Honkai Impact 3rd: Don't Die For Me/ Book 3 Paradise

Chapter 56 Evidence

<Cain's Office>

Glass shards embedded into the royal blue rug glinted as the sun rose. A Kaslana can go weeks without sleep as long as they pursue justice. Wine breath, sweet and fickle recited those words over and over again. They were his father's words. His father was a survivor. He was the youngest among his cousins and siblings. He lived to bury almost all of them. Those who survived were denied a heroic end. They were maimed beyond recovery, and their children, Cain's cousins decided not to pursue the Kaslana path. They were traitors that escaped their calling.

"All of you have betrayed your righteous hearts. There are only a select few who aren't born righteous."

Cain growled bitterly, stacks of letters soaked in red wine littered his desk. He had read through all of them. They came from noble families that didn't want to accept their sin. Strange it was that almost all of them didn't side with Cain during Nik's reign. Now they scurried the political fields like rats, demanding their share of pardon and protection. There was no such thing as redemption but at the very least they should be aware that there were fates worse than death. Eternal servitude towards justice was just one of those fates. It was a fate that Cain would've considered for Otto had he not needed to die.

'You've always hated me.'

That's what Otto had said at the time. They interacted sparingly over the years. Kallen was by far his favorite niece but he wasn't particularly close to her. She was a most adamant believer in justice and that was one of the reasons he favored her. She was also Fran's daughter, nothing else needed to be said.

"You'd pardon them, wouldn't you devil child? You'd let them get away with their sins. For emotions and peace, but that's not what is right. Justice cares not for feelings, for trivial ideals, it is resolute and purposeful. Grand and heavenly. You wouldn't know this, you were born a devil. I will make this world uphold justice! As it would've had you not been born. You have no idea how accurate you were to take the blame for all the problems in the world. You have no idea."

A knock at the door jerked Cain wide awake. He scattered a stack of parchment containing all the reports he requested. Unlike his nephew, he had a team filter out the irrelevant reports. All that made it to him were either perfect summations of a collective amount of reports or genuine articles he couldn't ignore.

"It's you isn't it," Cain grumbled.

"I greet His Holiness with the utmost respect."

She cast an eye over Cain's desk and the few shreds of papers caught her attention. She was adorned in the traditional red robes of a Cardinal but a few touches had been made to outline her assets. They were similar in age but as all Valkyries did, she looked much younger.

"I'll clean for His Holiness." She smiled brightly and left the room.

Cain sighed, she was also quite the headache. She arrived in Paris a week after he did. He called upon her for assistance and she obliged. It didn't take long for her to fashion her robes. It didn't take long for Cain to see the signs. If she was acting she was unrivaled at it.

"I enter!" She burst in with a bucket, towel, and broom. Cain lounged back as his desk was rendered spotless in a flash. All dust cleared the air and in minutes Cain's office did not even have the stench of his drinking.

"You need more sun!" Marguerite smiled cheerfully.

She parted the blinds and left the windows ajar, the city air began to flow in and they were high enough to smell only its freshest scents. Cain glanced at her figure. Her light brown hair cascaded over her shoulder like beautiful chocolate rivers. She was improper for discarding her Biretta, a cardinal's cap, and letting her robes hug her skin more closely. His younger self would've played her game, he'd pounce at the chance to seduce her but as he told Celeste, he was more proper now.