Chapter 2967: Seraphina’s Surprise |
Date: Unspecified
Time: Unspecified
Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Southern Region, Blossom District, Sky Blossom City
Seraphina didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she looked at me with a complicated expression.
"You know, when Anna freed me and told me why she did it, I thought she was a foolish girl tricked by a man, just like her mother. As for Lorn, I thought she was even worse."
Her gaze drifted somewhere into the distance and a faint, self-deprecating smile appeared on her face, before she continued, "But now that I’ve met you..."
She paused to look at me with a complicated gaze. That look told it all, the emotional turmoil in her heart and mind.
"I feel like the Southern Royal family is the foolish one, while Anna and Lorn were the smart ones."
I sighed knowing this was the beginning of a long story. I could already hear it coming, a lengthy explanation, a heartfelt realization. Perhaps even a speech. Unfortunately, I had neither the time nor the patience. So, I snapped, interrupting her, "I don’t care."
For a moment, silence hung in the air until it was broken by Seraphina’s sigh, "No."
She answered without hesitation. Veerott’s shoulders immediately slumped. Aqualas looked equally disappointed. The two had genuinely hoped Seraphina would seize this opportunity and walk away while she still could.
Even Petra looked mildly surprised.
Yet Seraphina remained calm and composed. As though she had finally made peace with something. Before anyone could argue with her decision, she shook her head in dismay and continued, "Your Majesty, Dalton Wyatt..."
The sudden use of my full name immediately caught everyone’s attention. I even raised an eyebrow.
Seraphina slowly lowered her head. Not enough to be considered submission. But enough to show sincerity. Then she delivered the last thing anyone expected to hear.
"I want to swear my loyalty to you as well."
Silence, complete silence took over the surrounding area. Aqualas froze and Veerott’s eyes widened. Petra looked utterly dumbfounded. For a brief moment, nobody reacted.
Because Aqualas offering her loyalty to Southern Hope had been surprising... Then Seraphina’s was nothing short of unbelievable.
The woman who had spent the entire day arguing, resisting, provoking, and plotting against Southern Hope was now asking to serve him voluntarily.
Even Aqualas looked as though her brain had temporarily stopped functioning. Somewhere in the distance, a metaphorical mountain collapsed from sheer disbelief.
And for perhaps the first time that day, all attention shifted away from me and landed squarely on Seraphina—as if everyone were waiting for her to deliver the punchline.
They simply couldn’t bring themselves to believe that she, of all people, would ever swear loyalty to the Southern Hope. After all, she had set out with the sole intention of killing him, all to prove her worth to the Southern Royal family and the Southern Capital, a step in her path to becoming the Southern Ruler.
I didn’t take Seraphina’s words seriously either. Instead, I turned my gaze to Petra, who looked the most dumbfounded of us all. Sensing my eyes on her, she looked up and nodded numbly.
"She meant it," Petra murmured. "There was no falsehood."
Petra felt as though the past few minutes had turned her entire world upside down. The sheer absurdity of the situation made her doubt her truth-seeking ability more in a single moment than she had in the past two decades combined.
"Now that’s news." Hearing Petra’s confirmation, I looked at Seraphina in genuine amazement. Considering everything Anna and Field Marshal Lorn had told me about her fierce pride, I too was starting to wonder if Petra’s ability was malfunctioning.
As if reading the deep skepticism in my eyes, Seraphina spoke up once more. "Your Highness, I know it is hard for you to trust my words. But I have nothing left for me back in the capital. To be honest, after finally emerging from my long imprisonment, I realized that the world and its people are no longer the same as I remembered. These two, however... they haven’t changed. They feel more like family to me than the current Southern Royal family ever could. If you will allow it, I plan to spend the remainder of my days in this hellhole with the only people who actually love and care for me."
I didn’t reply to Seraphina. Instead, I turned my gaze back to Petra, who nodded firmly. "As far as I can tell, she is speaking the absolute truth."
"Petra, are you sure your skill is working fine?" I asked. I honestly hadn’t expected someone as fiercely proud as Seraphina to offer me her loyalty. I fully believed she would go down fighting to the bitter end. This unexpected twist felt wrong—it made me suspicious that she was playing a double game and up to no good.
And yet, why was I even considering her offer?
There were two major reasons. The first was the look in Veerott’s eyes; it was blindingly obvious the guy was completely head over heels for her. The second was pure pragmatism: if I managed to pull her over to my side, her name alone would give me a massive boost in popularity and leverage throughout the Southern Region.
"I don’t know. It’s been a very exhausting day. Just throw her out and be done with it—I’m tired," Petra said, throwing her hands in the air in defeat. After everything she had observed from Seraphina today, she had every right to doubt whether her truth-detecting skill was even functioning correctly anymore.
"Master, I know this isn’t my place, but I can vouch for her!" Veerott immediately spoke up, panic flaring the moment he heard Petra’s dismissive words. This guy couldn’t be more obvious with his intentions.