#83. Why?
Olivia felt uneasy as she looked at Ambre, whose eyes sparkled with absolute certainty.
Yes. She was truly uneasy.
If Ambre were simply flattering her because she was the future empress, or acting devotedly for the sake of her family, perhaps the situation could have been manageable.
If so, Olivia could have used persuasion, bribery, or threats—any means necessary.
But Ambre genuinely wanted nothing. She simply entrusted her life to Olivia.
Instead of asking for a bundle in return for being saved, Ambre offered not just all her possessions but even herself.
Isaac and Ambre were different.
She had shared everything fairly easily with Isaac, but that was only because…
At that thought, Olivia tilted her head to the side.
Was it different?
The sole heir of Tarenga, one of the empire’s great pillars, and someone of unclear origin from another country—there was a chasm of difference between them.
But what did such distinctions matter when facing the greatest disaster of the future?
If they couldn’t stop the ancient god—or at least eliminate those running around for its sake—the continent was doomed.
The worst outcome would be the entire continent being “purified,” just as before.
Ambre herself would not escape that end either.
So, for the sake of world peace, was there really any reason to hide the truth from someone who sincerely wished to help?
“It’s going to be dangerous.”
“I’ll be fine!”
“No, it’s not something you can answer so simply.”
“You wouldn’t just leave me in danger!”
Meeting Ambre’s gaze, brimming with genuine trust, Olivia couldn’t help but smile.
Despite having never been connected in her previous four lives, Ambre’s personality was… surprising.
Indeed, even after being driven to the brink of death by acts of goodwill, she still reached out without hesitation to help those in need.
The heir of Tarenga possessed a will far firmer than her innocent, bright exterior suggested.
Perhaps among those who had resolved to face the ancient god, she was the one who could charge toward her goal without faltering.
No, above all, if someone so determined to serve her truly believed in her, Olivia had to live up to that trust.
“Yes. That’s right. I won’t let you fall into danger.”
“Right?”
Olivia watched Ambre, who pushed out her chest like a little child to agree, and spoke.
“Alright. I’ll tell you. Everything—starting with the god you intend to oppose.”
Sugar, sensing that something important was about to be revealed, rolled her eyes anxiously.
Even though she’d been told she could know everything if she wished, she wasn’t sure she truly belonged here.
Olivia noticed her unease and spoke.
“This also concerns your family and the mark. You are directly involved.”
At that, Sugar pressed down on her mark and bit her lower lip, frozen.
A warm, gentle hand—Ambre’s—took hers firmly.
Even though it was the warmth of someone she was meeting for the first time, Sugar felt a strange tingling sensation and clutched the hand in return.
Olivia, observing these two adorable children quietly, parted her lips.
“You’ve heard of the ancient god, I presume…”
As Olivia spoke, both Ambre and Sugar listened tensely, not wanting to miss a single word.
Before long, tears welled in Ambre’s eyes, and she finally broke down sobbing.
“You… Your Highness… have… experienced death… many times… ugh, ugh… so painful, and… ahhh…”
Olivia, watching Ambre cry according to Isaac’s ominous words—whether prophecy or curse—felt even more awkward.
She really had no talent for comforting someone who cried.
While Olivia hesitated, Ambre continued quietly sobbing, letting transparent tears fall at her feet.
“So I told you not to,”
Isaac appeared suddenly from Olivia’s shadow, narrowing his fox-like eyes as he handed Ambre a handkerchief.
Ambre accepted it without resistance and buried her face in it.
“Stop crying. Rumors are already spreading about what happened at the princess’s palace.”
“Th-there was… something that happened… sniff…”
“Honestly, if you keep crying like that, your eyes will be all chapped.”
At first, Isaac spoke casually as if unconcerned, but seeing Ambre’s tears, he sighed and produced two more handkerchiefs.
Olivia tilted her head, watching the pair silently.
Since when had they become so close?
She recalled Sugar mentioning that they had come together.
Isaac had gone to Tarenga because the missing servant was connected to a woman who died in the princess’s palace.
Even if Ambre stepped forward with goodwill, Olivia thought Isaac would have flatly refused.
Yet now…
Watching Isaac comfort Ambre—someone who normally wouldn’t be involved in such things—gave her a strange feeling.
Something fluffy, almost ticklish, filled the room just by observing the two of them.
Why was she the one feeling this way?
A few seconds later, Olivia’s eyes widened as she realized something.
This tender, strange atmosphere—where had she seen it before? Only in couples who cared for each other, right?
What? Was that it?
In just a few seconds, Olivia recognized the budding feelings between Isaac and Ambre, feelings that neither had noticed themselves.
For someone who should be least concerned with others’ love lives, this was… maddening.
The room that had just been filled with talk of continental destruction, death, and repeated cycles of regression was now suffused with the soft, floating air created by two people unknowingly starting a romance.
“Tch.”
Olivia clicked her tongue, realizing something pointless, while Cryer’s faint frown deepened.
He always watched Olivia, so even if he couldn’t fully grasp her thoughts, he could understand them reasonably well.
Why was he so quick to notice others’ relationships, but utterly clueless when it involved himself?
Perhaps he unconsciously blocked such feelings.
Cryer clicked his tongue and brushed his dry lips leisurely, feeling the thirst that came with it.
After that night, Olivia neither avoided nor distanced herself from him. Yet she acted as if she had erased the event from her memory.
Whether she was pretending not to know or truly drunk and forgetting the moment, Cryer felt a burning thirst and watched her closely, swallowing hard.
If only he could try again…
Olivia surely sensed Cryer’s gaze, which seemed ready to consume her whole.
“Why?”
Olivia suddenly asked, turning to him. Cryer shook his head.
His crimson eyes were calm, no trace of desire.
He buried his longing deep within and resolved to wait.
Olivia was not someone to be swallowed in one bite.
Besides, he was bound by a slave contract.
Though he had never consciously considered her status as a princess, he wanted to confess once freed from this cursed chain:
“I want to be by your side.”
“Please be by my side.”
Tracing the fleeting breath he had once held, Cryer hid his desire behind his eyes.
“Kh, khng.”
Ambre’s sniffing sound caught Olivia’s attention as she clapped her hands.
“Let’s leave it here for today. You’ll need time to process what you’ve heard.”
Olivia added to Sugar:
“As I said, take all the time you need. Stay wherever you truly want. We’ll think about the rest later. No need to decide everything at once.”
“Yes, yes.”
Sugar widened her eyes at Olivia’s words, then bowed her head.
Fidgeting with her empty hands where Ambre’s had let go, she lifted her head again.
“Your Highness.”
It was Sugar who stopped Olivia as she was about to leave.
The child hesitated, and Olivia turned fully to face her.
“It’s okay. Speak.”
Sugar opened her mouth but sounded uncertain.
“Would it… be alright if I saw Sir again… ugh!”
Before she finished, Cryer appeared in her peripheral vision.
Startled, Sugar’s heart raced, yet she couldn’t look away.
Though Cryer’s eyes reflected nothing, a tingling sensation traveled down her neck, and she couldn’t help but speak:
“I don’t know if I should say this…”
After speaking, she glanced at him. Cryer gestured calmly.
“It’s fine. Go ahead.”
“I… feel… something different from Sir.”
Her words fell into a grave silence.
Olivia, unsure how to respond, asked calmly:
“You mean… a blood bond attraction?”
“I don’t feel that at all.”
“That’s not it!”
