The atmosphere in the living room of the Ivy Pavilion felt extremely tense. Not without reason, Ivy, whom Gareta had assisted in combing her hair earlier. Suddenly, guests arrived, her parents from the west.

"Gareta, bring warm drinks for my father and mother," Ivy commanded, smiling at Gareta.

"Of course, young lady," Gareta responded while nodding obediently.

After Gareta left, Mrs. Liana immediately stood up and harshly pulled Ivy's hair. Ivy didn't scream, only hissed as she felt her scalp hurting.

"Why are you still alive? You should be dead by now!" Mrs. Liana exclaimed.

"It hurts, Mother," Ivy replied, not responding to her mother's statement.

"Be careful, Liana! There are many guards here," Mr. Marionet warned his wife.

Mrs. Liana glanced briefly at her husband and then released her grip on Ivy's hair. Mrs. Liana then snorted in annoyance while staring fiercely at Ivy.

"If you're only going to cause trouble here, wouldn't it be better for you to die?" Mrs. Liana said, still hoping for Ivy's death.

Ivy still held her head and then took a deep breath. She lowered her head.

"I'm sorry, Mother," she whispered.

"Why should you apologize? You, on the contrary, should stay alive for me."

Suddenly, Race's voice was heard from the door. Everyone looked towards Race, especially Ivy. The girl stood up and stared wide-eyed at Race.

"Race, why are you back?" Ivy asked, a bit frightened.

Race didn't answer and only glanced briefly at Ivy. Now, he looked alternately at Ivy's parents.

"So, the purpose of Mother and Father being here is only to hurt my wife?" Race asked.

"Race, it's not like that," Ivy quickly protested.

Race ignored Ivy's words, while Mr. Marionet felt offended by Race's statement. He stood up and then approached Race.

"So, this is how you welcome your in-laws?" Mr. Marionet asked.

"Father, forgive Race! He's just concerned about me," Ivy said again, trying to calm her father's emotions.

"Don't interfere, Ivy!" Mr. Marionet retorted loudly.

"Don't yell at my wife, Mr. Marques Marionet! What kind of welcome were you expecting? Your arrival alone has caused Ivy to feel pain again!"
Race, who was already very angry, tried to suppress his emotions. He didn't want to create a scene that would lead to new problems.

Ivy herself ran up to Race and grabbed her husband's arm.
"Race, please don't get emotional!" Ivy pleaded.

Race looked at Ivy and saw his wife's frightened and pale face.
"What have they done to you? Tell me now!" Race said, then gently held Ivy's cheek.

"Hey! Young man, watch your words! What have I done to Ivy? She's my daughter, I would never hurt her."
Mrs. Liana tried to deny what she had just done to Ivy.

Race was about to speak to express his thoughts, but Mr. Marionet snorted in anger first.
"If we knew this would be your welcome for us, we'd better not have come. Let's go, Liana! Why should we worry about Ivy, when her husband is acting this arrogant!" Mr. Marionet retorted.

"Father, don't be angry! Race didn't mean it like that."
Race approached his father and then held his father's hand. Mr. Marionet roughly brushed Ivy's hand aside, causing her almost to fall. Race caught Ivy to prevent her from falling.

"Let's go home!" Mr. Marionet said, walking away, and Mrs. Liana followed suit.

"Father, Mother!" Ivy called.

"Just leave it! They came here just to hurt you, Iv," Race said, restraining Ivy from chasing after her parents.

Ivy looked at Race with teary eyes.
"They're my parents, Race. They came from afar, they wanted to meet me, Race."

Ivy's tears finally broke free, no matter how much her adoptive parents hurt her. Ivy still felt indebted to them. Race sighed in frustration and then hugged Ivy tightly.
"Don't cry, Iv! They came here just to make you feel oppressed. They don't care about you, Iv!"

"No! If they didn't care about me, they wouldn't have taken care of me until I grew up like this, Race. Please chase after them! Please ask them for forgiveness, Race!"

Ivy continued to cry, and it only added to Race's frustration. However, despite that, Race paid no mind to Ivy's words and her ongoing tears.
***
"I apologize for inconveniencing all of you here," said Mrs. Liana, who was having dinner with Race's parents.

"Don't be hesitant! You're Ivy's parents, after all. Ivy is my daughter-in-law," Mrs. Maria said, trying to smile warmly.

They then continued to have dinner together while engaging in random conversations. The friendly atmosphere suddenly shifted when Mr. Milano began to discuss the incidents that had occurred with Ivy.

"Darling, let's discuss this later!" Mrs. Maria pleaded.

"No, they need to know now. To some extent, they have already deceived us, Maria," Mr. Milano said.

Mr. Marionet and Mrs. Liana exchanged glances now. Mrs. Maria herself could only sigh deeply.

"Why didn't you ever mention that Ivy is a descendant of witches as well as a seer?" Mr. Milano asked, successfully surprising Mr. Marionet and making him look towards his wife.

"We already know everything, so don't conceal it anymore! Ivy has even been appointed as the royal seer now," Mr. Milano said again.

"Mr. Milano, even though Ivy is a descendant of witches, she's not dangerous at all. In fact, she's dependable," Mr. Marionet tried to reassure his father-in-law.

"Of course, she's very useful here, but she can also become a parasite and a danger to Race," Mr. Milano retorted.

Mr. Marionet once again looked at Race's father, as did Mrs. Liana. Their brows furrowed in confusion.

"Where are you going with this conversation, Mr. Milano?" Mr. Marionet inquired.

"Can't you comprehend subtle statements properly, Mr. Marionet?" Mr. Milano said again, staring sharply at Ivy's father.

In another location, Ivy, who had just drifted off to sleep with Race by her side, suddenly woke up as if startled. Race, who hadn't fallen asleep yet, was also surprised.

"Why? Did you have a bad dream?" Race asked while holding Ivy's hand.

Ivy looked at Race, not answering his question, and just stared at her husband with an expression that couldn't be deciphered.

"Iv, what's wrong? Why are you being silent? Don't make me worried, Iv!" Race said, holding Ivy's hand again.

Ivy still didn't answer and let out a deep and heavy sigh. She hugged Race around the waist and pressed her head against his chest.

"Iv, what's going on? Did you have a bad dream or did you receive another prophecy?" Race asked, sounding panicked.

"It's nothing."

"Then why did you suddenly hug me? Don't hide anything from me, Iv!"

Ivy no longer responded to Race's words. She let go of the hug and looked at Race.

"I had a bad dream, but I wouldn't regret or be angry if it actually happened," Ivy said.

Race furrowed his brow in confusion and then raised an eyebrow while continuing to look at Ivy.

"What?" he asked.

"You stabbed me with your sword," Ivy declared.
***