"You."
Laici looked as Hela pointed out Erwin, who was silently standing beside Khalid.
"You're the one behind that illusion."
Hela spoke as she deeply pierced him with her eyes after noticing that Erwin had been giving off the same color of mana, no different from the one who was being burned at the stake.
Erwin didn't respond but wore a fearless expression despite feeling the danger in front of them.
"Take us to where she is-
"There is no need, Hela."
The tone of her voice was rather cold.
"Agnette...."
Laici paused.
"You made the right decision to not kill her."
Khalid smiles while Erwin, who has been baffled since the day they announced Agnettes fake death, seems to finally find the answer to his question.
"Is that why Milord kept her alive?!"
The glacial atmosphere between them had covered the ravine, but unlike the dull sky, the twins' voices had started to mellow like a melting thin of ice.
"What a quick-witted man."
"That's it?!"
They paused as if Khalid expected to face a war.
"Weren't you guys here to take our lives?"
She smiled.
"You already know we wouldn't do that."
Just then Hela spoke with a hard-hearted expression but with amity in every word she let out.
"Agnette is our dear sister. She's a kind and talented child; we know she had a better plan to ruin father."
Laici followed as if they were speaking in front of Agnette.
"I'm sorry we couldn't help you... I....forgive us for making you that way."
Agnette, who's been hiding behind the tree all along, was rather puzzled than startled. It was the first time she heard them say an affectionate word in their mouth as if they were stroking her hair while feeling their warm embrace, different from when she was a kid, where all she could get was a cold, piercing look in their eyes and treatment that was no different than air.
"Do you wish to see her?-
Before Khalid could finish his words, he was cut with the same melodic voice, fondling Erwin's ear.
"It's no use..."
Both of them spoke at the same time.
"She's already dead."
They declared, knowing the fact that Agnette was hiding behind the tree, not so far from where they were standing.
'Is this the reason why you keep giving me cold shoulders and treating me like an air?!'
Agnette started to blubber like a kid, covering her mouth to prevent the noise from coming as she cowered in the tree, losing strength on her knees just by hearing the voice of the twins.
'Have you done all of this to protect me?!'
Even though Agnette wanted to ask the twins, she knew herself that she already knew the answer.
'Hick! I...I thought you hated me?! '
Just then, she was startled to hear a familiar voice ring in her mind.
"We could never do that."
She paused but didn't dare to look back; she knew that her sister had used telepathy to communicate with her, an ability that even the King himself was heedless to know.
'We only did what we knew to protect you.'
'Now. We will leave the rest to you.'
Although they don't have a great bond with each other nor share a single drip of blood, the twin's arrogant action has finally been understood to mean that they all did everything to protect Agnette, stealing all the attention to save her from the King's scheme, though Agnette thought it was a great malice of the twin that led her from being the puppet of the King.
Just as their conversation took longer than they expected, the twin final words had almost ruined their plan.
"Take care."
The twins stared at Khalid though; they knew it was meant for Agnette to hear.
"No, wait-
As she was about to run towards them, Dal stopped her, which left Agnette no choice but to watch her adoptive twins carve a smile on their lips before they left the scene where they were now looking down at the King's foot as they were being knelt in front of him.
"The death of the saintess was officially confirmed as the traitor, and the newly appointed ruler of the land of Clovisto was the one who executed her."
As Laici states it, the expression on King Vasillis's face seems unconvinced.
"Does he know anything?"
Hiding the fact that they knew Khalid had known even the depth of his plan, Laici had covered everything smoothly in a lie, as if they were waiting for the king's head to be presented at the silver plate in the central town.
The twins form a grin.
"No, he undoubtedly knows nothing."
Hearing it, the blinding golden teeth of the king are shown as he forms an eerie grin.
"Very well..."
But instead of fright, the twin felt disgusted, especially when it slowly caressed Laici's shoulder down her arms.