Chapter 119 - 84: I hate my life
"Yuriel..." murmured the young lady, her delicate hands cradling a ceramic cup as she savored the fragrant aroma of the tea. She took a slow sip, her golden-blonde hair shimmering in the light, matching the glint in her piercing gold eyes.
"Yes, my lady?" Yuriel responded, bowing respectfully from a measured distance. His expression remained calm, though he secretly wished to be anywhere else.
"Do you hate me?" she asked abruptly, setting the cup down with a soft clink and locking her gaze on him.
Yuriel hesitated but quickly composed himself. "I wouldn’t dare," he replied smoothly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.
The corners of her lips curled upward, though her expression was anything but kind. "Yuriel... you do know that lying to a noble is treason, don’t you?" she said, her voice laced with mockery.
Yuriel’s gaze shifted momentarily beyond her to the maid standing quietly at a distance—Sephina, the Lady Maria’s personal servant. The girl with green hair and soft blue eyes avoided his stare at first, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush. When their eyes finally met, she offered a sweet, knowing smile and nodded.
"... Hating a royal is also treason, isn’t it?" Yuriel finally replied, his tone carefully neutral.
Her wicked grin widened. "It seems you do have a decent head on your shoulders."
This exchange was all too familiar to Yuriel.
It had been like this ever since the fateful day he’d rejected her—an affront she hadn’t forgiven. Since then, she had made it her mission to torment him, often devising increasingly elaborate ways to end his life.
"Yuriel," she said casually, as though discussing the weather, "why are you still alive?"