Chapter 20. Rose (2)

Lilith had never felt so consumed by anger before, not even before meeting Grey. It was that particular incident that triggered her power.

She had an overwhelming desire to lash out at anyone who greeted her on the street or to reprimand her useless subordinates.

Nevertheless, Lilith contained her fury deep within as she angrily stomped down the hallway of the underground chamber, a secretive location of the Night Flare gang. Observing her in such a state, all of her followers fell silent, afraid to approach her.

Her guards trailed her from a distance, halting whenever Lilith did.

When she finally reached her office, unable to endure it any longer, Lilith kicked the door. The force of her kick caused a cacophony of shattering wood as the door burst open. Not content with just the damaged door, Lilith immediately hurled the empty bottles of liquor scattered around her room. Flipping her desk and throwing her chair against the wall, Lilith unleashed all her anger on the surrounding property within her reach.

As she grabbed the frame holding a picture of herself with Grey, intending to toss it to the floor, her hand paused midair. Holding the frame tightly, Lilith slowly began to cry, kneeling down and embracing herself tightly.

In reality, what the cursed little demon child had said was true.

She was not as strong as she believed herself to be.

Despite knowing where her true family was, she had not made any attempt to reach out to them.

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It's another day for Lilith as she venturing through the market in search of a new target from a noble family, Lilith accidentally caught sight of a middle-aged woman who struck an oddly familiar chord within her.

She couldn't recall why she found herself trailing the woman until they arrived at a lavish estate. Upon hearing some rumors, she learned that this middle-aged woman was the Duchess of the Southern Clover region.

Viewing this as a golden opportunity for her subordinates to loot the residence, Lilith also seized the chance to slip into the house during the operation, driven by her insatiable curiosity. One fateful night, her underlings sprang into action, dispatching the guards stealthily and pilfering all the valuables of the noble family.

Accompanied by her subordinates, Lilith decided to explore every room and hallway of the grand mansion. Strangely, she appeared to be familiar with every path and space within the house.

Her journey brought her to the central chamber, where a large family portrait adorned the wall, linking the living room to the dining area.

The portrait depicted an elderly man seated in the center, flanked by a couple standing behind him. The woman in the painting was the middle-aged woman Lilith had encountered, possibly still slumbering in the house as Lilith had not ordered her followers to harm the homeowner.

In the dimly illuminated room, with only moonlight seeping through the window, Lilith approached the grand portrait as if under a spell, her hand extending to caress the intricately carved golden frame.

Suddenly, Lilith heard one of her subordinates approaching. They whispered that they had gathered all the jewelry and money they could find and were now seeking further instructions from Lilith━but before she could respond, the picture frame on the wall shifted, releasing a small photo.

In a hurried motion, Lilith picked up the photo, intending to place it back behind the frame. However, her movements halted as she gazed at her own youthful face... captured in the photo, joyfully laughing alongside the middle-aged woman and the man from the larger portrait.

Lilith's heart ceased momentarily as she took a breath, and like a tumultuous wave in the night, a flood of childhood memories she had always questioned surged within her. Tears welled up in Lilith's eyes as she quickly tossed the photo aside and instructed her subordinate, "Return all the items to their original places. The operation has failed. Hurry, have everyone return to headquarters."

Her subordinates were left confused and astonished by Lilith's abrupt departure and the unexpected decision to call off the mission, especially since they had not been detected by the neighbors or kingdom patrols. These actions were highly unusual for their leader. Nevertheless, they followed Lilith's orders and swiftly vacated the premises.

Despite the curiosity of most subordinates involved in the operation about the reason for abandoning the robbery, Lilith chose not to elaborate. Instead, she assigned them a different, more lucrative task.

Therefore, her subordinates never mentioned that strange mission again. Not until many years later, like now, when that accursed little child opened the door to memories she had buried so deeply and forbidden to touch.

But the cursed little demon child opened it effortlessly.

Biting her lip until it bled, Lilith tried to compose herself.

Confused and weary from all her dramatic actions, Lilith flung herself onto her bed and drifted off to sleep. Perhaps sleep would offer her temporary relief from everything...

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"Rose, remember. Mama always loves you."

"Rose loves you too, Mama!" Young Rose giggled as her mother tickled her stomach, attempting to play back, but her tiny hands were easily caught.

"Ah ah, that's not allowed. Only Mama can tickle Mama's child, not the other way around," her mother replied with a broad smile. Their play was interrupted when a man, Rose's father, approached them with a grim expression. Little Rose, perplexed, approached her father and tugged at his pants gently, asking, "Papa? Papa, what's wrong?"

However, her father ignored her question and uttered some incomprehensible words to her at that moment. As soon as her father had spoken, her mother, appearing shocked, immediately began to sob and sank to her knees.

Baffled, little Rose attempted to comfort her mother by trying to hug her—

SLAP

Her mother slapped Rose's small hand away.

"Don't touch me, you monster!"

After that, little Rose couldn't recall anything else except for the darkness that surrounded her, and she woke up in an orphanage.

Her memories had vanished, but once again, her intuition proved to be right.

That she indeed had a real family.

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To Be Continue ?