Chapitre 87: Knowing One’s Own Mind
The mother of the runaway, Georgiana Arcadia, felt anxious while waiting downstairs in the living room.
Her hand holding a cup of tea that was offered.
She couldn't understand why her beloved daughter would run so far away. What had she done wrong?
Maybe she had been cold ever since 'he' died…
Her husband, Bryan Arcadia, was an eccentric man who loved his research… but he'd always cared for them whenever things came down to it. As a man and as a father, he had done his duty responsibly.
That was how she had remembered him.
His death devastated the entire family, making it so her stepdaughter, Clara, had to take the reigns.
Pulling together the distressed family…
The only thing that seemed to put a stain on Bryan's image… was that he was like 'other nobles'.
He was a man with multiple wives and someone who didn't care if she saw his many relationships.
But that was normal for a 'Dark Noble'.
If she wanted to, it would have been easy to find one herself to have as a lover besides her husband.
Maybe she was too hopeful…
It was true that in the beginning, she hated her Lucia and her twin brother. It was because they were both children of that prideful 'Research Assistant', Judetta Darby. Not of her own blood.
However, she had gradually warmed up to them.
It was hard to keep a frozen heart towards kids.
Georgiana thought that they had become more closer, but it looked like Lucia didn't think so.
That must have been why she'd ran away…
When Clara had informed her about this place she'd ran to, there was no choice but to visit here.
She had to see herself how her daughter lived…
Clara sat beside her while waiting for the hosts to entertain their guests. Arriving for them to meet.
The first person who walked down the stairs was a strangely effeminate man… or a masculine woman.
It was hard to tell…
She silently measured the attitude of the person who had taken her daughter in at this moment.
"My name is Kang Hyuk, but you two can just call me Hyuk." He walked up to them and kissed their wrists, which was a form of etiquette not widely seen amongst 'Duds' without Spirit Essences.
He seemed to be well-learned despite his foreign clothing. At least that put her heart a little at ease.
It was only when the two other people walked down the stairs… did she notice Clara act strange.
And found herself unable to read her expression.
Little did she know that the false prophet herself wasn't able to figure out why she'd felt this way.
Her eyes looking at one particular person.
Not the double-eared wolf boy who had both animal and human hearing organs, but the girl standing next to him. The one who looked like an exact copy of her younger self. No… Even more.
Georgiana couldn't understand it, but she herself found the pointy ears somewhat strange herself,
But could only see it as a mutation of some sort.
Pandorica had never seen real 'Elves', as they were only fictitious entities to them in their wet dreams.
Not tangible life form…
Maybe this was why the young duchess next to her looked like she was being immersed in a feeling.
Clara could feel her screws getting loosened.
It was an impossible sight that shouldn't be possible, but had happened despite the paradox.
Eva and Clara couldn't possibly exist in the same timeline, and yet… their eyes had met in real life.
What would happen now?
When Eva looked back, she could feel the same mind-numbing feeling from looking at Clara.
Like the entire world fazed out of existence…
The explanation for this was already thought of.
A man named Donald Davidson had come up with theory using a short thought experiment as a tool.
In the philosophical thought experiment, Donald is struck by lightning in a swamp and disintegrated; simultaneously, an exact copy of him, the Swampman, is made from a nearby tree.
This was similar to his Goldsun Loki created an exact copy of 'SS06' with her thoughts and memories intact. 'Eva Graham' was mentally indistinguishable compared to 'Clara Arcadia'.
Their differences was only physical at best.
But emotionally, they were like the same entity.
This was similar to 'The Swampman' in Donald's theory, but one change altered the entire test.
What if the copy and the original met?
After all, their lives were similar. Without Clara, the copy now called 'Eva' would've proceeded through life exactly as the original would have. She would have indistinguishable Clara Arcadia existentially.
Even if her essence would have changed a bit.
Originally, the thought experiment was used by him to claim that thought and meaning cannot exist in a vacuum. It would claim that the 'Self' is wholly dependent on its interconnections to the world.
It was like how the philosopher described…
That perhaps, despite being physically identical to himself, Donald stated that 'The Swampman' did not have thoughts nor meaningful language, as it has no causal history to base them on.
A theory that was made more interesting by Clara.
For she, who would have been 'Donald Davidson' in the thought experiment, caught sight of her copy.
Normally, this wouldn't go well…
Analysis and further discussions into Donald's thought experiment was that only 'the copy', or specifically 'The Swampman', was meaningless in its existence. Having no cause despite existing.
Having memories despite never having experienced them, which made them a 'fake'.
Incomparable to the real thing.
As the original would have actually went through his experiences. Not just having the memories.
This would usually lead to unsurpassed homicidal rage upon seeing a duplicate threatening them.
Threatening to make their entire existence meaningless, as no one knew who was 'real'.
The doubt of whether 'Eva Graham' was truly a copy or actually the original would strike Clara.
Causing her temporary madness.
But this didn't happen.
Perhaps it was because the two of them felt an unsurpassed synchronicity from one another.
Which the older one felt deeper than the younger copy. The girl who was only starting branching out.
It was like love at first sight.
When Eva saw Clara, she felt her demonic nature similar to her own and a personality that fit it well.
But when Clara saw Eva, she felt like she was seeing her past self going through great ordeals.
A much stronger feeling than mere familiarity.
She could immediately recognise the feelings her past self had yet to understand and comprehend.
The ignorance in her eyes…
This naturally shifted the power dynamic in her favour. The new female head of the family smiled.
The words her 'mother' spoke while discussing the now irrelevant Lucia became mere noise to her.
She watched as things went by smoothly and Georgiana was allowed to meet her daughter.
Following Hyuk and Adam out the room.
Both Clara and Eva were left behind when the latter chose to stay behind. They contained to stare.
Those with eyes, who could see their faces, might not easily see the similarities between them.
After all, Clara wasn't a Cambion Elf.
She didn't have the same ears nor the same kind of face, even if they'd facial shapes were a bit similar.
The young duchess looked more like a temptress.
Her eyes sultry and body amorous despite only having subtle differences due to age and species.
There was one part of them causing a 'resonance'.
It was the 'Qarinah' part of their physiology…
"Have we met before?" Eva wasn't sure what she was feeling. This disconnected feeling of affection.
One that seemed to be born without a cause.
Even though she was wholly devoted to Adam, it felt like she was seeing a knew world through her.
Clara's existence had caused a great upheaval.
But Eva didn't know that the young duchess thought the same. It was incredible synchronicity.
One that she'd felt towards no other.
The false prophet didn't speak at first, which slowly caused a feeling of unease in the elf's expression.
"Who-"
"My name is Clara Arcadia. I'm guessing your name is the same?" Clara spoke with sharpened eyes.
Her way of taking initiative from Eva put her on the back foot. She couldn't respond to this so easily.
But was able to let out a retort: "Eva."
"What…?"
The elf girl leaned forward: "My name is Eva."
"Right… And your a 'Demon' from Hell too?" This question once again threw a wrench at her heart.
She was totally confused.
"I'm not." Eva made this extremely clear.
"You don't have to look so guarded. You can feel it too, right?" Clara approached with swaying hips.
Her hand grasping on Eva's slim waist.
"Let go." A red glow appeared in her eyes, but she was surprised to see the same for her opponent.
Their eyes were identical…
"Don't be like that~ Aren't we the same?" Clara couldn't care less 'how', but this was interesting.
"I'm not the same as someone like you."
"Or so you say… but 'Demons' like us will prove who we are merely by existing in the world. We are those who twist morals and logic. Nothing about us is sacred, and nothing we touch can stay pure."
"What the heck do you know about me…?!"
"SS06." These words stuck in her head, and she allowed Clara to straddle her lap while continuing:
"Let's have a talk."
Meanwhile, Simon was wondering how he could get Adam's marriage to stop from breaking down.
Things hadn't gone as expected.
In the royal palace, he discussed the matter of Adam's disappearance and loss of immortality.
It was so they were all clear on the situation.
King Ramos wasn't sure how to take in what he'd heard, as a lot had changed in just a short time.
Simon seemed to have become younger and more reasonable, while retaining immeasurable power.
He made an offer that no one could refuse.
"I will heal Shane." For a good stretch of time, his sister, the 'Healer Princess' had been working on the wound his bodyguard sustained at the Arcadia Household. It wasn't healing back up in any way.
Only after the Holy Progenitor expelled the demonic energy from the wound, did it stabilise.
It finally made Shane's unconscious face ease.
After the Holy Progenitor healed his bodyguard back up, he finally felt more at ease to move around. This was an action worthy of a reward from him, and a tangible reason to form a connection.
Adam himself may have unstable Skills and unknown power, but Simon was worth everything.
He would likely be the crutch of their future plans.
After the Holy Progenitor left, King Ramos thought deeply while looking at the princess next to him.
The 'Second Princess' who was more active than that gamer girl who was always stuck in her room.
The one that Adam met.
She was known as the 'Healer Princess' for a reason, and her reputation was the best in the nation. Her powers to heal the sickly and outgoing personality had made her the centre of attention.
In fact, out of his two sisters, he wanted to keep her closer more than the 'Mage Princess' who never left her room. It wasn't just out of his cold calculation of her future benefits, but his affection.
His second sister had a personality hard to hate…
"Are you sure about this?" He asked his sister after Simon left. She looked up to him on his throne.
Her eyes seemed unaware of his thoughts.
"I always wanted to have a partner different from the rest. You know… someone who'd value me."
The Healer Princess spoke with positivity in her eyes. Thinking of a normal and modest married life.
At least, 'modest' in terms of royalty.
"What if he doesn't?" Ramos asked. His expression didn't seem to agree with her positive look on this.
"Then we can always divorce." She made a ditzy expression and shrugged her shoulders at him.
Her eyes showing no attachment to her reputation.
Even the king couldn't fathom exactly what this girl was thinking. After all, she was always like this.
Taking everything for granted.
But it was also true that she was kind to others.
Despite being a princess, she had participated in healing both nobles and commoners at clinics.
Even telling him the idea of making 'Hospitals'.
Her existence was similar to his wife in a way, as her presence just tended to make the world bright.
A dream girl to any man in the nation.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone