Elysia:
A few days ago…
I'm bored lying here all day, but what can I do? My brother extended my healing time again.
I've been spacing out, thinking about everything I've done for my family... and honestly, I feel empty.
But after I met Nao, my heart felt lighter, like... like he's some sort of healing for me.
I smiled just remembering the moments with him.
I miss him. How do I even call him here?
Knock knock!
I turned to see Selene walk in. "Elysia, are you okay?"
"Selene? Did someone from the family send you?"
Selene sat next to me and said, "Honestly, no. I came because I wanted to ask... have you changed?"
Her question froze me. Lately, yeah... I have felt different.
"I think so," I answered hesitantly.
Selene let out a deep sigh. "I figured. But it's a good thing. Your emotions seem more stable now."
Wait—am I that obvious?
"How did I even become like this?" I asked, confused.
She looked at me, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't you in love with that guy?"
Guy?
"You mean Nao?" I asked for confirmation.
"Yeah."
I thought about it... Are we in love? I don't think so.
"No, why?"
Selene looked shocked. "Didn't you say Nao is someone special?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Do you even know what special means?"
I paused, trying to figure out what she was hinting at.
She sighed again, as if reading my mind. "Special, like... someone you like, someone you love."
Oh… is that what she meant.
"Well, I guess the 'special' I meant was just... him being himself," I replied.
"So this was all just a misunderstanding," Selene shook her head in disbelief.
"So, your emotions got better because you made a friend," she clarified.
Friend?
Selene stood up. "Elysia, if anything happens, let me know." She started walking toward the door, but—
"Can you... call Nao?" I asked suddenly.
She gave me a sharp look. "Fine. I'll call him," she said before leaving.
A friend? But... I feels like more than that.
---
Nao:
Now…
After staying with Elysia, I finally left her room once she drifted off to sleep.
I closed the door quietly so she wouldn't wake up. Honestly... she's way different from what I imagined.
While I was in her room—it was just the two of us—I swear, it was so hard to free my hand from her grip. It was like she had locked me in place. Took me a while to let her fingers off, one by one.
I still don't get her reactions, but I've come to the conclusion: to her, I'm like some emotional support doll. Someone to dump her feelings on.
So now, I have to get used to Elysia's emotions, moods, weird habits… everything. Because her current mental state is still stable because of me. Which means, I have to bear with all the strange moments and just go along with it.
---
Somewhere in a luxurious, massive room, a man was going through documents on his desk.
A knock on the door.
"Come in," Zareth said, eyes still on the papers. A woman entered and stood before him.
"Selene. Did you find out who that person is?" Zareth asked, staring at her sharply.
"I did. But Elysia said he's just a friend," Selene replied.
"Friend..." Zareth tapped the desk a few times, still not believing it. Logically, the chances are low. "Keep me updated if anything changes with Elysia."
Selene hesitated for a moment. "Sir, maybe you shouldn't monitor her too much. She's grown up, and her emotions are improving."
Zareth went silent, remembering Elysia's smile in that room. It made it harder for him to hurt her.
"Fine. But if anything bad happens to her, report it immediately."
Selene smiled. "Understood," she said with a bow before walking out.
Honestly, Zareth was still uneasy. A 'friend' can be dangerous—especially the backstabbing type. So for now, he chose to stay silent.
---
I walked around the shopping area. There were people everywhere, but it wasn't crowded. It felt peaceful, like no crime could possibly happen here.
But... maybe that's because the government only focuses on this place. After all, it's the second royal will. Meanwhile, so many poor people out there are starving, doing everything they can to get their kids into the academy—to change their family's fate.
My eyes wandered as I soaked in the morning air. It was so fresh here. Then suddenly, I saw Theo helping an old man lift a sack.
I smiled. I respect good people. But if they use their kindness for evil... I wouldn't hesitate to kill them.
Smack!
I blinked. A girl with pink hair and pink eyes had bumped into me head-on.
She panicked and bowed. "I'm so sorry!"
"It's fine," I said. She looked up at me, still flustered.
"Talia!" Theo called from nearby.
I watched Talia's face turn red instantly. Don't. You. Dare.
Theo ran over and touched her forehead. "Are you sick?" he asked.
Damn... What the hell am I watching?
This is the kind of scene anti-romantics like me hate.
Can I punch these lovebirds?
Talia, still blushing: "I-I'm fine…"
I sighed and turned away. Not getting involved.
"Wait up," Theo called out.
I glanced back. "What?"
"I need your help to go somewhere," he said.
I really didn't want to deal with academy students anymore.
"Nope," I replied.
"Sir Arsene asked me to check out a cave. He said I could pick three people. So please, help me," Theo begged.
I thought—why's a first-year like Theo handling outside missions? That's usually for year twos or threes.
"Why me?" I asked. There are way stronger people in Year 1.
Theo paused. "You know how hard it is to deal with arrogant jerks," he said honestly.
Ah, makes sense. The top geniuses probably don't wanna be ordered around and treated like pawns. That's why they act all prideful and cold.
"When does it start?" I asked.
"Tomorrow, during school hours."
I weighed the pros and cons.
Cons: Sir Arsene might get suspicious of me and start watching me.
Pros: I get to skip boring classes and laze around during the mission.
After thinking for a bit, I made my decision. "No," I said, then turned and walked away.