Chapter 1112: Chapter 1112

Bright blonde hair cascading over an eye-catching dress. A face flushed red with embarrassment.

Illyna looked just like she did on the day they got married. Davey saw the shy, delicate expression on her face. He had thought she’d never show that delicate face again, as vulnerable as on their wedding day.

She held his hand and followed his lead as they danced.

“If you keep staring at the floor like that, you’ll trip.”

She trembled slightly in embarrassment as she cautiously looked up, the breathtaking scene scored by the soft music in the background. Her face, mixed with conflicting emotions, made Davey tilt his head.

“You’re not feeling sick, are you?”

“N-No! I’m not—kyaa!” She faltered in surprise, but he caught her before she could fall. Face burning with shame, she focused again on the dance.

Soon after, the music ended, and she fled to the terrace. Davey followed along.

She didn’t look well.

After silently gazing out at the empty view beyond the window, she slowly turned to him. “Davey.”

She stepped closer, taking a moment to look up into his eyes. “Davey.”

“If you’ve got something to say, just say it.”

Instead of saying something, she slowly rose onto her toes, bringing her face closer to his. It was as if she were asking for a kiss, making her affection as clear as always. In response, Davey leaned in slowly to meet her lips.

Illyna's eyes fluttered shut, and her eyelids trembled. Her expression, more bashful than usual, stirred something deep within him.

However, just as their lips were about to meet, Davey instinctively pulled back. He then stopped and gently placed his hands on her shoulders.

Illyna looked up at him with a conflicted, almost hurt expression. “Why?”

Knowing the jig was up, her body shattered and transformed.

He recognized her pale skin and the holy power radiating off of her. The sky-blue hair she always hid, claiming it drew too much attention, finally flowed freely.

Caught red-handed, Reina flinched, but she kept her head down and her lips shut. Looking back, there had certainly been clues. She already expected to be caught, yet she still couldn't help but be shaken.

It was a clear deception and betrayal. Even so, Davey didn’t get angry; he just gave her a look full of sorrow.

Even though she had been reborn as a Celestial and claimed she was no longer Illyna, her core—her very essence—was still Illyna de Pallan. That was also why Illyna and Reina couldn’t recognize each other.

Though she hadn’t even been allowed to exist in the past, they had used trickery to revoke it. Even so, Illyna couldn't recognize Reina for who she was.

In fact, there had been a moment when Davey tried to speak to Illyna about Reina, why he was worried about her, and how he was helping her from behind the scenes. However, Illyna just couldn’t remember them having such a conversation.

As Reina had wandered the continent, fulfilling her role as a Hero, she had gone through countless trials. Nothing had spiraled out of control, but that was only because Davey had always been quietly supporting her behind the scenes.

Davey found it hard to believe that Reina harbored romantic feelings for him. Well, sure, Perserque had once told him that he was hopeless at reading relationships, but he had laughed it off. After all, just because he’d been single for a thousand years didn’t mean he was going to take advice from someone who’d been single for a whole three thousand.

His current situation was no laughing matter, however. He had no clue what she wanted from him.

Reina just stood still like a child caught doing something wrong.

“How’d you appear as Illyna? Ah, it must have been Verdandi! That damned woman.”

Davey knew that Verdandi could shift how Iro looked, but he hadn’t expected her to go so far for Reina.

“Wait here. I’m gonna go give her a piece of my mind.”

“No... please don’t.” She desperately grabbed his arm. Her tone barely a whisper, she added, “It wasn't her fault. I asked for it.”

She looked up at him with tearful eyes, about to break down at any moment. Even if he asked her why, he knew she wouldn’t be able to answer easily.

He was inclined to consider the possibility of her having some manipulative intent, but his instincts told him otherwise.

“I... I just envied her.”

That single sentence made it hard to breathe. It was the one thing he hadn’t wanted to hear.

“I thought I’d be okay, but watching her from nearby... it hurt so much,” she murmured, like someone resigned to her fate. As if confessing her sins, she added, “I’m not her anymore. I’m Celestial Reina, a new person. Still, whenever I see her smile, I wonder if I’ll always be stuck ... or if I’ll ever be happy like her...N-No, that’s not it...”

“I’m Illyna too! I’m still Illyna de Pallan! I’m just the one who lost everything after losing the war...” Tears streamed down her face as she clenched her small fists. “I’m not really Reina, and I’m not some hero.”

Her long-suppressed emotions burst out in sobs. Davey watched silently, then pulled a cloak from his Pocket Plane and gently wrapped it around her.

Startled, she slowly looked up at him.

“Let’s get some air, so you can clear your head.”

“You gave me a warm cloak? Where are we going?”

“I know a good place.”

Davey tore space open and took her hand. Just outside the terrace where he’d been standing, Illyna stood watching.

She had one hand over her mouth, eyes wide in shock. “What... what did I just hear?”

Normally, it would’ve been impossible for her to hear Reina’s confession. Nonetheless, she had heard it clearly this time.

“I’m Illyna too! I’m still Illyna de Pallan! I’m just the one who lost everything after losing the war...”

That one line hit her like a wave of unendurable shock.

Perserque gently caressed her belly with a warm, contented smile. “My lovely baby... grow well, alright? Mommy’s waiting for you.”

It was the child she had always longed for, a miracle she had once thought impossible. Fortunately, Davey had bent the very fabric of the world to make it happen.

Words could not explain the joy and ecstasy she’d felt when she first realized she was pregnant. The baby had taken longer than usual to settle and grow, but to her, it was nothing but precious and adorable.

Of course, while joy filled her heart, she had once felt a bit of confusion, too. She had thought about whether she could give the same love to Darian, or Evangeline, or even Blue Ribbon and Red Ribbon after the child was born.

It was a legitimate concern, and if that ever truly happened, she knew she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself.

The door suddenly burst open, and Evangeline came rushing in. Behind her stood Dirro, the emotionless bio-golem of the Avengers Squadron; and Anabelle, who quietly guarded her like a sentinel.

“Eva,” Perserque greeted her with a soft smile, and Evangeline, brimming with curiosity, darted over and knelt in front of her, eyes fixed on her belly.

“My younger sister is in there, right? Right?!”

Maybe those worries were meaningless, after all. The baby growing inside her was precious, yes, but so was Evangeline.

“Hehe, little baby, I’m your big sister!”

Even though they didn’t yet know if the baby was a boy or a girl, it was obvious Evangeline was hoping for a little sister.

Perserque herself, however, quietly hoped for a boy so that Darian wouldn’t grow up lonely. This content belongs to Novᴇl_Fire(.)net

“Look at this! Mommy Aeria made these gifts for the baby!” Evangeline proudly held up a set of beautiful baby clothes, complete with tiny shoes no bigger than her palm and a pair of soft mittens. “How are their feet so small?”

“That’s how it is. Newborn babies are that tiny.”

“Was I that small too?”

“Of course.” Perserque smiled softly, remembering when Evangeline had first hatched from her egg, as well as when Darian had been born.

“Hehe, it’s amazing! I wanna meet the baby sooooon,” Evangeline whined softly.

Perserque just quietly and gently stroked her hair.

“When’s Daddy coming home?”

“Hmm. Well, he said things are going smoothly, so probably soon?”

“When he gets back, I’m gonna ask him to send me to Earth!”

Perserque asked with surprise, “What?”

“I wanna go to school on Earth!”

Perserque made a slightly uncomfortable face at her excited declaration. “Is that really necessary?”

“Daddy said it’s good to experience both Earth and Tionis cultures at least once!”

That much was true. Earth and Tionis had completely different cultures, so experiencing both wouldn’t be a bad thing. Still, each world had its own dangers, and as a mother, Perserque couldn’t help but be wary.

Davey likely felt the same way.

“We should probably talk that over a bit more first.”

“Okay...” her voice trailed off in disappointment. “I miss Sister Super Ribbon too.”

They were quietly gazing at her belly when they heard footsteps echo from the hallway.

Perserque tilted her head in surprise at the unexpected visitor. “Illyna?”

Illyna called out, “Evangeline.”

“I’m sorry, but could you go play with Darian for a bit?”

Evangeline gave her a puzzled look but quickly nodded. “Okay.”

Once Evangeline had run off and disappeared, Illyna’s face turned serious. “Perserque.”

“Hey, Illyna. Did you come with Davey?”

“No. He’s still there.”

“You came back alone?”

Illyna quickly strode over to Davey’s wine cellar, opened it, and picked out the most precious bottle he had been saving. She popped the cork without a second thought and poured herself a glass.

“Something’s off,” Perserque cautiously remarked. “What happened? Did that fool do something again?”

“No, I came to ask you something.”

“Yes.” Illyna closed her eyes for a moment. “Reina. That Hero of Light. Who is she, really?”

“Hm? She’s Reina, a Celestial and Hero of Light. Chosen by Goddess Freyja, blessed by her revelation and grace.”

“That’s not what I’m asking,” she replied, making Perserque furrow her brow in confusion. “She said it herself. That she’s Illyna. Illyna... de Pallan.”

It wasn't necessarily unusual for some people to have the same names. Even so, there was only one person on the continent with the name Illyna, the middle name de, and the family name Pallan.

Perserque froze, disbelief naturally washing over her face. By the laws of this world’s structure, Illyna should never have been able to discover such information.

“You... Where did you even hear that...?”

“I overheard her and Davey talking.”

‘Davey, you idiot...’ Perserque bit her lip. She quickly realized that Davey probably wasn’t even worried because no matter what Illyna heard, she wasn’t supposed to remember.

That was the way of things, yet Illyna had somehow defied it.

“Tell me. Who is she?”