Lia's voice trembled as she confessed that their cold treatment toward Helia was the root cause of her current condition. Their neglect had pushed the lioness to a breaking point, prompting her to choose a life of solitude within the castle, without seeking their help even when she was on the brink of death.
She admitted that they had seen Helia from time to time, but they were unaware that she was in constant pain and had concealed it from them.
Had Helia informed them about her suffering, both Lia and Nyla would have come to her rescue.
However, the poor blonde-haired girl chose to let the pain affect her as a form of self-punishment for her actions towards Rio, dying every second with the thought that she had killed him.
Rio's heart ached with sadness as he listened to his wifey's words. He understood how Helia had been driven to this point, and he couldn't help but feel partially responsible for the pain she had endured.
Eve spoke softly to Lia, her words gentle yet firm, "You should have forgiven her. She had already endured enough punishment. Unlike you, blessed with a father's love, unlike Rio, who finds family in his wives, and unlike Nyla, who has Rio by her side, Helia only had you as her pillar of support.
The pain she felt, believing she had killed Rio and was a murderer, was already far greater than you can imagine. Rio chose to forgive her because he was kind to someone who was his Wifey's beloved sister. If people continue to seek an eye for an eye, the whole world would become blind."
Eve's expression softened as she spoke to Lia. Her eyes shifted to the cocoon that was enveloping Helia, and she made a mental note to find a permanent solution for the slave mark that was slowly consuming the blonde-haired beauty.
"How much time will it take for Lioness to wake up?" Rio asked his concern for Helia evident in his voice.
"A few hours should be enough but you should leave for the international tournament, or you'll be late," Eve said in a vibrant tone, knowing how crucial the tournament was for Rio and that he was running out of time.
"Shouldn't I stay here to help?" Rio hesitated, worried about the difficulty of later moving them to the Empress Villa.
Eve, sensing his concerns, sought to reassure him and lighten his burden so he could focus on the tournament, "I'll move Helia to her bedroom once the healing is complete. You can rest assured that she'll be well taken care of."
Rio nodded and turned to Lia, who was feeling guilty about Helia's condition. Even though he felt bad for Lioness, he didn't plan on blaming Lia, Nyla, or Helia herself. He understood that each of them acted based on their emotions and morals. The boy hoped that their bond wouldn't be affected by this incident.
As Rio approached Lia, he could see that her concern for her sister was apparent. He gazed into her eyes and, unable to hold back any longer, Lia threw herself into his arms.
She had missed him dearly during their months apart, but now she also sought comfort and solace in his embrace, weighed down by her guilt over how she had treated Helia.
Locked in a tender embrace, Rio and Lia listened to the steady rhythm of each other's heartbeats. Their warm breaths mingled as they drew comfort from the closeness. Gradually, Lia's spirits lifted, and a sense of relief washed over her.
After several minutes, Lia gently pulled away and took out a mask from her spatial storage beast soul.
"Nyla asked me to give this to you," she spoke, holding it out for Rio to take.
Recognizing the mask from his time in the virtual reality battle arena, a gentle smile bloomed on his face.
Lia said to him in a tender voice, "Husband, today is the day of the tournament. You shouldn't miss it."
Rio nodded in agreement, hugging her one final time before stepping away and departing the wondrous forest realm for the international tournament.
***
As she listened intently to the entire story, Helia came to understand how she had mistakenly believed that Rio was dead and how they had saved her when she was on the verge of death in her room at the castle.
Relief washed over her, knowing that he was alive, and she harbored no resentment towards Rio, Lia, or Nyla for not telling her sooner. In her heart, she believed she deserved that uncertainty.
The girl spoke with a solemn expression, "You should punish me for hating you all this time and how I treated you in the past," she said, her voice filled with begging and guilt.
Rio's gaze softened, and he replied, "I can understand why you felt that way, given that your hatred stemmed from the loss of your brother at the hands of humans."
"That's not true..." Helia knew that the story she had been told since childhood about humans being responsible for her brother's death was a lie, crafted to prevent her from doubting her own clan.
As she spoke, Rio and Lia both had a confused look as they furrowed their brows, unsure of what the blonde-haired girl was trying to say.
With a mixture of pain and sorrow in her voice, Helia shared the conversation she had with Leon on the Island of Dead Souls with Rio and Lia, "Big brother revealed something I could never have imagined. He told me that it wasn't the humans who killed him... It was our own people, our own clan."
Rio's expression shifted to one of surprise upon hearing the revelation, while Lia's eyes widened in astonishment as the truth unfolded before her. Although she had never placed much trust in others, learning of the betrayal from the very clan where Leon and Helia was born was a piece of ground-shaking news.
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