However, Derry's teary gaze remained locked on Greta.
"So even if you are my sister, Greta, if you ever hide such a secret from us again, I'll never forgive you," Derry said, her voice filled with a mixture of resolution and determination.
At this point, the women were keenly aware of what was occurring beside them and listened intently to Derry's words.
After hearing everything she had said, they all nodded inwardly in agreement, their hearts resonating with her sentiments.
However, despite the effectiveness of Derry's words, some of the women weren't pleased with how Derry had approached the matter.
Fiona, seated near Greta, reached out and grabbed Greta's trembling hand, holding it tightly within her grasp.
"We know you only did what was best for the family, Greta. Though Derry and Lyra may be correct, they obviously cannot control their emotions. Don't allow their words to weigh you down," Fiona said softly, gently rubbing Greta's hand to soothe her nerves.
Greta's body soon ceased trembling as she shifted her attention toward Fiona and nodded in response. She wiped away the tears in her eyes, "Sniff… Don't worry, Fiona, I understand. I was just so shocked and foolish that I didn't realize all these things until now," Greta responded, her voice filled with regret and pain.
Fiona exhaled deeply. "Come here," she said, opening her arms wide and wrapping them around Greta, pulling her into a tight embrace, burying her head in her chest.
Greta returned Fiona's hug.
"What's happening here?"
Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded behind them, causing Greta and the others to nearly jolt in shock.
Greta, Lyra, Derry, and several others who had been distracted immediately turned behind them and saw Orion and Celeste standing behind them.
"How much did you hear?" Lyra asked a hint of doubt in her voice, her narrowed eyes fixed on Orion.
Orion shook his head. "I only noticed that some of you were distracted after she finished crying," Orion said, gesturing towards his mother, whose eyes were swollen and reddish and whose arms were tightly wrapped around him, ".... so I could only hear the end of Derry's speech. They refused to tell me what was going on, so I decided to find out myself," he added, briefly scanning all the women present.
However, before Lyra could respond, Derry interrupted. "Well, since you decided to sneak behind us, you won't hear anything from us because our lips are sealed," she replied, snorting as she shifted her attention in another direction.
Orion smiled wryly, shifting his attention toward Lyra, but she snorted and looked away. With a sigh escaping his lips, he turned to Greta.
Seeing her tearful gaze, he bent down and wrapped his arms around her. "I heard some of what they said, and they are wrong. It's not your fault for not speaking up about the issue; it's mine. If I had chosen to explain everything earlier, then this issue wouldn't have happened," Orion said.
Greta shook her head in response.
"No, it's still partially my fault since I decided to keep a secret from the others as well," Greta replied, shaking her head in disagreement with Orion's words.
Orion sighed tiredly. He didn't respond or argue with her; instead, he embraced her until he felt she was doing much better.
"Are you feeling much better now?" Orion asked, briefly sealing Greta's lips with a kiss.
"Humph! I was also bawling my eyes out here, you know," Derry said with a loud snort.
"Me too," Lyra chimed in.
Orion simply smiled and hugged Derry in his embrace, giving her a kiss on her lips before he did the same to Lyra.
After he finished, Orion escorted Celeste back to her seat before returning to his own, noticing that some women still had questions.
"Is Saraphina still at the Third Border City Headquarters Branch of the Healers'Association, trying to find a solution?" Celia asked.
As one of the few individuals closer to Seraphina than the others, she was a bit worried about Saraphina experimenting with something so dangerous.
"Yes," Orion nodded, "But don't worry, I trust Saraphina to handle the situation properly, so you can rest assured that nothing bad will happen to her," he reassured her.
"Alright, if you say so," Celia responded with a nod and a tired sigh escaping her lips. She felt a bit calmer after receiving Orion's reassurance.
"Are you certain you are the reason for the development of a potential four-star Vylkr vine?" Crystalia asked curiously.
She was less worried about Seraphina's safety; after all, Seraphina had been one of the leaders of the Prismerions Healers Council, so Crystalia knew she was more than capable of handling the situation.
Her main focus was on discovering whether there might be ways for the Vylkr vines to come into direct contact with divine energy.
"Yes, though there are other potential explanations for how the Vylkr energy might come into contact with divine energy; since it's the only plausible current explanation, there's no way we can rule it out. So, I have to take responsibility for it and ensure I find a solution to this issue," Orion said, exhaling deeply.
"You're not going to take responsibility for this by yourself; remember, we're all here to support you and help you bear the responsibilities for what has happened, so you better not forget it next time," Derry said loudly.
The women all nodded in agreement, agreeing with Derry's words.
"Thank you," Orion said, a smile emerging on his lips as he looked at Derry in her position.
"You're welcome," Derry responded with a broad, proud grin.
"How about we ask that god? He might be able to give us an idea of what's happening and perhaps also figure out a way to handle the potential four-star Vylkr vine," Anara promptly suggested.
Orion furrowed his brows in response. He had thought about seeking the opinion of Aegis of the Arctic Deity on this. However, he had dismissed the thought the moment it had emerged in his head.
He didn't want to become too dependent on him since he didn't fully trust Aegis of the Arctic Deity yet. Allowing him to be responsible for the shield safeguarding their lives was already more than enough.