"...."
The bluntness of Meteor's question hit me square in the chest, leaving me breathless.
So, he had heard it.
Had he heard everything from the beginning?
I’d known this day would come, the day when my secret was exposed.
But not like this. Not so soon.
With a heavy heart, I pushed myself up into a sitting position.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Meteor leaning against a tree, one knee bent.
I couldn’t bring myself to look directly at his face.
“...I’m sorry.”
Those were the only words I could muster.
I’d often imagined what I would say when my secret was inevitably discovered. I had prepared countless excuses in my mind, rehearsed ways to justify myself.
I had my share of grievances, after all.
But none of those preparations mattered now.
The only thing I could feel was an overwhelming sense of guilt, so much so that I would have knelt before him if he’d asked.
“I’m so sorry that all I can say is that I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I’ve wronged you, and I’ve wronged everyone in the Pluto Ducal House.”
There was no way he could forgive me.
Meteor, of all people, with his unshakable pride as a Holy Knight, would never accept that the Demon King’s daughter had been hiding right under his nose.
He might even kill me here and now.
“Crescent.”
His voice, heavy and unyielding, bore down on me.
I couldn’t bring myself to meet his eyes.
“After we returned from the Demon Realm last time, I had a feeling you were hiding something. I brushed it off, thought it was just my imagination.”
“...”
“But now I remember. Six years ago, when we encountered Lady Aldred in the cemetery, you and that demon exchanged words I couldn’t understand.”
“...?”
I tilted my head slightly.
What was he talking about?
It had been so long ago. I couldn’t recall what conversation he meant.
But I did remember that day in the cemetery when my father, as the Demon King, had appeared to save me.
Back then, Meteor had been buried in the dirt. Could he have overheard something?
I’d assumed he hadn’t, especially since he’d been unconscious after we returned to the human realm.
“You told that demon, ‘It seems you only have business with me. Just let the boy go.’”
“...”
“And the demon responded, ‘This isn’t the time to worry about someone else’s life. Do you even know whose hands your life is in right now?’”
“...”
“Lady Aldred had created the Magi in our home specifically to kill you. That was on the Demon King’s orders, wasn’t it?”
His accuracy left me speechless.
I finally remembered the exchange he was referring to.
“What’s the point of killing us?”
“Obviously, I need to kill you. I’ll do whatever it takes to win his favor.”
“It seems you only have business with me. Just let the boy go.”
“This isn’t the time to worry about someone else’s life. Do you even know whose hands your life is in right now?”
So he’d overheard it all.
It must have been bewildering for Meteor to hear that exchange without understanding the context.
After all, Lady Aldred had made it clear she was targeting only me.
“I forgot about it soon after,” Meteor continued. “I was buried alive, poisoned, and spent days fighting for my life while being detoxified.”
“...”
“And then, during the Winterly Duke’s Magi incident, you vanished and returned without saying much. It was like you knew everything but were keeping it hidden. The exit opened because the Winterly Duke died, didn’t it?”
I gasped softly.
He had pieced it all together.
For the first time, I lifted my head to meet Meteor’s gaze.
His blue eyes, slightly dimmed in the darkness, locked onto me. They were inscrutable, giving nothing away.
I couldn’t hide anything from him anymore.
“...The Winterly Duke went to the Demon King’s castle. The Demon King killed him. I followed him there, and when the Demon King discovered my trace on the Duke, he killed him. That’s why the exit opened, and I escaped.”
“You followed him to the Demon King’s castle...?”
“The Demon King despises me. I knew he would kill anyone who had my scent on them.”
“...”
Meteor fell silent.
I waited for him to say something, anything. I felt like a criminal awaiting sentencing.
To him and his family, I was a fraud.
The Demon King’s daughter had deceived the most prestigious Holy Knight family in the empire and become their adopted daughter. It was the ultimate betrayal.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.
They would have every right to burn me at the stake.
Finally, he stood. I couldn’t bring myself to do the same.
I stared down at the coarse grass beneath me.
“Crescent. I thought whatever you were hiding wouldn’t matter to me. I figured the worst was that you had some hidden strength to defeat the Winterly Duke. But to think you’re the princess of the Demon Realm?”
My chest tightened.
There was accusation in his words.
Hearing Meteor’s reproachful tone was like having my heart shredded to pieces.
And yet, it was what I deserved.
“I can’t stay with the Demon King’s daughter.”
“...”
Of course.
But, Meteor, it’s not fair. Didn’t you hear that my father became the Demon King because of the potion Cyrillote made?
Before that, we were just a normal, happy father and daughter....
Tears welled up in my eyes.
But I knew better than anyone that saying so would change nothing.
"It’s a potion to gather the scattered fragments of His Majesty’s soul into one."
"I wanted to bring His Majesty back."
My father had always been a part of the Demon King.
Without the Demon King, my father wouldn’t exist.
Even so, if I told Meteor my father was still human at heart, would he understand? Would anyone?
No, even I wouldn’t believe it if I were human.
“Leave our house, Crescent.”
“...”
“I’ll come up with a convincing excuse. Just leave. Don’t say anything to the rest of my family.”
“...”
“The most I can do is keep your identity hidden from others.”
“...”
I couldn’t respond.
Even nodding felt impossible.
It was only natural that I couldn’t stay with Meteor and his family now that he knew the truth.
The fact that he wasn’t turning me in to the Grand Temple was more mercy than I deserved.
He was even offering to keep my identity a secret. I should have been grateful.
And yet, my heart ached.
I knew I had to leave, but the thought of it left me hollow and desolate.
Even criminals, once attached, seem to forget their sins. I was no exception.
I had hidden my identity from Meteor, just as Cyrillote had done to me.
So I understood his sense of betrayal better than anyone.
The fact that he wasn’t trying to kill me only made me feel further indebted. I had to survive and save my father, no matter what.
“...I’m sorry,” I whispered belatedly.
A cool midnight breeze swept over the grass, sharp as it stung my skin.
I couldn’t move for a long while.
Meteor stood still, looking down at me. Then, without another word, he turned and walked away.
Even after he disappeared, I remained frozen, unable to leave that spot for a long time.
***
Ding!
<“Dragon Slayer Sylvester” urges you to get up immediately. He’s worried you’ll catch a cold or worse, have a crooked mouth from fainting outside without a blanket.>
<“Lily-Loving Druid Gabriella” sighs heavily, lamenting that you overexerted your holy power again.>
Ding!
<“Dragon Slayer Sylvester” commands you to get up at once! He warns that wild animals might appear if you stay down too long.>
Ding, ding!
<“Dragon Slayer Sylvester” exclaims that if you don’t want to die, you’d better get up and drink a potion already!>
<“From Maid to Saintess—Astina” is practically hopping in place, terrified that you might die!>
Ding, ding!
<“From Maid to Saintess—Astina” reports hearing the sound of approaching footsteps and advises caution!>