"Sorry, but I can't participate," Damien said in a serious tone.
"Why not?!" Yuria pouted.
"It's because I want my friend Tristen to win. Pretty simple."
Yuria's brows pulled together, "The second prince of the Gale Empire? Are you friends with such a pervert? No wonder yesterday you—"
"Hey! Being friends with someone doesn't mean we will become like them. I just accepted his friendship since he begged me," Damien said in a defiant tone.
"Yeah, right," Yuria rolled her eyes and said, "No, I don't want him to win nor be anywhere near him. You have to win, or I am not letting you go from here, hmph!"
Seeing her defensive stance with her arms crossed, Damien didn't know whether to cry or laugh.
"Why do you want me to win?" Damien asked the question that has been bugging him for quite a while. He wanted to know why this girl was so interested in him.
They had met only once, and this was the first time he was seeing someone get so easily familiar with him as if she had known him for years.
Still, her actions and demeanor were starting to seem familiar to him. But he still didn't dare to confirm anything.
"I-I…" Yuria felt tongue-tied again as she didn't know what she wanted to do with him even if he won the competition.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"I will tell you at that time!" Yuria said in a firm tone.
"Okay, but only if Tristen wins. Because I really cannot participate. After Tristen wins, you can call us both, and I can concoct for you privately. You don't have to interact with Tristen, believe me," Damien said in an assuring tone.
"What's with you and Tristen? Are you two really besties?" Yuria asked with a frown of disapproval.
"Why not? Does your Papa hate the imperial family?" Damien asked offhandedly.
"Hey, you can't address my father like that! Anyways, Papa had always told me to be wary of them. They are a bunch of backstabbing evil people. That's why you should be wary of them as well and stay away from Tristen," Yuria said with utmost sincerity as if she was looking out for Damien.
Damien was feeling quite surprised at her words. It seemed like she was talking to an old friend, without any guard at all, since the words she said right now could be considered dangerous if anyone else came to know.
Speaking against the imperial family was taboo no matter where since they were the rulers of an entire empire, and the imperial family had the right to take action against anyone who speaks against them.
He didn't know if this girl was naive and foolish or if she believed that he wouldn't disclose what she said to his 'friend'.
Also, the way she was advising him seemed as if she was genuinely concerned for his well being which puzzled him. He had barely known this girl for a day, but she was treating him too familiarly.
He decided to put it to the test. Damien began to move towards her, making her feel puzzled.
However, when she saw him increasingly getting close to her, especially how he was lowering his face towards her, she stumbled back, but her back pressed against the wall, allowing her not to go elsewhere.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"W-What are you doing…" Yuria asked anxiously, her big round eyes taking a peep at the serious-looking boy before her while her breath began to race.
Damien put up his hands against the wall, trapping her within his vision, and said, "Are you not afraid I will eat you up here? A disobedient princess, all alone with a man in a cellar. A good opportunity for me to do anything and escape before anyone even knows anything."
'Are you not afraid?...All alone with a man...' These two sentences rang in her mind as if she was feeling dejavu of hearing it before somewhere else, but she was not sure when.
"I…" Yuria had a dazed expression thinking about the feeling she just had, but then she came back to reality and said with a confident expression, "I know you won't."
"What makes you think so?" Damien asked as he maintained his gaze, infinitely coming closer towards her.
"Because your eyes don't lie," Yuria said as her cheeks began to blush, seeing his face so up close to hers.
A light of incredulity shone in his eyes as he slowly moved back, not knowing what to think or say.
His eyes seemed shocked because the sentence she just said now clearly rang some bells in him.
The two just kept looking into each other's eyes as if searching for an explanation...an explanation for what they were feeling at this moment.
"I hope you remember what I said," Damien said as he suddenly turned around to go out. He felt as if his mind was in disarray and that he needed to get some rest.
"Hey!" Yuria wanted to stop him but didn't as he remembered the look on his face.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Seeing him leave, Yuria pursed her lips and sighed since even she had some complicated feelings in her mind and thought that it would all get sorted out once she gets some sleep.
Damien made his way back to his room at a much slower pace, his mind filled with many thoughts and nostalgic memories.
When Valentina saw him come in, she felt the moodiness in his soul and asked, "What happened? Are you not feeling okay? Did she say something bad to you?"
Damien replied with a glazed expression, "No, she didn't. I just…" He continued with a smile, "Let's go to sleep for now. I just feel tired."
Valentina bit her lips, seeing that Damien was clearly burdened with some thoughts, but he seemed determined to keep his silence about it, because of which she didn't ask anymore.
She felt that whatever he was thinking was something related to one of his mysterious secrets that he couldn't disclose yet.
Damien didn't want Valentina to worry unnecessarily over something that might not be true and also because he didn't know how to explain it.
He simply laid down and hugged Valentina while trying to calm down his thoughts.
Back in the royal palace, Yuria sneaked back into her residence after spending a lot of time in her cellar, painting things, trying to paint her feelings out. She tried to make her way to her room without making any sound.
She was feeling down yet happy, frustrated yet relieved after her interaction with Godnim. She didn't know why she had such complicated feelings, but then she got distracted when she saw her personal maid approaching her at such a late time.
"What are you doing here?" Yuria whispered.
Yuria's personal maid, Sila, who looked in her fifties, said, "Your Highness, I have been waiting for you to get back all this while."
"Why?" Yuria felt anxious since her personal maid wouldn't approach unless it was for a good reason. She had good trust in her maid since she was the one who covered for her whenever she sneaked out.
Sila replied in a low voice, "His Majesty had asked for your whereabouts a while ago. He said he had something important to talk to you about. But I told him you were indisposed and would inform you about the same. So, Your Highness must prepare a good excuse for not responding to his summon if he asks tomorrow."
Yuria blew through her lips, "Fifff, I will handle him somehow. Thanks for telling me, though. You are the best."
Sila smiled as she bowed, "Not at all. It's my honor and duty to look after your needs, Your Highness. I will not dare to take any more of your time and escort you back to your room."
Yuria nodded, and finally, she was alone in her big room with a fluffy bed. She didn't bother to change her clothes as she directly jumped atop her bed with a heavy expression, unable to get rid of many thoughts in her mind.
She felt that she wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight, but before she could realize it, she dozed off, her subconsciousness slipping into a different world...
A world that looked way different than the cultivation world she knew...A world where most people were ordinary without any cultivation...A world where she had a different mother and father...A world where she first came upon the mysterious man she had visions of before.
An eighteen-year-old girl was standing in the backyard of her house located in a small village, enjoying the view of the beautiful large fields outside.
There were no other houses or people in their vicinity. Apparently, only this girl and her family lived in this very remote area.
Suddenly her father called her from behind, "Nathasia, come inside. It's time for breakfast!"
The girl dressed in a simple blue wrap dress turned around with a beautiful smile, "Okay, Papa!"
