At the beginning of the 20th century, Bucharest, the capital of Romania, was once known as "Little Paris". However, due to the bombing during World War II, two earthquakes, and the unrealistic urban development of the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, most of the beautiful buildings at that time were destroyed.
Of course, that's not all. If you drive through the city along Victoria Street, which runs from north to south, you should be able to see several old churches and valuable buildings with a sense of history in the old city.
However, the scars left by the dictator on Romania go far beyond these.
"Ceausescu's children, that's what they call them."
The woman whispered in a sweet and detached voice. Although she had tried her best to dress herself up to be less conspicuous, she could still make men fall for her even though she accidentally showed a bit of melancholy. But the strange thing was that the "someone" who was listening to her sweet voice did not exist around her.
People passing by looked at the woman who was talking to the void in amazement. However, perhaps because they sensed something abnormal in her eyes, no one approached her to talk to her.
It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that I don’t dare - beautiful women are good, but mentally ill crazy women are not so good.
The one who was regarded as a crazy woman was the sixth director Reika from Japan. The "someone" who listened to her sweet voice was undoubtedly real, namely the little Jack who was holding his mother's hand (actually he couldn't hold her hand, but he liked it) and Altria who walked side by side with Reika and was wrapped in Hades' cloak and was invisible. After some twists and turns, they finally arrived in Romania as Shinji requested.
The more I get to know Rokudo Reika, the more I realize she is a talent. Although her profession has some flaws, her personal abilities are unquestionable. Shinji has only just started, but she can combine the existing information to complete an action plan on her own and implement it at an astonishing speed.
Take the trip from Japan to Romania as an example. When Altria and Jack were buying clothes in the mall, Rokudo Reika had already obtained the flight schedule for the next three days through a business acquaintance.
After the two servants entered the supermarket and started shopping, Sixth Director Reika began to contact the airport and book tickets by phone.
After Shinji called Altria away, she actually took the newly dressed little Jack to the car rental company and rented a car - as a high-level technical worker, driving is a common skill for her.
Over there, Artoria hadn't left the Matou family yet, and here the Sixth Director Reika was waiting in the parking lot near the Matou family. As soon as Artoria left, she drove the two of them to the airport.
By the way, little Jack, who Shinji called a "bad boy", was very well behaved around Reika. Shinji was worried that he would call a stranger "Mom", but he didn't kill anyone because of a disagreement. This was mainly due to Reika's good teaching. As long as little Jack was obedient, Reika would play with her and tell her stories. It is hard to imagine that a famous serial killer would be so obedient to a woman who was powerless.
While Shinji was having breakfast with Fiore, the three of them successfully boarded the plane to Tokyo. Although the last two were smuggled in and squeezed into the luggage hold - Romania is after all not as big as Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, and there are relatively few flights. The nearest flight departs from Tokyo, so transferring in Tokyo became the only option.
"Is that so? That's so sad. I haven't reached that point yet, but it can happen without me noticing."
Ignoring the strange looks from everyone around her, Rokudo Reika continued her conversation with Altria. The two talked about Rokudo Reika herself and "Ceausescu's children".
The so-called "Ceausescu children" are one of the negative legacies left by the dictator. In the past, Romania wanted to legislate to ban contraception and abortion and force women to give birth to at least five children.
As a result, the children who could not afford to raise children became street vagrants, gradually getting involved in crime and human trafficking. Even if the revolution ended the dictatorship, the lives that were once born could not be reversed. Their young lives were completely eroded by the powerful and the mafia. The children who survived unknowingly went from being the oppressed to the oppressors, that is, the bad guys, villains, and criminals in the conventional sense.
The children's experiences have many similarities with Rokuda Reika's own "history of degeneration", but compared with these children who have been struggling at the bottom of society since birth and going from one extreme to another, Rokuda Reika is obviously much luckier and has not degenerated so completely.
However, in the eyes of Altria, who has chivalry deeply rooted in her bones, both the children and Rokudo Reika are heartbreaking. Even if she has abdicated the throne and is no longer obsessed with the destruction of Britain, she still follows the chivalry.
"I'm sorry to bring up your sad story. I'm just a servant and I don't have the ability to change your fate, but I believe my Master can. He is a magical man. He can change my fate, and he can definitely change yours. All I can do is protect you until that day comes."
"Haha, thank you, Altria." The corners of Liu Dao Lingxia's mouth curled up slightly, and a smile made the man who saw this scene's heart beat fast.
"This is what I should do, Lingxia." The Knight King's nobleness has not changed in 1,400 years.
Although she couldn't see it, Rokudo Reika could still imagine the expression on Altria's face. She felt heartache and pity for herself from the bottom of her heart, and she also wanted to protect herself from the bottom of her heart.
Perhaps in the eyes of many people, Altria is silly and naive, but Sixth Director Reika doesn't hate such people at all. Having experienced the ups and downs of life and engaged in one of the oldest professions of mankind, she has seen too many people, too many things, and too much darkness, so she understands the preciousness of this purity.
In her more than 20 years of life, besides her parents, there are only two people who are willing to give for her without asking for anything in return. One is little Jack who relies on her unconditionally and regards her as his mother, and the other is Altria. Although her attitude towards the latter is far from as pure as towards the former. The interactions in the past few days, including the chat about "Ceausescu's children" and her own history of corruption, were all deliberately guided by her in order to bring the two closer together and better protect herself.
However, it is not necessary now. These two hearts, purer than diamonds, awakened the cold heart that did not trust anyone and regarded everything as a wrong bargaining chip, allowing her to experience the warmth of human hearts again.
If she agreed to help Shinji, it was only to repay the favor of saving her life; if she seduced Shinji, it was only because she felt the favor was too great and wanted to repay it in other ways.
Now, with her daughter, little Jack, and the knight Altria, she is once again willing to try to give, to try to believe in the people her daughter and the knight believe in.
PS: Although what Shinji did is essentially not much different from what Little Jack did in the original work, Little Jack was unintentional while Shinji was intentional, which destined the difference. If it weren't for Dai Mao's naivety, there would always be a gap between Shinji and Rokudo Reika, which could not be eliminated even if they really pushed each other down.