The Truth-Part 2

Liliane finally calmed down. She released a relieved breath. Her shoulders shagged down a lot and she suddenly felt exhausted with all this secret she is keeping. Her daughter, Seiran keeps asking about her condition, which she assured her multiple times already, that she is okay and nothing is wrong with her. Liliane curled her lips into a smile.

As soon as Seiran confirmed her mother's well-being, she turned her body around and face Danial. Danial flinched as he saw the fury in her almond-like eyes. Her eyes are burning with fire. Both of her hands are on her waist, while she is throwing an accusatory look toward the prince. The prince, however, just lifted his hands in mock surrender and give her his best puppy eyes and innocent look. Seiran's tense shoulders visibly relaxed. Her eyes soften at the pitiful expression of the prince. However, she decided to steel her resolve and grilled the information out of Danial.

"What are you doing to my mother?" She inquired. Still hasn't let go of her suspicion.

"My dear, Seiran," Jae Woon answered in his sultry voice. "I didn't do anything." Not yet. This word is mentally thought. If he said it out loud, Seiran might attack him right here and then. "Ask your mother for assurance. Lady Liliane, had I ever offend you?"

Liliane swallowed her saliva. Her daughter is looking at her with expectation, while the prince's brown eyes darken and glinted with red flashes. He warned her with his eyes. A wrong answer will lead her life straight to hell.

"No. Of course not, my prince." She lied smoothly. She is an expert fraudster after all. She can lie with a straight face without a change in her heartbeat. Years of lying had honed her trickster skill. Totally unfit of her noble and graceful nature.

"See?" Jae Woon smugly replied.

"Really? Mother, you can tell me anything." Seiran squinted her eyes. She had perceived a large flow of mana in the living room a moment ago. That's why she hurriedly come here, in case anything terrible had happened to her mother and Danial. As soon as she arrived, the suffocating feeling dispersed instantly.

"No, Seiran. Mother is really alright." Liliane assured her again.

Seiran gives up her quest in grilling answers from both of them. She let out an exasperated sigh and plopped down on the sofa with an indignation expression. They are obviously hiding something from her!

Liliane glanced at the culprit again, who is now smiling fondly at Seiran. She unwillingly stared at this incredulous sight. Just a moment ago, this man was hell-bending in torturing her with his oppressive mana. As soon as Seiran appeared, his gazes become soften, and the overwhelming aura from before disappeared instantly. The object in the mansion was almost melting due to the excessive heat of his powerful magical force. Although, right now, they had restored into their original state. There is no trace of magic in the vicinity. As if, the ordeal from before never happened.

If not because of her trembling body, with uncomfortable suffocating feeling and sweating forehead, she also believes such a thing never occurred in the first place.

The prince is now persuading Seiran with her favorite food. He is catering to Seiran's every need with pleasure. His eyes are gleaming with love and adoration. The atmosphere is full of warm, fuzzy feelings contrary to thirty minutes ago.

Is this the effect a mate had on their significant partner? Can anyone change their personality easily as that? Liliane shook her head. She released a heavy sigh as she felt the burden on her heart deepen. The guilty feeling is eating her consciousness away. She is not supposed to separate these two. Fate is not something a human being like her could meddle around. Rather than taking everything into her own account, she should consider everyone's opinion in tackling this grave matter.

Forgive me, Carina. Liliane mentally apologized as she remembers her dead childhood friend. If Carina is still here, she will be disappointed with her action. Forgive me. I broke my promises. I left your precious son alone, abandoned and deserted, even though I had promised you to care for his well-being and to shower him with love. I instead turned a blind eye to his suffering.

Not once or twice, she heard about the tortures the prince had previously experienced. The first time she heard it, she was immensely riddled with guilt and sadness. Such a young child, to be treated poorly at that by his own father and siblings, she felt restless about his condition. But, as time passed by, the guilty feeling is just like a small prick on her numb consciousness. She thought, as long as the prince is still alive, even though he barely survived his terrible ordeal of life, nothing awful will happened to her daughter. Their bond is not that strong. Minimum interaction between the two of them probably weakens their connection a lot. And, she is glad by that impromptus fact.

However, as she mentioned before, fate is not a trifling matter she could meddle around. They meet in an unexpected situation out of the blue during an unforeseen time. Seiran felt the connection between the two of them and discovered him as her soulmate. Seiran's hidden power manifested itself. She started to feel the prince's feelings and emotions. And, with that, her longing becomes unbearable to hold. However, Liliane once again put a stop to the advancing connection. Not yet, she mentally said. Until these two reached eighteen years old, Liliane will suppress the growing link with all her might.

Hence, she once again able to buy enough time for her daughter to prepare herself, even with the painful strain of parting keeps assaulted Seiran since she was twelve. Every full moon, Seiran will be thrashed around on her bed, writhing and squirming in pain, while clutching her left chest, begging her to meet Danial. She remembered the tears on her rosy, pale cheeks, in addition to her weak state and laborious breathing, for a mother like her, Liliane almost relented her guard. However, Lona warned her. She is the one at fault, the one who caused her daughter's suffering, the only thing she could do was watching. Lona forbids her to do anything else. That is her punishment for separating Seiran and her destined partner. Liliane had burst into tears, had to hug her daughter's weak body, caressing and cuddling her to sleep. Only after the moon shying away did Seiran finally calmed down.

"Ran, mother had something important to tell you about." Liliane finally crumbled.

She needs to tell Seiran the truth. She needs to inform the prince of Queen Carina's actual last words. She also needs to stop the Emperor's tyranny or else, everyone will be implicated by the Goddess Athena's curse. Their Empire doom is near. The evil and sinister force had slowly crept its way to the heart of the empire. They managed to kill Grandia's guardian, Queen Carina, and defiled her successor with a curse. This is the dread truth she had been hiding for years. If not because of Lona the Seer, their entire nation already perished into nothingness. If not because of the existence of the successor, the barrier couldn't withhold the relentless invasion of the sinister force. If not because of the child in front of her right now, Grandia has no more existed on the map of the world.

"You too, my prince," Liliane added. "I also have something to inform you."

Jae Woon puts down the plate on the table.

"Finally opened your mouth, Liliane?" He said.

Liliane tiredly nodded her head.

"Yes." She affirmed her word. "I, for a long time had been lying to everyone. I had been lying to them, and never once I uttered a single truth to Seiran every time she asked about her soulmate. I am a bad mother, a bad wife, and a bad friend. A fraudster."

"What are you talking about, mother?" Seiran inquired. She hates the way her mother belittled herself like this. "You're a good mother. The best mother I ever got. Please don't say a hurtful thing like this. Are you perhaps, angry with me for disobeying your words?"

Seiran's confused expression is almost made Liliane's resolve crumbled. Her fingernails dug deeper on her knees. She is unable to stop her shaking legs. Guilty? Yes, she is indeed a guilty person. And, someone like her, didn't deserve to be forgiven. What kind of mother let her daughter suffered every full moon just because she is worried about her fateful encounter with her partner?

"Do you remember, Ran? You once asked me this question. Why I forbid you in meeting the prince? Even though I saw you suffered the consequence of the separation every full moon, I never once let you meet His Highness, Prince Danial, until yesterday. No matter how many times you begged me, Ran, I counterattacked you with many excuses to support my selfish action."

"Mother...What are you tried to convey? I didn't understand."

"Ran, please calm down." Jae Woon tugged her arm and gestured her to sit beside him.

Seiran changed her place and plopped down on the sofa next to him.

"I was afraid. I know the severity of my dumb action. Yet, I choose to lie." Liliane continued her explanation in a sombre tone.