Chapter 42: Drowning in One's Own Illusion
[As Kiana's family, with Theresa in tow, celebrated Kiana's sixteenth birthday, the joyous and happy atmosphere broke Sirin, who was hiding in the shadows.
"I must destroy your happiness!"
Sirin tightly gripped the Fenghuang Down feather, glaring at the screen before her. But when she saw the smile on Kiana's face, even though she knew it was an illusion, her heart couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness.
"...Birthday cake... it reminds me of Mama..."
Sirin's stunned expression, the loneliness in her eyes, was heartbreaking to watch.]
The audience, who had been smiling at the warmth of Kiana's family, stopped when they saw Sirin's dejected look.
A dull knife cuts deeper and is far more painful than a sharp blade.
"Sirin is also just a 16-year-old girl..." Sakura lamented. She was just a girl about the same age as her own sister.
The progression of the plot, the terror of the Herrscher, had made people forget Sirin's age. If it weren't for Schicksal's deception, if it weren't for the horrific experiments, Sirin would just be a 16-year-old girl who longed for her mother and yearned to be loved.
"The more I think about it, the angrier I get. It's all the fault of those Schicksal researchers!" Pardo clenched her fists, her cheeks puffed out.
"Hmph!"
Kalpas's cold snort startled everyone. They were afraid he would break the other armrest as well.
"You wrote your niece like this. Aren't you afraid she'll cry and throw a tantrum when you get back?" Vill-V gave Yàqīng a strange look.
"She wouldn't... right?" Yàqīng suddenly recalled a time when he was a child, holding one niece in each hand, taking them out for a walk. In a McDonald's, one was lying on the floor crying and screaming, while the other was stomping her feet, refusing to move.
[On an impulse, using the Fenghuang Down feather, Sirin disguised her Herrscher attire as a black sailor uniform and came to the door of Kiana's family's house in the illusion.
"Who are you?"
Siegfried opened the door and looked at the girl outside, asking about her intentions. He had no memory of Sirin.
Just as Sirin was about to directly destroy this "boring" illusion, Cecilia's dissatisfied voice came from inside. She suspected Siegfried had had too much to drink, to the point where he couldn't even recognize his own other daughter.
"Come, Sirin, this is Kiana's birthday cake."
"I saved a piece especially for you."
Looking at the piece of birthday cake Cecilia brought over, Sirin's malice was completely destroyed by Cecilia's gentleness. She felt a long-lost warmth and, for a moment, was like a small, wronged animal.
Sirin took a small piece of cake with her fork and put it in her mouth. The cake was sweet, but a line of tears silently rolled down her pretty face. She thought of her mother. The first time she had eaten cake, it had tasted just like this.
"It's getting late."
"Go to bed early, Sirin."
Cecilia patted Sirin's small head.
Under Cecilia's gentle offensive, Sirin couldn't hold back any longer. She could only wipe away her tears with her arm, not letting them fall to the floor.]
"Mama..."
Grievance is the easiest emotion for people to empathize with.
And when paired with the weapon of familial love, every blow was a critical hit.
Sirin, feeling the same emotions, buried her face in Cecilia's embrace and said in a small voice, "Mama, I want to eat cake."
"We'll buy it! I'll have Siegfried go buy it right now!" Cecilia glanced at Siegfried.
Receiving the order from his dear wife, Siegfried forgot all about the movie. He quickly stood up, ran outside, and called his assistant to order a large cake, which he would go pick up himself.
[A shadow cast by the light appeared before a door with a purple cartoon wooden sign that read "Sirin." Siegfried's muttering could be heard. He paused for a moment, then quietly left.
"I remember now. This is Sirin's room."
"Sirin is my and Cecilia's second daughter. I must have had too much to drink. How could I not even recognize her..."]
"So Sirin is also Mama's daughter in the story. What a shame, it's only an illusion..." Kiana couldn't bear to see the people around her suffer, not even her second sister whom she didn't get along with. Perhaps this was kindness.
"That guy Yàqīng wrote Schicksal like this. Is he really not afraid Grandpa will give him trouble?"
The more tragic and empathetic Sirin's story was, the more hateful the Schicksal in the story became. Theresa thought of this, as Yàqīng's plot development could already be considered slander.
"I'd like to know that too," Bronya sighed. She really didn't understand Yàqīng Schariac. As a director of Schicksal, using Schicksal's resources and company, to create a story where Anti-Entropy fights for humanity?
What kind of person could come up with a plot like this?
[In the room, Sirin lay in bed, reflecting. Why? Why did she know they weren't her real parents, yet she couldn't bring herself to kill them?
Just as a ruthless look returned to Sirin's eyes.
"Sirin, don't be angry. Your father just had too much to drink today."
Cecilia sat next to Sirin, gently patting her back, her tone extremely gentle.
"I'm sorry. We've been busy preparing for Kiana's birthday these past two days, which made you feel lonely."
Cecilia hugged Sirin from behind.
"Tonight, let Mama hold you while you sleep."
That warm embrace made Sirin unable to resist sinking into it once again.
The next day, Sirin threw off the covers, shocked that she had actually fallen asleep last night, and so peacefully. She hadn't slept like that since that experiment.
"Come on, Sirin, time for breakfast~"
Cecilia, holding a tray with breakfast, pushed open the door. Sirin was eating a sandwich when Cecilia suddenly asked her to go shopping with her. Sirin was stunned.
A few days later, an exhausted Siegfried finished a day's work. On his way home, he passed by a convenience store and saw the Arahato collaboration chocolate on the shelf, remembering that Sirin and the others liked this brand.
"Who are you?"
"I think I've seen you before."
The chocolate in Siegfried's hand dissolved into data, and the surrounding scenery also disappeared. The man before him was none other than Welt Yang, whose consciousness was now tied to Sirin's.
"Siegfried, your life is so happy and fulfilling."
"To you, is this a beautiful dream or a nightmare? Open your eyes and see which side is the reality you are protecting."
Siegfried reached out a hand. "Wait, who are you?!"
When Siegfried opened his eyes again, he was back in the convenience store, leaning against a shelf. The chocolate had fallen at his feet.]
"Welt is still carrying!" Kiana said in surprise.
"This time, he won't die for sure, right?" Theresa said strangely.
"It's hard to say," Himeko said hazily.
"That's my doll!" Bella pointed at the doll on the headboard of Sirin's bed. Even in the illusion, she was by Sirin's side.
"That doll is so cute!" Sirin's golden eyes turned into stars. She looked at Cecilia and asked, "Mama, is stinky uncle going to sell merchandise? Can I... can I..."
Sirin suddenly became too embarrassed to continue.
A mother knows her daughter best. Cecilia naturally understood what Sirin meant. She stroked her soft purple hair and said with a smile, "Then you'll have to ask your uncle yourself."
"Mmm..."
[Cecilia and Sirin were happily shopping at the mall, while Siegfried, looking like he was on the verge of death, carried a mountain of bags behind them, fitting his real-life persona perfectly. Sirin was originally very quiet, but after Cecilia handed her an ice cream, she took a big bite, "Awwm," and her mood finally brightened.
After a day of shopping, Sirin and Cecilia were very excited, but Siegfried felt like he was about to die from exhaustion. Seeing his wife and daughter enter a clothing store, he finally felt he could rest for a moment.
Sirin happily showed off her fashion show to Cecilia, seemingly forgetting her purpose was actually to destroy their beautiful life. It was only when Cecilia suggested she wanted to hug Sirin that she vaguely remembered.
"Don't hug me. I don't want to be hugged."
"Hehe, I know. You're just shy."
As Sirin turned around, Cecilia's expression became hard to read.]
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