Guilliman's raspy voice echoed through the deathly silence of the void.
"I want to speak with her... alone."
In an instant.
The atmosphere, which had just softened due to the reaching of an alliance, suddenly plummeted to freezing point.
Vroom—!
The massive Chainaxe in Angronia's hand abruptly lit up with a blood-red energy halo, emitting a low growl like a hungry beast.
Her amber pupils were deadlocked on Guilliman, burning with an undisguised, erupting fury.
The perfect smile on Fogremia's face vanished.
In its place was the coldness and detachment of a work of art being coveted. Her purple pupils narrowed slightly, scrutinizing the tactless blue giant before her like a top-tier predator.
Sanguinia's massive snow-white wings spread out silently yet with absolute firmness, acting as a most sacred bulwark to completely shield the small figure behind Leticia within her shadow.
Three waves of undisguised hostility originating from Primarchs instantly pressed down on Guilliman like three frozen mountains.
Even Calgar behind him subconsciously tensed his muscles, his power armor letting out an overburdened groan.
He had no doubt that if the Regent said one more word, the three "Valkyries" opposite them would instantly tear this temporary platform into cosmic dust.
However, Leticia didn't even look back at her Sisters.
She simply performed the simplest of actions.
She took half a step back, using her own body to completely block the little one who was clutching her hem.
Leticia looked up, and in those pure black eyes, there was no longer the playfulness and calculation of a chess player, only an icy, unquestionable warning.
"Regent."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was like a dagger dipped in ice.
"You've overstepped."
"She is not a bargaining chip for negotiations."
"And she is certainly not an exhibit to satisfy your curiosity."
For the first time, a smile that was almost bitter appeared on Guilliman's face.
He knew how abrupt his request was.
He also felt those three currents of hostility capable of tearing stars apart.
But he did not back down.
The Imperial Regent took a slow, deep breath, as if trying to inhale all the surrounding cold into his lungs to suppress his frantically beating heart.
"This isn't curiosity."
His voice was raspy, filled with ten thousand years of exhaustion and struggle.
"From her, I feel a resonance... one I cannot ignore, and cannot understand."
His azure eyes looked past Leticia's shoulder toward the shadow shielded by wings; the look in his eyes was a daze he himself couldn't comprehend, a mixture of yearning and fear.
"That resonance stems from my genes, from my soul... from everything that makes me who I am."
"I must confirm it."
Guilliman's voice became incredibly solemn, every word as heavy as a mountain.
"This is of vital importance to me, and to the Empire."
Leticia fell silent.
She could feel that Guilliman wasn't lying.
That struggle and pain from the depths of the soul couldn't be faked by any acting.
She didn't refuse immediately.
Leticia lowered her head slightly, the icy lines of her profile becoming incredibly soft at this moment.
Through a mental link that no one else could detect, she gently asked the little one in her arms in her softest voice.
[Terra, do you want to see him?]
[If you don't want to, we'll leave right now.]
[Sister promises you, no one in this universe can force you to do something you don't want to do.]
Leticia's will was as firm as iron.
Forget one Guilliman; even if the Four Chaos Gods arrived in person, as long as Terrania said "no," she would unhesitatingly tear up all the newly formed alliances and carve a bloody path out with her.
Terrania's small hand slightly loosened its grip on Leticia's divine robe.
She carefully poked her small head out from Leticia's arms.
Her pure golden eyes curiously watched the blue giant opposite them, who looked incredibly tall yet incredibly lonely.
In her perception, this giant wasn't filled with fury like Sister Angronia, nor was he filled with pride like Sister Fogremia.
He was like a child who had been lost for a very, very long time.
Exhausted, sad, and lost.
Through the mental link, Terrania responded softly in a sweet, tender voice:
[Sister, I feel like he... is very sad.]
[It's like he's about to cry.]
[I want to... talk to him.]
Upon receiving this answer, the last trace of hesitation in Leticia's heart vanished.
She slowly raised her head and looked back at Guilliman.
The icy warning in her eyes had faded, replaced by the calm and indifference of a chess player.
"Very well."
Leticia uttered two words.
Guilliman's tensed body relaxed imperceptibly for a moment.
"But I have two conditions."
Leticia held up one finger.
"First, the location will be on my ship."
She held up a second finger.
"Second, you come alone."
"No guards, no weapons."
This condition was harsh to the extreme.
It was equivalent to letting the Imperial Regent enter a potential enemy's flagship all by himself.
It was nothing short of a massive gamble.
Betting his own life on the other party's integrity.
Calgar's breath hitched, and he was about to speak up to dissuade him.
"I agree."
Guilliman interrupted him without hesitation.
No trace of delay.
Not a shred of weighing the options.
To confirm that bloodline resonance which was enough to shake his ten-thousand-year faith, the Imperial Regent was willing to gamble everything.
This decisiveness and persistence belonging to a Primarch made even Leticia take notice.
She nodded.
"A pleasure doing business, Regent."
The location was arranged in a quiet Observatory Room aboard the genesis.
Beyond the massive floor-to-ceiling dome was the magnificent sight of the 'Tear of Heaven' nebula; countless stars flowed slowly within colored bands of light like a silent cosmic epic.
Inside, however, it was dead silent.
Leticia and the three Primarch Sisters stood quietly outside the door.
Angronia leaned against the wall with her arms crossed and eyes closed, but her mental power was like an invisible net covering the entire room.
Fogremia was meticulously checking every rune of the Access Control System to ensure no 'imperfect' accidents would occur.
Sanguinia just stood quietly by the door, a trace of worry on her face.
They were all waiting.
Waiting for that blue giant.
Finally, from the end of the corridor came the sound of heavy footsteps.
Robert Guilliman approached alone, having removed his massive power armor and wearing only a deep blue uniform.
This was the first time in ten thousand years he had appeared before outsiders in such a 'vulnerable' state.
He walked to the door and gave Leticia a slight nod.
The majesty belonging to the Regent was no longer on his face, replaced only by an extreme nervousness and unease, as if he were about to face the judgment of fate.
Leticia didn't speak, but simply took a step back, clearing the path to the door.
Guilliman took a deep breath.
He reached out his hand.
The hand that had signed countless decrees deciding the life and death of billions was actually trembling slightly at this moment.
His fingertips touched the cool door.
The door was slowly pushed open.
There was no blinding golden light, nor any majestic divinity.
All Guilliman saw was a small golden figure wearing a white robe.
She was facing away from him, standing on her tiptoes and leaning against the massive observatory window, seemingly looking out at the magnificent galaxy with curiosity.
Hearing the door open, she turned around.
The moment those pure golden eyes, devoid of any impurities, looked toward him.
Guilliman's breathing came to a complete halt.
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