Gacha Kingdom Building-Chapter 285 - 285: Attempting Connection (03)

As the discussion about the AOTG came to an end, the mood in the bath once again returned to a calm, relaxed atmosphere.
Even I was caught in it and allowed my body to submerge under the water another centimeter or two, loosening the arms that wrapped Mia.
Reina: "Would you like a shoulder massage? Or should I work on your hair?"
Even my slightest movement didn't go unnoticed by Reina's watchful eyes, and like the most diligent spa worker, she ensured that any feelings I had would, rather than die down, amplify.
Miwen: "Hmm. Your choice."
Any semblance of the resistance I had put on at first was gone, and by this point, I had already surrendered to her hands.
How could I not, when she treated me with such care and expertise?
Still, as good as it felt to be in her care, ultimately, I couldn't come to a decision.
Her technique was the best, but before I could truly relax, I had to alleviate the weight in my mind, rather than the one in my body.
So, before the girls could leave, I touched on the subject that bothered me the most: Maya.
Miwen: "I can handle the AOTG, somewhat. But her..."
I knew Maya well.
Better than anyone, in fact.
And I was proud of that. Very much so.
However, this didn't mean I could predict or read her if she didn't want me to.
It went both ways.
And she understood me better.
Better than even myself.
I could decide today, and she'd have been prepared for it a month ago.
I could move tomorrow, and I'd find her in the way, waiting for me for a week.
And if we were to play against each other...
My best didn't measure up to hers.
And my worst wasn't nearly as effective against her as it was with everyone else.
I had no weapons to defeat my sister.
Nor hope.
All I could wish for was that she made a mistake, or rather, an imperfect movement.
That small, nay, the narrowest window she will occasionally leave open...
If I could seize it, after struggling with all I had, I could win.
Yet...
Why would I ever wish for her to fail?
After so much time, I knew deep within my heart what it meant for her to fail.
She'd be alone, for no one ever expects perfection itself to show a flaw, even if it's minimal, subatomic, submaterial.
That's why I had to indulge her.
No matter how hopeless it was to match her, I had to be there.
I was the only one who knew her.
The only one who could break her fall.
Even if no one had been able to exploit her so far, I feared the future.
I feared Erik.
He was as bad as I could be.
A man who embodied what I didn't want to.
Without sacrificing the man I wanted to become, the man the girls deserved, I'd never be able to read him.
But he would read me.
And he could be the one to break Maya.
The first one to catch her in that single off-guard moment.
And the idea that I wouldn't be able to stop him terrified me.
Miwen: "That's why I need you."
I almost laughed at the feeling of deja vu.
The first time I had truly ordered the girls, when I gave them the option to fight or to leave, I was pleading for them to help me with Maya's situation.
Now, once again, I needed the girls.
Elizabeth: "I suppose we should address the obvious, then. Suppose you see your sister through rose-tinted eyes, Your Majesty..."
Liz had barely started to formulate her thesis, and already, I wanted to stop her.
While it's true I admired Maya, it was a mistake to believe I saw her as anything other than what she was.
But, as my chest tightened, I stopped the words from coming out.
I hated the foundation she established, but Elizabeth's words were something important for me to hear.
Her perspective often clashed with mine, or with what I wanted mine to be, so having her by my side, without delving into the darkest corners of my mind, I could consider what I normally wouldn't.
Elizabeth: "Were it not her, but another someone, wouldn't you think they are vying for the throne? Their actions, from brandishing protection of the weak to turning against the establishment, would match a strategist's manipulations. And..."
With a single look towards me, Elizabeth understood that not only had I granted her permission to continue speaking, but that I wanted her to.
Even though I disagreed, I recognized how valid her point was.
If it weren't Maya we were talking about.
Elizabeth: "...Were she as great as you see her, wouldn't that be even more reason? Greatness begets greatness. It would only be natural for someone like her to have the ambition to match the prowess."
As she spoke of greatness, the Demon Queen lowered her head.
Something so unusual for the oh-so-proud Elizabeth to do without reason obviously caught my attention.
When I looked her way, I noticed a cunning grin forming on her lips, as she stared at the mirrored reflection in the water, slightly tilting her head, as if provoked, as if provoking.
Though at the end of her lips, either in the water or in her face, the slightest trace of melancholy briefly flashed.
A melancholy that, without knowing who she was projecting on the water, I could not hope to understand.
Reina: "You don't understand..."
For a second, I thought those words were directed at me.
As if not satisfied with reading my memories, Reina now read my mind.
It would make sense, considering how focused Reina was on me and how little attention she paid the others.
However, it didn't take me long to notice who she was addressing.
Reina: "She is a woman of ambition, yes. But not pure ambition. There must always be a meaning that justifies the goal, other than the goal itself."
At the end, Reina looked at me for approval, which she got.
Unquestionably, she was right.
Even if securing a position as a leader was part of Maya's plan, that would never be her end goal.
Moreover, even if that were the case, there'd be no reason for her to refuse my help.
I already had my Kingdom. If Maya wanted the country, or even Earth, I'd be happy to give it to her.
After all, there would be no one better to steer the ship.
Elizabeth: "It doesn't answer what she's seeking, though."
Reina: "You're right, it doesn't. I'm sorry, my Lord, but even with your memories, I can't completely comprehend her actions... But you already expected as much, no?"
Actually, it surprised me that Reina had read me so much.
And again, she was completely right.
Liz and her offered a very strategic, calculated view of things.
One Maya and I weren't unfamiliar with, however, one that would never fully capture Maya's actions either.
Reina: "Your sister is quite hard to understand, Your Majesty."
Miwen: "She's unbelievable, right?"
Reina: "Yes. That's a good way to put it."
Since Cassandra only thought about one thing and Angelica rarely touched on the subject of the memories I shared with her, Reina was the first to share the admiration I had for Maya.
It felt like I had made a friend who had the same hobby, and even though I knew it was a bad idea, I wanted to talk with her more about Maya.
I just felt like she'd understand it well.
Isabella: "Your older sister, huh..."
Yet, there was someone else I had high hopes for when it came to Maya.
Her darkest reflection, Isabella.
In a sick twist of fate, Isa was everything Maya wasn't, and vice versa.
However, I instilled in her everything I could to make this little dark star shine just as much as my sister's brightest.
If there was someone who could match Maya, well...
It'd have to be her.
Isabella: "Don't put too much hope on me, alright? I don't even know her personally."
Miwen: "But?"
Isabella: "But I can almost see it. I mean, she basically told you already, no? She wants you to be happy."
That's the part I failed to understand.
I knew Maya wasn't lying, but it felt like a contradiction.
After all, if what she said was true, working together would be better than facing off against each other as enemies.
Yet, she insisted that we were on opposite sides.
There had to be a reason...
Isabella: "I don't really like the idea of facing you, so I might never understand it, but... I can think of one reason."
Miwen: "That being?"
Isabella: "If I could predict you like you say she can, then you'd be my most important piece. Think about it. Maybe you're the key to her victory? Maybe... There's something you can only do from this side? Or maybe something you wouldn't be able to do from her side... I don't really know, sorry...."
I would never understand why she apologized.
Sure, it wasn't as precise and analytical as Liz and Reina's, but her insight was exactly what I needed.
An insight.
A thread to follow, even if it doesn't lead directly to the answer.
I felt like what Isa had said was right.
And I wasn't the only one.
Licia: "Maybe she can't achieve her goal yet..."
Suddenly, Licia's soft voice echoed through the bathroom.
She seemed uncertain about her own words, but then, she looked at me, and from that one glance, a small spark ignited in her heart.
Licia: "Miwen... What does defeat look like to you?"
Miwen: "You already know that. If I were to lose... Anyone. Or allow them to get hurt..."
Licia: "Then... Is Maya not the same? Would she think that she won if she hurt you in the process?"
I knew it.
Out of everyone in the Kingdom, Licia's heart was the closest to Maya's.
Isa was a few steps behind in understanding Maya as much, if not better than I did, simply out of her own growth toward that bright, brilliant star.
But Licia could already understand her instinctively, with her heart.
Isabella: "I'm not sure about that. I feel like the best way to achieve her goal would be to make sure everyone ends up better than how they started."
Licia: "I don't think you're wrong, Isa. It's just that... Maybe this is just her way of protecting Miwen. The same way he has his way of protecting her."
Isabella: "From what you said, it seems like she'd be more upfront about it, if that was her intention."
Licia: "Probably. Unless she couldn't? Maybe there's a contradiction, or maybe what she can do is limited, and this is just the best..."
I thought I was one step away from fully catching up to Maya.
Seeing these two, I understood I was wrong.
There was still a long journey until I could match them.
Miwen: "Do I even need to be protected?"
Licia: "Yes! If you don't. You should never underestimate the love of an older sister."
Isa: "Ah! Don't underestimate the love of your little sister, either!"
I wouldn't dare. On the contrary, I hoped that this fake little sister of mine was what I needed to win against my real big sister...
In the end, while I felt like we were closer, we never solved the Maya mystery in that bath.
The girls either returned to the Kingdom or took one of the vacant rooms in the penthouse.
All, except for Reina, who I made keep me company for a little longer.