Hearing Natsu's question, Irene's lips curved slightly, and she gave a soft laugh.
With a light tap of her antler staff, she returned to the castle.
It had to be said, Irene was quite pleased by that.
She did care about her appearance.
She simply never said it out loud.
Did he think tying four braids was easy?
Oh...
Actually, it was quite easy.
Enchantment changed lives!
"She's Erza's mother!" Lucy snapped, punching Natsu on the head.
"Mother?! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Natsu covered his head and answered immediately.
It was not that Natsu could be blamed for refusing to believe it.
Layla and Lucy also looked very similar, almost as if they had been carved from the same mold.
But the last time they met Layla, although she had taken good care of herself, one could still tell her age.
Irene was different.
After Irene turned into a dragon, time seemed to have treated her gently.
In the long river of years, she had not aged at all. Instead, she had become even more beautiful and captivating.
...
Irene and Erza appeared in the same place again, yet both of them ignored each other.
Raizel did not dwell on it too much.
How they chose to get along was a matter between mother and daughter. From certain small details, it was already possible to see that Irene at least cared about Erza.
It was not as if the only way for a mother and daughter to interact was with open warmth and filial affection.
Lucy looked as though she did not dare say anything. Ultear, Kagura, and the others exchanged helpless glances.
Erza, however, remained completely calm.
In truth, Irene and Erza's relationship was not as stiff as everyone imagined.
On the airship back to Ishgar, Irene and Erza had held a brief conversation.
'Mother and daughter are indeed mother and daughter, but because of our positions, we can only stand on opposite sides.'
'The feelings are real, but we also have to consider reality.'
That was the understanding the two of them reached after speaking.
Erza acknowledged Irene, but as a member of Fairy Tail, she would not show mercy to any enemy of Fairy Tail, even if that opponent was her mother.
Irene acknowledged Erza as well, but she had received Zeref's kindness and had been left undisturbed to live alone for twenty years.
Asking her to become Zeref's enemy was something she could not do.
Perhaps it was because Raizel had mercilessly exposed her.
Perhaps it was because Erza had told her that the bond between mother and daughter could not be changed.
Or perhaps it was because she had seen the shadow of her former self in Erza.
In any case, Irene's thoughts were far more complicated than what showed on her face. If she did not speak them aloud, they would only keep piling up inside her.
Irene and Erza looked out at the night.
At that moment, to Irene, Erza became like a hollow tree where one could pour out secrets. It allowed her to say the things she could never tell anyone else.
In a sense, Irene also opened her heart to Erza.
Slowly, she began to speak.
"This is the first time I have ever said this to anyone. I originally thought I would never say it aloud."
"At first, my body began turning into a dragon. Then I was imprisoned... At the time, I kept thinking that things would get better, that they would surely get better. I kept praying in my heart."
"Later, when my body fully became that of a dragon, I hid deep in the mountains. There was no one I could speak to and nowhere for me to release anything, so I stopped praying. By then, I no longer believed."
"In the end, I even abandoned the wish to become human again."
"I thought I would probably spend the rest of my life in that dragon form. Then, twenty years ago, I met Zeref."
"After returning to human form and giving birth to you, once I realized I could not enchant myself into you, I became increasingly aware of something. I realized that you could very easily become my weakness."
"So I consciously abandoned those feelings. I abandoned you."
"But... today, I found that I need them again."
"Because I now have hope and... the desire to become human again. And it seems that toward you... I do have maternal love."
When she reached this point, Irene stopped, as though organizing her emotions.
Then she continued in a firmer tone.
"Yes. I do have maternal love for you. This is the first time I have truly faced myself."
"I have to say, to me, this is an extremely unfamiliar emotion. Not only unfamiliar, but clumsy and bewildering."
"During the twenty years after I abandoned you, I thought of you only a handful of times. No, perhaps I should say there was only once, when August mentioned you."
"But when August mentioned you, I found it strange. Was that feeling only a momentary stir?"
"When you stood before me again, my heart wavered slightly."
"When Raizel brought up matters concerning you again, those sealed memories became so clear."
"Right now, I cannot be certain how long this maternal love will last, so I must first confirm it for myself..."
At this point, Irene's voice became very calm, even carrying a trace of indifference.
"But this will not work. The positions of the Alvarez Empire and Fairy Tail have placed a gulf between us."
"So I must be cold toward you. I cannot release too many wrong signals to you."
"Standing on both sides may bring confusion and difficulty, whether for me or for you."
"Therefore, after tonight, both you and I must handle the matter between us carefully."
"You will stop there for now, and I will stop here for now."
With that, Irene's confession seemed to come to an end.
She slowly took a deep breath, and then her eyes turned indifferent once more, her expression cold and distant.
Just as she had said.
They would stop there.
Erza completed her role as the "hollow tree" perfectly.
She accepted Irene's negative emotions and information, then kept silent.
"I understand."
Erza's expression became no different from Irene's.
She did it as well.
She stopped there.
That was the secret between Irene and Erza.
It was a secret shared beneath the night by a mother and daughter who were incredibly similar.
Because of gratitude.
Because neither wanted to become the other's weakness.
Because both thought of others and did not want to make things difficult for anyone else.
Based on this shared secret, Irene and Erza reached a silent understanding and carried it out firmly. For more than half a year, they did not communicate at all.
Sometimes, Erza even acted as though she was afraid of Irene and did not dare approach her.
Even when Raizel asked, Erza never revealed this secret.
As for her relationship with Irene, Erza was not worried.
She had confidence in herself, confidence in the guild members, and confidence in Raizel.
Especially because of the secret she shared with Irene, her heart became even firmer.
Being abandoned, having Enchantment Magic nearly used on her body, and being ignored for twenty years—those other contradictions no longer mattered.
That conversation had allowed Erza to confirm one extremely important thing.
In Irene's heart, Erza was important.
And of course, in Erza's heart, Irene was important as well.
If Irene had no maternal love for Erza, then no matter how many other things happened, none of it would have meaning.
The issue of the Alvarez Empire and Fairy Tail's opposing positions would surely be resolved perfectly one day.
When that time came, at least the two of them would no longer need to be held back by their positions and could face each other honestly.
Erza was already looking forward to that day.