This caused Leiden's expression to change slightly, and he immediately explained to Ansel, "Sir, I assure you, I meant no offense to your daughter, please..."
"I don't want to stay any longer, Fa...ther."
Ravenna walked over to Ansel, taking his hand, "I want to leave now."
"Hmm? But I haven't found what I was looking for yet."
"But I don't want to... I..."
The petite scholar glanced at the man's astonished, panicked, and somewhat helpless expression, then closed her eyes, forcing herself to utter the nauseating words, "Please... Father."
"... Ah, well, if my little Helen says so."
Ansel rubbed the girl's head resignedly, then turned to Leiden, "I must be going, Mr.shopkeeper, sorry I couldn't buy anything, your shop is splendid though."
"Ah, no... no, no, no, the apology is mine to make, I might have indeed done something to discomfort Miss Helen, please forgive my rudeness..."
Leiden immediately responded in an even more humble tone, while Ansel simply smiled, "Perhaps my little Helen is just being a bit willful, but that can't be helped."
"After all, fulfilling a daughter's wishes is every father's duty, isn't it?"
"..." Leiden's expression stiffened slightly, but he still responded with a smile, "You are right, sir."
Ansel nodded slightly, leading Ravenna away from the shop.
Walking outside, down the street, Ravenna kept her head down, silent for a long stretch of road.
"What's the matter, little Helen?" Ansel inquired leisurely as they walked down a sparsely populated street, "You seem quite displeased. Was conversing with Mr. Leiden so distressing, my dear daughter?"
"Do not, address me, in that way, again," Ravenna replied icily, articulating each word with precision.
"Oh, you're angry."
The malevolent devil remarked, his face brimming with a smile
Ansel tilted his head slightly, "What's the matter, can't you even offer that bit of sincerity? This will make things difficult for me."
"Fa...father..."
Ravenna clutched Ansel's clothing, her trembling hand visible even through the lace gloves, her knuckles turning pale.
"Please... help me."
"Please... please..."
In uttering these words, was Ravenna positioning herself as a daughter?
Whose daughter was she, and for whom did she speak these words?
Ansel was fully aware, as if Ravenna's choice had not deviated from his expectations.
Whether it was the pursuit of truth or the necessity of submission to Ansel, she would act this way, which is why Ansel found it disappointing.
Yet, observing Ravenna in her current state still offered a momentary amusement.
Leiden...Eileen, ha, look, our Miss Ravenna has once again the opportunity to delve into the truth about her grandfather's death. However, this time, she can only seek help from the person she least wishes to.
Even if the disturbance of fate temporarily rejected Evora's deal, removing her from that trajectory, I still have additional pawns to play, don't I?
If I hadn't stopped Leiden and his wife from sharing their grievances, if I hadn't completely severed the relationship between Ravenna and the Leiden couple in that manor, if Ravenna had harbored memories and intentions regarding the past events then... the outcome today would definitely not have been the same.
Although I followed Ravenna initially to prevent fate from exploiting her parents and to invest more of Ravenna's emotions in them, who says... the brief confrontation that ended, the chessboard that was set aside, cannot be reused?
It's just a matter of whether or not it's expected.
You have returned to the right path, my dear Ravenna.
The path I have laid out for you.
*