Chapter 153
At first, she wondered if it was just her imagination. But no matter how she thought about it, Silvia’s mother really was her own biological mother.
The face she had worn when she abandoned her and left long ago was still clearly etched in her memory.
Compared to back then, she looks much brighter now.
In the vague memories of her childhood, the woman had always been scowling, sharp-tempered and irritable.
Swallowing hard, Selina gathered her courage and stepped toward Anais.
“……I’m sorry. I mistook you for someone else for a moment.”
“That’s all right, dear. Are you okay now?”
Anais’s voice was far gentler than Selina remembered, and she hesitated for a moment.
“……Yes.”
To be honest, just facing her like this made her stomach churn and made her want to scream.
But she couldn’t. Not only because she didn’t want to cause a scene, but mainly because it seemed she was the only one who had realized the truth.
With her face covered by a veil, perhaps that was only natural.
And my hair is red right now, too.
Even though she had lent the necklace to Asta, the remaining earrings left her hair tinted red.
Selina calmed her turbulent heart.
“……You came for a fortune reading, right? Please come inside.”
“It feels like this is the first time I’ve had my fortune told by you!”
Unlike the confused Selina, Silvia was nothing but cheerful. The three of them sat across from each other at the table, each with different thoughts in mind.
“Then, who would like to go first?”
“Me! Mother, can I go first?”
At Silvia’s bright request, Anais nodded with a gentle smile.
Anyone could see they were a close mother and daughter. To Selina, their actual daughter, it was an oddly surreal sight.
“You won’t tell anyone about my fortune, right?”
“Confidentiality is part of my professional code. Don’t worry.”
Only then did Silvia relax and stop hesitating.
“……You know I’ve been designated as the future Saintess of the Moon Temple. But as you know, I still haven’t awakened yet.”
Of course Selina knew. Silvia had mentioned that worry several times in front of their friends.
“I’m wondering whether I’ll really be able to awaken, just like the oracle said.”
“……Silvia, is it really okay to say something like that?”
Anais, who had been listening quietly, glanced at Selina with concern for Silvia. Silvia nodded reassuringly, taking her mother’s hand.
Watching their tightly clasped hands, Selina slowly closed and opened her eyes, then looked down at Luna sitting on her lap.
Luna, is the oracle given to Silvia really true?
It was a question she had wanted to ask before but never had the chance to.
An oracle was the word of a god—if it were true, then Luna would surely know the answer.
But Luna only stared at her silently, offering no reply. Selina frowned.
“Selina?”
Seeing Selina remain silent with her head bowed, Silvia asked cautiously. Selina slowly raised her head and let out a soft breath.
“All right. Then first, I’ll check whether the oracle itself is true.”
Lunios, if you won’t tell me, I’ll find out my own way.
Clairvoyance wouldn’t work on Silvia. And hadn’t Selina overexerted herself just yesterday when she tried to read Freiman’s fate?
If so, the only thing that could determine the truth was these cards.
For once, Selina shuffled the cards with utmost seriousness.
Watching her hands move as smoothly as flowing water, both Silvia and Anais stared in awe.
Instead of having the subject draw the cards as usual, Selina chose Silvia’s cards herself.
After looking at the final card, Selina leaned back against her chair.
“……So, how is it?”
Silvia asked nervously.
“There’s nothing to worry about. Everything will flow the way you want it to.”
“R-really?”
“If your life so far was like a gentle stream, then a torrential rain will come, enough to turn that stream into a great river. That’s how big the change will be.”
“When will it happen?”
“At most, a month. But it feels like the change will come within a week.”
Silvia and Anais’s faces lit up.
“There’s no chance I won’t awaken as a saintess, right…?”
“The probability of you awakening as a saintess is ninety percent. Even if that doesn’t happen, judging by how intense these cards are, you’re far more likely than others to live a distinctly different life.”
Selina answered firmly, making Silvia’s worries seem unnecessary. Instead, Silvia felt reassured.
“Thank you, Selina. Thanks to you, my anxiety is gone.”
“But don’t let your guard down completely.”
“Huh?”
“The stronger the fortune, the stronger the backlash that comes with it. This change will lead you toward a good destiny, but there will also be problems that follow.”
Selina’s voice was lower than usual, and Silvia took her advice seriously.
“Okay. I’ll remember that.”
After finishing her explanation, Selina looked over Silvia’s cards once more.
As if proving she was the protagonist, every card was a good one—unlike Freiman’s the day before.
“If I’d known it would feel this refreshing, I would’ve had my fortune told by you a long time ago. It’s kind of a shame.”
“But at least you got it done now.”
“That’s true. Now it’s Mother’s turn! Mother, what would you like to ask?”
“Well, I suppose I…”
Suddenly, Anais recalled what she had been searching for over the past ten years. But she soon shook her head.
Finding something she hadn’t been able to locate for over a decade through something as simple as fortune-telling was absurd.
If it were that easy, I wouldn’t have suffered so much.
Selina stared intently at the thoughtful Anais.
“Silvia! Silvia, are you here?”
A voice called out to Silvia from outside.
“What is it?”
“That sounds like Sylvester.”
“Something must have happened. I’ll go check.”
After Silvia left, only Selina and Anais remained in the tent. Without Silvia, Anais grew a little tense.
“Won’t you ask anything?”
“……Actually, I only came because my daughter wanted to.”
“Then there’s nothing in particular you’re curious about.”
“That’s right.”
Seeing Anais smile awkwardly, Selina parted her lips slightly.
There were countless things she wanted to ask now that they were alone—but she couldn’t bring herself to ask them outright.
She was almost certain Anais was her biological mother, but Anais had Silvia.
Hadn’t Silvia said before that she entered the marquis’s household with her mother?
That meant Silvia was her true daughter—making Selina’s assumption completely wrong.
Everything was tangled like a knotted thread.
Even so, Selina couldn’t stop wanting to confirm whether the woman before her really was her mother.
I don’t want to use clairvoyance.
It would give her the most accurate information—but if her suspicion were wrong, she would forever doubt Anais’s identity. And if it were right…
Biting her lower lip tightly, Selina spoke.
“I’m sorry, but may I ask you just one question?”
Surprised, Anais nodded readily.
“Go ahead.”
After endless deliberation, Selina finally found the right question.
“In your life… was there ever a moment you regretted more than anything else?”
If she answered yes, the likelihood that she was Selina’s real mother would rise. If she answered no, then either the likelihood would fall—or she would be a cold-hearted person who felt no guilt even after abandoning her own child.
What answer will you give?
Selina’s violet eyes, calm yet piercing, fixed on Anais.
Anais lowered her gaze and parted her lips.
A great regret…
She had many regrets in life, but there was one she wished she could undo entirely.
She had spent over ten years trying to correct that mistake, yet ultimately changed nothing—despite Arnold standing by her side and helping her so much.
“I…”
Just as she was about to speak the truth, Anais closed her mouth.
If this child were to tell Silvia or Sylvester about her worries, it would only cause them distress.
“Regret is something everyone has, isn’t it? That question is a bit vague.”
Selina immediately realized Anais was avoiding the question. Still, she didn’t press further.
“If we’re finished, may I stand up now? I’m worried about Silvia outside.”
“……Yes. This concludes the reading.”
Anais thanked her and left the tent.
The moment she was gone, Selina sharply inhaled and roughly tore off the veil covering her face.
Her face beneath the veil was deathly pale.
“……Are you okay?”
Ignoring Luna’s worried voice, Selina spoke sharply.
“Why didn’t you answer me at all?”
Seeing Selina stiff and not even looking at him, Luna lowered his gaze.
“I asked if Silvia’s oracle was true. So why didn’t you say anything?!”
“……You already know the answer.”
“I’m not in the mood for games. Stop going in circles and tell me.”
“Fine. It’s time to tell you everything.”
His tone sounded resigned. Luna stepped forward heavily and sat in front of Selina, meeting her eyes.
His yellow pupils slowly turned dark blue.
“I asked you earlier, didn’t I? What you’d do if you could live a different life.”
“That’s not what I want to know right now—”
“What if the life you’re living now isn’t the one originally meant for you?”
“……What?”
“The life originally meant for you is the life of Silvia Hailers, the youngest daughter of the Marquis of Hailers.”
Selina’s eyes widened, then her expression hardened.
“The marchioness who just left—she really is your biological mother, just as you suspected.”
“What are you even saying?”
“Originally, you weren’t supposed to be Selina. You were supposed to enter the marquis’s household with the marchioness and live under the name Silvia.”
It was unbelievable—no, something she desperately didn’t want to believe.
Memories of being abandoned by Anais resurfaced, and Selina’s lips trembled.
“You asked if Silvia’s oracle was true. The oracle itself is real. The problem is that I wasn’t the one who delivered it.”
Inside the stifling tent, a gentle breeze stirred, and behind the black cat Luna appeared the manifestation of his true form—Lunios.
With shining silver hair cascading down, Lunios looked at Selina with sorrowful eyes.
[I’m sorry, my child.]
“I’m sorry, my child.”
[If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have lived such a mistaken life.]
“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have lived such a mistaken life.”
Luna’s voice and Lunios’s voice echoed together.
“……Ha.”
Selina went slack and collapsed back against the chair.
But as time passed, the chaos filling her mind faded, replaced by cold clarity.
It wasn’t that she understood less—she had simply received so much information that her mind became clear instead.
“……Tell me exactly what happened.”
She lifted her lowered gaze. Her violet eyes flickered ominously.
“You need to tell me everything you’ve been hiding from me all this time. Otherwise…”
Her voice dropped.
“I will never forgive you.”
