Nerissa's eyes burned into her daughter's. "So all of his effort, all of his reckless gambits, were for that. To seize what he wanted from the Gate… and then to get out of the Empire. Nothing more. Nothing less."

She leaned back, her voice softening once more. "Simple. Obvious. So obvious that only fools would miss it."

Her smile widened just slightly, her gaze still fixed on Celestia. "And yet… so many missed it."

At which, the faintest flicker of realization began to shine in Celestia's golden eyes. The wheels in her mind spun furiously, linking one piece of her mother's explanation to another, trying to connect the puzzle that had seemed impossible only moments ago.

Her lips parted slightly, the question almost escaping before she caught it. What was that thing he took from the Gate? She wanted to demand the answer, but she stopped herself. She knew her mother too well. If Nerissa had the known, she would have spoken it directly. The fact that she hadn't meant one thing she herself didn't know.

And that was perhaps the most shocking truth of all.

Her mother, the Imperial Empress herself, who held the sharpest mind and greatest authority in the world, did not know what he had taken or what prifit he got.

But the rest of her explanation… it made sense. More sense than anything Celestia had tried to reason for herself. It all matched, and for the first time since this discussion began, she felt the fog around Razeal's actions begin to clear.

Nerissa's lips curved into a small, amused smile as she continued.

"As for the Holy Promise…" she began, her tone teasing, as though it were a trivial matter. "Tell me, Celestia.. what use would it ever have for someone like him? Or even for you, my daughter?"

Celestia blinked, taken aback.

"Think," Nerissa pressed. "If you desired a Holy Promise, would the Church refuse you? Of course not. They would hand it to you the instant you asked. For you, for me, for anyone of true standing, it is nothing more than a token. A favor dressed as a miracle."

Celestia's mind clicked into place. Yes… for the powerful, the Holy Promise was not an irreplaceable wish. It was merely another thread binding them to the Church's debt.

"Exactly," Nerissa said, reading the unspoken thought in her daughter's eyes. "What is one wish worth, when everything you desire can already be claimed by strength or birthright? And would you truly want to owe the Church that kind of favor?"

Her words cut sharp and true. Celestia's heart thudded, her pride smarting.

"The boy knew this," Nerissa went on smoothly. "From the beginning, the Holy Promise was never his true aim. It was only a pretext.. an excuse to buy himself more time. Time to prepare for what he really wanted to do."

She tapped her long, elegant finger against her armrest, as though counting invisible beats. "Seven days, wasn't it? That was all the Holy Promise granted him. Seven days of freedom. Seven days to move without interference. And he used them for whatever i am not aware off But."

Her eyes narrowed, gleaming with that dangerous mixture of curiosity and admiration. "Whatever he accomplished in those days… they must have been critical. Enough to set his entire plan into motion. And now? He has done exactly as he intended from the very beginning. He left the Empire the moment the simplest path opened.. because he made sure you gave it to him."

Her voice lifted slightly in a mocking lilt. "Don't touch him for two days… wasn't that what you said?"

A soft chuckle escaped her, one that stung more than a slap. She pointed a finger, her eyes sparkling with cruel amusement.

Celestia sat frozen. The words echoed in her mind like a curse. She had said that. She had declared it, confident it was the right choice. And now, she could see how perfectly it had played into his hands.

How did he even predict that? Did he know I could do even that? But she had just promised him back in the academy that she would protect him. Wait did he change his plans from then on to make it fit perfectly? No, that wasn't the main thing. The real question was… how the hell did he know she would do that and for that exact number of days?

Her face betrayed no emotion, but inside, her pride was burning. Slowly, she inclined her head. "I see," she murmured. "I understand now."

Nerissa leaned back, clearly pleased. "And as for the Eternal Hold… do I even need to explain that to you anymore?"

Celestia's lips barely moved as she whispered, "Yograj Molarious…"

The name tasted heavy in her mouth. At once, the picture became clear.

"He wanted to reach Atlantis," Celestia said, her voice gaining strength as her eyes finally met her mother's. "And since venturing into the Ocean is forbidden by Imperial law, the only way was for him. No one can follow him there, no one can stop him once he's free. Now he can do as he pleases, roam where he wants, and no one will disturb him."

Her voice was calm. Ofcourse she knew what Atlantis was. Most in the Empire thought of it as a myth, but among the top powers those who ruled, who carried ancient knowledge it was well known that Atlantis was real. A place of mysteries and secrets far beyond common reach.

Of course, she, as the Imperial Princess, had always known this truth. And of course, she had just spoken it aloud, unraveling yet another thread of his intentions.

Nerissa's hands came together in a slow, mocking clap. The sound echoed in the chamber, sharp and deliberate.

"Well done," she said lightly, her smile widening. "You're not as hopeless as I thought you be. Almost like teaching a goblin the theory of seventh-tier magic it takes forever, but eventually, even the dullest spark catches."

Her teasing tone was merciless, but her eyes gleamed with approval.

Celestia did not react. She sat with her spine straight, her hands folded, and merely drew in a deep breath. Inside, however, her pride roared with humiliation. She had been manipulated. Outsmarted. Played. And by someone she had dismissed as reckless.

At last, her lips parted. "He won."

The words were quiet, but they fell like stones into still water.

Nerissa tilted her head.

"He won," Celestia repeated, her voice steady, though the weight of the admission pressed against her pride. "It was brilliant, in its way. He crossed the very heart of the Empire the strongest bastion in the world and left it behind crossing the blunderies without anyone's permission."

Nerissa's eyes glinted. She had been waiting for this moment, for her daughter to admit the truth without flinching.

But then Celestia used a word that made the Empress pause.

"Boundaries."

Her mother's expression paused instantly.

"O..Ohhh?" Nerissa leaned forward slightly, her gaze drilling into her daughter's eyes. "Boundaries, you say?"

Celestia blinked, unsettled by the sudden shift in tone. "Did I say something wrong, Mother?" she asked carefully.

"Perhaps," Nerissa said softly, but there was steel beneath her voice. "Tell me about this… 'boundary. Thing' Where do you believe the reach of my Empire ends?"

Celestia straightened her back, confidence returning as she recited what she knew by heart.

"It ends at the Northern coast, where seas stretch into the very ice pole. To the East, the seas beyond the merchant routes. To the South, the forest of Dread. And to the West, the Kingdom of Zogarnoth, which is of course a vassal under direct Imperial rule."

She delivered the answer firmly, the confidence of her education ringing in every word.

"You are wrong."

Nerissa's words came instantly, cutting like a blade through the air.

Celestia froze, her brows furrowing. "No, but I have" She tried to defend her earlier answer, confused. Everything she had said was correct. She knew it was correct.

But Nerissa didn't give her the chance.

The Empress rose in a single, fluid motion, her platinum hairs spilling around her like liquid moonlight. She gestured for her daughter to follow.

Celestia swallowed hard, then obeyed, stepping to her mother's side.

Nerissa's hand came down, deceptively gentle, onto Celestia's shoulder. She guided her forward until they stood at the tall crystal windows of the Imperial Chamber. From there, the entire Empire sprawled beneath them like a tapestry cities glittering with lantern-light, fields stretching into the horizon, rivers winding like silver serpents. From this highest tower, there was no obstruction. One could see the world as if it belonged to them.

Nerissa turned, her gaze boring into her daughter's golden eyes. Her voice dropped into something colder, something that seemed to seep into the very bones.

"You are wrong," she repeated, her words sharp and final. "Because my Empire has no boundaries."

The room itself seemed to still at her declaration.

Celestia's lips parted.

But Nerissa's presence pressed against her, brooking no denial.

"The kingdoms, the empires, the vassal states…" Nerissa's voice grew heavier, her eyes gleaming with something like obsession. "I allow them to exist. They breathe because I will it. Their banners fly not because they are free, but because I permit them. They exist to give me people to rule, order to shape, chaos to tame. They are ornaments, my child.. decorations on the great stage of my will."

Celestia shivered despite herself, though pride forced her chin higher.

"There never were, and never will be, boundaries to my Empire," Nerissa continued, her words echoing like a decree through the chamber. "Do you understand? The Ocean is forbidden only because I made a promise to a friend. Not because anyone can stop me. Not because it lies beyond my reach. It is forbidden because I chose it to be so. If I withdrew that promise tomorrow, nothing in this world could deny me. My will alone defines reality. And my will," her voice flared like thunder, "is Imperialism."

Her platinum eyes flared like twin stars, and for a moment, Celestia thought she might collapse beneath their weight. Instead, something inside her rose up. Her spine straightened, her own eyes hardening as pride flared instinctively against the oppressive majesty of her mother.

"I understand, Mother," Celestia said firmly, locking her gaze with hers.

A small, satisfied smile curved Nerissa's lips. She released her daughter's shoulder and let her voice slip back into its usual calm, almost playful cadence. "Good."

She turned away, her presence relaxing, the storm vanishing as suddenly as it had come. "It may be difficult to accept this… loss in judgment. But mistakes are not unforgivable if one learns from them." She patted Celestia's shoulder lightly. "Go. Reflect. Grow. That is all I require."

Celestia bowed her head slightly. "Yes, Mother."

She turned to leave, her heart still pounding, her pride bruised but her resolve firming. She had been wrong, and she hated it but she would not let it break her.

She was halfway to the door when Nerissa's voice came again, smooth and casual.

"And also be careful of that boy," she said. "He is cruel And very Decisive when it comes to it. He killed millions of ghost Clan members with a single lie.. just so he could steal two days of distraction, forcing his mother's attention elsewhere."

The words froze Celestia mid-step. She turned her head slowly, her golden eyes narrowing. "They were not good people anyway," she said. Her voice wavered, but her conviction sharpened. "The Death Clan killed for sport, slaughtered simply to remind the world that precenceless beings do have precence."

Nerissa's lips curved. She leaned lazilyly, eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Oh?" she asked softly. "And if you stood in his place… would you have done the same? Would you manipulate the fates of millions, wipe them from existence, just to serve your own selfish ends?"

The chamber seemed to grow colder.

Celestia's paused. She opened her mouth… then closed it again. The words refused to form. Would she have? Could she have? The question gnawed at her, dragging her into silence.

Her mother's chuckle filled the heavy air. "Indecision doesn't suit you, my dear." She shook her head, almost pitying. "But I must admit… that boy does it better. He acts without hesitation. He is ruthless when the moment calls for it. He manipulates others with precision, bends situations to his advantage, and achieves his aims even without power of his own. If nothing else…" she smiled, sharp and amused, "he is more suited for the throne than you are right now."

The words cut like knives.

Celestia's chest tightened, but her face remained a mask of composure. Her pride howled, her frustration and sadness burned hot but she buried it all. She would not falter. Not in front of her.

"He was clever," Celestia said finally, her voice steady. "He understood his situation. The Ghost Clan would have become his enemies regardless. He only struck before they could." She paused, her tone sharpening, "But if it were me in his place… I would have found a better way."

Nerissa tilted her head, lips curling wider. "Still defending him, even now?"

Celestia lips twitched.

"Very well then," Nerissa said smoothly. "Tell me.. do you regret what you did that day?"

The question hit like a thunderclap. The chamber fell into oppressive silence. The air itself seemed to grow heavy.

Celestia stood frozen, her heart pounding, her eyes locked on her mother's. She knew exactly what Nerissa was asking. She knew exactly what memory the Empress was alluding to.

Neither spoke. Seconds stretched into long, unbearable minutes.

At last, Celestia bowed her head slightly. "Excuse me, Mother. I am… feeling unwell. I ask permission to leave."

She did not wait for a reply.

Turning sharply, she strode to the heavy door of the chamber, her steps echoing against the marble floor. She pulled it open and slipped through, slamming it shut behind her with such force that the chamber itself seemed to shudder.

Nerissa remained seated, her eyes fixed on the closed door.

And then, her laughter rang softly through the empty chamber.. low, amused, and utterly unbothered.

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Yooo guys your handsome charming author here!

Yeah, the author's been grinding hard today working since morning. I might be able to push out one, maybe even two more chapters.

I just feel a bit guilty about not updating day before yesterday. I promised Yuri_IsNTR two chapters for Golden Gachapon, but I was sick.. not lazy, I swear.

Thanks again for reading and supporting. Don't forget to send those golden tickets! ❤️

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