Penny had said it before. In fact, not just her, but almost everyone close to Atlas.
They told Lola that none of them would ever know if he was hurting, if he had worries, or when his heart simply didn’t feel right.
Why?
It wasn’t because Atlas wouldn’t show it, but because he processed things differently. So when he said Lola died in his dreams, he simply kept working. No one had probably realized he had gone mad with grief until it was already happening—or worse, until it was over.
Maybe... just maybe... it would hurt less if Lola did it his way.
Knock. Knock.
Allen knocked on the door three times quietly, waiting a few seconds before sliding it open. As soon as he stepped in, he stopped, his eyes dilating slightly.
There, inside, was Lola.
She was sitting upright with her back resting against the headboard, staring at the window with a strange, blank look on her face. It was almost as if she didn’t cry, but her swollen eyes told another story. Then again, the expression she wore now didn’t match those swollen eyes at all.
"Madam," he called, clearing his throat as he stopped a step from the bed. "How are you feeling?"
She didn’t answer, as expected.
He sighed faintly. "I’ve spoken to the doctor, and he said that you would need more rest and—"
"How’s the situation, Allen?"
"Huh?" Deep lines appeared on his face. "Madam, about the—"
"Do I have to repeat everything from now on?" she asked, shooting him a brief glance. "Report everything. I want to hear it all."
Allen gulped, staring at her. Even with her swollen, red eyes from crying, her tone—and the aura she gave off—reminded him of... Atlas.
Atlas, who, even in situations like this, would quietly continue where he left off.
Allen nodded and lowered his head.
"Our forces, along with Henrik’s and the other founding families, are currently extinguishing the fire. With how massive the explosions were, it might take an entire day. But with everyone helping, we’re almost there," he began while she listened in silence.
"As for casualties, thankfully, the cardinal armed his men with lower and older models, so our number of losses was minimal. The same goes for those injured during the battle," he continued, giving her the full report she requested.
"We still don’t have the exact numbers, but we have an estimate. I can send the paperwork once it’s done. However, we can’t do any of that at the moment yet," he paused for a second. "As for Sir Atlas..."
Allen trailed off, studying her expression, but it didn’t change.
"Sir Atlas, the other founding leaders, including the council elders, Baby, Sir Hugo, Sir Zoren, and Sir Charles... they didn’t make it out of the building," he added, knowing she probably didn’t know yet.
Sure enough, Lola reacted.
Her brows drew together as she looked up at him. "Who didn’t make it out?"
"We’re still compiling everything, and more reports will come soon. If you’re wondering, Vito survived. However, he suffered major burns and is in critical condition. As for Melissa Young, we don’t believe she survived, considering her location when the explosion occurred," Allen added. "We’re still gathering data, but that’s all for now."
"What is it?"
"Hmm?"
"You wanted to say something just now," she said. "Tell me."
Allen gulped and shook his head, only to see her lips curve downward.
"I don’t want to say it yet because I don’t want to raise your hopes. But... during the battle, Henrik arrived with a blueprint."
"He said he found it lying in the courtroom of his home. It’s a blueprint of the church—specifically the one where Sir Atlas was held," he said, telling himself to stop there. But if Lola were to take over the Order, he had to report everything as he would to Atlas.
"We believe Iris Bellemonte supported the making of the explosives. Anyway, the blueprint contains the location of the bomb," he continued solemnly. "And a safe room."
Lola furrowed her brow. "A safe room?"
"Yes. Miss Penny’s team and ours, led by Pika, managed to hack the system on the premises. The timing was tight, but if they succeeded, they could’ve accessed the safe room," he explained. "From my understanding, it seemed this room was built for the cardinal so that once it detonated, he would be safe."
Allen looked her in the eye and whispered, "There’s no guarantee they made it—but it was worth the attempt."
The life in her eyes slowly sparked back as her heart thudded against her chest. All Lola could do was nod before he left.
"A safe room," she whispered once she was alone, her hands clasped in her lap. "Atlas... you reached that place... right?"

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