13

While Serenity was loved by everyone, no one knew her circumstances when Julie Liv tried to end her life.

Life is ironic and unfair like this.

Serenity tapped her chest a few times.

“Well, that’s unfortunate.”

Feeling suffocated by the face adorned with falsehoods, she didn’t want to continue the conversation.

“We’ll inform you of the official date for a visit through a person.”

“Yes, anytime.”

Yulia readily agreed.

Serenity was captured by an inexplicable mood.

Someone who had hurt her, isolated her.

The person who had taken away even the one remaining hope from her.

That person, who had inflicted wounds on her, didn’t even realize the fact.

Absolutely not.

The person Serenity hated didn’t even properly know that she was hated.

And she would never know in her lifetime.

Julie Liv wouldn’t exist.

“…Then, see you later.”

Serenity turned her head away from Yulia and walked through the crowd.

Leaning against the wall, Serenity took a deep breath. She needed time to calm down.

A sweet melody enveloped her ears.

It was an orchestration for a waltz.

People went on stage with their partners, holding each other’s bodies and laughing, dancing peacefully.

The bubbling emotions gradually calmed down with the regular rhythm. Just watching people dance made her feel happy.

In the harmonious atmosphere, Serenity felt like she was also being absorbed into the enchantment.

Then, a voice disrupted the joyful atmosphere.

“Dance with me for a song.”

Wyatt approached Serenity, extending his hand.

Serenity blinked her eyes.

Between the black strands of hair, Wyatt’s red eyes narrowed.

“Today is a day for you, so I should do at least this much.”

A statement thrown out as if to say, “Don’t misunderstand.” She seemed to be aware of Serenity’s misconception.

However, Serenity understood to some extent. How rational Wyatt could be. She was just surprised.

She didn’t expect to dance with Wyatt in such a grand ballroom.

It was an opportunity to shift her thoughts from the constraints of Yulia a moment ago.

Moreover, she couldn’t refuse Wyatt’s dance.

“I may be a bit clumsy, so I appreciate your understanding.”

She had learned diligently, but mistakes were unavoidable.

Serenity placed her hand on Wyatt’s hand.

His eyebrows raised slightly, but he said nothing.

People vacated the space. In the air, Serenity and Wyatt’s hands entwined.

They began to follow the rhythm.

A dance with Wyatt.

They were so close that the sound of his breath was audible.

‘He really seems unaffected.’

Serenity was surprised that she didn’t feel any excitement compared to her expectations.

Still, she once tried to get close to him.

Due to her relatively small height, her gaze kept going to the necklace around his neck.

“It’s been a while since you woke up.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Spin. Serenity spun around. Wyatt’s voice echoed in her ears once again.

A voice so soft that only she could hear it, as if whispering.

“Do you not have any memories from before waking up?”

Serenity’s body stiffened. She raised her head.

“…It’s a question I’ve heard many times.”

The color of the eyes facing each other became intense.

“Who is this question for?”

Wyatt looked directly at Serenity’s face and didn’t shy away from the conversation.

A momentary tension gripped the hands that Wyatt and Serenity held together.

“It seems like you know even without me saying it.”

Serenity felt the strength leave his hand, and she opened her eyes narrowly.

“It seems like the three successors have been discussing something about Serenity.”

Wyatt seemed to already know that Serenity had expressed her rejection to Dante and Clagen.

Serenity really couldn’t understand.

“Why do the three of you want to save Juliee Lirv?”

“Do you need to know?”

“You keep repeating the same question.”

Serenity stopped and faced him with an expressionless face.

“Why do you want to save Juliee Lirv?”

“….”

“Seeing that he’s just an ordinary person. Dante, Clagen, and now you. Those who claim to be important are repeatedly asking me the same question for an insignificant person. I can’t help but be curious.”

This was also a question asked as Juliee Lirv.

Juliee Lirv, devoid of power, meant nothing to them.

They were the ones who inflicted wounds every time she approached.

They were the ones who drew the line, saying they would never see her again.

Why were those people now looking for her?

She thought of countless reasons. Was Juliee Lirv an important person? Is she the successor of the water?

But the water pattern existing on Yulia was the sign that she was the successor.

They knew how Juliee was being treated in Lirv.

If something needed to be done about Lirv, Yulia could handle it. Yulia would welcome them with both hands raised.

That was the most curious thing.

What could they gain from Juliee Lirv that they clung to her like this?

At that moment, Wyatt’s lips, which had been closed, opened.

“Let me see you again.”

She blinked, thinking she might have misheard.

However, Wyatt’s eyes facing Serenity were clear. If anything, the transparent pupils were sincere.

“I’ve done a lot of wrong.”

Crimson pupils sparkled with firm determination. The strength returned to the hands that were held together.

A much stronger force than before, incomparable to what happened earlier.

As if wanting to grasp something.

“There’s a lot to ask for.”

“….”

“If you’re a Lirv, I’ll cling to you, even if I have to.”

She was frightened.

“If you’re lying down, nothing will change.”

Because it seemed like these three people would really save Juliee.

She didn’t want to Lirv.

She didn’t want to go back.

It felt like they could bring her back any moment.

Serenity swallowed hard.

“Is that an answer?”

“…Yes, it’s enough.”

The music ended.

Serenity escaped from the center of the hall where she had danced with him, as if running away.

Wyatt didn’t speak to her anymore.

But the occasional glances felt burdensome.

It was as if they knew something.

‘It’s difficult to act rationally.’

It was inevitable to become hostile regarding issues related to Juliee.

The anger towards them couldn’t be soothed with words. The attitude they were trying to change now was also unacceptable.

She wanted to be alone, but it wasn’t easy.

As it was a place for Serenity, people constantly approached her.

After dancing a few times and seizing the opportunity, Serenity finally succeeded in going out onto the balcony.

It was colder outside than she had thought, and maybe because of this, there weren’t many people outside.

Serenity, who preferred being alone, endured the cold.

‘Is there no hidden place…?’

Serenity discovered a space behind the wall next to the balcony that was not visible to people.

It was next to the wall covered with ivy.

‘This place seems good.’

Because it would be too noticeable to people’s eyes if she went out, they would probably invite her in to talk or dance. Serenity approached the ivy and crouched down.

Standing for a long time made her legs ache.

A sigh escaped involuntarily.

‘No… I can’t.’

She didn’t want to go back like this.

She didn’t want to return to Juliee Lirv for a lifetime. At first, she thought it would be impossible to go back, but now there was anxiety that it might be possible.

Dante, a high-ranking mage. Clagen, the king of connections. And even Prince Wyatt. If they combined their strengths…

It seemed like only a matter of time, but it seemed possible.

‘How can I stop it?’

First, she needed to know the progress of the situation.

But there was a problem. Serenity is not Juliee.

Information about Juliee can only be obtained from outsiders. So it might be difficult to intervene in this matter.

‘There seems to be no one on this side of the balcony.’

Serenity turned her head in surprise at the familiar voice. However, the balcony where she was located was empty.

‘The weather is quite chilly.’

‘Bearable.’

Serenity listened carefully again.

The voice was coming from below. She held her breath, afraid that they might discover she was above.

The voice became clearer.

“So, have you discussed the matter?”

Dante’s voice was unmistakable.

“Yeah.”

This was Wyatt’s voice.

“From the beginning, she was hostile. Very defensive.”

Dante spoke first.

“Juliee is still asleep… It’s absurd that someone we thought would be a clue is so vague.”

There was a thumping sound, as if Dante was hitting something. Serenity couldn’t help but chuckle at the naturally spoken name Juliee.

“I can’t understand. A person from the Zeros family being so cold. Isn’t the Zeros family famous for being generous and magnanimous?”

“Maybe it wasn’t the problem of visiting her a few days after she woke up.”

Wyatt praised Serenity as if to reassure her. She made an expression as if she didn’t know if she should take the words positively.

“That’s not all. Serenity looked down on people who weren’t worthy of such care. Zerozga didn’t teach her that. I wondered if there was a woman like her while listening.”

“I was also surprised in a different sense, Your Highness.”

This time it was Clagen.

“After hearing those words from Dante, I visited Zeros once. I asked the same question with the determination to catch even a straw for Juliee. I had the same questions as Dante.”

Hmm, a sound of a fake cough faintly reached Serenity’s ears.

“Since the first moment she saw me, she was strangely hostile to me. I’ve never heard anyone say that my first impression or manners are bad.”

Clagen’s confident tone seemed absurd to Serenity.

‘Where does that confidence come from?’

Smiling ironically, Serenity pressed her body closer to the wall to avoid being noticed by them. She covered her mouth with her hand, even muffling her breathing.