Chapter 118: My Body and Mind Belong to Him Alone
Saintess of Dawn Solun’s gaze followed Shaya’s retreating back until it disappeared at the end of the hall.
She didn’t immediately follow but instead let her eyes rest on the blonde maiden sitting opposite her.
Aerora had dressed up splendidly today, but upon entering the lounge, she had remained silent, only sipping her drink with a straw, secretly observing Shaya and Solun’s conversation.
“It’s been a while, Little Ai,” Solun said softly. “I remember you didn’t like dressing up much before. What’s gotten into you today? You’ve been so down.”
“Also, I sent letters from the Holy Court to Camelot, and you never replied.”
She picked up her glass, taking a sip. “Didn’t we agree to compete fairly back then?”
“Now that you’re so far ahead, you have to allow me to catch up…”
Solun and Aerora’s relationship was complicated.
They were both close sisters and rivals.
Six to seven years ago, when the three of them lived together in Lokiia, Solun and Aerora were exceptionally close confidantes, sharing everything.
Even their open competition for Shaya hadn’t affected their friendship.
But now, upon meeting again, Solun sensed an unconcealed distance from Aerora.
“It’s too much trouble for the esteemed Saintess of Dawn to remember past agreements,” the blonde maiden said coldly, grinding her teeth on the straw.
“Actually, with your current status in the Holy Court, you don’t need to lower yourself to interact with Shaya and me out of past obligation.”
“Shaya merely sponsored your education in basic knowledge when you were penniless, allowing you to become a Mechanist…”
“This small initial investment, with the wealth of the Holy See, can surely be repaid in full with ease.”
“Then we’ll be even, and the Saintess won’t have to force herself to demean herself.”
Seeing Aerora’s distant demeanor and her sarcastic tone, Solun finally began to understand.
What Aerora cared about wasn’t Solun’s private dealings with Shaya, as their rivalry had been ongoing for a long time and hadn’t just started.
What she truly cared about was the separation six years ago.
At that time, Solun had not chosen to go to Imperial Capital Camelot with Shaya, unlike Aerora.
Instead, she chose to accept the Holy Court’s invitation, becoming a candidate for the Saintess of Dawn and ultimately standing out in the rigorous competition to become the revered Saintess of Dawn.
In Aerora’s eyes, this was Solun’s blatant betrayal of Shaya.
Solun had chosen the latter, with its more promising future, over the then unremarkable Shaya and the Holy See, whose potential had not yet been revealed.
And in Aerora’s opinion, Solun’s continued contact with Shaya was merely a way to compensate him out of guilt.
“Little Ai—”
Looking at the blonde maiden, adorned like a proud swan with her fair shoulders exposed, Solun sighed softly and began to speak.
Aerora had excellent natural features, a proper beauty, but normally, without makeup, she exuded a more sharp and heroic aura.
Today, however, Aerora had applied light makeup, losing some of her sharp heroism and gaining a more feminine charm, fitting her status as the “Winter” flower and the young lady of the Inglit family.
All of this was because she wanted to support Shaya when he met his ex-girlfriend.
As Shaya’s current companion, she wanted to show Solun, the “bad woman” who abandoned Shaya for her own future, that Shaya was doing very well now, even better than when she was around.
“But, Little Ai, you don’t really think I’m such a superficial girl, do you…” Solun spoke quietly. “After becoming the Saintess of Dawn, I’ve met many people and witnessed many things. I’ve gained power and status beyond my past imagination, and earned the respect and admiration of countless people.”
“But…” Her voice was faint. “For me, the times I cherished the most were always the days when we, you and I, squeezed into cheap dormitories in Lokiia, struggling to make a living.”
“Every time I returned from the Black Tower, Shaya would take me to the Steam School’s bookstore to buy some used books on magical machinery enlightenment…”
“I also will never forget how, because we couldn’t afford a Mechanist tutor, he would spend countless nights by the lamplight of kerosene, piecing together discarded mechanical parts, explaining the basics of being a Mechanist to me…”
“Speaking of which, he mainly studied Classical Arcana in the Black Tower. I wonder when Shaya secretly learned so much about mechanics.”
As she spoke, a look of remembrance flashed in Solun’s beautiful eyes.
“Those days were simple, plain, meager, and hard… yet fulfilling and satisfying.”
“To this day, this memory remains the most precious treasure in my heart, enduring and ever-new, never fading.”
A faint smile touched her lips.
“From beginning to end, I have always been crystal clear about one thing.”
“That is, everything that constitutes Solun – my body, my mind, my achievements and wealth… as well as my past and future – belongs solely to him.”
A trace of tenderness flickered in Solun’s chestnut eyes. “I can do without the title of Saintess of Dawn, and I can abandon my current strength, reputation, and everything I possess… but I cannot do without him.”
Listening to the black-haired girl’s words, a hint of suspicion appeared in Aerora’s eyes.
However, her intuition as a best friend told her—
Solun’s words were not false but a genuine outpouring of emotion.
Thinking this, the distance in Aerora’s gaze slightly lessened. “Then why did you leave Shaya back then?”
“Because I was greedy…” Solun’s voice was very soft. She raised her glass, carefully removed her mask, and took a small sip.
Then, she looked at her reflection in the surface of the glass.
“What I wanted wasn’t just to spend five or ten years by his side… it was to spend my life with him until the end of our days.”
“Therefore, I had to part ways with him.”
“Separation is for a more beautiful reunion later on.”
As she spoke, Solun deeply looked at Aerora before her.
“Little Ai, do you know? Sometimes, I truly envy you.”
“You are different from me. You are Shaya’s original companion, his most reliable sword and shield. He sees you as his most trusted, closest confidante…”
“So, often, you don’t have to worry about many things. You just need to stay by Shaya’s side, unconditionally carry out his orders, and clear obstacles for him.”
“But I am different. I haven’t been through what you have in Ceylon… and my position is not the same as yours. I need to consider many more things. The things you already possess require me to put in much more effort to obtain.”
“But, no matter what, one thing is certain.”
Solun gazed calmly at Aerora’s blue eyes, not yielding an inch.
“My feelings for him are in no way inferior to yours.”
“Even if I can’t accompany him by his side like you do…”
“Even if this feeling requires paying several times, or even dozens of times, the price.”
The air seemed to stagnate.
By the window, a lazy and noble white cat watched the two girls facing each other by the table. It flicked its tail displeasedly and meowed.
In the cat’s meow, there was a hint of being overwhelmed.
Another one… here comes another one.
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PS: Double update today. The second update will be around 11 o’clock. Seeking monthly votes.
