Chapter 1206: You can call her my demon.

"Will you tell me, Penny? What happened? To you, to us... to everyone?"

"I can’t," Penny answered quietly. "I know what happened to me, but to everyone? How am I supposed to know what happened to everyone else aside from myself?"

Atlas narrowed his eyes, his brows knitting slightly. Even Hugo tilted his head, still doubtful about all of this. He had no idea where this conversation was going.

"I see." Atlas nodded. "You’re right. How could you know about other people’s lives when you had your own to deal with?"

"That’s not... what she meant," Slater interjected quietly, drawing Atlas’s attention to him. "Penny was incarcerated."

Atlas didn’t respond. He didn’t even react—mainly because he didn’t know how to. A flood of questions immediately filled his mind.

"Penny was what?" Hugo blurted out, still searching for clarity as this was all very confusing for him. "That’s impossible. Why would she—"

"Because the Penny I was and the Penny I am—the Penny you know now—are different," Penny cut him off with a deep breath, her hands unknowingly clasping in her lap. Her eyes locked onto Atlas. She had been prepared to talk to Slater, to take in whatever information he had that could help them resolve their current problems.

But this... this wasn’t in the plan.

She hadn’t prepared herself to have this conversation with Hugo. And especially not with Atlas.

Not him. Not now.

If she could stop this moment from happening, if she could turn back time, she would’ve kicked Atlas and Hugo back to where they came from the second she saw them approaching. Had she known this was what her brothers came for, she would’ve done so—passionately.

"It all started just as you all remember," she continued, steeling herself to what was unraveling between them. "You want to know the truth? Then I’ll give it to you, First Brother."

She paused, steadying her breathing.

Perhaps it was because her confrontation with Slater was still fresh that she felt more courageous. Or maybe it was because she was speaking to Atlas that her voice came out firm and unyielding. Not that she expected him to feel anything, but she knew if there was anyone who needed to hear this, it was him.

"Nina got sick, and because of her rare blood type, the truth eventually came out," Penny continued, her eyes never leaving Atlas. "But the Penny in my first life was different. She was eager, excited—relieved—to hear she had a real family. Her eyes glowed with hope, thinking she was finally safe. So when Uncle Haines made his offer to Aunt Jessa, she didn’t even hesitate. She didn’t negotiate — she didn’t care."

"She just wanted to get out of that house and be with people who would love her unconditionally. Because she was their flesh and blood."

Hearing this, Slater pressed his lips into a thin line and lowered his head. Zoren, on the other hand, kept his sharp, watchful eyes on Penny, ready to intervene if necessary. But Penny remained strong. Even though recounting her story was painful, she spoke with grace, fierceness, and honesty.

"And if you remember how you treated me when I first arrived at the mansion, it was the same in my first life," she went on. "It’s just... that back then, I cared."

"Your indifference. Second Brother’s neutrality. Third Brother’s clear displeasure. They were all the same. It doesn’t hurt me now, but it did in my previous life."

"I kept thinking, ’If I try hard enough, if I just keep pushing, if I show them my sincerity, they’ll eventually see me as their sister.’"

Penny pressed the button to call for a flight attendant.

"Sadly," she added, "that led me to an entire lifetime of trying to please everyone—just so they would acknowledge me. Just once."

Atlas glanced at the call button before looking back at her. "Why did you call the flight attendant? Do you need something?"

"There is." Penny flashed him a big smile before turning to the approaching crew member. When the attendant arrived, she politely requested, "I’d like a shot of something strong, please."

"Right away." The attendant then turned to the others with a smile. "Would anyone else like something?"

"Why are you drinking, Penny?" Hugo asked, raising a hand. "I’ll take a beer. A very cold one—cold enough to freeze my nervous system."

The attendant nodded. When no one else requested anything, she excused herself. Once she walked away, all eyes returned to Penny.

"You’re drinking because...?" Atlas prompted.

Penny responded with a smile. "If I’m going to tell you everything, you might as well meet her—the person who actually lived that lifetime and never got to move on."

She leaned back.

"You know her—the drunk me. She’s not just another personality. She’s the version of myself from my first life. The one who remembers everything so clearly that, for her, she’s still living in that past. You can call her my demon."

Although Penny had spent training that part of herself, integrating her consciousness with the other version of her within her, they still carried different burdens. Sober Penny held onto hope and kept moving forward. But drunk Penny... drunk Penny refused to let go.

Soon, the flight attendant returned with the drinks. She served Penny her shot, handed Hugo his beer, and lingered for a moment in case they wanted more. Hugo quickly asked for another bottle, while Penny requested the entire bottle before dismissing the attendant with a polite nod.

"You could say I don’t want to deal with this," Penny remarked, swirling the liquid in her glass. "But obviously, I am going to. Just in a more... erratic way."

She raised her shot glass and smiled at Atlas. "Let’s have a good time, First Brother."

With that, Penny knocked back the vodka, wincing slightly at the burn. She blinked a few times, checking the time to see how long it would take before the alcohol hit her.

But it didn’t.

So, she poured herself another.

Then another.

And another.

By the time she reached her sixth shot, she had stopped counting.