stopping them. At most, you only gave them some reminders. The things the two princes did—King of Lisat, you knew about them all along, didn’t you?” Liana said.

The King of Lisat sighed, a sense of powerlessness filling his entire body. “Indeed, as Liana said, I saw everything they did.”

Liana responded, “As a king, in order to select a suitable heir, you must consider their abilities and character. After all, they will have to face the entire kingdom. And when they did these despicable things for power, they completely lost the ability to compete in your heart. Am I right?”

Just as Liana said, that was exactly what he thought. “I had originally thought of finding a suitable heir from other territories, but Mephilia’s performance gave me some hope.”

“So, you were wondering if Mephilia had the ability to solve the current problems of the Lisat Kingdom, using this to test whether she had the ability to claim the throne, right?” Liana said.

The king nodded.

“Father? Why...” Mephilia bit her lip, her eyes full of disbelief. “Why...”

The King of Lisat clearly knew how important Liana was to her. Moreover, Liana was the daughter of the king’s close friend, Duke Venus. Why did he just watch?

“Why make Liana a sacrifice in the kingdom’s competition? Isn’t she the daughter of your best friend? You...” The image of the king-no, the father in Mephilia’s heart was starting to crumble.

“Just as Liana said, I’m not a good father, and I might not even qualify as a good king,” the King of Lisat leaned back in his chair.

“I was too obsessed with the kingdom. Because I had seen the cruelty of the Darriss Kingdom, I didn’t want the Lisat Kingdom to become the next Darriss Kingdom in the future. So, to find a suitable heir, I sacrificed a lot.” 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

“Father?” Mephilia’s mindset began to change. She started to wonder if her years of persistence still had any meaning.

To cultivate a suitable heir, was it necessary to do such things?

“If Liana hadn’t changed at all, Father, you...”

“Would have selected another heir,” the king directly admitted this point.

With things said to this extent, if he still concealed anything, it would be disrespectful to them.

“Father...”

Liana grabbed Mephilia’s slightly trembling hand. “But now, it seems you’re destroying an excellent heir.”

Liana knew very well what kind of blow the King of Lisat’s current words would be to Mephilia.

This was undoubtedly destroying what Mephilia had been working hard for. If the price of inheriting the Lisat Kingdom was to let Liana suffer these things, she would rather not have it.

“This is something Mephilia would eventually face. Originally, I planned to make this her final test... Although now we’ve pretty much reached that stage,” the King of Lisat said.

“Father, I...”

Liana held Mephilia, preventing her from saying impulsive words.

“Today, King of Lisat, your performance is a bit different from the one in my memory,” Liana said.

“I must consider the entire kingdom,” the King of Lisat felt afraid whenever he thought of the former Darriss Kingdom.

“Then why did you leave the Darriss Territory behind? Wouldn’t it have been better to eliminate them directly?” Liana asked.

“Liana, you don’t understand.”

“I do understand. Because at that time, the King of Lisat needed the strength of the Darriss Territory, otherwise, he would have been swallowed by the Luska Kingdom, right?”

“...It seems talking to you can’t follow normal thought processes.”

“When things were already settled, you couldn’t casually act against the Darriss Territory. Otherwise, in others’ eyes, the Lisat Kingdom would be no different from the Darriss Kingdom. So even though you knew very well, you never had a reason to resolve the Darriss Territory, right?” Liana said.

Liana could think of every thought of his, which made the King of Lisat very curious about her.

“Where did you learn all these things? I remember that a few years ago, you were always wasting time in Venus Manor. You shouldn’t have had time to learn these things,” the King of Lisat asked.

“Rather than that, King of Lisat, you should now be more concerned about Mephilia, right?” Liana’s face pressed against Mephilia’s. “Right now, Mephilia is very angry. She feels betrayed, feels that all her efforts have been hurting me.”

Mephilia was indeed angry, but Liana suddenly pressed close.

“I won’t apologize to you. You can also give up your heir status now. At that time, I will also help you handle Liana’s matter. A king cannot let personal matters affect judgment for the entire kingdom. When to do what, without being influenced by others, always making the right choice in the calmest state, being responsible for the entire kingdom,” the King of Lisat said.

How should I put it?

What the King of Lisat did was very similar to Orleya.

“Undeniably, I am a citizen of the Lisat Kingdom. I certainly hope that the king I support can make the right choices and not choose the wrong direction due to personal influences,” Liana first affirmed the King of Lisat’s approach.

Did the King of Lisat do wrong? Not really, it was just hard to accept. He had indeed been responsible to the Lisat Kingdom. He was just not responsible to Mephilia and hadn’t done what a father should do.

“People always grow, perhaps after experiencing some things, perhaps after another conversation, perhaps after losing something.

“But why must you watch? Do you lack confidence? Don’t you believe your children can become excellent kings? Did you also walk alone all the way? That’s impossible, right? You must have received help from many people to reach this point, right?

“And now, you want them to make choices alone, make decisions alone, not helping them, and even when they’re going astray, you’re unwilling to support them. The current situation is entirely caused by your indulgence.

“I know that helping one side will definitely cause dissatisfaction from the other side. They will feel that you favor others and neglect them. This is a very difficult point for you to balance.”

It seems there are finally things Liana doesn’t know.

“How could I just watch them go astray? Long ago, I had already warned and intervened in their affairs many times. Each time, they agreed on the surface, all harmony, but as soon as they turned around, they fought amongst themselves in private. After seeing such things many times, I became disappointed in them.”

At the beginning, the King of Lisat would intervene each time, but gradually, he became thoroughly disappointed in the two of them.

“Then don’t let them involve me!” Liana was a bit depressed. “What? You were disappointed in them, so you assumed Mephilia would do the same, and deliberately had me test Mephilia?”

“Yes.” The King of Lisat generously admitted this point.

After hearing this, Mephilia was about to explode.

“I can’t imagine that someone like you has been my goal all along,” Mephilia said through gritted teeth. “Suddenly feeling a bit sick.”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Liana used her hand to cover Mephilia’s mouth. Liana understood why Mephilia was so angry, but suddenly saying this was a bit inappropriate, right?

Although Liana also thought that Mephilia’s scolding wasn’t wrong.

“...” Being spoken to like this by his own daughter, the King of Lisat would certainly be hurt, but he also knew this was what he deserved.

“Let’s go, Liana. I’ll take you away from this place,” Mephilia pulled Liana’s hand, about to leave.

“Wait,” Liana suddenly pulled Mephilia forcefully.

“What’s the point of staying in this place? I didn’t want to be this king anyway!” Mephilia said loudly. “I’m not worthy, right? I don’t need this throne. You’d better find someone else.”

Mephilia pointed at the King of Lisat and scolded him. She felt that all her years of effort had become ridiculous. Indeed.

Everything Liana had experienced was because of her.

“Calm down a bit, can you?” Liana suddenly hugged Mephilia.

The scent of Liana calmed Mephilia a bit, but she still wouldn’t change her mind.

Instead, she kept apologizing to Liana, “I’m sorry... I’m sorry, it’s because of me that you’ve reached this point.”

Liana looked at the King of Lisat, understanding but not respecting his approach.

His starting point was good, but what he did was somewhat too extreme.

“Without others’ support, you wouldn’t have reached this point either, right? But you chose to let Mephilia make choices on her own... No, without Minoga, Mephilia might not have made it to this point. I thank you.”

“Eh?” Minoga, who had been standing on the side and was nervous for the two, was somewhat stunned at this moment. She hadn’t expected Princess Liana to suddenly mention her.

“This is just what I should do, Princess Liana.”

Liana nodded, then said to the old king, “You are pushing your children into the abyss step by step, King of Lisat.

“Trust in children is something a father should have. Because of Hodwen and Oester, your trust in your children has been completely exhausted. But Mephilia is not them. She shouldn’t pay for their actions. The pressure you’ve put on Mephilia is too great,” Liana said.

“Moreover, does a king really need to be perfect? Can there really be perfect people?”

The King of Lisat couldn’t answer Liana’s consecutive questions.

“Anyone who can truly do as you say can no longer be called human, King of Lisat.”

Liana also understood very well what he had sacrificed for the Lisat Kingdom. His entire life was for the kingdom, and Mephilia’s mother had also passed away because of the kingdom.

So this kingdom held a very special meaning for the King of Lisat, which is why he was so persistent about this aspect.

“Today... let’s just say this much?” Liana saw that Mephilia had no heart to continue, so it was better to end early.

“...Mm.” The king nodded.

“I will find a time to announce that I’m withdrawing. I cannot understand, cannot imagine, and cannot strive to become a qualified ruler anymore. In my eyes, the position of king is too dirty,” Mephilia bit her lip. “If becoming one requires such a price, I’d rather give up from the beginning.”

“...Mm.”

What could Liana say at this point?

She could only silently support Mephilia. “It seems, Your Majesty, you’ll have to find another heir.”

“...”

“I will help you with your matter, as I promised,” the King of Lisat said.

This probably referred to the fake death. Logically, after Mephilia actively gave up on this matter, Liana would no longer pose any threat to them.

However, with today’s sudden events, the two of them completely resented her. Plus, since Mephilia was no longer an heir, taking action against her wouldn’t cost them much.

“Then, thank you, Your Majesty,” Liana held Mephilia’s hand.

“You seem very calm.”

“...That’s because, no matter what decision Mephilia makes, I will stand by her side, just as she once did for me, even if the opponent is... you,” Liana smiled and bowed to the King of Lisat.

“The dirty throne is unworthy of Mephilia. So, farewell, Your Majesty.”

“Excuse us, Your Majesty,” Minoga was also about to leave with Mephilia.

“Princess Mephilia is no longer an heir. You have no obligation to protect her,” Kasla said to Minoga.

“This is just my personal choice. I don’t protect her because she’s an heir, ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ but because she’s Princess Mephilia. Besides, I’ve already been disliked by Princess Liana once. If this continues, Princess Liana will definitely not forgive me. After all, this is Princess Mephilia, whom Princess Liana values most,” Minoga bowed to the King of Lisat and then left the garden.

Not long after they left, Orleya walked out of the house. “Did you specifically bring me here to watch a farce?”

The king sighed, and took a deep breath. Everything that had happened now was somewhat unexpected, but also somewhat anticipated. It was normal for Mephilia to be so angry.

He raised his head and looked at the sky. The sun was shining, the snow had stopped, but in his heart, a heavy snowstorm had begun.

“You’ve always wanted to change me, but you’re the same,” Orleya could feel a sense of déjà vu. This was exactly the same as her previous self.

Pursuing an obsession above everything else, above emotions.

“The citizens will make their choices. Weren’t you also chosen this way?” Orleya said.

“What if it’s just an act? In others’ eyes, Oester and Hodwen are very responsible heirs,” the King of Lisat said.

“That’s their choice. If they make the wrong choice, they should bear the consequences themselves.”

“Even if it leads to the destruction of the Lisat Kingdom?”

“At that time, a new ‘Lisat’ will emerge,” After realizing this, Orleya saw through it very clearly.

“If you continue like this, you will truly lose an excellent daughter,” Orleya reminded.

“...”

“We are all old now. Let’s hand the future to them.”

“I didn’t expect that after Rayen left, I would be lectured by his daughter,” the weary old man scratched his head.

“If he were still in the Lisat Kingdom now, he would definitely beat you half to death.”

“Half to death? He would probably beat me to death directly.”

“Truly an unqualified father... both of them... and I too,” Orleya laughed self-deprecatingly towards the end. “This is your own doing, so you have to bear it yourself. Wanting to retire, it seems you’ll need some more time.”

“Of course.”

“But you don’t need to be too anxious. Trust Liana, and also trust your daughter,” Orleya said.

“Let’s just consider it watching a boring farce. Let’s go back, Loraviel.”

“Mm.” Loraviel nodded. She had been suppressing herself in the back.

After hearing what Liana had just said, she felt extremely angry. As a king, yet doing such things.

“After seeing these things today, what are your thoughts?” On the way back, Orleya asked.

“I need to become stronger, strong enough to prevent Princess Liana from being bullied by anyone. I need to work even harder,” Loraviel clenched her fist.

“But now it seems the person you need to protect isn’t just one. The relationship between Mephilia and Liana seems quite unusual. You have a very strong competitor,” Orleya teased.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I thought you would give up after seeing today’s events,” During their time together, Orleya had seen Loraviel’s intentions.

“It’s precisely because of what Princess Liana did today that I was attracted to her. Because this is Princess Liana, this is what Princess Liana would do.”

Everything she saw today, far from discouraging Loraviel, actually stimulated her competitive spirit.

As long as she could stay by Liana’s side, she would be willing to be Liana’s dog.

“Then, good luck.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry...” On the way back, Mephilia kept apologizing to Liana.

“I’m not so concerned about this. After all, the outcome is good. Without this, we wouldn’t have been so successful, right?” To reassure Mephilia, Liana had been holding her hand the entire way back.

“But...” The more Liana was like this, the more remorseful Mephilia felt.

She was now very confused, not knowing what to do. The goal she had been striving for all along now seemed so ridiculous.

“There’s no ‘but.’ Calm down a bit, okay? Just the two of us, let’s go for a stroll,” Liana said.

Now, don’t let Mephilia think of those sad things. After knowing these things, her giving up the heir status was understandable.

“...It seems I’ve come at a bad time, disturbing your private space?” Minoga caught up at this point.

“Minoga? Why are you here too? Didn’t I say? I’ve given up my heir status. You no longer have an obligation to protect me,” Mephilia said.

“Ah, I protect Princess Mephilia. What does that have to do with being an heir?” At this point, Minoga tried her best to use a relaxed tone to talk to Mephilia, helping her take her mind off things.

“Also, Princess Mephilia, you were a bit impulsive this time.”

“If you’re trying to persuade me, give up,” The gratitude she originally felt for Minoga suddenly plummeted.

“That’s not what I meant. No matter what choice Princess Mephilia makes, I will be by her side. I’m not questioning Princess Mephilia’s decision, but the timing is a bit awkward, isn’t it?” Minoga used sound magic around them, preventing their voices from being heard outside.

“Princess Liana’s plan works only when you are an heir, when you pose a threat to them, and they would act against Princess Liana, right? Your sudden action has directly disrupted Her Highness’ plan.”

“...” Indeed, Mephilia’s mind was in chaos just now. Even with Liana beside her cooling her down, she had lost the ability to think and hadn’t realized this point.

“And the key point is, well, not to brag, but if it were another Judge, not me, they might have abandoned you two. At that time, the situation for both of you would become very dangerous, wouldn’t it?”

“...I really messed everything up,” Mephilia bit her lip.

Pat pat

Liana reached out and patted Mephilia’s head. “Don’t blame yourself too much. I’m just doing what you once did for me. Since you were like this, let me be like this too.”

“Don’t...”

“See? You don’t want to see me like this, so I don’t want to see you like this either,” Liana smiled. “During this time, relax a bit, okay? No matter what choice you make, please rest assured, I will definitely be by your side. Plus, Minoga is here too. We’re all here.”

“...” Mephilia felt her nose sting.

She was about to cry.

[Space Transfer.]

Minoga naturally saw what Mephilia was about to do now. At a time like this, it would be hard not to cry, right?

Minoga naturally wouldn’t let Mephilia cry in front of so many people. She directly used space magic to send Liana and Mephilia back to Mephilia’s house.

“Princess Mephilia?” Vivian, who had been cleaning the room, stopped. She looked at Mephilia. “Who bullied Princess Mephilia?”

“Alright, at this point, we should exit,” Minoga’s hand patted Vivian’s shoulder, and the next second, they appeared outside.

“Miss Vivian? Lady Minoga?” Oliphia, who was on guard duty, was puzzled. Why had these two suddenly teleported over?

“What exactly happened?” Vivian asked.

“What exactly happened isn’t important, because now Princess Liana is with Princess Mephilia. Princess Liana will handle this matter well,” Minoga believed that Princess Liana was much more capable than herself.

“Now, let’s just wait outside for Princess Liana’s good news then?”

“What exactly happened...” Oliphia had a face full of question marks.