Chapter 140
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: The Secret from 10 Years Ago
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"Anastasia... is that right?"
"Yeah?"
"Your name is... Anastasia?"
I mulled over the words the girl in the white mask had uttered for a good while before blurting out the question with a dazed look on my face.
"Yeah, yeah. So what?"
"Uh..."
"Is something wrong? Hehe."
But the girl who had revealed herself as 'Anastasia' simply scratched her head with an innocent smile, unperturbed by my question.
"Anyway! According to my knowledge of this romance fantasy parenting story... you two are definitely regressors from the future!"
"......"
"And the reason is probably that ultimate final boss, Kairen, right?"
Her words turned my already muddled mind into an even greater state of chaos.
"In the original story, Kairen Nox Belverk is an evil entity who torments the protagonist, the youngest imperial princess, in the most horrific ways."
"Uh..."
"Kidnapping and imprisonment endings, poisoning endings, duel defeat endings, forced marriage endings, and so on... He's the epitome of an obsessed stalker..."
Fortunately, Princess Lia standing beside me was glaring at the girl as if she were spouting utter nonsense. But knowing the truth in her words, I couldn't just brush them off.
"But don't worry! I know how to stop Kairen Nox Belverk!"
"...How?"
"Hehe, it's super simple."
So I quietly listened as she continued.
"I just won't give birth to Kairen!"
"What?"
"Because I..."
The most shocking piece of information yet hit me like a truck, leaving me reeling as darkness clouded my vision.
"...seem to have possessed Kairen's biological mother from the original story, who was only mentioned in passing!"
Honestly, if anyone else had said that, I would've scoffed. But coming from this white-masked girl—my aunt and confirmed possessor like me—it carried undeniable credibility.
"...Hey, kid. By the way."
"......"
"Why have you been trembling non-stop since earlier...?"
As I paled and shook all over from the shock,
Time travel has ended!
My vision suddenly tinted red with the system message popping up before me.
"Haa, haa..."
Brushing the message aside irritably, I gasped for air as Princess Lia gently stroked my back.
"...You're okay, Kairen."
For some reason, that small gesture calmed my trembling body.
"You're not that person anymore."
"...Princess."
"If you dwell on useless thoughts, I'll get mad."
Having steadied my heart with her touch, I still spoke in a sullen tone.
"Of course, I would never harm you, Princess..."
"......"
"But... did you hear what I just heard?"
Princess Lia gave a wry smile and averted her gaze at my words—right as another message appeared.
Prior to starting Main Quest Chapter 5, a warning:
Thanks to the preparations from Chapters 1-4, you have earned the right to face the truth.
However, the truth may be far harsher on you than imagined.
Thus, the final judgment is yours.
Proceed with Main Quest Chapter 5?
Y/N (Refusal leads to Normal Ending route)
Come to think of it, the time travel had triggered the start of the fifth main quest too, hadn't it?
This felt different from the usual quest openings.
And now even a branching choice? What was going on?
"...Backing out now would feel off."
After a moment of fluster from the sudden situation, I realized there was only one path forward and answered calmly.
Finally, the long-awaited quest appeared before me.
"Hoo..."
As I sighed at the quests, Princess Lia, standing beside me, peered at my expression.
"You look like you've steeled yourself."
"...Princess."
"Kairen. I'll always support you."
For some reason, just hearing that made a smile bloom naturally.
"If you get kicked out of the house, let me know. I'll give you the room next to mine in the crown princess palace."
Though her intentions seemed a bit impure, ruining the touching moment, I was still grateful for the words.
"I'll be waiting, Kairen."
What I was about to do required considerable courage, after all.
"Big Sis System, I have a question."
Steeling my resolve, I left the room and walked the corridor, voicing a sudden curiosity.
"How many chapters are there in the main quest total?"
I figured she wouldn't reveal the final goal she'd been hiding, so I'd infer from the remaining episodes.
This Chapter 5 is the final one.
The response was surprisingly shocking.
"Th-then... Chapter 5 is the ending?"
A romance fantasy parenting story ending when the protagonist is 12? That was a scam!
Even if not full adulthood, it needed to go at least to 19 for a true growth story...!
Of course not.
The quests I provided were to awaken your true power.
As I grumbled to myself,
Clear up to Chapter 5, and you will gain the true Demon King's power.
I never expected to learn the system's ultimate goal like this.
"You'll stay by my side even after that, right, Big Sis System?"
Her straightforward answer made me feel guilty for my earlier pettiness, so I scratched my head and asked.
"...Big Sis System?"
But there was no response.
"Tch, going into power-saving mode at the crucial moment..."
She'd been entering power-saving mode more often lately, so I shrugged it off and turned my gaze aside.
"......"
To Mother's office, where I'd already arrived.
- Knock knock knock...
"Enter."
I knocked as usual, heard Mother's voice from within, and quietly opened the door to step inside.
"So, what brings you here, Kairen?"
Mother, who had emptied quite a few wine bottles today, welcomed me with a slightly flushed face.
"Why have you drunk so much?"
"...There was good reason."
"Hmm... Whatever."
I'd usually nag her about her health, but today it was welcome.
"The reason I'm here is... huu... I have something to ask you, Mother."
"Hm? What is it?"
Because it might make her more likely to open up.
"About my biological mother."
It was finally time to hear the truth I'd been putting off from Mother herself.
"...What nonsense is this, Kairen?"
Astridje, who had been staring blankly at Kairen's words upon his entry into the family head's office, soon forced an awkward smile and replied.
"Your biological mother is, of course, me..."
She feigned composure as she poured wine into her glass.
"...Anastasia Nox Belverk."
But Astridje froze mid-motion.
"Isn't that woman my real mother?"
Her gaze turned dazed toward Kairen as the wine glass slowly slipped from her hand.
- Crash...!
By the time the glass shattered on the floor,
"Ah..."
Astridje's face was etched with terror unimaginable for her usual self.
- Tremble tremble...
She began shaking violently, breaking into cold sweat and desperately avoiding Kairen's eyes.
"So that's why your expression hardened when I first mentioned the name Anastasia."
"......"
"But I thought my aunt was definitely dead..."
Yet Kairen's sharp questioning pressed on.
"...She did die, in fact."
Astridje barely lifted her head, her face anguished as she forced out the words.
"The woman I knew is gone now..."
A bitter smile tugged at Kairen's lips.
"So you did know."
Astridje trembled even more, her expression now pleading, on the verge of tears.
"I knew hiding it wasn't the answer..."
"......"
"That's why I should have told you sooner..."
Tears like blood fell from her crimson eyes.
"But, Kairen."
Unable to wipe them away, Astridje continued in a desperate voice.
"Even so, I wanted to delay this moment as long as possible."
With that, she hung her head deeply.
"...You can't bear this horrific truth."
Silence filled the office for a moment.
"Mother."
"......"
"Listen well."
Kairen, who had also bowed his head quietly, broke the silence.
"No matter how painful the truth, one thing never changes."
Not like Astridje, but with tears streaming down his face too, Kairen stepped forward with the brightest smile yet.
"The mother I love most in the world is always you."
He hugged the tearful Astridje of his own accord, closing his eyes as he continued.
"So tell me now."
"......"
"The more you hide it, the more that's buried isn't the truth—it's our hearts."
At those gentle, considerate words, Astridje collapsed again, embracing Kairen and sobbing for a long while.
"...Kairen."
"Mother."
"My son..."
How much time passed like that?
"...I'm sorry."
Finally calming and wiping her tears with her sleeve, Astridje spoke with a regret-filled expression.
"I've been wrong all this time..."
"...Hehe."
"...So I'll tell you now."
Kairen lifted his head, nodding with another smile.
"About Anastasia, your biological mother."
"......"
"And..."
Kairen's expression tensed slightly for an instant.
"...the truth of the incident from 10 years ago."
At last, it was time to confront the hidden truth from 10 years past.