Chapter: 194
One early morning, Sylvia woke up feeling something different, tilting her head in confusion. It was strange to feel warmth when waking up.
After a brief moment of confusion, Sylvia recalled that she had gone to bed with Scarlet the night before, thanks to the soft sound of breathing nearby. And just that one memory made her smile a little, realizing how different the feeling of waking up could be.
Raised as the Astra heir from a young age, Sylvia hated mornings. Well, to be more precise, she loathed the moment when she opened her eyes in the morning.
The pressure to live up to her family’s expectations made her forget the childlike behavior of sleeping beside her parents; it was an age she had long since graduated from.
Moreover, since her waking hour was a bit earlier than most, all that greeted Sylvia each morning was the chill from the air left over from the night before.
The cold air touching her skin in the morning inevitably made her feel lonely.
As a result, Sylvia had always busied herself when waking up to try to shake off that feeling.
But today, she didn’t feel like moving at all.
Perhaps it was the warmth of a person next to her.
Waking up in the morning without feeling lonely or sad was a surprisingly fulfilling feeling for Sylvia.
She wondered when she would feel this way again if not today.
With that thought in mind, she decided to indulge in this feeling instead of rushing through her morning like usual.
Having offered just a message to the mansion yesterday for her little escapade, she convinced herself that this was just a bit of cuteness.
Not long after, she felt a stir and heard a breath beside her, signifying that Scarlet had awakened.
Realizing the moment was coming to an end, Sylvia felt a pang of regret.
Still, in hopes of enjoying a moment longer, she pretended to be asleep.
That’s when something unexpected happened.
Instead of getting up, Scarlet began to play with Sylvia’s hair while lying next to her.
Though a bit flustered by the gentle touch, Sylvia quickly regained her composure and maintained her pretense of sleeping.
If she realized that Sylvia was awake, this rare moment of extension would come to an end.
The issue was that maintaining her pretense was harder than expected.
Scarlet’s touch was stimulating in various ways, and it genuinely felt pleasant.
Not in a weird way, but in a very pure sense.
Since Sylvia had been active publicly from a young age, she was sensitive to people’s emotions.
And in Scarlet’s delicate touch, there was a care imbued that seemed worried about whether the person would feel uncomfortable.
So even a gentle brush of her hair felt like it was packed with affection, causing her heart to flutter uncontrollably.
Sylvia was thankful she was good at managing her expressions.
If not, she would have surely broken into a smile unintentionally.
However, at that moment, a crisis arose.
Scarlet stared at her, and then said, “…You’re beautiful.”
The compliment was familiar.
She’d heard it ad nauseam from others.
But knowing it wasn’t a mere flattery but a pure observation made her feel both happy and oddly embarrassed.
Just as she barely restrained a scream that was ready to burst, Scarlet delivered a final blow.
“Thank you for yesterday. You must be tired; please sleep a little longer, Princess.”
With that whisper, Scarlet left the room, and Sylvia felt an immense relief.
“Ahhh… she called me ‘Princess’…”
If not for that, Scarlet would have seen her face burning red.
Is my image in Scarlet’s mind the pretty princess…?
Hiding her flushed face under the blanket, Sylvia buried her head into the pillow.
After a while of squirming under the blanket like a squealing pig, Sylvia was finally able to calm down when Scarlet called her for breakfast.
When she made her way to the dining table at the call for breakfast, there was a mountain of food laid out, slightly exaggerated.
“What… no way did Scarlet make all of this, did she?”
Sylvia was taken aback by the extravagant breakfast spread.
Even at the mansion, the meals weren’t this lavish.
She felt sorry for Scarlet, who must have worked hard to prepare all this, but wasn’t this a bit excessive when there were only three people to eat it?
Wondering if this was the average portion in this house, she glanced at Yoon Si-woo, who also looked bewildered, making it clear that this was indeed unusual.
Wondering if they were simply this hungry, she turned to Scarlet, who looked a bit down as she replied.
“No, I just thought it would be a way to repay you for yesterday, but… is it too much? I’m sorry. You can leave some if it’s too much,” she said.
At the mention of “repayment,” Sylvia felt a spark of realization.
She recalled the empty refrigerator scene she had seen when Scarlet lived in her old house.
Once upon a time, she had resolved meals with nothing but granary sprouts.
Would someone like that prepare this much food just because she was hungry?
Absolutely not.
Which meant this enormous amount of food represented the enormity of the debt she felt toward them.
She didn’t need to feel sorry for them at all.
Scarlet’s glum expression settled heavily on her heart.
It felt as though the amount of food left would equal the debt she felt toward them.
That was something she didn’t want.
Somehow, she wanted to lessen the burden Scarlet felt as much as she could.
With that thought, Sylvia bit her lip and made a resolve.
Even if it meant bursting, she would eat all the food prepared.
Of course, it was impossible to do alone, so she enlisted Yoon Si-woo’s help.
Fortunately, he seemed to share the same thought as he exchanged firm glances after a few shared looks.
His determination to eat to the point of death was pretty reassuring.
Though the heroes were known to eat massive amounts, this much seemed impossible.
Well, if all else fails, she could starve for a few days, whatever.
Thinking that, Sylvia put the food in her mouth and gasped at the flavor.
“Wow, it’s delicious! Scarlet, I had a feeling you’d be good at cooking since you made macarons so well, but I didn’t expect it to be this good!”
Her cooking was impressive enough to appeal to Sylvia, who had grown up tasting food from high-profile head chefs.
It didn’t feel luxurious, but it radiated a warmth that felt just like home-cooked meals filled with effort.
As she smiled and claimed she had worked hard to learn, Sylvia caught a glimpse of Yoon Si-woo’s slightly blushing face.
It seemed he was pondering, “Did she learn it all for me?”
Finding it amusing, Sylvia teased him.
“Ahhh, someone is so lucky! Living with a chef like Scarlet.”
“Cough…”
Laughing at his muffled cough, her compliment was genuine.
If she lived with Scarlet, she could experience mornings like today every day.
So, she warned him with a hint of playful threat that if he didn’t treat her well, she’d take Scarlet away.
“Well, who knows who she’ll end up living with later? If Scarlet wants to move, just tell me anytime. I’ll get her a house.”
“You saying that makes me afraid you might actually do it…”
Though she said it with a laugh, it seemed to carry an underlying seriousness.
Well, it wasn’t exactly a joke.
If she wanted it, Sylvia really would have the means to provide her with a comfortable home, and she smirked at that thought.
Then she set a date to meet Scarlet, saying she had somewhere to go, seeking solutions to prevent what happened yesterday.
It would certainly be beneficial to consult someone who knew her condition best.
With that thought, she urged Scarlet to get ready to leave.
She too had this mountain of food to deal with and urgent matters to discuss with Yoon Si-woo.
After stating that, she nodded and got up from her seat.
“I understand. I’ll be done soon, so I’ll wash up first. Enjoy your meal.”
Scarlet said and went to wash up, and after confirming her absence, Sylvia turned to Yoon Si-woo.
There was something she wanted to ask.
“Yoon Si-woo, can I ask you something?”
“Sure. You said there was something to discuss earlier, right? What is it?”
“It’s nothing much. While watching yesterday, I felt like you know more about Scarlet than I do. She told you about her condition, right? I’m curious why she told you things she hasn’t shared with me,” she inquired.
To Sylvia, this had been a lingering question.
Scarlet avoided growing close to her, saying she didn’t want her to suffer later.
So why was Yoon Si-woo the exception?
Why had she shared with him but not with her?
What exactly was the difference between them?
She couldn’t help but ask.
When she did, she saw Yoon Si-woo’s expression harden.
“Is it really that important to you?”
“Yes. It is super important. I can’t help but feel bothered that you’re withholding something from me. It’s not like I’m treating you differently. Honestly, I felt a bit left out,” she admitted.
As she grumbled about that, Yoon Si-woo mumbled with a troubled expression.
“Well, it’s a bit complicated. I have my own reasons. It’s not exactly good news. Plus, Scarlet not telling you like she did yesterday is because she wanted to spare you, so could you just let it slide?”
“…So you’re still not going to tell me?”
Sylvia frowned at Yoon Si-woo’s evasiveness.
After all, she thought they were in this together because of yesterday, yet she felt he still didn’t trust her completely.
Upset, she muttered to him.
“I get it. So that means I’m the only one who’s not special to you, huh? You’re lucky for being on such good terms with Scarlet.”
“…Lucky?”
Upon hearing her capture those words, Yoon Si-woo burst into incredulous laughter.
Then, he shifted to a bittersweet smile.
“From my perspective, there are moments when I envy you.”
“…What do you mean you envy me?”
Sylvia couldn’t make sense of it from her point of view.
Scarlet must be completely relying on him; what could she possibly envy?
Yet, Yoon Si-woo looked so tormented as he spoke that.
“You haven’t been asked by Scarlet to die for her, have you?”
It was then that Sylvia realized she had made a massive mistake.
“…It’s not a good thing she relies on you. Every time something happens like yesterday, it means she’s looking only at me. It feels like she’s asking to stab her own heart. You wouldn’t know how I feel during those times.”
Scarlet relied completely on him.
Truly, she trusted him with her very life.
So Scarlet must have told him everything that happened to her.
And Yoon Si-woo must have witnessed it all.
How her condition was worsening every day.
What was Yoon Si-woo feeling as he watched her deteriorate?
What if the moment came where he would have to end the girl he cherished with his own hands?
At the very least, Sylvia knew she couldn’t withstand that.
But what had she said to such a person?
That was definitely not something to be envied.
“…I’m sorry. Without thinking, I…”
“…Don’t worry about it. Just keep this in mind. When Scarlet told you she didn’t want to burden you, don’t take that lightly. Being close to her might be a bit harder than you think.”
The boy who said that seemed to wear a heavy atmosphere, leaving Sylvia with no choice but to nod silently.
After that, no conversation transpired at the table.
In silence, they merely stuffed food into their stomachs.
Sylvia looked at Yoon Si-woo, who ate with his head down like someone burdened by an invisible weight.
Perhaps what pressed down on him wasn’t merely the expectations of countless people, but the weight of a single promise made to a girl.
Reality doesn’t sparkle with beauty like a fairy tale.
If their story had colors, it might just be the shade of an endless abyss at the edge of a cliff.
Even after force-feeding themselves at the end of breakfast,
what truly haunted Sylvia was the horrid reality that felt unbearably heavy.
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