Chapter 100
The cabin was silent.
Only the gentle creaking of the ship broke the stillness.
Outside—
the endless sea stretched toward the horizon.
Inside—
centuries of unquestioned history were collapsing before their eyes.
---
Captain Bochy rubbed his temples, his expression heavier than anyone had ever seen.
A long, weary sigh escaped his lips.
"...This is madness."
He looked toward Vendetta, his gaze unwavering.
"Every answer you've given has overturned centuries of history."
His voice grew quieter, weighed down by disbelief.
"Tell me..."
"...what are we supposed to do now?"
No one answered.
The silence that followed felt suffocating.
Vendetta lowered her gaze, searching for the right words.
Before she could speak—
another voice broke the silence.
"...Wait."
Every eye turned toward Princess Flora.
She remained seated, her fingers tightly clasped together.
Her gaze slowly drifted toward Guinevere.
Guinevere sat perfectly still.
Too still.
Her face betrayed nothing.
No surprise.
No confusion.
Nothing.
Flora closed her eyes.
Everything Vendetta had revealed echoed through her mind.
The Guardian Gods.
The Creator.
The curse.
The prophecy.
The God of Justice.
Piece by piece—
the impossible began to form a single, terrifying truth.
When she opened her eyes again, the confusion had vanished.
Only resolve remained.
---
"So..."
Her voice was calm.
"If I've understood everything correctly..."
"The Guardian Gods committed unforgivable sins."
"They were judged by the Creator."
"The world was cursed because of their actions."
"And only the God of Justice can restore what was lost."
Vendetta gave a silent nod.
Flora continued.
"And according to the true prophecy..."
"...only the Four Souls can awaken Him."
Another nod.
Flora leaned forward, her eyes never leaving Vendetta.
"Then answer me."
"Where are they?"
"The Four Souls."
"How are we supposed to find them?"
---
The cabin fell silent once more.
Vendetta met Flora's gaze without flinching.
For several long moments—
she said nothing.
Then, at last—
"...One of them..."
She held Flora's eyes.
"...is already here."
Chris instinctively looked around the cabin.
Marco frowned.
Captain Bochy narrowed his eyes.
Only Flora remained perfectly still.
"...What?"
Vendetta answered without hesitation.
"You."
---
Time seemed to freeze.
Flora stared at her in disbelief before slowly shaking her head.
"...No."
"That's impossible."
"How could you know something like that?"
Vendetta's expression never changed.
"Because the proof has been with you since the day you were born."
Flora frowned.
"...What proof?"
Vendetta answered quietly.
"Your birthmark."
"The blue flower on your lower back."
"Our ancestors were told by the Angels that one of the Four Souls would bear the mark of a blue flower."
"When news spread that the princess had been born with that exact mark..."
"...we knew."
Flora instinctively took a step back.
Her breathing grew uneven.
"...How..."
"...how do you know about my birthmark?"
For the first time—
Vendetta looked genuinely puzzled.
"...Princess."
"Everyone knows."
Flora blinked.
"...Everyone?"
Vendetta nodded.
"When you were born, the royal family announced it to the entire kingdom."
"The mark was celebrated as a blessing."
"People believed it was a sign that peace itself had been born into the royal family."
"They even gave you a name."
She paused.
"...The Blood of Peace."
Flora's eyes widened.
"I always believed..."
"...that title existed because my family had protected this kingdom."
Vendetta slowly shook her head.
"No."
"It was never about your family."
"It was always about you."
"The title wasn't bestowed upon you because you were born a princess."
"It was given because one of the Four Souls had finally entered this world."
---
The cabin fell deathly silent.
Flora stood frozen.
Her entire life...
A title she had proudly carried since childhood.
A name she believed honored her family's legacy.
None of it had ever belonged to them.
It had belonged—
to the prophecy.
Vendetta slowly turned toward Guinevere.
"...Miss Guinevere."
"You already knew this..."
"...didn't you?"
For the first time since the conversation began—
Guinevere lowered her head.
She said nothing.
Her silence was answer enough.
Chris looked between them, completely bewildered.
"...Will someone please tell me what is actually going on?"
Marco lowered his gaze.
Even Captain Bochy struggled to process everything he had heard.
No one spoke.
The weight of the truth had stolen every word.
Several moments passed before Flora finally broke the silence.
When she spoke again, her voice was steady.
"...We'll discuss this later."
She lifted her eyes to Vendetta.
"For now..."
"...please continue."
Vendetta inclined her head respectfully.
"Then the time has finally come."
She straightened her posture.
"We must travel to Lord Dev's Sanctuary."
"For centuries, our people have guarded the stone body of the God of Justice."
"It has remained untouched since the day He was sealed."
"Everything that has happened..."
"...has led us to this moment."
She paused.
"The only thing left..."
"...is to awaken Him."
No one spoke.
The words settled over the cabin like a heavy fog.
After a long silence, Flora asked quietly,
"If I'm one of the Four Souls..."
"...then what about the others?"
Vendetta met her gaze.
"We have already found two more."
A murmur rippled through the room.
Chris leaned forward, unable to hide his surprise.
"...You have?"
Vendetta nodded.
"Yes."
"There is only one Soul we have yet to find."
Captain Bochy folded his arms.
"So three of the Four Souls are already alive."
"They are."
"And the last one?"
"We believe they have already been born."
"We simply don't know who they are."
Chris frowned.
"So all we can do is wait?"
"In a sense."
"There are things beyond even our control."
Vendetta turned toward the window.
Beyond the glass, the endless sea stretched beneath the fading evening sky.
"Destiny moves at its own pace."
"It cannot be forced."
"When the appointed time arrives..."
"...the final Soul will reveal itself."
---
No one argued.
No one had the strength.
Every answer had only uncovered another mystery.
Captain Bochy let out a long, exhausted sigh before pushing himself to his feet.
"...I think that's enough for today."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"My head feels like it's about to split open."
His eyes swept across the room.
"Everyone should get some rest."
Flora gave a faint nod.
"...We'll continue tomorrow."
One by one, they rose from their seats.
Chris stretched his aching shoulders.
"...There's no way I'm getting any sleep after this."
Marco silently walked toward the door.
Guinevere followed a step behind him.
Just as their hands reached the handle—
Flora's voice stopped them.
"...Guinevere."
They froze.
A brief pause followed.
"...Marco."
Neither of them turned around.
"...Stay."
---
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Vendetta quietly studied Flora before giving a slow, understanding nod.
Without another word, she walked toward the door.
Captain Bochy followed.
Chris hesitated, glancing between Flora, Marco, and Guinevere.
Even he could feel the tension tightening around the room.
Silently, he stepped outside.
The cabin door closed behind him.
Click.
---
Silence settled over the cabin once again.
Only three people remained inside the cabin.
Flora stood with her back to them.
No one spoke.
The silence lingered, broken only by the distant sound of waves striking the ship.
After what felt like an eternity—
Flora finally turned around.
The look on her face caught both Marco and Guinevere off guard.
She wasn't angry.
She wasn't crying.
She looked...
heartbroken.
A faint, bitter smile touched her lips.
"...You two..."
A quiet laugh escaped her.
"...are remarkable actors."
Marco instinctively took a step forward.
"Princess—"
She raised a hand.
He fell silent.
"I trusted you."
She looked from Marco to Guinevere.
"Both of you."
"More than anyone else."
"I believed that even if the entire world deceived me..."
"...you never would."
Neither of them answered.
Flora's eyes settled on Guinevere.
"You knew."
"You knew about the prophecy."
"You knew what the Blood of Peace truly meant."
"You knew..."
"...who I really was."
Guinevere lowered her head.
She couldn't deny it.
Flora drew a slow breath.
"John told me to ask you."
"I didn't."
"I thought he was simply being paranoid."
A hollow laugh escaped her.
"So I chose to trust you instead."
The smile disappeared from her face.
"What a fool I was."
Marco clenched his fists.
"Princess..."
"We never meant to—"
"For once..."
Her quiet voice cut him off.
"...don't lie to me."
The room fell silent.
There was no anger in her voice.
Only disappointment.
And somehow—
that hurt far more.
Flora looked back at Guinevere.
"...Answer me."
"Did you know?"
Guinevere slowly closed her eyes.
When she finally spoke, her voice was barely audible.
"...Yes."
A single word.
Nothing more.
Yet it shattered the last of Flora's hope.
She turned to Marco.
"...And you?"
Marco lowered his head.
His jaw tightened.
After several agonizing seconds—
"...Yes."
Flora stared at them.
For a long moment, she said nothing.
Then, almost in a whisper—
"So..."
"...everyone knew."
"And I..."
"...was the last to learn the truth about my own life."
Marco finally forced himself to meet her eyes.
"We were trying to protect you."
Flora gave a faint, disbelieving smile.
"Protect me?"
She slowly shook her head.
"My entire life..."
"You stood beside me."
"You watched over me."
"You smiled at me."
"You encouraged me."
"And all that time..."
"...you carried a truth that belonged to me."
Her eyes locked onto Marco's.
"Tell me."
"How is that protection?"
Marco opened his mouth.
No words came.
There were none.
Flora's voice trembled.
Not with fear.
Not with anger.
But with betrayal.
"It was my life."
"My destiny."
"My future."
"So why..."
"...was I the last person allowed to know?"
Neither Marco nor Guinevere answered.
They couldn't.
No explanation could erase the years of silence.
Flora looked at them both.
The sadness in her eyes had quietly replaced the pain.
"I don't know which hurts more..."
"...the truth you hid from me..."
"...or the fact that I trusted you enough to never question either of you."
The cabin fell silent once more.
This time—
no one dared to break it.
...CHAPTER 100ENDS...