Two years passed in silence. The world seemed to pause, as if catching its breath after the chaos that had consumed it. No wars, no uprisings—just an unnatural calm. For Roy, it was a strange time. At 19, his mind was far older than his years, hardened by the battles he had fought and the schemes he had navigated.
It was during this quiet, unsettling period that he met Lily Krules, Miral's wife and Erika's mother.
Roy's voice was steady, yet cold, as he began to recount the memory. "I met her that year. Your mother. Lily Krules."
Erika's gaze sharpened, her posture stiffening. "What does my mother have to do with this?"
Roy tilted his head, an almost pitying expression crossing his face. "You'll understand soon enough. Just listen."
Erika frowned but stayed quiet, sensing the weight in his tone.
"Lily was… different," Roy continued. "She wasn't like anyone I'd met before. Kind-hearted, yes. Gentle. But she was also strong—stronger than most of the warriors or generals I've seen. She didn't wield a sword or lead armies, but she kept everything together. She was the anchor of your father's rebellion, the reason so many people believed in his cause."
Erika's gaze softened, her memories of her mother stirring.
"Your father loved her," Roy said. "That much was obvious. It was the kind of love that can make or break a man. But two years later, she was gone. Just like that. An illness, they said." He paused, his voice lowering. "An unknown illness."
Erika sighed, her frustration spilling out. "I already know this. Why are you telling me something I've heard a hundred times before?"
Roy's expression hardened. "Because you don't know the whole story. Now, shut up and listen."
Erika glared at him but didn't interrupt.
Roy leaned back, his gaze distant. "Her death didn't make sense to me. Not then, not now. A month before she died, she was fine. Completely fine. No signs of illness, no warnings. And then, suddenly, she was gone. Everyone around her was quick to accept it, to call it fate or some cruel twist of luck. But not me."
Erika's eyes narrowed, a flicker of unease creeping into her voice. "What are you saying?"
Roy's voice grew colder. "I'm saying I knew something wasn't right. I tried to investigate, to find answers. But every lead I followed was a dead end. Every trace of evidence—if there ever was any—was gone."
Erika leaned forward, her breath quickening. "You think someone killed her?"
Roy's lips curled into a faint smirk, one that sent a chill down her spine. "I don't think, Erika. I know."
Her fists clenched, her voice trembling. "Who? Who would do something like that?"
Roy's expression darkened, his eyes locking onto hers. "That's not something you need to know. Not now."
Erika slammed her hands on the table, her anger flaring. "What do you mean, 'not now'? That was my mother! You owe me the truth!"
Roy's voice rose sharply, silencing her. "I don't owe you anything! Do you think this is a game? That you can just demand answers and everything will be fine? The truth won't bring her back, Erika. It'll only make things worse."
Erika's anger faltered, replaced by a deep, aching confusion. "Worse? How could it get worse than not knowing?"
Roy sighed, his voice softening slightly. "Because the truth comes with consequences. Knowing who killed her, why they did it—it won't give you peace. It'll only drag you into a darkness you're not ready for."
The room fell into a heavy silence, Erika staring at him with wide, disbelieving eyes.
Finally, she spoke, her voice trembling. "If you met my mother in the palace, why didn't I ever see you?"
Roy's smirk returned, though it was bitter. "You did. You just don't remember. I was in disguise, Erika. As far as you knew, I was just another nameless officer passing through. You were too young to notice, and even if you did, you wouldn't have recognized me."
Erika's voice grew sharp again. "So you were spying on us? On my family?"
Roy laughed dryly. "Of course I was. I was Narzan's officer at the time—what else would I be doing? But meeting Lily… that wasn't part of the plan. That was something I didn't see coming."
Erika's gaze softened, her curiosity overtaking her anger. "What was she like? The real her?"
Roy's expression shifted, a rare vulnerability flashing across his face. "She was kind. Too kind for this world. She had this way of making you believe in something better, even when you knew better. She saw people—not their roles, not their masks, but who they really were. Even me."
He paused, his voice thick with emotion. "That's why her death didn't make sense. She was too strong, too full of life to just… fade away like that. But knowing what I know now, it makes perfect sense. And that's why I can't tell you. Not yet."
Erika stared at him, her mind racing. The mother she remembered was a beacon of warmth and love, but the idea that her death might have been deliberate, orchestrated—it was almost too much to bear.
Roy's voice broke through her thoughts, low and steady. "I'm telling you this because you need to understand, Erika. Lily's death wasn't just a tragedy. It was a turning point. For Miral. For the rebellion. For me. Whoever was behind it knew exactly what they were doing."
Erika leaned forward, her voice trembling. "And what do we do now?"
Roy's smirk returned, colder this time. "Now? Now we wait. We watch. And when the time is right… we strike. But until then, you stay out of it."
Erika's fists clenched, her voice rising again. "I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing!"
Roy's eyes narrowed, his tone icy. "Yes, you will. Because if you don't, you'll end up just like her."
The room fell silent again, the weight of his words pressing down on both of them.
For the first time, Erika saw her mother's death not as an isolated tragedy, but as a piece of a larger, darker puzzle. And the man before her held the key.
But he wasn't ready to share it.
To Be Continued…