Mother and Daughter Pair that Adamantly Refuses to Admit It
"Angelina!"
I first shut the door to avoid Veirya jumping up to kill Angelina. Angelina stood at our door. She looked at us with quite the anxious look, as she was eager to say something. In her hand was a paper bag. I realised what she was after when I saw her anxious blue eyes. Before she could speak, I said, "Don't worry. Veirya is all right."
"I see…"
Angelina appeared relieved after hearing that. Despite the struggle to say the words, she said, "Please… give this to her… This can heal burns… It's very good… it should be."
"Mm."
Indeed, it would be best to let Angelina, personally, hand it over to Veirya, but I knew they shouldn't meet. After all, they still had animosity between them. I was sure Veirya's wilfulness and pride meant she would shrug off Angelina in spite of her protecting her just before. Similarly, Angelina may be worried about Veirya, but she wouldn't be able to get through to the incredibly stubborn Veirya. If I let Angelina give it to Veirya, she probably wouldn't see her off.
I knew that the mother and daughter pair cared a lot about each other. Veirya didn't forget to push Angelina out of the danger when she leapt in to save Leah. Angelina waited to give Veirya some medication despite one of her arms still dangling down.
I inquired, "Is your arm all right?"
"It's fine," answered Angelina, shaking her hanging arm. "I'm fine. I'm very concerned about Veirya, though."
"If you're truly worried about her, tell me the truth now."
I grabbed Angelina's arm so that she couldn't run. She jolted in response. She stuttered in silence before finally speaking: "I… I… Is there any point in me telling you? I told you that I wanted to protect Leah during the day, yet you all refused to believe me. Is there a point in me telling you anything now?"
"There is; obviously there is. I'm not trying to get back at you. You're right, in that talking about the past is pointless. There's a point with regards to the future, nonetheless. I can't just sit and watch people hurt my daughter in silence. You feel the same way, don't you, Angelina? You like seeing your daughter in that shape and not doing anything?!"
Angelina furiously belted, "What else could I have done?! I never thought the chapel would do such a thing! I didn't consider the consequences!! What can you do?!"
She thundered the same way Veirya did. If Veirya was the one shouting at me, I'd feel a little better. Veirya didn't care about her body, which hurt me more.
"I can get revenge," I replied. I tightened my grip on her arm. Voice stern, I emphasised every word I enunciated, "I can help Veirya and Leah. I admit I failed to protect them before, but I'll make them pay. Angelina, if you still love Veiirya and if you still have any semblance of a conscience, then tell me what you did! How?! How did the chapel know that Leah is a succubus?! How?!"
I gripped Angelina's arm with a vice-like. She didn't dare to break free using might, as her other arm was injured and couldn't shove me away. I could see that she was at a loss for what to do when she looked at me. However, I intently looked into her eyes. Though she had the same eyes as Veirya, I dared to look straight into Angelina's eyes this time whereas she didn't dare to look at me. I gave her no chances of running.
"Because… because… because… because… I… found… that merchant." Angelina's lips slowly moved as she muttered fragmented bits and pieces.
I instantly understand what happened. I never expected the chapel to know about the merchant. By the sounds of it, they must've blackmailed him into confessing what he knew about Leah. If that held true, the company was aware of Leah's succubus nature.
"What else does the chapel know?"
"I don't know anything else."
I released my hold on Angelina. She hopped back a step and nervously looked at me. Then, she loudly said, "Can you really do it? I… I'm the chapel's knight. I won't help you. I'll protect the chapel. I'm…"
I exclaimed, "Even though their mistake has left your daughter in this state?!"
Angelina averted her gaze. She spun around to leave, but I caught her cape. She didn't turn around. Nevertheless, I spoke to her with her back facing me: "I can understand how you feel. The truth is, you're very eager to be with your daughter, correct? As long as you're not the chapel's knight, you can be with her, right? As long as you're no longer their knight, you can return to Veirya's side. Am I right? You, too, should be able to recognise that Veirya actually cares about you. There's no reason for the two of you to be hostile to each other. I guarantee I'll be able to let you two be reunited."
"… That's some big talk right there."
Angelina spun back around. She pinched my face and pulled it up close to hers. As a result, I staggered and almost fell onto her chest. There was a hint of ridicule due to despair in her blue eyes. Because it was impossible for her, she decided that the idea was preposterous. She quietly laughed: "Do you understand the two of us? Do you know what happened between us? Do you know how long we've been in this situation? You don't know a thing. How are you going to resolve the problem between us?"
I met with Angelina's eyes: "I may not know, but that doesn't stop me from helping you resolve your issue. All that matters is that you two care for each other. With that said, I'm not doing this for myself. I merely want to help Veirya."
Angelina released my face but kept her eyes on me. She chuckled: "But not help me? Veirya is my only child. Obviously I care about her. I don't know what you have in mind, but I hope you succeed. In saying that, don't forget that I'm still serving as the chapel's knight. Take it too far, and I'll show up."
I nodded: "I'm aware of the boundary lines. Now, if possible, I hope you can help me find a walking stick or cane."
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