Chapter 237: Rest Well My Friend
Grand Duke Rivas hesitated. He truly didn’t want his daughter to face such a cruel choice. To kill someone so dear to her because there was no other option would undoubtedly leave a hole in her heart. She would carry that guilt for a long time—perhaps even for the rest of her life—if she couldn’t overcome it or make peace with herself. As her father, that was the last thing he wanted.
However, as a cultivator, Irene would inevitably face such choices in the future. He wanted her to make her own decisions, believing his role was to support her and ensure she didn’t regret them afterward.
"Are you sure, my dear? If you want, I can do it. You don’t have to force yourself," Grand Duke Rivas said.
"No, Father. Let me do this," Irene replied firmly, without looking at him. "Can you all leave me and Cecile alone for a while?"
Hearing his daughter’s request, Grand Duke Rivas looked at the members of the Iron Fist Order and signaled them to leave. Once they were gone, he cast a final glance at Irene before quietly stepping out of the room himself.
Silence filled the room once it was just Irene and Cecile. Only after a few minutes did Irene lift her head and look at Cecile’s face again. Her tears had stopped, but the sadness lingered.
"I don’t know why, but I keep remembering the day I chose you and Eleine as my retainers," Irene said softly. "Back then, you two were among the most outstanding cultivators nurtured by our family. But I didn’t overthink it—I simply felt it in my heart to choose you both, and I did. Thanks to that, you and Eleine became a part of my life."
"Do you remember the days when we were still so close?" Irene asked softly. "I used to talk to you about everything, joke around with you and Eleine, and wander everywhere together without worrying about complicated things. Those were some of the best moments of my life."
She reached out and gently touched Cecile’s forehead.
"You never stopped praising me with your sweet words," she continued, her voice trembling slightly. "Your cheerful personality always brightened my day, making me smile every time I saw your happy face. Your dedication to your duties as my retainer was admirable. There was nothing lacking in you—you were perfect for me."
"I know how much you must have suffered—enduring for so long without being able to do anything, this is my fault too, for not paying more attention to you. Ever since I returned from the Everlasting Silent Forest, I thought you had changed. You kept your distance from me, and I hesitated, unsure of how to treat you. But now I realize it was my ignorance that caused it."