"No… it can't be…" Mirayuki whispers, her voice trembling with disbelief.
I can see the shock etched across her face, leaving her visibly shaken. Her body stiffens, her eyes wide and unfocused, as if she's trying to grasp the truth but can't quite make sense of it. Her hands curl into tight fists at her sides, trembling slightly, betraying the turmoil roiling within her. The silence stretches on, thick and tense, as she struggles to process everything I've told her.
It takes her a few long, agonizing minutes to calm down, to regain some semblance of composure. Finally, she exhales a deep, shaky sigh, her breath hitching as she tries to steady herself. "I can't believe it… that I was lied to and deceived by such a bastard…" she murmurs.
Alice, who has been listening intently, finally breaks the silence "And was he Laplace's apostle in that timeline too?" she asks.
"Yup," I confirm, the memory still sharp and vivid in my mind.