Chapter 349 Chapter 143 Conflicting Emotions
“Nothing happened.” Igued replied to the young girl, shaking his head, his voice devoid of warmth.
The young man’s voice echoed in the quiet room, and at this moment, even Ophi realized that the atmosphere was not right.
Verafia still stood before him, her scorching gold eyes fixed on him.
The anger she had imagined did not appear. Instead, it was like a delicate soul falling into the deep, cold lake of winter. The icy feeling spread continuously, followed by a stinging sensation, as if scraping against sharp ice.
“Is that so? Nothing happened…”
Verafia’s lips moved slightly, and she lowered her small face.
She should have known from his very first expression.
But what was she hesitating about? Was it fear that if she pointed it out, her relationship with Igued would never return to what it was, or did she believe that because she cared about him so much, she deserved a response in return…?
Verafia suddenly felt a slight soreness in her eyes. This was a sign of tears, she thought.
Tears? How could she cry for this person? It was ridiculous. Even when Anderdun had pierced her chest, or when Lucia died in her arms, she hadn’t shed a single tear. How could such a feeling arise within her?
The girl thought stubbornly. She raised her head, trying to close her long eyelashes, wanting to stop this impulse.
That’s right. Besides, this young man, she was merely using him. Why should she be sad for him?
Suddenly, a feeling of grievance surged in Verafia’s heart.
I clearly did so much for you. I clearly cared about you so much just now, even willing to risk that danger for you. Wouldn’t you even pretend for me?
“Sister?”
Flarn, who was beside her, realized that the young girl’s emotions were not right. Just as she was about to grab her hand, a warm, crystal tear suddenly wet her eyelashes and flowed from her big eyes.
“Young Lady!”
Igued seemed startled. Just as he was about to reach out to touch her, the girl in front of him suddenly took two steps back.
She turned her head, crystal tears flowing uncontrollably, carving paths across her exquisite face, like fragile porcelain.
The light from the crystal lamp rippled with the shattered gleam reflected by the water in the girl’s eyes. Then came her slender voice, filled with anger, yet seemingly shattered.
“You hateful, detestable guy! You’re deceiving this young lady like this, aren’t you! This kind of hiding, and that expression… Fine, you don’t want to tell me, you think I’ll harm you… Humph, you scoundrel, I don’t want to see you anymore!”
Verafia wiped her eyes forcefully, turned around, pushed open the room door, and rushed out.
“Sister!” Flarn called out and quickly followed.
Igued’s outstretched hand froze in mid-air. He seemed to want to catch up to the escaping girl, but his body was like a withered桩, rooted to the spot.
Complex emotions churned in his chest. He watched the girl’s figure fade from his sight and let out a self-deprecating smile, his pupils closing tightly.
She ran away… Such a delicate young girl, and she was actually hurt. Are you satisfied now that you see this?
A voice echoed, questioning himself in his heart.
I didn’t know she would be so heartbroken… Besides, I just didn’t want her to overthink things.
Igued knew that this reason was just his own sophistry.
Like shattered exquisite porcelain, the girl’s lingering voice seemed to remain in the air. Those beautiful, gorgeous golden eyes were stained with tears.
But, what could I do? I didn’t even have the courage to stop her just now…
Igued sat on the ground, a self-deprecating smile on his face. He touched his hair with his palm and suddenly pulled it hard. The resulting pain stimulated his spirit and made him even more clear-headed.
“Igued.”
A gentle girl’s voice sounded, and then the girl’s soft fingertips carefully took his hand away.
Igued opened his eyes, and a pair of frost-blue eyes appeared in his vision. Ophi, crouching beside him, was looking at him.
“Little Fei? Didn’t you go after Veer?”
Igued spoke. His voice was hoarser than he expected.
“I was going to chase after her.”
Ophi looked into his eyes, stuck out her tongue, and tilted her head slightly, saying, “But seeing your expression, I felt it was better to stay here.”
“My expression? According to what Little Fei said, is it that bad?”
Igued smiled. He reached out to touch the girl’s icy dragon horns, but this time, the Ice Dragon Girl did not dodge.
Igued shook his head and said with self-mockery, “I just made the Young Lady cry. How could it affect me?”
“I heard my sister say that human emotions are mutual. If you make her sad, it will naturally make you sad too.”
Ophi said very seriously. She grabbed her skirt with her little hand and sat down next to Igued. “If you don’t believe me, just look for yourself!”
Igued raised his gaze. Frost-blue magic flowed on Ophi’s delicate, fair palm, condensing into a small, exquisite ice crystal mirror and placing it in front of him.
“Is that so? It really is as Little Fei said…”
Igued looked at the black-haired young man in the mirror, his face full of dejection and pain, and he was slightly lost in thought.
Ophi looked at his expression, her frost-blue eyes rolling. After hesitating for a moment, she suddenly pulled his arm with her little hand, turning his face towards her:
“Actually, Igued, I’ve always had a feeling in my heart, and I don’t know if it’s right… that towards Verafia, you seem to have a different kind of feeling than you do towards me and Ash. Is this what the stories of you humans call ‘liking’?”
The Ice Dragon Girl’s crystal-clear, frost-blue beautiful eyes fell into his line of sight. Igued had never expected that this young Dragon Clan little princess would actually speak to him so seriously about such a topic.
“Little Fei, you say liking?”
Igued recalled Dofiraia, who had said the same thing to him before, and the reverie in his heart when he saw the girl’s face these past few days.
For some reason, he suddenly hesitated again: “I don’t know… But how can I not like the Young Lady, or Veer?”
Igued’s words made Ophi even more confused. The Ice Dragon Girl lowered her head and then shook her head vigorously, saying,
“Hmm… If you say so, then it must be. Yes, it’s definitely right, otherwise, why would you be in such a lost state right now!”
Igued smiled gently at the girl sitting beside him, not refuting.
Suddenly, his wrist was grabbed by the girl’s delicate palm again. The girl’s confused voice, along with her clear breath, touched his face:
“But, if that’s the case, why did you treat Verafia like that just now? Those words were so hurtful even to me.”
“Yes, very hurtful words… I did make the Young Lady sad.” Igued shook his head and said.
“Eh, that expression of yours… Igued, could it be that there is something you cannot speak of?”
Igued looked at the dragon girl’s frost-blue eyes beside him. He closed his eyes slightly, then nodded:
“Yes. Earlier, Veer asked me what I saw after leaving the world of Midirna… I lied to her then, which is why the Young Lady was so angry.”
Ophi could clearly see the traces of concealment in Igued’s words, so she was not surprised by what he said.
But the Ice Dragon Girl suddenly raised her small face: “Could it be that what you saw is related to Verafia?”
The Ice Dragon Girl’s frosty eyes flashed on her face. Ophi’s little hand anxiously grasped his arm, her frosty pupils clear and pure, without any impurities, only containing concern.
He was silent for a moment, then looked back at the girl and nodded: “Yes. I did see the Young Lady.”
Igued began to tell the girl about the flame abyss that his last memory, the so-called “destiny” path, led to, and the Verafia he saw there.
“Hmm, you mean that scene was detected by the power of the ‘True Eye’, and all the paths of destiny lead to the endpoint where Verafia personally pushed you into the sea of fire?”
Ophi stood up, her frost-blue pupils widening with great effort on her youthful little face. “How could such a thing happen! Although that Phoenix has a bad personality, she is not only spoiled but also likes to bully people, but her true nature is not bad at all!”
Igued did not respond, his raised face watching the Ice Dragon Girl standing in front of him.
“Igued, don’t you believe me? Just a moment ago… when you drank the potion, Verafia was quite nervous, and she even used her essence blood, which was very harmful to her, to help you!”
Ophi, afraid that the young man in front of her would not believe it, quickly defended Verafia. “Also, when she saw you get caught in the cage of will, I saw her almost cry with worry. If I wasn’t mistaken, that Phoenix was even preparing to let her spirit enter beside you. Such a thing is extremely dangerous, and if not careful, she herself could perish!”
Verafia… did so much for me just now? No wonder she was so angry…
The light in Igued’s eyes trembled slightly, then dimmed again.
He said, “Of course, I’m not doubting the Young Lady. If it wasn’t for her, I would have probably died completely long ago. Moreover, all along, I could feel the Young Lady’s sincere concern for me.”
“Then why, Igued…”
Ophi’s expression turned confused again. She looked up at the young man in front of her, frowned, and thought for a moment, “Could it be that you think everything you see is inevitably going to happen, and you believe Verafia will personally push you down into that sea of flames?”
Igued’s instinctive answer was denial, but then hesitation followed. He finally shook his head honestly: “I don’t know.”
Ophi’s delicate eyebrows furrowed even tighter, and her slender fingertips clenched slightly, but she didn’t say anything more.
Even she could feel the complex and rather contradictory emotions in the human youth beside her.
