Chapter 552

He knows! He already knows! Though he had some premonitions lurking in his heart, when Prince Andre casually revealed the truth he had been desperately hiding, Apheta 00 still couldn’t help but tremble all over.

Looking at Prince Andre who was intently painting an oil painting without even glancing at her once, Apheta 00 remained silent for a moment, then forcibly suppressed her wildly beating heart and asked as calmly as possible: “When did you find out about what happened back then?”

After hearing Apheta 00’s question, Prince Andre involuntarily faltered slightly with the brush in his hand, leaving a blot of mixed color on Apheta 00’s skirt in the oil painting.

“Not too early, not too late—right after I killed my father.”

Picking up the scraper beside him and removing the blot of mixed color from Apheta 00’s skirt, Prince Andre dipped the brush into paint to repaint it while saying somewhat desolately: “As you said before, my ‘talent’ is on par with Phelia’s. However, unlike her, my talent lies in art, and artistic talent boils down to superior insight and a much more sensitive heart than that of an average person.

When my father, after listening to the reasons for my actions against him, didn’t show anger or hatred toward me, but instead appeared full of sorrow and self-reproach, I already knew that the truth of what happened back then must have been different from what I imagined.”

After correcting the previous mistake, Prince Andre looked at the serious middle-aged vigorous man in the center of the canvas and couldn’t help but reach out, lightly touching the face of King Fein in the painting, then lowering his eyes and saying: “A person who would sacrifice their daughter for power, someone who could defy the natural instinct of parents to protect their children, must be extremely selfish. Such a person, if they were wrong, would only try to shirk responsibility and blame others, and wouldn’t react the way he did.

Unfortunately, because of what happened back then, these past years whenever I saw my father, all I could think of was Phelia crying in pain, tears streaming down her face as she asked how long the surgery would take, leaving no room for any other thoughts.

And by the time I realized everything, understood that things weren’t as I thought they were, and that perhaps my father and mother had their own difficulties, my hands were already stained with blood, and I no longer had the right to turn back… Aunt Apheta.”

At this point, Prince Andre suddenly looked up, calling out to Apheta 00, then gently asked: “I’ve finished your portrait. Come over and see if it looks like you?”

“I’d rather not go over…”

Looking at Andre’s increasingly gentle face, some kind of instinct to avoid danger, which hadn’t been completely lost even after being converted into a mechanical intelligence core, began warning Apheta 00 frantically again.

In response to Prince Andre’s invitation, she shook her head without hesitation: “I’ve seen your paintings before. Even without looking, I know it will look exactly like me.”

“Still, come take a look.”

One short and one long gem-encrusted scepter appeared in Andre’s hands at some point. Smiling at Apheta 00 whose expression suddenly tensed, Prince Andre smiled and said: “Aunt Apheta, surely you don’t want something as trivial as looking at my painting to result in me forcefully shutting you down, do you?”

“…”

Although her instincts kept warning her, faced with the threat of being completely shut down, Apheta 00 gritted her teeth and stepped forward, standing beside Prince Andre, looking at the somewhat aged canvas on the easel.

The painting depicted a scene from a royal banquet.

In the garden behind the palace, which had been abandoned for many years, familiar members of the royal family gathered around King Fein and his wife, along with two adult princes, sitting cross-legged on the rear terrace.

On the emerald green lawn in front, several children yet to reach adulthood were chasing and playing with a colorful golden ball, among them seemingly young Prince Andre.

Looking at this joyful and peaceful painting, and seeing herself in the corner wearing thick glasses, holding a brain model for measurement, and writing something down, Apheta 00 felt her heart calm a bit, reminiscing: “Was this the day of Phelia’s first birthday when Fein invited the clan and his friends to bring their children to the palace for a banquet?”

“Hmm.”

Looking at the plump baby with emerald green eyes in the queen’s arms, and then at the carefree children running around chasing the ball, Prince Andre put down the brush and scepter, his eyes filled with warmth as he said:

“That was the happiest day of my life. If only time could stop flowing forever on that day… Don’t you agree, Aunt Apheta?”

“…”

Seeing Andre’s increasingly gentle expression, Apheta 00 unconsciously held her breath, then nodded in agreement:

“Those days were indeed quite nice, very memorable.”

Smiling at Apheta 00, Prince Andre grabbed her arm, and then, surprising Apheta with his expression, forcefully pressed her hand onto the canvas, pushing it against the still wet ‘Apheta’.

“Aunt Apheta, I hope you enjoy yourself.”

“?!!!”

Upon hearing Prince Andre’s strange blessing, Apheta suddenly became alarmed, but before she could ask, the Apheta on the canvas started wriggling.

To Apheta’s horror, those colorful paints detached from the old canvas, climbing up along her fingers and quickly covering her entire body.

She only felt her left hand slightly sink, supporting an old brain model, her right fingertips pinching a hand-painted ticket, and the world before her eyes blurred momentarily as a pair of thick-bottomed glasses, both abrupt and harmonious, settled on her nose.

“Andre? !!!”

“Don’t worry, Aunt Apheta, nothing will happen.”

Watching Apheta covered in colorful oil paints, whose form, clothing, and facial features were continuously approaching his memories, Prince Andre couldn’t help but nod in satisfaction, then responded gently:

“You go ahead and wait for a while. Phelia and I will arrive later. No one will be missing.”

No content inside 69 book bar hasn’t been seen!

“You… you…”

“The banquet has already begun.”

Pointing to the lively banquet that had somehow started, with people clinking glasses and laughing together, Andre said softly: “Aunt Apheta, Father and the others have waited for you for so many years. Don’t wait anymore; they’re waving at you!”

With Andre’s words, the last piece of paint covered Apheta 00’s terrified face. When she opened her eyes again, what lay before her was no longer the original secret chamber, but the banquet from many years ago.

King Fein, who had been dead for many years, frowned at her, gripping a brain model and notebook with ink and coffee stains on her cuffs, showing an expression of helplessness and indulgence.

“Apheta!”

Calling out once, the seated King Fein waved at her and said reproachfully:

“Can’t you occasionally set aside those studies? Do you really have to bring them even to Brother’s banquet?”

“…”

Seeing her sister standing dumbfounded there, King Fein furrowed his brows in confusion.

“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you speaking?”

“I… I’m very busy! The development of soul coding is at a critical stage, if you hadn’t insisted on dragging me here, I wouldn’t have come!”

After hesitating for a few seconds, Apheta 00’s face revealed a similar expression of helplessness, complaining with a headache-inducing tone:

“Just this once. Don’t call me next time!”

(End of chapter)