The air between them had settled, but Fiona could still feel the weight of what had just happened.
She had told Marianne the truth—the whole truth—and somehow, she was still here.
It was a relief, but it also left behind a strange kind of emptiness.
She had spent months lying, avoiding, pretending. Now that the words were out, she almost didn't know what to do next.
"…So what should i do now?" Fiona muttered, staring at the fire.
Marianne, regained her mood, hummed in thought. "That depends on you."
Fiona blinked. "Me?"
Marianne turned to her, arms crossed. "You've been running from this truth all this time. Now that it's out, what are you going to do?"
Fiona frowned, shifting uncomfortably. She had never really thought about what came after. She had just been trying to survive, trying to keep up the act, and stayed alive.
But she wasn't Jeannie, and she never would be.
"…I don't know," Fiona admitted.
"I don't even know who I am anymore."
Marianne's gaze softened slightly.
"Then I guess you'll have to figure that out yourself.."
Fiona scoffed. "Wow. Very helpful."
Marianne smirked and raised her shoulders
"At least I try to help..."
A silence settled over them again. The fire crackled, casting flickering shadows against the trees.
Then, Marianne suddenly shifted, her expression growing more serious.
"Fiona...or Jeannie? What should i call you then?"
Fiona blinked. Marianne rarely used her actual name.
"…Yeah? It's up to you to call my name. I don't mind it at all.."
Marianne hesitated for a moment, as if choosing her words carefully.
"Back when we first met after you awake in Jeannie's body, I didn't trust you at all."
Fiona snorted.
"Yeah, I noticed it too..."
Marianne gave her a dry look but continued.
"But over time… I started to see something different. You might not be Jeannie, but you still protected people. You still cared and have kindness in your heart, even if you don't realized it."
Fiona swallowed.
"Am I really care about them in your eyes? Am I.....really have kindness? I..I don't understand. A demon like me, who killed those peoples in the past?"
Marianne, reading her doubtful and confused expression, simply nodded.
"Yes. Even if you did not know how to express yourself, and even if you did not admit that , I can see your good intentions with my own eyes."
She started to looked at her eyes directly.
"I can see it when you tried to help me when fighting Aldric, your interaction with Lily, and even your conversations towards peoples in the city, or even when you saved the wounded knights from being killed by the Rogue knights..."
Fiona still deep in her own thought, remembering every moments where she helped them all
Then she also remembered what she did in the past one thousand years. She started to regretted all she had done when she was still an Archdemon.
She looked at Marianne with heavy expression, suffering from her memories.
"That doesn't change what I did, Marianne....I am, a monster in the past...I don't deserve having this sweet life.."
"Of course no, it doesn't change what you did in the past.." Marianne nodded.
"But do you know? My Father told me this before he passed away..."
Marianne paused her words for a moment, and then continue to look at the sky above.
"Everyone Made mistakes in their life. It was Inevitable. Nobody in this world is perfect...."
Then she looked at Fiona again.
"But I believe, everyone deserve a second chance, no matter how bad you are in the past. It's not about how you tried to forget it and run away. But it's about how you can accept who you are in the past, and then trying to do better for the future..."
Fiona stared at her, unsure what to say.
Then Marianne sighed, running a hand through her hair.
"Honestly, I should be more mad at you."
Fiona gave her a tired look.
"Then why aren't you?"
Marianne huffed. "Because look at you! You are a demon before. Why do you hesitate to be yourself now, like saying "I will destroy your city into ashes right now!!" ?"
Fiona blinked.
Then, to her absolute horror, her face felt warm.
"Ugh," she groaned, covering her face. "Don't say stuff like that, it's embarrassing."
Marianne smirked. "You're the one who made this all dramatic at all, not me...."
Fiona groaned louder.
This was why she had hesitated telling Marianne the truth. She knew she'd never hear the end of it.
Still…
A small, reluctant smile tugged at her lips.
At least she wasn't hiding all of this from one person.
"Marianne.....", said her with a soft voice, almost whispered.
""Hmm? What?", she replied.
Fiona sighed softly and said,
"Thank you for everything...and for trusting me...I will do anything to redeem my mistakes in the past..I don't know how, but, i will do it!"
Marianne blinked her eyes and then laughed softly, patting Her shoulders.
"Of course you should do it. Now you are in Jeannie's body. You just have to find your own way of peace and protect the peoples who believe in you. Just don't do anything stupid, okay? I will always by your side,"
Hearing her soft voice, Fiona gave a smile, and she also felt something heavy in her heart had been gone.
"It's already late this night. From now on, i will call you Fiona when it was only two of us like this. You have to take care of Lily. She's Jeannie's only sister after all. Just do it for Jeannie then..it was your chance of redemption..."
After saying that, Marianne started to walked away.
"Good night then, Fiona Elizabeth..."
Fiona regained herself after deep in thought, and simply nodded at her, while looking Marianne left her.
After the conversation, She went to the tent, and found Lily really enjoyed her sleep.
'Take care of her, as my redemption?...'
She started to looked at the little girl. She kept thinking about Marianne's words in her mind.
But when she looked at how small Lily, and how kind, cute, and adorable she was, a tiny genuine smile came out from her mouth.
She then patted Lily's head softly, trying to not disturb her sweet dream.
'This is not my redemption. She was my little adorable Lily, and i will always protect her no matter what happens in the future....'
And with a new purpose, Fiona slept besides Lily, and hugged her with genuine love, never want to get away from this little girl.
Far from their tent, several hooded figure watched them carefully without being noticed.
"It seems they only send some knights to investigate us. The one who defeat Aldric was there too. What should we do, Boss? Should we kill them here?"
A big soldier began to ask question. Everyone looked at a hooded figure, who still watched the situation in front of them.
The leader sighed softly, and answered with a calm tone.
"Olliver, we did not know how strong they are. I know all of you want to fight, but we came here only to watch their intentions. If you still want it, go and find a corrupt Noble instead..."
Hearing their leader's calm response, they slowly nodded and stop questioning him.
The leader continued to speak with cold voice, with a small killing intent.
"Hmph! Those nobles were just a parasite for Vernetia. They thought they could live forever, but soon they will realize, even if they live long enough, only the punishments waiting them all..."
Then he close his eyes while kept watching the knights patrolling far away.
'Interesting...now what shall i do to these knights? I wonder....',
He whispered with a tiny smile in his mouth.
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END OF ARC 1