Dream Weaver sat in silence in the backseat.
The atmosphere inside the car was so stifling it sent chills down one's spine—even the battle-hardened driver couldn't help but swallow nervously, forcing himself to tear his attention away from the pair reflected in the rearview mirror.
"Just what is going on with Ardan…?"
Now, Dream Weaver finally understood why Mejiro Ardan, despite her burning desire to return to the racetrack, had refused to even try.
She had originally thought it was just a matter of mentality, but the reality was far more severe than she had ever imagined.
Mejiro Ramonu, too, had shed her earlier agitated demeanor. Slumping weakly against the seat, she spoke in a near-whisper.
"Glass legs. That's what we call Ardan's condition."
"She's been frail and sickly since birth, incredibly prone to injuries. She was simply never suited to set foot on the track."
Dream Weaver's brow had remained tightly furrowed from the moment she uncovered the truth, and now, hearing Mejiro Ramonu's words, the creases between her eyebrows deepened further, as if carving all her confusion and unease into her very skin.
"And you still let her become an Uma Musume and compete in the Tenno Sho? Has the Mejiro family gone so insane for that so-called consecutive Tenno Sho victory that you'd disregard the very lives of your own descendants?"
Catching the clear sarcasm in her words, Mejiro Ramonu felt a surge of anger, ready to retort, but the words died in her throat before they could escape. In the end, she just sighed and replied helplessly.
"After what happened with your mother, the family stopped forcing its descendants to relentlessly pursue the Tenno Sho."
"Ardan stepped onto the track driven by her own fierce determination. There was no way we could stop her."
Hearing Mejiro Ramonu use her mother as an example, Dream Weaver let out a cold 'hmph' before speaking.
"You knew the truth all along, didn't you? Finally dropping the act now?"
"If I said I only recently pried it out of our grandmother's mouth, you wouldn't believe me, would you…?"
These past few months, Mejiro Ramonu hadn't only faced the torrent of public opinion—she'd also struggled to extract the whole truth from the current family head, Mejiro Asama.
Under such pressure, even someone like her, groomed since childhood to be the heir, felt utterly drained, both physically and mentally.
Truth was, she had noticed Mejiro Ardan leaving the house every day, but she simply hadn't had the energy to look deeper into it. It wasn't until yesterday, when Mejiro Ardan collapsed from another glass leg episode, that she finally learned the truth.
The grudge between the Northern and Mejiro families, the tangled history between Dream Weaver herself and her grandmother Mejiro Asama, and now Mejiro Ardan's sudden hospitalization—it all piled up, suffocating Mejiro Ramonu.
But she was the designated heir.
No matter how exhausted she was, she had to maintain an image of unshakable composure in the eyes of outsiders. Perhaps only in front of Dream Weaver, with whom she'd quarreled countless times, could she finally vent the emotions she'd been suppressing.
After unleashing all that pent-up pressure through their brutally honest, heated exchange with Dream Weaver, Mejiro Ramonu felt she had calmed down considerably.
And she believed the same was true for the other girl.
Though every time they met, it was as if they were fundamentally incompatible, always ending up in arguments, it was precisely through those clashes that Mejiro Ramonu had come to understand Dream Weaver.
She might be swayed by emotions in the heat of the moment, but in the end, she could always make a calm judgment.
So, no matter how much she despised the Mejiro family, no matter how much she doubted Mejiro Ramonu's words, she would still listen, still carefully think things through.
This time, Mejiro Ramonu was determined to tell Dream Weaver everything she knew. She believed that after thinking it over, Dream Weaver would be able to sense the truth in her words.
"My grandmother, the current head of the Mejiro family, Mejiro Asama—you could say she's the one who set all these events in motion."
"Whether it was sending me to the Northern house to bring you back, or hinting to subordinates to lead you to Mejiro Ardan, it was all orchestrated by her behind the scenes. Even that press conference—I only found out about it after it was over."
Dream Weaver merely snorted coldly, a hint of disdain in her voice.
"So you're pushing all the blame onto one person? Or are you trying to say you were just a fool being manipulated?"
"I don't believe someone like you didn't have an inkling."
Mejiro Ramonu leaned her head back against the seat, eyes closed, her voice weary.
"Perhaps. People always tend to prettify their own image, whether consciously or not."
"I can't claim I noticed nothing at all. But back then, I truly didn't know about the grudges of the past. From my perspective, bringing you back, since you carry Mejiro blood, shouldn't have been an issue."
Dream Weaver didn't press the point further. After all, how much Mejiro Ramonu had truly known back then wasn't the key issue anymore.
"Fine, let's assume that's the case."
"So you're saying all this trouble was solely Mejiro Asama's doing?"
At this, Mejiro Ramonu shook her head.
"How could that be? Though she is the family head, the Mejiro house isn't a dictatorship. There are plenty of elders with seniority equal to hers. There's no way the head could pull off something this big without their knowledge."
"Something like holding a press conference, which risked the family's reputation, would never have happened without their approval."
She paused before continuing.
"From what I've pieced together, my grandmother likely hid your past from the other elders and then reached some sort of agreement with them. That's why they quietly supported the press conference."
"But after what you said following the Spring Tenno Sho, that delicate understanding fell apart. These past few months, my grandmother has faced no shortage of criticism and censure from the other family elders."
Mejiro Ramonu directed all the blame toward Mejiro Asama, never mentioning her own situation.
In truth, as Mejiro Asama's granddaughter, her status as the heir had been questioned countless times.
Over these months, she'd faced not only external pressure but also internal family challenges. Even Mejiro Ramonu couldn't help but feel utterly worn down.
The genuine emotion in Mejiro Ramonu's words cooled some of the anger in Dream Weaver's heart. Though the other hadn't said it outright, Dream Weaver could tell Mejiro Ramonu's position these past months had been precarious.
If all this really was Mejiro Asama's doing, orchestrated behind everyone's backs, then Mejiro Ramonu, caught in the crossfire, was truly unfortunate.
So Dream Weaver's tone softened slightly, losing some of its aggressive edge.
"Then I'll wait until after I've spoken with Mejiro Asama myself."
Hearing this, Mejiro Ramonu nodded in response.
"After you've talked with her, I'll take you to see Ardan. You must be very worried, since she's been gone for a day."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.