Historia suddenly felt a strange sense of warmth toward the dark-haired young woman in the distance—like she'd known her forever.
But no matter how hard she tried to remember, she was sure they'd never met before. That familiarity just didn't make sense.
What she didn't know was that Frieda was the only member of the Reiss family who had truly loved and cared for her. Frieda used to visit the ranch often, spending time with Historia, playing and comforting her.
However, every time Frieda left, she used the power of the Founding Titan to erase herself from Historia's memory.
She did this to protect her—because once the truth about Historia's royal bloodline came to light, it would put her life at risk.
But now…
Even though Historia seemed cheerful, smiling and laughing with those two strangers, Frieda couldn't help but worry.
She had a gut feeling that the white-haired young man and the green-haired girl knew who Historia really was. Why else would they suddenly approach her?
At that moment, both Byakuya and Eto had already noticed Frieda watching them.
"Why don't you come join us?" Byakuya called out casually, gesturing in her direction.
Frieda was momentarily stunned. She hadn't expected him to speak to her so openly.
And to her surprise, the green-haired girl was also waving at her — as if they were long-lost friends.
A bit hesitant, but driven by a mix of instinct and curiosity, Frieda walked toward them.
"Big brother Byakuya, big sister Eto… do you guys know that lady?" Historia asked, tilting her head. She was clearly intrigued by the woman with the kind eyes and dark hair.
"Yeah," Byakuya nodded. "We know her."
By the time Frieda reached them, she sat beside Historia with a subtle unease in her posture.
"I really don't get it… What is it you two are trying to do?" Frieda asked, unable to hold back. She glanced between Byakuya and Eto, lowering her voice despite Historia being right next to her. It didn't matter—she could just erase the conversation from Historia's memory later.
"What you've seen is exactly what we intended," Byakuya replied coolly. "We didn't want your Founding Titan to fall into the hands of the Attack Titan, so we intervened. We're not here as enemies, which is why we're sitting here having a peaceful conversation."
"I don't understand…" Frieda's brow furrowed. "From your perspective, wouldn't it make more sense to take the Founding Titan away from me?"
She was a firm believer in the ideology passed down from the 145th Fritz King, yet she could still empathize with Grisha's motivations when he pleaded with her.
Even before inheriting the Founding Titan, she had been gentle and compassionate—but any thought that contradicted the pacifist vow bound her immediately.
So from Frieda's point of view, outsiders like Byakuya and Eto—unbound by those restrictions—should want to wield the Founding Titan's power for their own ends.
"To us, it doesn't matter who holds the Founding Titan" Byakuya replied flatly. "As long as it's not in the hands of the Attack Titan."
He paused, then added with a smirk, "And frankly, I'd rather not see someone as beautiful as you die for nothing."
The moment those words left his mouth, a sharp twist of pain shot through his side—Eto had just pinched him, hard.
Her glare was cold as ice, laced with a murderous edge.
"...Beautiful?" Frieda blinked in disbelief.
She hadn't expected him to say something like that. It threw her off completely. In a world this cruel, being spared because of something as superficial as beauty just felt surreal.
Still… being called beautiful wasn't the worst feeling in the world.
"I didn't mean anything by it. Forget I said it" Byakuya quickly backtracked, clearly sensing Eto's wrath.
Eto's deadly stare finally softened.
Meanwhile, Historia sat there, head tilted, completely lost in the conversation.
She leaned closer to Eto and whispered, "Big sister Eto, what are they talking about?"
Eto smiled brightly. "Even I don't know, sweetie~ Let's ask Byakuya later."
Byakuya, meanwhile, steered the conversation back.
"As for dealing with the outside world—leave that to us. Also, we're not subjects of Ymir. You can't control our thoughts or rewrite our memories."
He laid it all out, no pretenses.
Frieda fell silent.
She knew she couldn't stop them, and if what they said was true—if they weren't bound by Ymir's legacy—then at the very least, they wouldn't make things worse for Eldia.
And they hadn't forced her to defy the vow of pacifism either.
Of course, if they did break their word… she was powerless to do anything about it.
"In short, don't get any ideas. The Reiss family can go about its business as usual. If I need you, I'll come find you. Other than that, just stay quiet."
Byakuya's tone was cool and commanding.
"Fine" Frieda nodded slowly. "Then I suppose I should—"
She leaned toward Historia, preparing to erase the memories of the entire conversation, but Byakuya spoke up again.
"I don't think that's necessary. She's one of you, after all. There's no harm in letting her know the truth."
The moment those words hit, Frieda's eyes widened. She froze mid-motion.
So it was true—they did know who Historia really was.
"But…"
Frieda opened her mouth to object, worried that the truth would put Historia in danger.
Before she could finish, Byakuya added, "Eto and I will protect her. Anyone who tries to hurt her… won't get the chance."
Frieda slowly closed her mouth, her words swallowed back.
She hadn't expected him to say that.
They were… going to protect Historia?
What strange and unfathomable people…