Chapter 130 | The Vampire Princess Later Drew the Holy Sword

Rafina looked at Esper.

There was no expression on that familiar face.

Only emptiness. Nothing but a hollow shell stood there, waiting to see what else she had to say.

Then she realized—she was speechless.

An apology? An explanation? Or to keep telling her how much she missed her?

When Esper threw all those words in her face just now, she suddenly realized that not a single word of the speech she had prepared for an entire year could be used to respond to this.

She had prepared “I missed you so much,” “I kept your things all this time,” and “let's start over,” and she had even prepared how to coax Nia if she was still angry.

But she had never prepared an answer for “Nia hates me.” She had never even considered the possibility.

When she received the portrait of the Hero's investiture from Ellie and looked at the familiar black-haired girl in the picture, what was the first thought that instinctively crossed her mind?

Ah, Nia has gotten thinner.

Is she doing well? It must have been so hard on her, right?

It's fine. Once we meet, I'll ask her all about it.

Then she'll tell me what she went through this past year, and we can sit and chat just like we used to.

And then she went to handle the border disputes of the Flame Demon Royal Court.

And then she went to approve the application submitted by the Lich Court Head to expand the undead mines.

And then she returned to her bedchamber, tossed and turned in bed, and began to imagine the scene of their reunion.

Nia would probably throw a tantrum at first and pretend to ignore her, but then she would bring out that hairpin, and Nia's heart would soften.

Then she would make up with her, and everything would be just like before.

It was like this every single night. Every day.

And so, during this entire year, she had never once imagined whether Lonia Catori—the girl she knew so well, who always cared for others in her clumsy way, who was always sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, and who would always quietly stay by her side when she was sad—would hate her.

She hated her.

This wasn't right.

Until she actually met Esper again, Rafina had been entirely immersed in her own delusions.

Nia had left, but that was fine.

After her initial panic, she had reached an understanding with Eliza.

The two of them cooperated to keep track of Lonia's whereabouts and current situation.

Two women who detested each other had formed an alliance and cooperated because of the person they both loved.

Eliza believed that Lonia was just going through a rebellious phase.

After a while, or rather, after a good long while, Lonia would return to their home.

Rafina, on the other hand, believed that none of this was over.

Nia would forgive her.

Just like every other time she had indulged her.

After all, that was Nia, the child she had spent ten years with, whose feelings for each other had long since gone beyond friendship but fallen just short of romance.

She knew that they were only separated by a thin sheet of paper; as long as they broke through that barrier, Lonia would agree to her request.

After all, that was Nia, a girl who harbored kindness toward everyone. Even with her tiny, weak body, Lonia Catori would stand up for others countless times.

Good girl Nia, sweet girl Nia, pure Nia, kind Nia...

She would forgive her.

Even if, at that time, she hadn't chosen to listen to what she wanted to say.

Even if, at that time, because of her promise to Gloom, she had resolved to completely sever all ties with her and ripped the blood covenant apart.

Even if she hadn't believed her.

She would still forgive her.

Rafina believed this with absolute certainty.

So every night, when she lay in bed, she didn't think about how to explain things to Lonia, how to apologize to Lonia, or how to make it up to Lonia.

She merely indulged in fantasies of how happy and delightful it would be when she met Lonia again.

I'm the one who knows Nia best.

Even if I hurt her back then, she will forgive me.

I know Nia best.

Just as she is my best and most important friend.

I am also her best and most important friend.

I know Nia best.

How could she possibly not like me? How could she possibly hate me?

Yes, I'm the one who won.

It doesn't matter even if that Saintess is there.

I'm the one who will win, and it can only be me.

Because I am the most important person to Nia.

“That's why I hate you, Fina.”

With a soft thud, Rafina's tail drooped to the floor.

She had miscalculated.

Due to her self-righteousness, the negotiation and mind-reading skills she had honed in political struggles, and her complete lack of understanding of what Esper—the girl once known as Lonia Catori who had now cast aside her name—had experienced over the past year.

She had made the wrong judgment.

She thought that as long as she showed her genuine longing and love, she could reclaim their past and their bond.

But she was wrong.

Because in her mind, the situation was still just a matter of “Lonia and her being separated by a misunderstanding.”

But she was wrong.

The truth was that Lonia had been betrayed.

The Demon King she grew up with had chosen not to believe her.

The older sister who raised her had been using her all along.

She hated Eliza Catori, who treated everything as a means to an end, completely ignored her feelings and thoughts, and used her as a tool.

She hated the Demon Realm that forced her sister and her best friend into opposition, leaving her caught in the middle. She hated this fate.

She hated Rafina.

She hated this self-righteous and self-deceiving Demon King.

A girl in love who casually erased all her own mistakes and pinned all her hopes on unrealistic fantasies and expectations of the girl standing before her.

She hadn't even offered a single apology.

Even saying “I was wrong about what happened before...” would have been something.

Or even asking “Have you had a hard time this past year?” would have worked.

Esper didn't know what Rafina had planned.

She didn't know that Rafina simply intended to wait a little before bringing those things up.

All she knew was that Rafina had said:

“Nia, I missed you so much.”

What on earth is that supposed to mean?!

You missed me, but what about me?!

What about me?!

Why don't you show some concern for me?! Ask me what I've been through all this time!

I have so many things I wanted to tell you!

About how I lived like a stray dog in the wild, struggling to survive during my time on the run;

About how much it hurt when I was beaten to the point where I couldn't move during the fight with Zhong;

About how utterly powerless I felt when facing the Pope after driving back Landon with Kaylar;

About how much pain I was in when Eladia lost her sense of self;

Do you not care about any of it?

No, it's not that you don't care.

You just have something you care about more.

Yourself.

Even though you were the one who hurt me.

Even though you were the one who abandoned me.

Even though you were the one who wronged me.

You still care more about yourself.

“I will never forgive you,” Esper said, her body going limp and nearly collapsing as if she had lost all her strength.

Eladia caught her.

A deathly silence spread across the room.

It was Eladia who broke the silence.

Holding Esper, she looked up at Rafina, who stood frozen in place.

“Miss Demon King... Although I still don't know what happened between you two... but...”

She pressed her cheek against Esper's and said softly,

“If it were me... I would never, ever doubt Esper...”

“Ah... Ah...?”

“No matter how ridiculous her actions might seem... no matter how unreasonable or incomprehensible her plans are... I will always support her...”

The corners of Eladia's mouth curved up slightly into a smile.

“You probably don't understand, do you... Miss Demon King...”

It was a smile Esper had never seen before.

A smile carrying a hint of contempt and coldness.

Eladia didn't know she could make such an expression either.

But she understood one thing.

The one she had feared in the night, the one who had beaten her to becoming Esper's first “friend”...

Was just a self-righteous idiot.

So what if I'm the latecomer? It doesn't matter.

I'll just replace you.

“You are the Demon King... You must have so many things, don't you...? Like subordinates who respect you... and the entire Demon Realm... and the whole army... Truly so many things... Those are all important to you, aren't they...?”

Eladia gently nuzzled Esper, clinging to her with affectionate intimacy, like a puppy nestling against its owner.

“I'm different... To me, the only one who truly matters is Esper. Miss Noelle and Mr. Renn are just colleagues... Kaylar is a good friend... and even if we include them... there are only four people...”

She gently supported Esper, helping her stand upright. Her movements were gentle and practiced, as if she were tending to a treasure more precious than her own life.