Hearing this, Alia felt the tension in her heart ease just a little. Her intuition told her that Emma was trustworthy. Her emotions toward her mother were sincere, and she bore no ill intentions toward Alia. Perhaps she had her own motives, but she would never harm her.
If there was anyone in this world who truly cared about her mother's life and death and was willing to seek the truth, Emma was undoubtedly one of them.
Livia let out a slow breath, her gaze sharpening as she decided to press further.
"Do you know the cause of my mother's death?" She looked straight into Emma's eyes, lowering her voice. "The outside world says it was due to exhaustion, but I don't believe that."
As soon as she spoke, Emma's expression changed dramatically. Her gaze turned sharp and cold, filled with deep scrutiny and wariness.
"I don't believe it either." Her voice was low but carried an undeniable conviction. "I know better than anyone what kind of person your mother was. She wasn't someone who would succumb so easily to illness. What's more, I saw her not long before she passed—at the time, she looked perfectly healthy, her spirits high. How could she suddenly fall ill and die within such a short period?"
Emma's eyes darkened, and her tone grew heavier. "There's definitely something hidden behind this. I've been investigating ever since her death. Though I've been obstructed at every turn, and many clues have been deliberately erased, I've still managed to piece together a few fragments of the truth…"
She paused for a moment, then locked eyes with Alia, her voice laced with a chilling edge.
"Her death is connected to an artifact called the 'Holy Grail.'"
The Holy Grail…
Livia's heart sank sharply. Her fingers curled slightly, tightening into a fist beneath her cloak.
So it's true…
She murmured in her heart as past clues swiftly connected. The Holy Grail—after gathering information from countless sources, she was now certain beyond doubt: her mother had died because of it.
Her mother's cause of death, her father's obsession, Emma's investigation, Eryx's actions, her master's true purpose—even Marcellus's secrecy—everything revolved around the mysterious existence of the Holy Grail.
Livia's brows furrowed, a storm of questions swirling in her mind.
Emma sought the truth about her mother's death. Her father, perhaps, wanted to use the Holy Grail to bring her back to life. But Eryx… what was his true goal? And her master—where was he, and what was his hidden agenda?
And then there was Marcellus—the man who had killed her, yet also claimed to love her. What did he want from the Holy Grail?
At that moment, a long-buried question resurfaced in Livia's mind: why had Marcellus tried to kill her in the first place?
Because of their tangled emotions, she had subconsciously avoided confronting this question. But if, in the end, Marcellus was always meant to kill her, then everything between them now was nothing more than an illusion. One day, she would still have to face the truth.
At last, Alia realized that she was now at the very heart of this struggle.
There was no way for her to turn back.
Emma's expression softened with guilt. Her voice lowered, carrying an unspoken remorse. "And about your kidnapping… I'm sorry. I never expected things to escalate like this. I only shared information about you with Eryx because he claimed he just wanted to track your movements to predict Marcellus's plans and locate the Holy Grail. He promised me—he swore—that he wouldn't harm you…"
She let out a bitter chuckle, regret flickering in her eyes. "But I trusted the wrong person."
Livia was momentarily stunned before shaking her head gently, her tone carrying a hint of reassurance.
"It's fine. I'm safe now, aren't I? At the very least, this kidnapping made a lot of things clearer to me."
She met Emma's gaze, her eyes darkening as she continued, "Then, what exactly does Eryx want? What does he intend to do with the Holy Grail? Or… does he have some connection to my mother as well?"
Emma fell into brief contemplation, her brows knitting slightly before she finally shook her head, her tone uncertain.
"I don't know… I'm only working with him temporarily. He has always been a mysterious and powerful figure—meticulous, unfathomable."
Her gaze lowered slightly, as if lost in thought. After a brief hesitation, she added, "Perhaps he intends to use the Holy Grail to carry out some kind of plan. But what that plan is, I have no way of knowing. His true intentions are buried too deep—deeper than even Edgar's or Marcellus's."
Livia didn't respond, but a growing unease crept into her heart.
Eryx… what is he truly after?
Was he really searching for the Holy Grail, or… had he already uncovered its secret long ago?