"…I see. That really is a huge change."
After listening to Annie talk about what had been happening outside, Carly smiled.
"But it's a good change. With this, the lives of the people should improve quite a bit, right?"
Annie nodded. Her gaze drifted toward the corner of the cell, where a table stood piled with several books and sheets of manuscript paper filled with writing.
"Those are books I asked Lillian to bring me," Carly said, following Annie's gaze. "With them, life in here is actually better than outside. I can calm down and focus on my field without worrying about external interference."
"Oh."
Annie didn't really understand that kind of thing, but she had heard Lillian mention it before—that Carly was a genuine genius, a chemical prodigy. Someone like that was worth more than ten thousand ordinary people. Given enough time, she might truly develop something that could change the world.
"So," Carly said gently, looking at Annie, "are you feeling a little less angry now?"
She reached out and took Annie's hand.
"Talk to your big sister. I'm five or six years older than you—I can give you some experience and advice."
"..."
Annie felt uncomfortable being held like that. She had always been resistant to physical closeness by nature. But Carly carried a genuine "older sister" presence, and Annie really did feel the urge to talk.
Seeing Annie remain silent, Carly didn't push her.
"Alright then, let me guess," she said.
"You're angry at Lillian, right?"
Annie nodded.
"He did something that made you angry. Was it intentional?"
Annie nodded again.
"Then… was it something he had to do? Was his reasoning solid?"
"..."
Annie hesitated, unable to answer for a long time.
{Or have you simply not steeled yourself, thinking there could be a perfect solution where no one gets hurt?! Does something like that even exist?! Can things really be accomplished without anyone suffering—does that exist?!}
Lillian's words echoed in her mind. Annie had to admit that she… didn't know what to do.
If Bertholdt didn't agree with their ideology, then what should be done? Annie wondered. If it were me… would I keep him imprisoned forever? Or send him back to Marley? Neither option seemed viable.
As Lillian had said, battle required strength—and the power of the Colossal Titan was crucial.
But still…
Even though she understood logically that Lillian's actions were almost inevitable, emotionally she simply couldn't accept it so easily.
"I see," Carly said, looking at Annie's expression with understanding.
"Lillian did something he had no choice but to do, and that made you angry. In that case, you'll probably forgive him before long. It's just a little emotional knot, that's all."
"That's not it!"
Annie would never treat a human life as a mere 'little knot'. Yet she couldn't find the words to refute Carly either.
"When we get along with others," Carly said softly, "the most important skill to learn is perspective-taking. Putting yourself in someone else's shoes. It prevents you from sinking into self-pity, and helps you understand the burdens others carry."
As she spoke, she brushed back her slightly curled hair, poured two glasses of red wine, and handed one to Annie.
"That kid Lillian comes to talk to me sometimes too," Carly continued. "I can tell he's under enormous pressure—like he's carrying something incredibly heavy on his shoulders. But because it's a path he chose himself, he never complains to anyone."
Carly took a small sip of her wine.
"But still… it's rather pitiful," she said softly. "He's so young. Both he and you are. Yet you're carrying responsibilities far beyond your age. When I was your age, I was still in school, carefree every day."
"Putting yourself in someone else's shoes…"
Annie recalled the sight of Lillian hunched over his desk these past days, writing nonstop. It was true—compared to others, he had invested far more into the cause of liberating the Eldians, and bore far greater strain.
Thinking of this made her emotions grow complicated. She no longer knew whether she should keep being angry with him, or force herself to slowly accept the reality.
Tap—tap—tap…
Quick footsteps sounded outside. A few seconds later, someone appeared before the cell door.
It was Lillian.
"Annie. Carly." He looked at them both, then his gaze settled on Annie. "Can we talk alone?"
"…"
Annie hesitated, then nodded faintly and stood up, walking out. Behind her, Carly seized the moment while Annie's back was turned and gave Lillian a silent 'You can do it' gesture, which left him momentarily speechless.
The two of them went to the guards' break room. It was empty—everyone was out on duty—making it the perfect place for a private conversation.
"I'm sorry," Lillian apologized again, sincerely. "I went too far earlier. I hope you can forgive me. It won't happen again."
"…"
"As for Bertholdt… I truly had no choice." He spoke earnestly. "Annie, we need that power. It's critical. I hope you can understand. I know how deep your bond was, but… there really wasn't another way."
Annie stared at his face, then suddenly asked, "How did you know I was here?"
"Uh—just a guess," Lillian scratched his head. "I thought about it, and realized there aren't many places you could go…"
Annie fell silent for a moment, then let out a soft sigh.
"I admit your decision may have been the right one. But right now, I can't calm the anger in my heart." She looked away. "So… let's not see each other for now."
"…That's fine," Lillian replied. "But there should be a limit. How about three days? Three days without seeing each other." He continued, "The Survey Corps is going to carry out the Wall Maria reclamation operation next week, and they'll need our support. I've also decided to take this opportunity to reclaim the wall. So… we'll need time to discuss the details. We can't avoid each other forever."
Annie nodded, said nothing, and turned to leave.
"I wonder what she's really thinking…"
Lillian was deeply worried that a rift might form between him and Annie. But if she truly couldn't come to terms with it, and continued to resent him—then there was nothing he could do. It would have to remain that way.
With that thought, he went to visit Carly's cell. As soon as she saw him, she teased him with a smile.
"Lillian, you know—making a girl angry isn't exactly admirable behavior for a young man."
"It couldn't be helped," Lillian said as he sat down. "You should start preparing to leave this place."
"Hm?"
"You know about the coup, don't you? Order inside the walls is now being led by a new group, and scientific and technological development has been put on the agenda. Your talent in chemistry is extremely valuable—but it can't be put to use inside a cell."
"I see." Carly leaned casually against the wall. "How troublesome. I was actually enjoying life in here. Quiet, peaceful—perfect for studying and thinking."
"It'll be the same outside," Lillian said. "I'll give you a laboratory where you won't be disturbed. Put your talent to full use. Humanity within the walls needs your strength—after all, our enemy is something colossal."
Carly's expression turned more serious. "Our enemy… is also human, isn't it?"
"Yes."
There was no need to hide it. Someone as intelligent as her would have already deduced the existence of humans beyond the walls the moment she learned about the intelligent Titans.
"I see." She smiled faintly. "So in the end, Titans or not, it's still a war between humans. How boring."
"It is boring," Lillian agreed. "But the people inside the walls can't afford the cost of defeat."
"Still, I'd love to see the enemy's land someday," Carly said. "It must be completely different from life inside the walls."
"Don't worry," Lillian replied. "You'll get the chance."
---
By the time Lillian returned to headquarters, it was already night. He had talked with Carly for two or three hours. To be honest, he had always thought of her as merely a chemical genius—but after a deeper conversation, he realized she also possessed remarkable political sensitivity.
If this woman entered politics, she would undoubtedly be formidable. That realization planted some long-term plans in Lillian's mind.
Of course, there was no need to consider those yet. As for reclaiming Wall Maria, he already had ideas of his own.
Zzzrip—
Opening his briefcase, Lillian took out a specially prepared vial of spinal fluid labeled "Armor." If an intelligent Titan drank it, they could harden. Because he had taken it in advance, the Survey Corps was unaware of this information.
Without hardening, Eren couldn't seal the breach in Wall Maria. But if Lillian gave the serum to Eren, Erwin would inevitably suspect that Lillian possessed more. That would only breed potential conflict between them.
So his plan was to have Annie perform the hardening instead. The problem was… he didn't know whether she could do it without the serum.
In the original course of events, Annie could crystallize—but crystallization was not the same as hardening. The former seemed closer to the War Hammer Titan's ability. How exactly it worked was something Lillian hadn't figured out yet.
He would have to ask Annie properly—after their three-day "cold war."
As he packed the bag away, Historia suddenly arrived at his office, which surprised him.
"Why are you here?" Lillian asked. "It's late—aren't you resting?"
"I'm fine…" Historia looked at him hesitantly. "Ymir told me you and Annie had a fight, and that you made her cry. Is that true?"
"..."
"That won't do, Lillian. You can't bully Annie—she's my good friend!"
"Sigh… don't listen to Ymir's nonsense," Lillian said tiredly. "But Historia—over the next few days, spend more time with Annie. She's actually very lonely."
"Mm, I know," Historia nodded. "She's always been in pain… and full of guilt."
"…"
"And besides…" Historia hesitated for a moment before continuing, "the people in the Survey Corps must hate Annie, right? After all, back then, it was Annie who—"
Lillian fell silent.
Indeed, when Wall Maria was breached, the reason such a massive number of Titans flooded in so quickly was that Annie had deliberately drawn them there.
That was an original sin she could never wash away. And once the truth came to light, it was inevitable that many people inside the walls would hate her for it. Bertholdt was gone. Reiner was gone. Only Annie remained within the walls—and not only that, she was openly staying by Lillian's side. Naturally, all the hatred would end up focused on her alone.
But from Lillian's standpoint, he would never allow anyone to lay a hand on Annie.
That was his choice, and his conviction.
Because in his eyes, this matter truly had no right or wrong—only different positions.
To put it more bluntly, Lillian was not Eren.
If he had been like Eren, if his family had been killed by Titans and the direct culprits were the Warrior Trio, then he would probably hate them just as deeply—if not more deeply—than Eren did. But that wasn't the case. He bore no such personal hatred. That allowed him to view the situation from a broader perspective… even if that perspective was mixed with his own selfishness.