"What do you think you are doing?"
The question was asked in a loud voice and an angry tone.
But Eva, who was sitting on a chair in front of the door in a relaxed position, with a smile even playing on her lips, was calmly humming as she responded in return,
"What do you mean I'm doing?"
Annabelle, standing a short distance away and in no mood for any of her nonsense, immediately snapped back.
"Don't you dare play dumb right now."
"I'm asking why you're standing in my way—why you're trying to stop me from going to Chris's side."
Hearing the question put so bluntly, Eva's smile faded. Her relaxed attitude vanished too, replaced by a serious expression. Then, in a sharp and cold tone, something rarely heard from her she said, "So you can ruin everything like you did last time?"
"Don't think that just because I stayed quiet after what happened, it meant I approved of your actions or your behavior."
"No… I just knew there was no point in arguing over something that had already been done."
Taking a pause after finally voicing something she'd kept to herself all this time. Eva closed her eyes briefly, exhaled a breath of air slowly, then, finally in neutral tone continued, "But putting my personal feelings aside, this time really is different… I know that."
"You have every right to be angry. You have every reason to want to be by his side."
Then, suddenly smirking at Annabelle, who looked like she thought the problem might actually be resolving, Eva added.
"Well, it is for your sake he's doing this, after all."
"For me, who was already tested at birth by my family for talent using their crude methods… well, according to Christian and my daughter."
"And then, as we already heard the statement from… th-the pair of that man and woman."
"It's already guaranteed that I at least possess some kind of talent."
Her voice faltered slightly as she spoke, that memory from five months ago still seeming like something she hadn't quite managed to overcome, apparently.
Still, she didn't let herself be affected by it, and continued, "So it's just for you that he's being forced to lay his hands on that kind of… filth."
Delivering this harsh truth, words she knew would hit Annabelle where it hurt, Eva leaned forward slightly, her voice suddenly warm, almost gentle.
"So tell me honestly… how do you feel?"
"You always talk about how you want to protect him… how you also want to shoulder some of his burdens."
"All those cheap declarations—and in the end, you're the reason he's being forced to dirty his hands."
While looking at Annabelle's blank expression, and giving the impression she was trying to hold back laughter, though her eyes were far from amused, Eva pressed, "Really… can you tell me?"
"How do you really feel?"
… And that was the final spark that made Annabelle erupt.
"Shut your fucking mouth." She screamed with all her might.
Because those were the last words she had wanted to hear.
Not from Eva… the only woman her brother had ever declared his love for.
And so, on the verge of tears, because Eva was right, and she knew the reason for his actions was her, Annabelle went on.
"When you don't fucking understand anything."
"Don't you dare say another word."
She had already been feeling awful ever since she heard of his intention to test his technique on some people, and realized it was for her sake.
'Then what was the meaning of my action at that time?'
She had even questioned herself like that.
'What am I even trying to do?'
Annabelle still didn't know what the right thing to do was. But, she knew that this was something her brother wouldn't allow any kind of argument about, so she had stayed silent ever since she learned of his decision.
She thought that, at the very least, the one thing she could still do… was to watch over his back in this kind of moment.
Regardless of whether he even took this event as seriously as she did.
But now, as she looked at Eva, who chose to block her, and made her hear all kind of unpleasant words.
… Then at Sophia standing some distance away, but she knew she can't depend on.
Annabelle was forced to go through all of her thoughts once again.
When it seemed like her brother was starting to stop caring about those things.
It was her who had chosen to do that in his place.
And maybe, in a twisted way, it could even be seen as her way of saying:
'I know this is wrong. But for your sake, I'll still do it.'
… Her actions could be understood in that twisted way.
And for the first time, even if just a little, she came to regret them.
What should she make of this situation?
Was this whole thing something trivial?
Should she just let go?
Did she need to let go of her… obsession?
She could be the one to decide that.
Chris… her brother, was someone easily swayed, easily influenced in these kinds of things, after all.
While she clenched her fists, bit her lip too hard, and tried to arrive at some kind of solution for this messed-up situation… or at least what seemed to her as such, in this quiet room.
The calm voice of Eva was suddenly heard.
"I don't want to shut up, though?"
She tilted her head slightly, in that same way she knew Christian loved to see her do, as she said that… and then she continued.
"Moreover, you're saying I don't understand anything, but who said that?"
"I'm a mother myself. And the feeling of wanting to take all the hardship upon myself, so that my child, my daughter, can move forward without having to carry the weight of it all… That's something I understand very well."
While gritting her teeth and glaring at her, Annabelle opened her bloodied lips and said, "…then wh—"
Raising her voice slightly as she interrupted Annabelle, Eva gave her a charming smile and said,
"…But he's not my son~"