Sistrea paid no attention to anything except the lovely silhouette of Angelica, for whom she loved and cared. She made through everything with the blindness of a vision secured at only Angelica. Her advance halted when a petite yet determined figure stepped into her path.

Ancil raised her hand, upon which a delicate ring seated. The gem on it faintly glowed and released a wisp of Divine Fons into the surrounding. The ripple it radiated was no weaker than what Shifting Mist could evoke.

"Her highness has given me the order never to let Miss Angelica come to harm. Please do not force my hand," Ancil said.

"It is absurd, that I, who had been far longer with my dear Angelica, need to heed the warning from the enemy of the Great Races."

"Where were you when her highness painstakingly took care of Miss Angelica? She is more than enough qualified to reprove you."

"Your slander is of no use against our bond. It is the Fallen Princess who made Angelica suffered, and it is she who kept me away from her."

"Miss Angelica wandered into her highness's arms with a group of unsuspecting scavengers. Such an event could never occur if you indeed objected to it, for it is the people whom you accompanied that sent Miss Angelica in the first place."

"It is for her to get used to her new body, as well as a chance to experience the worldly wonders."

"I cannot believe a person who justifies the cruel experiment performed on her sister to be someone Miss Angelica should go back to."

The mystical ring shone brighter than before. Ancil strengthened her posture and glared at Sistrea, whom she believed would bring harm to both Angelica and Princess.

"It is not you who could decide if my little sister can return with me," Sistrea said with a light smile on her face. "It is up to my dearest Angie, who would decide for herself."

All eyes turned to Angelica, who tilted her head in confusion. She glanced at Ancil and noticed the harmful glare she directed at Sistrea. Angelica frowned and grasped Ancil's hand before lowering it down.

"Miss Angelica?" she said. "Do you truly want to be with this android and leave behind her highness?"

"It is natural, isn't it? She is my sister."

"What about her highness? How will you repay your debt of life?"

"I didn't recall anyone whom I could address as her highness, nor did I see such a person when I woke up a moment ago."

Angelica slipped through Ancil and walked to her sister with her eyes displaying the longing which she hoped could fill her hollow heart. She ignored Ancil, but the latter suddenly and forcefully gripped her arm with no intention of yielding.

The force pulled Angelica backwards, though her body adjusted the balance and prevented her from falling. She turned to Ancil and expressed her confusion through her round dull eyes. They met with Ancil's pair of pupils, where fury and frustration revealed themselves.

"Angelica, why are you so selfish?" Ancil said with her voice as cold as it could be. "Though her highness will readily absolve you, I can never forgive you for what you will do."

"Miss Ancil, what have I done to deserve the separation from my sister? I fail to see how my happiness can hurt someone else. Please get your hand off me."

On Ancil's face, the anger coloured her expression before it suddenly vanished from her now expressionless look. Tears swelled in her eyes, not of rage, but utter disappointment. Her hand relaxed and let go of Angelica, who, though surprised, regained her momentum and forwarded to Sistrea.

As Angelica looked at Sistrea's warming smile, delight was all she felt. She couldn't help but count her step, but soon an uneasiness manifested with every step she took and every moment she insisted on leaving.

The neat tiles which decorated the floor, when touched by her feet, turned slippery and searing hot. She contemplated the sensations and asked herself for the explanation but found nothing which could be the cause of her phantom pain.

"Angelica, I hope that whatever happiness you will soon experience, may you never appear in front of her highness ever again," Ancil said. Her high pitch voice stabbed Angelica.

"I didn't do anything. What is it that I did wrong? Why do you hate me so much!" Angelica paused and turned back. Her body visibly trembled. "I don't want to hear you spoke of this her highness again."

"Then have it your way. It'll be beneficial for her highness never to meet you again. Such an ungrateful person like yourself can never bring her happiness. Farewell."

The words traversed the room and filled Angelica with impalpable dread. Her heart stopped beating while the sentence endlessly echoed inside her head. The thought of abandoning Princess crushed her soul and compelled her emotions to explode. Tears rolled from her eyes as she shifted her gaze between Ancil and Sistrea.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Witnessing the change, Ancil took a step backwards and expressed her concern through her pupils. The anger instantly vanished from her mind as Angelica collapsed on the ground and broke down, sobbing in despair.

Sistrea frowned and stared at Ancil before she rushed past Angelica. Her silhouette disappeared from the spot and left multiple afterimages tracing towards Ancil, whose reflex couldn't follow the speed.

Before she could activate her ring, Sistrea had already arrived in front of her.

"That's enough. I won't allow you to hurt Angelica anymore." Sistrea disarmed Ancil and gripped her throat, clenching it and holding her over the ground. "She will leave this wretched place and forget all sorrow she had ever experienced."

Ancil struggled to defy the grip. Despite how hard she scratched, gripped, or slapped, Sistrea remained stationary with her clenching strength gradually increasing. Her lungs burnt and screamed for more air, but the blockage wouldn't disappear. Blackness slowly filled her vision.

Ancil thought of the ring which Princess gave to her. Though she hadn't done anything, a sudden force pushed her and Sistrea away from each other. Ancil strangely landed on her feet with minimal discomfort. In her agitation, she turned to Angelica, who got up and watched her with eyes full of profound emotions.

"Ancil, I'm sorry for my imprudence. Can you forgive me, in her place, for my mistake?" Angelica said. "I shouldn't have said that. It's my fault that I hurt your feeling, and hers."

"My dear Angie, why did you change your mind? Those people cannot be trusted. Remember, they are the one who made you suffered in the first place."

"Sister, I know you mean well, but I cannot leave without knowing the truth. My heart can't." Angelica wrily smiled at Ancil. "If you believe in repentance, please allow me that chance."

Ancil gazed at the ring on her hand and closed her eyes. The thought about Princess flowed into her head and whispered a gentle and kind assurance, that all would be fine. She would forgive Angelica, no matter what.

"Miss Angelica, I'll trust her highness once more. If I judge you to be unworthy of her affection, I won't ever let you see her, even if it means my life."

Ancil then spoke of the tale she heard from Princess, word by word. Angelica listened to the absurd story, which moved her heart like none other could. The fragmented memory inside her gradually cleared the confusion and connected into a whole sequence, but the appearance of everyone was still blurry.

"Tell me, Ancil, how does Mistress look like?" Angelica said. "I now believe she held a special significance to me, but I can't picture her face. It's like she doesn't exist in the first place."

"Shifting Mist, please show us her highness's appearance."

Shifting Mist manifested and generated a static noise, which dimmed the chamber to darkness. In the blackness, blue light flickered and spread across the room, connecting into a hologram which displayed the past. Princess, armoured under her insect-like carapace, stood in front of an android with her hand drew out.

Angelica, who knelt before Princess, received the tender hand and pulled it in, placing her lips on its back to seal the promise which they vowed to keep. Her expression was pure happiness and gratefulness, of unquestionable authenticity. Though it was akin to a slave contract, Angelica was more than happy to serve Princess, whom she only met a few moments before.

"Did I . . . accept the contract?" Angelica said. "What was I thinking, to gleefully serve under Mistress? Even now, I still instinctively called her Mistress."

"Miss Angelica, it is not a contract," Ancil said. "It is only a promise, which her highness has always kept."

Despite the lack of consequence, Angelica felt a heavy, damning weight of her previous action looming over her shoulders. The tightness in her chest forced her eyes to tear up. She was so close to breaking the promise which she never knew existed but mustn't break.

"Mistress is truly a good person. It is indeed my fortunate to meet her," Angelica said before turning to Sistrea. "Now, Sister, I must ask you where have you been, when I needed you the most?"

"I've been trying to find you, Angie, but the Fallen Princess would never let anyone meet you. She wanted you for herself and herself alone."

"Sister, I remember you coming with the people who made me into this. I won't ask for the reason, but I've decided that I will keep the promise I made with Mistress."

"What has happened to you, Angie? Have you forgotten our promise that I will take you with me? You cannot go with the Fallen Princess."

"Sister, I know that it is abrupt, but I've found my happiness, and it's to be by her side. She has twice given me hope amidst the despair. Why can't I be with her?"

Everything became clear as Angelica expressed her wish. The maiden who pulled her out from her deep slumber was Princess, the person with whom she would forever stay. The anxiety and confusion parted way for serenity. With relentless determination, Angelica stared at Sistrea, whose eyes dilated.

"Why can't you be with her?" Sistrea said as she began to laugh uncontrollably. "I'll tell you, my dear Angie. It's because your beloved mistress is already dead!"

"Sister . . . what are you talking about?"

"Ask this vessel, then."

Angelica trembled as she denied the possibility. "Shifting Mist, is it true?"

The dissonating silence was the unneeded confirmation.

The temperature of the chamber dropped to near absolute zero. Angelica tilted her head and stopped her movement. She placed her hands on her cheeks and clenched them, but her smooth, robotic skin merely created a screeching noise, which reverberated inside her head. The sound grew louder until it overcame everything.

"Miss Angelica?" Ancil shouted but received nothing in return.

"Miss Ancil, you've talked too much and caused Angie more pain than ever," Sistrea said, her voice as cold as the deepest circle of hell. "Now, please die."

Ancil raised her hand and closed her eyes. The ring on her finger glowed once more and enveloped her body with a faint azure barrier. It grew multiple roots, which shot towards Sistrea's fleeting silhouettes. They danced according to her movement and caught her right arm, but she disconnected it and swung herself at Ancil.

In an instant, she closed the distance and approached Ancil with her hand reached forwards. It broke through the barrier by grinding its metallic fingers into sharp metal spikes. A loud shattering noise echoed and woke Angelica from her daze, but her reflex wasn't enough to save Ancil without completely obliterating Sistrea, which she couldn't do.

At the moment of death, a hand rose from the darkness and shot a ray of Divine Fons towards Sistrea. It traversed through space and time, arriving at Sistrea without any delay and spread into a net of Fons, restraining her before pulling her towards the floor.

Consimia, with the support of Ocupas, walked into the room. Behind her, an Elven maid and Specria followed.