Chapter 136: Worth the leap?
Anastasia observed Dante stop what he was doing, his demeanour shifting to one of seriousness as he turned to face her. Their eyes locked in a moment of intensity. She knew the Mother Queen prohibited her from discussing the matter, but the weight of impending doom grew too heavy for her to withhold the truth from him any longer.
Please don’t hate me, Anastasia silently prayed in her mind while feeling her heart clench. With resolve, she proceeded to express in a single breath,
"I found out about it when I was serving the princess, and then you said you wanted to kill the woman’s descendant..."
Anastasia saw Dante’s narrowed gaze, his hand rising towards her as if on the brink of snapping his fingers, and her eyes widened in response. Her lips trembled as she managed to utter, "D—Dante—"
At the sound of Dante’s finger snap, her heart plummeted. However, it wasn’t her who exploded, but one of the creatures who had decided to enter the room they stood in. A soft gasp escaped her lips, feeling the surge of adrenaline coursing through her veins and freezing time, leaving her with specks in her vision.
"You should finish consuming the gift before it attracts any more of these creatures being drawn to you," Dante advised in a hushed tone, gently nudging the vial from its base towards her lips. "Drink it until the last drop."
As the potion entered her mouth and glided down her throat, she felt its chill seep into her chest, all the while maintaining unbroken eye contact with him.
With his gaze steady on her, Dante remarked, "I was wondering when you would come clean about it."
When the vial lowered, Anastasia’s heart showed no signs of stopping its frantic pace, and her widened eyes continued to stare back at Dante. He knew... He knew! His words registered in her mind. She asked him, "W—When did you find out?"