[Vol. 7] Chapter 237: The Truth of the Two-Colored Lotus
Carinvega seemed a little caught off guard by those words. She lowered her head and stayed silent for a moment, clearly unsure. Then, as if replying, she softly murmured.
"Yes... I am asking for Miss Violet’s help. As for why I’m willing to share my secrets..."
"To be honest, you’re the first person who has truly seen through me. At first, I was really scared and nervous. But very quickly... I also felt a kind of relief that I’ve never felt before. Even though we’ve only known each other for about a month, somehow, when I started to talk about the things I’ve kept deep in my heart, it just felt... easy. No hesitation, no fear."
"I think maybe... I’ve been wearing this mask for so long that even I almost believed it was real. I knew some things shouldn’t be done. But I did them anyway, forced by my position and status. I became lost and unsure, like a puppet tied to the strings of fate, struggling as I played the role of the so-called [Empire’s Two-Colored Lotus]..."
"Honestly... living like this is really exhausting. So sometimes, I just want to throw everything aside and do what I truly want, no matter the cost or consequences."
The girl with mismatched eyes looked up. Her smile was a little strained, but still came from the heart.
"Maybe Miss Violet, your appearance gave me that chance. Or maybe, you can say I’m placing a bet, a bet that you’re someone I can trust, someone who has the strength and the position to actually help me in this mess. Since there’s no point hiding anymore... I might as well show my true face and ask honestly for help."
"I’m just a regular person. My head isn’t all that noble. So what if I bow it a little?"
"......"
Violet stared into those oddly colored, almost enchanting eyes for a moment, then smiled.
She shook her head and said, "Princess, you are not ordinary at all."
"Not just because of the real secrets you still haven’t told me. Even without that, just your clear thinking and honest understanding of yourself puts you above most people in the world. You’re still hiding things from me, of course, but that’s only natural. I understand that, and I don’t blame you."
"Eh? But..."
The priestess gently raised her hand, stopping the unsure princess from speaking further. She set down her teacup, folded her fingers together on her lap, and leaned back with graceful ease, taking a formal posture, like they were about to start a proper conversation.
"Then, let me start by telling you what I’ve observed so far, Miss Carinvega. Did you know? Inside your body, there are actually two souls. They both affect your thoughts, your actions, and even your body. That’s the real reason why your eyes are two different colors, one brown and one silver."
"And… I’m guessing you already know that~"
"!?"
Violet didn’t react to the sudden look of shock on the heterochromatic girl’s face. Instead, she calmly continued speaking about things only she could see, things she had never told anyone else.
"As everyone knows, a body can only have one soul. The balance between matter and spirit, between the physical and the unseen, is what allows a living being to exist. That’s a universal truth. Even when two souls somehow end up in one body, there’s always a main one, and the other must either temporarily attach, merge, or fade away..."
"But you’re different. Actually, back when we first met in the Fantasy Court, I already noticed it. The two souls inside your body are not merged, and neither one is ‘in charge.’ They’re like two layers, completely overlapped but still separate. Do you know what that means?"
Like someone who had already seen through the entire puzzle, the black-haired girl went on before the princess could answer.
"It means, there were supposed to be two people named Carinvega Frederick in this world. But for some unknown reason, something went wrong when they were born. As a result, the two now share one body. What’s amazing is that they didn’t reject or try to erase each other. Instead, they exist side-by-side, separate but connected."
"Normally, a body can’t hold more than one soul. Whether natural or artificial, when two souls come into contact in the same vessel, they’ll always fight for control. But you’re the complete opposite. The two souls inside you aren’t fighting at all. They rely on each other. They support one another. They’re like two sides of the same coin. Both are necessary, and together they make you."
Violet smiled. "The [Empire’s Two-Colored Lotus], whoever came up with that name really understood you. I can’t think of a more fitting title."
"Strange, isn’t it? Both of those souls are you… and at the same time, they’re not you. It completely breaks all known rules about souls. Even I, with all my experience, have never seen anything like this before."
"But as it happens, right here in this ‘Academy City Sainz,’ I recently came across another case that’s very similar to yours. It was thanks to what I learned from that example that I was able to understand and figure out what’s going on with you."
"A… similar case?"
The princess listened as Violet spoke slowly, saying things that sounded deep but somehow not too hard to understand. Her two-colored eyes narrowed slightly. She looked like she wanted to say something, but was also very hesitant. Violet seemed to understand what she was worried about and calmly nodded as she continued.
"Because of privacy and confidentiality, I won’t tell you his name. But I don’t mind sharing the general situation with you."
"Like I said, this person lives here in the Sainz City. He’s worked with me a few times. On the very first day we met, I noticed something unusual about his soul using my abilities. But at the time, I didn’t understand what it meant, so I didn’t mention anything and decided to wait and observe for a while."
"As expected, it didn’t take long for him to show something strange."
As she said this, Violet reached out a hand. Her palm was held upright, fingers together, slightly curved inward, with her fingertips pointing directly at the heterochromatic girl across from her. It seemed like a meaningless gesture, but when Carinvega saw it, her pupils suddenly shrank in shock.
"!?"
Violet clearly noticed this reaction.
"See? I knew you recognized this gesture. It’s called a handshake greeting… a kind of hello that doesn’t belong to this world, but comes from another culture."
"I’ve traveled to many countries and regions in this world. I’ve seen most kinds of greetings used by different people. But I’ve never seen anything like this one. When people of different races meet, they usually use a common gesture or follow their own traditions. Nobody tries to use something the other person wouldn’t understand. That would just be embarrassing."
The girl pulled her delicate, pale fingers back and smiled slightly.
"This handshake gesture requires the other person to respond for it to work. Even if it’s similar to something else, someone who knows what it is would never use it when meeting a stranger from another race. Unless they’ve done it so many times that it’s become a habit, and they just assume the other person will know how to respond."
"Heh… but does that really make sense? Why would he have that kind of unconscious assumption?"