Chapter 413: Her Reason (R-18)
Sylphia smiled at him and stroked his hair with her soft hand. She did not answer immediately but continued gazing into his eyes, full of love. She kept doing so for a few moments, and Aldrian did not seem to mind as he patiently waited for her response.
"I just told her everything about you and our interactions, and I also gave her a slight push to help her be more honest with herself and understand herself better," she finally said.
"She is like an open book to me, with her expressions and emotions. It’s as if I’m looking at my past self, and I can’t bear to see her like that. Her situation is even worse because of the challenge in front of her, namely, you and our relationship. I believe you know what I mean, right?"
"Sylphia, are you sure you want to do this? Do you realize what you’re doing?" Aldrian straightened his body and sat up, moving away from her. "You just openly declared that I’m available for Baek Jimin to approach and pursue. You understand what that means, right?" He sat on the bed, looking directly into her eyes.
Sylphia continued smiling as she turned her head to gaze at the ceiling.
"Since childhood, I never really had friends because of my status. All of my so-called friends weren’t truly my friends, as my position always prevented me from interacting normally with those my age. Even when they tried to stay close to me, their families would always reprimand them, reminding them that I, as a princess, must be respected. That created an invisible wall between us."
"To get rid of the loneliness and boredom I experienced, I liked going on adventures and meeting new people. In disguise, I could act and speak normally, even forming relationships more naturally."
"However, all of that still felt fake because I had to use a different identity to build those relationships. If they found out who I really was, their attitude would change completely. It’s truly saddening, but I can’t blame anyone. It’s simply my fate—to be a princess of a great empire, where everyone treats me with excessive respect."
Sylphia then looked at Aldrian.
"When I joined your journey, I considered Eleine my friend—don’t get me wrong—but I still felt that something was off about her. It was as if she kept a respectful distance from me, even though she tried to be warm and act close. Now I understand why. With her character and upbringing as a retainer of the young miss of the Rivas family, she would unconsciously maintain that distance, even if she tried to get closer to me."
"But then we met Jimin. Although our first meeting wasn’t exactly amicable, as time passed, we found common ground and grew closer. Even after she learned my real identity, she wasn’t affected by it and continued treating me the same. Maybe it’s because she’s also the daughter of the matriarch of a great sect, so my status wasn’t a problem for her."